With the booster packs of Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy barely cracked, it is of course time for the next MTG set to roll over the horizon and into our hands. The space-fantasy themed MTG set sees players warping to the Edge – a new region unlike any other we’ve seen before. From spacecraft to jellyfish, angels and even planets – Edge of Eternities is a brave adventure to the cosmos. Having travelled to space with the latest set, I’m blown away by just how well the set holds up in sealed and commander. So double-check your air supply, strap in and get ready to warp into Edge of Eternities!
Magic: The Gathering might not be a stranger to sci-fi, whether you’re looking at original or universes beyond themes or the likes of Unfinity and Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty as standouts within that sci-fi theme. That is to say that while Unifinity was a chaotic space theme park dream, Edge of Eternities blasts into the openness of space with ease. What I instantly love about the Edge of Eternities theme is that it doesn’t feel like a gimmick. Aetherdrift, in comparison, was a lot harder to dive into. Giant death race leaves much unknown, yet space already comes with a degree of familiarity. I was hooked on that blend of fantasy and sci-fi. With early teases feeling like a Guardians of the Galaxy dream blended with that fantastical wonder of a space-opera with aliens aplenty and magic drawn from dying stars.
Walking into this set I did, however, feel a degree of apprehension given my previous experience with a vehicle-heavy set. I did worry it would go much the same with the focus on spacecraft, yet thankfully that wasn’t the case. While spacecraft are abundant, thankfully the station mechanic feels much like a ship preparing to take off – engines ramping up and systems coming online. There are some HUGE payoffs that can easily be attained in a few turns.
The Artwork for Edge of Eternites
The art in this set has to be one of the strongest aesthetics I’ve come across in my time with MTG. Edge of Eternities holds its own and isn’t afraid of showing just how expansive and impressive these worlds of the set are. This isn’t just another plane in the multiverse or a dreaded hat set with familiar characters becoming space pilots like many would expect. The set easily builds out its own universe with an array of on-theme treatments.
The Edge of Eternities headliner is none other than a collapsing black hole – Sothera, the Supervoid, which appears as a standard treatment, a showcase foil or fracture foil, and an illustrious textless headliner singularity foil. I love how easily each card art defines itself, and thankfully, the standard art treatment does look just as good as the showcase art! As an enchantment, Sothera, the Supervoid allows you to exile creatures from each of your opponents if you lose a creature. Then, should any player be without a creature, you can sacrifice Sothera to pull a creature exiled by it onto your battlefield. It’s a great card, should you enjoy turning your opponents’ creatures against them.
My favourite treatment in this set has to be the Borderless Triumphant cards, which showcase creatures and the set’s planeswalker – Tezzeret, Cruel Captain. I was very lucky to be gifted a Tezzeret, Cruel Captain after the prerelease event I attended, and he’s such a stunning – hot card for sure! It’s taken a while for this type of character showcase style card to grow on me, but here, with the minimalist space background, it absolutely sings to the set’s theme.
I also loved how they included the special guests sheet. Each is stylised to appear like a pulpy sci-fi comic book adventure. In many ways, these resemble the exclusive Secret Lairs, thanks to their non-traditional format. I’d love to see MTG do more of these themed cards within sets. As a collector who is fiendish for great art on my cards, I’d love to see the game explore treatments around the theme a little bit more, especially when they break away from that typical card format.
The lands in Edge of Eternities are also a huge standout, with art ripped straight from an intergalactic dream. Borderless stellar sights land’s steal the show, featuring a slew of abilities to spice your mana, while showing off the galaxy. Shock Lands also make a return in this set, so if you’re hungry for land’s, this is the set for you.
Borderless viewport lands also showcase planets through a window on the ground, while the usual default treatment shows the planet. Once again, it’s impossible not to just feel so swept up in the grandiose nature of space.
Edge of Eternities also features a stunning celestial basic land cycle, with gorgeous full art perfect for blinging out a deck!
Everything about this set is what I look for in MTG, where Tarkir: Dragonstorm sung to those after that more traditional, classic format, Edge Of Eternities has its sights set on transporting players to the stars. This is a very new adventure. Everything about this sets the aesthetics into its grandiose nature, fitting a space-opera with art just intergalactic.
In my time with the set, I was able to play a sealed prerelease event and pilot both of the commander decks. All in all, I was impressed at how easy the set was to pick up. While initially, I did feel like it was the sci-fi setting that allowed it to feel more approachable, now I feels as though the set as a whole is a lot kinder to newer players.
The Edge of Eternites Mechanics
The mechanics in Edge of Eternities not only lean heavily into the space theme, but feel really satisfying or at least tease big pay-offs. The set mechanics are as follows:
Station sees you gaining charge counters in exchange for taping creatures, till you each a counter level that allows the artifact to change to an artifact creature. Creatures summoned that turn can also be used so you can get value out of your cards instantly. Legendary Vehicles and Legendary Spacecraft can also now be your commander if they have a power and toughness level, thanks to a rule change.
Warp is another fun one that sees you summoning a card for a lesser cost, only to then exile that card at the start of your next end step. These exiled cards can then be cast from exile on a later turn, though, so it’s a cheeky way to activate an ability or hit a trigger for double value. Warp is only available from your hand. You can also use this as a means to accrue a few more charge counters for the station.
Void is another on-theme mechanic in the set. Void abilities depend on whether a nonland permanent left the battlefield during this turn or if a spell was warped to varying effects.
Lander tokens are also a new addition, allowing players to search their library for a land. This is an excellent one if you’re like me and find yourself mana-locked a lot more than you like.
Playing Edge of Eternities
During my time playing the set at a sealed prerelease event, I built a white-green deck, since I felt most comfortable with the playstyle of counters. In retrospect, while I did narrowly win the match we had, I really should’ve leaned into the black cards I’d pulled. Thankfully, though, the counters did come through, just not before my life points went down below ten. What turned it around for me was The Eternity Elevator – a spacecraft card that I could tap for three colourless mana and station with creatures for even more. The station mechanic can snowball quite quickly with the tokens build, so while The Eternity Elevator does require 20 counters, it’s a fast build when you have creatures with a decent hit of power on your side.
While prerelease events can be a bit stressful, especially when building a deck from random cards, I believe the experience can only help you improve at the game and develop your overall card knowledge. It’s also worth noting that typically at events, there will always be someone, whether it’s a judge or other player, willing to help you make sense of your pulls!
The World Shaper Preconstructed Commander Deck
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve grown quite comfortable piloting Commander decks with enchantment and counter synergies. World Shaper wasn’t my first choice of decks out of the two precons in Edge of Eternities. As a Black, Red, and Green deck, World Shaper sees you relying on sacrificing lands predominantly, which can take some getting used to. Thankfully, Szarel, Genesis Shepherd allows you to play lands from your graveyard. The card also sees you rewarded for multiple sacrifices by letting you add counters equal to its power to another creature. Once you have a land sacrificing loop going, he’s able to pull them back really easily.
I had a lot of fun once I had Omnath, Locus of Rage on the board, every land was giving me a 5/5 creature token with a damage trigger if Omnath or one of the tokens died. As you can imagine, by the late game, you can almost populate an entire board of Elementals without even trying. If you’re worried about only casting one land a turn, there’s also Exploration Broodship, The Gitrog Monster, and Oracle of Mul Daya – each allowing you to play another land on each turn. Splendid Reclamation is also a great value way to pull every land out of your graveyard.
Hearthhull, the Worldseed – a spacecraft is the precons other commander, and frankly just as powerful to run the deck. For just two charge counters already, you have a land-sacrificing engine that also lets you draw cards. For eight charge counters, the commander is a flying 6/7 with vigilance and haste. And those lands you’re sacrificing now have some added bite for other players.
Elsewhere in the precon, Formless Genesis rewards you for having lands in your graveyard with equal power and toughness. The deck also features Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, who gets a counter each time you sacrifice a permanent. The precon is in essence, full of triggers no matter which way the lands are going, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble building momentum.
Actively sacrificing lands does take some getting used to, which is not because the deck isn’t well put together. If anything, I feel like World Shaper is a great on-ramp for the land sacrificing synergy, thanks to its agile nature for recovering lands as well as rewarding those sacrifices. As a newer player to other synergies like this, I found the deck incredibly responsive. Once you get into the rhythm of sacrificing lands, knowing you can get them back, it’s actually so satisfying.
Final Thoughts
Edge of Eternities is not only a standout set for me, but proof that MTG’s original sets can more than hold their own against Universes Beyond. With artwork that’s outta this world while still remaining aesthetically coherent, and mechanics to back it all up, Magic: The Gathering has done an incredible job. Edge of Eternities might sit outside that typical original fantasy nostalgia, and even other more current futuristic settings, but it’s not held back by this. Spacecraft are thematic, and the station mechanic sees them growing in power while warping allows for quick phase-ins for abilities multiple times. Alongside a stunning roster of functional lands, it’s impressive to see how easily the set has embraced the space-opera vibe. This is definitely one of my favourite Magic: The Gathering sets to date. Here’s hoping we see more space adventures in the future!
Magic: The Gathering – Edge of Eternities is out now at your local game store or TCG stockist.
