Edge of Eternities is the latest in-universe expansion for Magic the Gathering, and it takes bold steps where no set has gone before: outer space! Taking place in the Sothera System, the war over the collapsing Sothera star taking place over the near 300 cards added to the game. Edge of Eternities is a gem of a set no matter what kind of magic player you are. I mainly play limited and have had so much fun drafting this set. Commander players will be sure to find some beefy, impactful cards to include in their decks and collectors will be overjoyed with all of the incredible art and alters in the set, not to mention the value of the cards of course. With the focus on Universes Beyond and third-party collaborations that Wizards have had, it is nice to see that an original plane can still be brought to the game with such brilliant results.
I love the limited format for this set. The archetypes are tight and intuitive to build, but also there are many options to make a deck truly your own and have an enjoyable time doing it. The warp mechanic is snugly supported by multiple archetypes and doesn’t feel forced to build around or use in another style of play. Likewise void, a new mechanic that rewards you for warping cards, also sees permanents leaving the battlefield, which works nicely alongside sacrifice strategies. I don’t want to focus too heavily on the limited format, but as mainly a draft player I can wholeheartedly recommend trying it out.
Edge of Eternities introduces new mechanics that offer fun new ways to cast and interact with your spells, without feeling overly powerful. Station allows you to level up your permanents with your creatures’ power, unlocking powerful payoff effects. Warp allows your permanents to enter the battlefield for one turn before getting exiled and cast later, creating a dynamic play pattern with the void mechanic, which rewards you if a permanent warps or leaves the battlefield. The way the new and old mechanics are designed around is excellent, creating some unique cards that are balanced well. My personal new card is Uthros, Titanic Godcore, a legendary land which, when stationed with 12+ counters, becomes a Tolarian academy, giving one blue mana for each artifact you control. This is such a fun effect to pull off, but it isn’t easy, making you feel you’ve earned the incredible power it gives you.
One thing I find slightly jarring about the set is how the deep sci-fi theme feels in Magic’s world. Magic the Gathering normally aims for a fantasy aesthetic, and the exploration of future worlds are normally still grounded in this. But even though, in my opinion, it feels slightly out of place tonally, there is no denying that Edge of Eternities has succeeded in portraying the genre. There is so much flavour that works so well, especially alongside the new mechanics. The warp mechanic feels so much more impactful alongside imagery of lightspeed cruisers as you feel the impact of your creatures travelling through exile. The art is absolutely amazing, the beauty, brutality and sheer isolation of The Sothera System being visually conveyed effortlessly. Edge of Eternities is great at fully committing to the space opera theme, not just using it as mild inspiration. Despite my scepticism of the setting, I cannot deny that the cards, art and flavour create an immersive realised world, a serious attempt at the genre being executed competently. I am grateful that there isn’t a deluge of jokey or self-referential cards, something that has soured some of the recent in universe sets for me. Goofy cards can be fun but not when they make up a large amount of a set’s presence, so it’s nice to see less of those.
The reprints featured in Edge of Eternities are not too extensive, but the shock land cycle being added in to standard is a big deal, as these lands help enable a more consistent mana-base, creating a higher variety of colours supported in decks. This is without mentioning the beautiful extra-terrestrial art they have been given, doing justice to the latest iteration of the iconic land cycle. There are reprints of a range of other cards throughout Magic’s history, but these are in special guest slots which are harder to come by and not legal in standard. It is still a treat to open them, as they have been given such a special style and feel that even the less valuable cards are a joy to have in any collection.
So, whether you like to draft, enjoy opening shiny things or just want good cards to play with, I would entirely recommend trying out Edge of Eternities, especially if you are a science fiction fan or simply just want to enjoy magic design at its best. It is everything you could ask from a modern standard set and worth opening, however you like to play Magic the Gathering.
