Doctor Who MTG - It's about timey-wimey!

In this article we will explore the products on offer in this set and who they are aimed at, as well as what product/s you should purchase. If you are reading this, we are assuming you either have an invested interest in the 30 year old trading card game and/or the now 60 year old BBC television series. Either way, let’s start with a quick summary of MTG and Doctor Who to bring everyone up to speed and fill in any knowledge gaps.

Arguably the first mainstream competitive trading card game, it involves pitting 2 (or sometimes more) players against each other in a turn-based strategy duel, based on a fictional fantasy world of wizards, dragons, and goblins. With a 30 year history, the catalogue of cards to choose from is now around 50,000 strong and seems to be growing ever faster, with more and more recent and future releases.

A British science-fiction television series broadcasted by the BBC since 1963, depicting the adventures of a Time Lord called The Doctor, as they travel through time and space to perpetually save the world. A ‘good versus evil’ theme is ever present as the Doctor faces famous foes from across the science-fiction spectrum such as Daleks, Cybermen and The Doctor’s arch enemy ‘The Master’, all from the British police box time machine known as the Tardis.

Now, let’s get into the products on offer in MTG Universes Beyond: Doctor Who.

A Collector booster is a traditional style pack of 15 MTG cards containing the most premium versions of cards from the MTG: Universe Beyond - Doctor Who set. Each pack has a range of different art possibilities and card frames as well as beautiful foiling to further enhance your cardboard keepsake. Let’s break down what a typical pack could contain, it’s worth noting that there is a chance some cards fall into multiple categories (I.e. a mythic, extended art, foil). Each pack always contains 15 cards that will be any combination of:

• 7-14 Rare or Mythic cards 

These are the lowest frequency cards seen in the set. Often (but not always) the most popular and sought after and the rarity that all of the Doctors and Companions will sit within.

• 6-7 Extended art cards

The artwork on MTG cards usually sits within a box in the top half of the card. However, extended art cards will have artwork spanning the entire width of the card, giving a more interesting and immersive look.

• 2 Showcase Tardis version cards

The Tardis version of a card has a unique border style that looks like the outline of the Tardis itself. In addition, the art style used for the main card artwork is also different, ‘focusing on flashy styles and breath-taking artistry’.

• 12 Foil cards

Foil cards or holographic cards are identical to their non-foil counterparts in every way except the material treatment used that provides a shiny, reflective finish that many people find aesthetically superior.

• 3-10 Surge Foils

Surge foils are a unique style of foiling that has only been used on the previous Universes Beyond cards and provides a ripple-like effect on the foil of the card.

• Potential Serialised cards

Each of the 13 Doctors will have a number of serialised cards equal to 500 plus their doctor number (so the tenth doctor will have 510 serialised cards). These are all identical to the foil Tardis version except that in the bottom left corner of the artwork is an ‘XXX/510’ box to indicate its uniqueness and incredible scarcity.

A foil card, an extended art card, and a showcase Tardis version card.

So, as you can see, these packs contain a lot of possibilities and the chance to hold many exciting cards and beautiful artworks. We have already seen a few of the cards from the set and it’s clear the design team are trying hard to capture the essence of the hit TV show in the art. Remember that if you want the Tardis version, surge foiling, or even a chance at the serialised Doctors then these Collector packs are your only option.

These packs are currently sold in a box of 12 on our site for £226.95. We don’t currently sell individual packs but these can be found from many local game stores for around £22.

Anyone looking for a high risk, high potential product and a roll of the dice to possibly get some very special, even unique, cards. Anyone specifically wanting the showcase Tardis versions or surge foils will need to pick up Collector boosters as they are not available in any of the Commander decks. If you are not interested in playing MTG then randomised packs may also be for you as some of the value of the Commander decks are tied to their playability. Lastly, if you like many of the cards in the set but only one or two are in each Commander deck, it may be more beneficial to pick up Collector boosters and try your luck. 

If you are completely new to the world of MTG then ‘Commander’ is a format, or way of playing, that involves taking a deck of 100 unique cards and battling against (usually) 3 other players. The gameplay has a high replay-ability, as roughly 60 of the cards in each deck are unique (there is only one copy of that card within the deck) so only having one deck is not a barrier to playing many varied games. Commander has also gained the reputation for being a more sociable and casual way to play this trading card game compared to other ‘one on one’ style formats.

Wizards of the Coast have produced 4 different pre-constructed 100 card decks for you to be able to play Commander with - which is great if you fancy giving the game a go. The fully transparent deck lists also enable you to make a purchasing decision based on the cards within the deck rather than the random chance of a Collector booster. So, if you don’t have any intention or desire to play MTG then grabbing a Commander deck may still be your best bet as you can guarantee getting the cards contained within - if you want them.

When creating multiple Commander decks in a set, Wizards of the Coast try to make sure each deck is themed around a specific subject. For the Doctor Who MTG decks: Three of the decks are themed around a set of Doctors; 1-8, 9-11 as well as 12 and 13. The final deck is themed entirely around the villains of Doctor Who.

The structure of the contents of each of the decks are identical (although the specific cards inside are different), and are as follows:

• 100-card deck featuring 2 Foil Legendary cards and 98 non-foil cards.

• 10 Planechase cards, each featuring a different place (and time) in the Doctor Who universe.

• 10 Double-sided tokens.

• 1 Life tracker

• 1 Deck box (made from thin cardboard)

• 1 Sample Collector booster containing 2 special alt-frame cards including 1 Rare or Mythic Rare card.

Anyone looking to guarantee having specific characters that are known to be contained within the decks. There is no randomisation or chance; if you want all 13 Doctors then buying the 3 Doctor decks will ensure this. The artwork on all of the cards in the decks will be the ‘standard’ version, but pulling more elaborate styles of the specific cards you want from Collector boosters is a tall order. Also, if you want to learn to play, or you already play Commander, these decks will either be a great place to start, or be great tools to use in your future deck building, especially if you want to fully immerse yourself into the Doctor Who experience.

Now let’s talk through each individual deck in more detail.

Doctor Who MTG Deck 1: Blast from the Past

The first deck is centred around Doctors 1 to 8 and includes the TV actors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester Mccoy, and Paul McGann. The theme here is presented as the ‘original’ series, spanning from 1963-1996 (albeit with a 7 year break towards the end). For many long-time fans of the show, this will be the era that has the most nostalgia and many iconic Doctors. 

The face card of this deck, and subsequently the outer packaging, is ‘The Fourth Doctor’. It is worth noting that Wizards of the Coast cannot use the actors names throughout the cards so all Doctors will be referred to as the order of Doctor that they appeared. To us, this is Tom Baker, and not only was he the longest running Doctor, but his scarf is nothing short of legendary. (Surely we will see it get its own card?).

Although we do not have the full deck list yet (see Key Dates for more on when we will), we have visibility of a few cards. Sarah Jane Smith (Tom Baker’s companion both in the show and on the cards), Time Lord Regeneration (showing the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison) as well as City of Death.

Doctor Who MTG Commander Deck 2 Timey-Wimey

After a 9 year break and a failed attempt to restart the series with a Doctor Who Film in 1996, the TV show returned with the 9th Doctor and thus we have our second era of Doctors. This deck contains the antics, stories and companions from Doctors 9 to 11 played by: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. Gaining a whole new audience (many of whom are likely to be second generations of the original Doctor Who fans) this era has just as dedicated a fanbase. 

The face card of this deck is ‘The Tenth Doctor’ (played by David Tennant), as this was the longest running modern Doctor. We also see his companion card: Rose Tyler, in Billy Piper’s likeness, as his in-game companion. In addition, we have cards revealed: The Parting of the Ways, The Face of Boe (a brilliant depiction), Four Knocks (a pivotal moment in the Tenth Doctor’s journey) and The Eleventh Hour. It is also hinted that ‘The War Doctor’ may feature in this deck, so hold tight to find out soon.

Doctor Who MTG Commander Deck 3 Paradox Power

With Paradox Power, we finally reach the present day. Doctors Twelve and Thirteen (Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker) theme this deck, and Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor heads up the box. We don’t know much about this deck, other than its potential to be unpredictable as ‘the wild nature of time is on full display’. 

We have cards for Yasmin Khan, The Foretold Soldier, and The Flux. The infamous ‘Tardis’, is aolso in each of the 3 Doctor decks, which will make for some really thrilling games!

Doctor Who MTG Commander Deck 4 Masters of Evil

The enemies of the Doctor are packed into this deck with the box art showing The Master (played by Michelle Gomez), a Cyberman, and a Dalek, with the main ‘Commander’ being: Davros, Dalek Creator. Not only do we see Cybermen and Daleks as tokens that get generated during play, but we have the famous saying: ‘EXTERMINATE!’, as a card too. Iconic evil doers ‘Missy’ and ‘The Valeyard’ also get their own art. Sometimes it's just more fun to be the baddies!

The TARDIS Photo Event (with Promo) at MagicCon: Las Vegas: September 22–24

Debut: October 3

Previews: October 3–6

Command Zone Podcast's Extra Turns Gameplay: October 11

Global Launch: October 13

Launch Party Events: October 13–15

Particular attention should be paid to the preview dates as this is where we see all of the cards in the set and which specific cards are in the Commander decks. Also, keep an eye on the global launch date as this is when you can first get your hands on the cards. Online orders will also be dispatched ready for this date and your local shop will have them available to buy on this date as well.