Wizards of the Coast has announced that the popular Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks for Magic: The Gathering will receive a limited reprint. These preconstructed decks, originally released in 2022, quickly became some of the most expensive in the game's secondary market due to their unique cards and sought-after IP crossover.
The four decks, which were the first in the Universes Beyond series, are based on distinct factions from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Forces of the Imperium deck is an Esper (white-blue-black) build focusing on the Investigate mechanic. Necron Dynasties is a mono-black deck centered on artifact creatures, often commanding the highest prices on the secondary market. Tyranid Swarm is a Temur (blue-red-green) deck designed for wide board presence, while The Ruinous Powers is a Grixis (blue-black-red) deck representing the Forces of Chaos, featuring the Commander Abaddon the Despoiler with a potent Cascade ability. Each Commander deck contains 100 cards, with 42 of them being unique to this release.
When initially released, the Warhammer 40K Commander decks had a retail price of $59.99. However, their scarcity and the demand for their unique contents have driven prices into the hundreds of dollars. Recent sales data shows that bundles containing all four unopened decks have fetched a median price of approximately $1,000 on platforms like TCGPlayer.
The Universes Beyond brand, which brings characters and settings from other franchises into Magic: The Gathering, has been a point of contention among the player base. While some players appreciate the crossover potential, seeing beloved characters from franchises like Warhammer 40K, The Lord of the Rings, and even Fortnite appear in Magic, others find the influx of external IPs disruptive. The brand's expansion has also contributed to an increased release cadence for Magic: The Gathering, making it challenging for players to keep up with the growing card pool and stay competitive in various formats.