Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond crossover with Warhammer 40,000 brought four ready-to-play Commander decks into the grimdark far future, and the lineup still ranks among the most requested crossovers at the shop counter. Each deck leans on a different 40k faction and a different signature mechanic, so picking the right one actually matters for how your table games play out. This guide breaks down what comes in the box, how the four decks differ, and how to decide which faction fits your playgroup.
All four decks share the same core structure: 100 Magic cards per deck (two traditional foil cards plus 98 nonfoil), a foil-etched Display Commander, 10 double-sided tokens, a deck box, a life tracker, a strategy insert, and a reference card. Across the whole four-deck release, 42 cards are completely new to Magic, built from the ground up with Warhammer-themed art and flavor text pulled straight from the 40k universe.
The four decks are The Ruinous Powers (Blue-Black-Red, built around cascade), Necron Dynasties (mono-Black, built around unearth), Forces of the Imperium (White-Blue-Black, built around squad), and Tyranid Swarm (Green-Blue-Red, built around ravenous). Each one plays like a distinct strategy rather than a reskinned template, which is part of why collectors and Commander players both gravitate toward this release.
Whether you're assembling your first 40k Commander deck or rounding out a full four-deck collection for multiplayer pods, the choice boils down to playstyle, color preference, and how much you care about the lore behind each faction. Below, we walk through the buying considerations deck by deck.
The Ruinous Powers rewards players who like chaotic, high-variance turns where cascade keeps triggering extra spells off a single card. If you enjoy a deck that snowballs value unpredictably, this is the faction to start with.
Necron Dynasties is built for grindier games where resources keep coming back from the graveyard via unearth, making it a strong pick for players who want resilience over explosiveness. Forces of the Imperium leans into go-wide squad tactics, while Tyranid Swarm focuses on relentless, resilient creature pressure through ravenous.
The 42 new-to-Magic cards spread across all four decks are the real draw for collectors, since they're exclusive to this product and feature original Warhammer 40k artwork you won't find in any other Magic set. These cards range from new legendary commanders to faction-specific support pieces built for exactly the strategy their deck represents.
Beyond the new cards, each deck also reprints established Commander staples in a Warhammer-skinned frame, which is a nice bonus for players who want their playset to look thematically consistent without hunting down the originals separately.
Necron Dynasties being mono-Black makes it the simplest deck to pilot and the easiest to splash into if you want to build your own version later, since you're only managing one color's mana base. The three-color decks (Ruinous Powers, Forces of the Imperium, and Tyranid Swarm) demand more attention to your mana fixing out of the box.
If you're newer to multicolor Commander decks, starting with Necron Dynasties and working up to a three-color faction later is a reasonable on-ramp that still lets you experience the set's flavor.
A single deck is the right call if you already know which faction's playstyle and lore appeal to you, or if you're adding one 40k deck to an existing multiplayer pod that already has other Commander decks in rotation. Buying the full set of four makes more sense if you're building a dedicated 40k-themed pod with friends, since every game then stays on-theme from start to finish.
Collectors chasing the 42 new-to-Magic cards in playable form will eventually want all four decks anyway, so budgeting for the full set from the start can save you from repeat purchases later.
Warhammer 40,000 was one of the earlier Universes Beyond Commander releases, and it set a high bar other crossovers have chased since - deep license authenticity, new mechanics tied to faction identity, and genuinely playable decks rather than novelty products. If you've enjoyed other Universes Beyond Commander decks, this one holds up well by comparison.
It's also a good entry point if you're curious about Universes Beyond as a concept but haven't tried one yet, since the four distinct factions give you real variety within a single release.
Out of the box, the included deck box and life tracker cover the basics, but most players quickly want sleeves to protect the deck through repeated shuffling and a backup storage option for travel to game night. Standard-size MTG sleeves fit every card in these decks without any special sizing considerations.
A dedicated single-deck box also makes it easier to keep each of the four factions separate if you end up collecting more than one, rather than mixing commanders and tokens together in one bin.
Yes, individual cards from the decks are legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage.
No, each deck is a complete, ready-to-play 100-card deck on its own.
Necron Dynasties is the simplest starting point since it's mono-Black and easier to pilot.
Yes, every card in all four decks is standard Magic card size.
Whichever faction speaks to you, EVORETRO's Magic the Gathering Collection has the sleeves, deck boxes, and storage you'll need to keep your new Commander deck table-ready for years of games. Start with one deck or commit to the full set - either way, get your protection sorted before the first shuffle.
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