Alesha, Who Smiles at Death | Secret Lair
2, Oct, 25

MTG Announcement Makes Controversial Crossover Seem Unlikely

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Love it or hate it, we’re well and truly in the Universes Beyond era of Magic: The Gathering. Three full crossover sets are being released this year, with a further four planned for 2026. For better or worse, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before every IP gets its own set. That said, a recent announcement from Wizards of the Coast is making one franchise look off-limits.

Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast announced a Twitch stream to support Trans Lifeline on October 4th. As an increasingly important cause in the current climate, this supportive livestream is fantastic to see. Beyond just supporting a great cause, this livestream may well have some big implications for Magic’s future.

Support Trans Lifeline

WotC Trans Lifeline Livestream

Airing on October 4th at 10 am PT, Wizards of the Coast’s Support Trans Lifeline livestream is happening this Saturday. Currently, it’s unclear if this event will debut any new products, such as a new Secret Lair drop. Thankfully, even if we don’t get anything like this, this fundraising livestream should be a great time.

“Tune in to twitch.tv/magic on Oct 4th at 10am PT to play games with us and support!”

Wizards of the Coast

Even without any MTG reprints or announcements, it’s incredibly encouraging to have Wizards outwardly supporting Trans Lifeline. MTG content creators, such as The Professor from Tolarian Community College, have even supported this charity in the past. Earlier this year, The Professor earned $579,919 to help the charity thanks to immense support from fans.

Alongside direct donations from fans, The Professor also ran a giveaway for every Masters set ever. Offering 100 boxes to those who donated $4 and above, this was a great way to get MTG players involved. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like Wizards is running a similar giveaway, but they do have a few interesting ideas planned.

On Wizards’ direct funding page for this livestream, there is a range of rewards available for different donation thresholds. For $25, you can ask a creative or design question about Magic to the game’s designers. Alternatively, for $50, you can request a design or creative story for more in-depth information. Stepping things up a notch, for $250, players can request a full deep dive into a Magic Creative or Environmental Design topic.

Beyond these fundraising incentives, it seems Wizards of the Coast’s livestream is going to be a long one. Starting at 10 am PT, this event runs until at least 6 PM, with multiple different panels happening throughout the day. Hopefully, this should mean there’s plenty for MTG and D&D fans alike to look forward to.

A Line in the Sand

Sandcrafter Mage | Dragons of Tarkir
Sandcrafter Mage | Dragons of Tarkir

Even before this livestream started, there was already a great deal of support across social media. With the current political climate, it would be all too easy to forgo an event like this. The fact that Wizards of the Coast is standing behind their trans community is great to see, especially given the company’s rapid expansion.

While this livestream doesn’t explicitly rule out anything, it feels like a line in the sand. For many trans MTG and Dungeons and Dragons players, myself included, this is a massive relief. Not only is there a growing amount of anti-trans sentiment in the world, but a problematic crossover was seemingly inevitable.

As a multimedia juggernaut with a substantial fanbase, a Harry Potter Universes Beyond crossover felt like a when, not an if. MTG might have Strixhaven as an in-universe equivalent, but it still felt like it was only a matter of time. For a lot of players, this potential set was poised to be a huge problem due to the franchise creator, J. K. Rowling.

In recent years, J. K. Rowling has been incredibly vocal against the trans community and has fought against trans-inclusive legislation. Due to this, many people have been boycotting her work and associated media, such as the recent Hogwarts Legacy game. Beyond this, there’s been a lot of condemnation for actors working on the new Harry Potter TV series and audiobook.

Online, it seems her views have essentially become poison to any project and person she’s associated with. This includes recent Harry Potter-themed deck boxes from Ultimate Guard. Should this hypothetical Universes Beyond crossover happen, Magic: The Gathering wouldn’t be immune to this. The game would be directly supporting anti-trans views and rhetoric, which would alienate some of Magic’s most devoted fans.

Problematic Profits

Smothering Tithe | Judge Gift Cards
Smothering Tithe | Judge Gift Cards

For now, the fact that Wizards is doing this Trans Lifeline fundraising stream makes a Harry Potter Universes Beyond set seem like a nonstarter. Personally, I’m certainly hoping that things stay that way, as making such a set would definitely push out players. Simply shipping the set itself likely wouldn’t be enough, as it would feel like a shift in Wizards’ morals.

Sadly, even if Wizards has drawn the line in the sand for now, there has been no official statement saying a Harry Potter Universes Beyond set won’t happen. Unfortunately, it feels unlikely that Wizards would ever make such a statement, as it’s a hell of a bridge to burn. Even if such a product would alienate players and produce tons of negative sentiment, money talks.

If Hasbro is offered enough money, they could theoretically force a Harry Potter Universes Beyond set into production. So long as the money gained is more than the lost profit from players leaving, it would make business sense. Ideally, the lost revenue from angering players is more than could ever be realistically offered, but that remains to be seen.

Hopefully, Wizards of the Coast won’t back down from this line in the sand. The company has long been a beacon for inclusivity and has fostered an incredibly welcoming and inclusive community around it. Events like the Trans Lifeline livestream speak to this, showing how valued and supported the community is.

Hypotheticals aside, the Trans Lifeline livestream is definitely worth looking forward to. Even if we don’t get any commemorative Secret Lair drops, it sounds like a great day of fundraising and entertainment. Hopefully, events like this will become a recurring fixture in the future.

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