‘Most fun I’ve had in years’: MaRo defends MTG’s big Marvel crossover after criticism

Magic: The Gathering’s head designer, Mark Rosewater, has dismissed Marvel crossover criticism, instead suggesting the Marvel playtest was “the most fun [he’s] had in years”—and the expansion has even changed an old stance he had in years gone by.

MTG has had its ups and downs over the past 30 years since debuting in 1993, with plenty of controversies along the road. However, introducing crossover sets, like The Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, and Warhammer: 40,000, has brought back old players and introduced new ones to the wonderful world of card games.

But with the announcement of a Marvel crossover expansion on Oct. 23, the future of MTG has been questioned by fans and head designer Mark Rosewater has been receiving harsh criticisms for the abundance of Universe Beyond releases recently.

If you’re new to MTG, you may be wondering why there’s backlash for these crossovers when they’ve been quite popular, with celebrities like Post Malone even purchasing the rarest MTG card. Heck, certain crossovers might even be the reason you started playing. The simple answer really is: MTG was never originally built for crossovers.

On Rosewater’s blog, he suggested he never wanted MTG to be a “hodge-podge of different things,” but even he couldn’t predict where MTG would end up. He originally set out to have a “cohesive” universe, he added.

Now, several years later, MTG has multiple crossover sets, and Rosewater stands by his past thoughts because, as he says, both he and MTG have evolved. Today, Rosewater is all in on the new look for MTG (which includes Universes Beyond) and he even admitted playtesting the upcoming Marvel expansion was “one of the most fun playtests [he’s] had in years,” which bodes well for Marvel and MTG fans.

It looks like, considering Rosewater’s comments, these expansive MTG crossovers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, backlash or no.

Really, it’s up to you whether you use the crossover sets. Ultimately, it’s still the same vintage game and is just as enjoyable, with a few more pop culture references.