Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond initiative has begun a new era for the Wizards of the Coast collectible card game. Thanks to it, in fact, the most famous of the GCCs has been able to welcome universes very distant from its own without too many disruptions, both from an artistic and content point of view. And so Street Fighter, Fortnite, The Lord of the Rings, Fallout and in the future Final Fantasy and Marvel have the possibility of receiving an expansion of custom cards thanks to which fans can get closer to the mechanics and strategy of Magic.
To the delight of Wizards, the fans themselves and above all the collectors, who compete for the rarest cards in these collections, as we could see in our special of the 10 most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards.
In the busy release calendar, there is a Universe Beyond that we have been keeping an eye on for some time, partly because it is dedicated to one of the most beloved video game series of all time, partly because this saga has a unique connection with Italy. We are obviously talking about Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft’s blockbuster which since 2007 has told the age-old struggle between Assassins and Templars.
A war with no holds barred that was fought in the four corners of the globe, from the Holy Land to China. From the Caribbean coasts to the next Japan of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. As we were saying, however, there is an Assassin in particular and a setting that are particularly close to our hearts: we are talking about Ezio Auditore and his Renaissance Italy. In Assassin’s Creed 2 and its sequels we explored cities such as Florence, Venice and Rome, but there is a village that has struck the collective imagination more than any other: that of Monteriggioni.
It is precisely in the small Tuscan town that Wizards of the Coast has decided to organize the launch of Magic: The Gathering – Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creedamong dozens of talented cosplayers and, obviously, just as many cards to unpack in order to test the new mechanics designed for this set.
The beautiful Monteriggioni
It’s true that Assassin’s Creed has perfectly reproduced dozens of different cities, but everyone knows London, Paris, Venice or the Egyptian pyramids and these places certainly don’t need the Ubisoft series to attract visitors from all over the world.
In Monteriggioni, however, 48 inhabitants live and it is a small village surrounded by one of the most beautiful regions and full of things to see on the planet. There small fortress from the 1200s, in fact, was born right in the middle of this rich border land to control trade and above all to protect Siena from potential invasions by Florence. From its walls you can see the beautiful San Gimignano, you can see the Chianti hills, you can keep an eye on the Elsa valleys, those that lead to the Tuscan capital, and beyond the hill there is Siena with its cathedral and Piazza of the Camp. In short, there are dozens of things to do within a stone’s throw, no matter whether you are there for culture, food or relaxation.
What appears to be misfortune was perhaps also the salvation of Monteriggioni, given that the town was saved from the uncontrolled growth of the last century and remained a jewel capable of reviving the atmosphere of 1554the year in which the fortress was conquered by Florence and therefore lost its strategic importance.
This peculiarity won over the developers of Ubisoft who, during the reconnaissance to document and recreate the setting of Assassin’s Creed 2, fell in love with Monteriggioni and decided to have Ezio take refuge inside the fortress, which would soon become one of the most iconic locations in the series. From that moment on, thousands of people have learned to know this small town and to include it in their itineraries. This is because, even if it is true that some of the locations from the video games do not actually exist, the atmosphere you can breathe is precisely that of AC2, especially if the country has been invaded by dozens of cosplayers…
The launch event
In addition to the Magic: The Gathering – Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed cards, Wizards of the Coast and Communication Laboratory have also brought dozens of members of Assassin’s Creed Cosplay Itaa group of enthusiastic cosplayers who played the many protagonists of the series and agreed to be photographed not only by the guests, but also by the tourists present.
In fact, everyone who passed through the town not only looked with curiosity at these people in costume who mimed fighting, leaps of faith or flew a falcon to synchronize the map, but effortlessly recognized the various protagonists. In fact, it wasn’t just Ezio, but at least one or two versions of all the Assassins we have met in recent years, from Altair to Eivor, from Kassandra to Connor.
This made us understand that these people, deep down, they were there also thanks to the fame of the video game. And for this reason they proved doubly interesting to the new set that translates the characters, places and situations of the Ubisoft series into a solid collectible card game.
Starting from July 5th it will be possible to collect the additions 100 cards with unique mechanics of the set, as well as those with an exclusive design, without borders and which allows you to join them together to have a single artwork. To introduce new players to the set, a starter kit could not be missing with everything needed to create two standard decks, one led by Ezio and the other by Eivor.
Collectors, however, will bet everything on Collector Booster packs, i.e. 10-card packs full of foil and special treatments that can contain anything from the World Packs, including additional treatments exclusive to the Collector Booster.
In other words, there is a lot to make both Assassin’s Creed fans and Magic collectors happy and the setting of Monteriggioni could only be the perfect place for the debut of this new expansion.
