Despite both games being made by Wizards of the Coast, MTG and D&D are worlds apart. Not only are these games in two completely different genres, but their business models are like chalk and cheese. On one hand, Dungeons & Dragons has its Open Gaming Licence, allowing anyone and everyone to make compatible content. MTG, on the other hand, has a very short list of official vendors.
Thankfully, for those who like options and healthy competition, a new familiar name is joining that list in 2024. Famed for their legendary deck boxes, Ultimate Guard is the latest company to get an official license for MTG. As one of the most recognizable and trusted names in the TCG ecosystem, it’s no wonder players are excited by this news.
Officially Licenced Offerings
Breaking the news in a recent blog post, Ultimate Guard has announced they’ve entered a new licensing agreement with Hasbro. This will allow Ultimate Guard “to integrate art assets from the Magic: The Gathering brand into its product line.” Debuting in 2024, it won’t be long until we see what Ultimate Guard has up, or rather in, their sleeves.
“The first Magic: The Gathering set to be extensively accompanied by products is Bloomburrow,” Ultimate Guard revealed via their blog. For this set, there will be a line of Sidewinder 100+ Xenoskin deck boxes, alongside binders, play mats, and more. Each of these will feature art from Bloomburrow, showcasing either the Calamity Beasts or something from the set’s story.
Since Bloomburrow is still many moons away, sadly we don’t really know what all the new products will look like. That being said, the blog post’s header image does slightly showcase one of the new products. Here we can see the Primal Beast Lumra, Bellow of the Woods in the Borderless Field Notes style.
In the background of the header image, it looks like even more products are on display. Since these products are far too blurry to make out, however, we can’t really comment on them. That being said, we can’t help but be excited about the possibility of more flavorful options from Ultimate Guard. Considering the flavor and aesthetics of Bloomburrow, we can only imagine these new products will be a hit.
During their blog post announcement, Ultimate Guard talked up their aims of “expanding and enriching its product range with fantastic works of art.” As CEO Patrick Hildebrant noted, this should give players more compelling options for self-expression. If you ask us, more options are always a good thing.
A Welcome Development
Even before we’ve seen any of the new officially licensed, a lot of MTG players are unsurprisingly excited. Taking to social media, many MTG players have commended the quality of Ultimate Guard while stating their enthusiasm. With some players vowing to drop “a stupid amount of money” on these new products, it seems they’re already successful.
Ultimately, while many MTG players are thoroughly intrigued and interested, there are still a few unknowns. For example, there’s no telling what’s happening to Ultra PRO right now. Having held an official license for years, Ultra PRO was previously the go-to choice if you wanted some licensed accessories. Currently, it’s unclear if Ultra PRO has retained its license to keep making products using official MTG art.
Ideally, we’d hope that both Ultimate Guard and Ultra PRO can exist in the same officially licensed space. Even if both companies use the same artwork, they’re still making their own products at different price points. Regardless of which one is more popular, MTG players having more options is always a good thing.
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