Earlier this year, Wizards of the Coast’s parent company, Hasbro, acquired the toy and board game licensing rights to the Harry Potter films and TV shows. This seemingly opened the door for Wizards of the Coast to create crossover materials between Harry Potter and some of its more popular brands, like Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. The latter has seen a lot of success from its Universes Beyond crossovers, so it didn’t seem completely unreasonable that this could be a possibility. After recently speculating about a Harry Potter Magic set, WotC offered an official update to Screen Rant.
In their official statement, Wizards of the Coast shared that, “The Magic Multiverse has its own school of Magic at Strixhaven with plenty of secrets still to explore. Our Universes Beyond roadmap currently doesn’t have us visiting any others.” While not naming Harry Potter specifically, it is very clear that the allusion to other magic schools includes Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. Although this might be a disappointment for some Harry Potter fans, I think this is ultimately the right decision for Magic: The Gathering for a few reasons.
As I mentioned in my previous coverage, the world of Harry Potter lacks the breadth of content needed to create an engaging Magic: The Gathering set. Looking at some of the most successful Universes Beyond sets, Final Fantasy and Lord of the Rings, it’s clear that having more source material is a huge benefit. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth is far more fleshed out in its fictional history and setting than J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, and Final Fantasy has the advantage of spanning 16 very long games.
Additionally, as mentioned in Wizards of the Coast’s statement, Magic: The Gathering has its own magic school, and honestly one that has a lot more going for it than Hogwarts in terms of world-building. While international readers may have found Hogwarts to be a wholly unique setting, it doesn’t differ much from a real-life British boarding school in many regards. In contrast, Strixhaven has five distinct schools of magic. The difference between Prismari artists’ fiery artistic expression and a Witherbloom necromancer is far greater than the distinction between a loyal Hufflepuff and a smart Ravenclaw.
In general, it is nice to see that Wizards of the Coast is still prioritizing its in-universe settings like Strixhaven. One of the appeals of Magic: The Gathering is seeing how familiar settings and tropes are adapted for its multiverse. For example, cards like Robber of the Rich and Outlaws’ Merriment, while clear references to Robin Hood and his Merry Men, are still rooted firmly within Magic‘s Eldraine setting. This allows Magic to use these existing tropes and character archetypes for a visual shorthand while still creating something new.
This isn’t to say I’m completely against the idea of Universes Beyond sets. I really enjoyed Magic’s take on Final Fantasy, and one of my most-played Commander decks is built around characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That said, it’s good news that Wizards of the Coast is being mindful of the types of crossovers that they do, and aren’t eclipsing their own unique settings like Strixhaven by chasing popular IPs. Harry Potter fans may be disappointed by this news, but Magic: The Gathering fans shouldn’t be.
- Cast
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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen
- Character(s)
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Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Dobby the House Elf, Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black, Ginny Weasley, Voldemort
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
