The announcement of Edward Kenway’s inclusion in MTG’s Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed set is exciting for both fans of the pirate-themed entry, Black Flag, and MTG players. Fans of the series can look forward to seeing their favorite character in the game, while MTG players will have a new Commander to add to their Pirate decks.
The addition of Assassin’s Creed to Magic: The Gathering has breathed new life into the Assassin Creature type, which had already been strengthened by Thunder Junction’s Outlaws. The introduction of powerful Assassins such as Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, who synergize well with other cards in the archetype, will likely result in a surge of Assassin-led decks among MTG players in the near future.
Fortunately, Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed also caters to players looking to expand beyond the Assassin Creature type. Despite being an Assassin himself, Edward Kenway is a fantastic Grixis Commander that adds value to MTG’s Pirate Creatures as well.
Edward Kenway, a 5/5 Legendary Human Assassin Pirate Creature, accurately captures the essence of Black Flag’s gameplay in Magic: The Gathering by enhancing theft and providing rewards for raiding alongside other Pirates.
Despite appearing passive at first, Edward’s initial ability heavily favors an active and aggressive playstyle. At the end of each turn, Edward Kenway produces a Treasure token for every tapped Pirate, Assassin, or Vehicle under your control. By assembling a strong crew and attacking with a diverse board, Edward enables players to gather valuable resources.
In addition to amassing a collection of Treasure, Edward Kenway also employs a traditional Outlaw technique of taking cards from his opponents’ decks and using them to his advantage. With access to a diverse selection of ships and vehicles in MTG, Edward can exile the top card of an opponent’s library whenever he inflicts damage with a vehicle.
With the exception of not having the typical “you can pay mana as if it were mana of any color to cast this spell”clause, Edward’s cards can still be cast at any time as long as they are exiled. The generated Treasure from the card also provides a significant amount of mana in any color.
Despite the different interests, players of Magic: The Gathering and fans of Assassin’s Creed appear to be content with the portrayal of Edward in the set. According to one fan’s comment, “The card for Edward is excellent. I am very pleased with the outcome.”
A different player expressed their satisfaction with the fact that Edward would be compatible with cards from sets other than Universes Beyond, stating, “I am glad that some of the cards can be used in current decks, such as Grixis Pirates which is already a widely used archetype!”
Despite concerns about the cost and contents of the new Beyond Boosters in the Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed set, franchise fans should still consider giving it a chance due to the inclusion of a plethora of formidable new Assassins. Moreover, the set is set to be released on July 5.
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