Everything you need to know about MTG Fallout

War never changes, but Magic does thanks to expansions like MTG Fallout.

Honestly, we're surprised that it took this long to see an MTG Fallout crossover in the first place. One of the most beloved video game franchises meeting one of the best card games? That's got to be a no-brainer.  

Even if you’re already sold on the concept, you’ll still want to consider what cards are in the MTG Fallout set and what product(s) you’re planning on picking up. You may also want to order it at the best possible value. Thankfully, we’ve got the full lowdown on everything you need to know about Magic: The Gathering Fallout here - including any discounts. 

Speaking of which, things are looking pretty good if you want to save on your bottlecaps. You can get most decks for less at Amazon right now, including snagging $5 off the Scrappy Survivors deck. As for the UK, the decks usually go for £5 less than the asking price over at Magic Madhouse.

What is MTG Fallout?

• MTG meets the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout
• Four Commander decks & collector boosters
• 2024's second Universes Beyond release

Magic may be better known for its fantasy universe of Planeswalkers and sorcery (as seen in MTG Murders at Karlov Manor), but it also shakes things up with collaborations from time to time. These are known as 'Universes Beyond,' and the team-ups range from Warhammer 40,000 to Lord of the Rings. 

MTG Fallout is the latest addition to that Universes Beyond label. It draws on every entry in the video game series, but with particular emphasis on more recent entries (Fallouts 3, New Vegas, 4, and 76). That means you'll see characters like Nick Valentine rubbing shoulders with Dogmeat and Caesar.

This isn't a 'normal' Magic set, though. Like most Universes Beyond releases, it's limited to Commander decks and Collector Booster packs.

Regardless, we can't believe it's taken this long to happen. Fallout and MTG have a surprising history, you see; Fallout 2 references 'Tragic the Garnering,' a pre-apocalypse card game that's an obvious nod to Magic.

MTG Fallout spoilers

Want to see what cards you can get for the set? Your best bet is to check in with the MTG Gatherer, which lists all official cards for every set since the '90s. You can find all of the MTG Fallout spoilers here.

MTG Fallout products

• A smaller range of products overall
• Four Commander decks
• Collector booster boxes

This Fallout adaptation is smaller-scale than other MTG sets; it doesn't offer as much as a core release like Murders at Karlov Manor. However, there's still plenty of variety on offer here thanks to four unique Commander decks. Plus, it differs from most Universes Beyond releases by launching with collector boosters as well.

Here's a breakdown of exactly what you'll find in the MTG Fallout range.

Commander decks (x4)

If you’re keen to take the pick-up-and-play approach to the MTG Fallout set, it’s best to dive straight in with a preconstructed Commander deck. The four pre-con decks available are Scrappy Survivors, Mutant Menace, Science!, and Hail, Caesar. Each deck contains 100 cards and features an average of 38 totally new cards. Of course, they’ll feature familiar cards too, but these have hit with retro-futuristic flavor to fit in with the Fallout setting.

It’s not all about how flashy they look, though. Based on each deck’s face Commanders, they also represent a welcome variety of fun play styles and mechanics.

Scrappy Survivors | View on Amazon
This Naya (read: aggressive) deck features a ridiculously cute face Commander in Dogmeat, Ever Loyal. He’s more than a fuzzy face, though. Ever the scavenger, Dogmeat’s primary focus is helping you generate plenty of the new Junk token artifact type. These, when sacrificed, allow you to exile and immediately play the top card of your library.

Mutant Menace | View on Amazon
The Wise Mothman is the face Commander for this spooky Sultai (a combo of black, blue, and green) deck. It’s promised to be filled with the Wasteland’s most gnarly mutated inhabitants.

Staying true to its theme, it allows you to utilize newly introduced radiation counters to give your opponents a hard time. These counters force players to mill cards and lose 1 life for each non-land card they’ve milled.

Science! | View on Amazon
The post-nuclear world of Fallout is a byproduct of mad science, as reflected by the robots, synths, and super mutants found wandering the wastes. So, this science-centered deck is a great top-down thematic fit.

In a surprising move for a Jeskai (a blue, white, and red deck), its face Commander Dr Madison Li generates energy counters which can be used in various ways to gain the upper hand on your opponents.

Hail, Caesar | View on Amazon
The titular face Commander for this deck is Caesar, Legion’s Emperor. True to Caesar's ruthless nature, this deck adheres to an Aristocrat archetype – so expect to sacrifice lots of creatures to further your empire on the battlefield. It sounds as ruthless as Caesar's Legion itself...

Collector boosters

The collector boosters provide players with the opportunity to draw rare variants of MTG Fallout cards. These include borderless Vault Boy treatments, Pip-Boy HUD treatments, and serialized versions of Vault Boy bobbleheads for each S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat. There are even a few cards that are entirely collector booster exclusive. A 12-pack collector booster box is definitely worth picking up if you want to find some real gems to add to your collection.

Collector Booster | View on Amazon
Individual boosters feature 15 cards per pack, and these include Rares, alternative art and frames, and up to six or seven Extended-Art cards. In addition, 12 foil cards are guaranteed. 

Collector Booster Box | View on Amazon
As per usual with booster boxes, this is by far the best way to build up your own decks. You get almost 200 cards per box, so although it costs a bomb, there's plenty of bang for your buck.

MTG Fallout mechanics

• Introduces 'Radiation' mechanic
• Adds 'Junk' & 'Bobblehead' artifacts
• Brings back 'Energy' & 'Proliferate'

While the core Magic mechanics are still intact with this spin-off, MTG Fallout introduces a couple of ideas that are very in-keeping with the post-apocalyptic franchise. The biggest would have to be 'Radiation.' This twist revolves around 'rad counters' that are placed on players rather than cards. You'll run into problems if these start building up. To be precise: 

"At the beginning of your precombat main phase, if you have any rad counters, mill that many cards. For each nonland card milled this way, you lose 1 life and a rad counter."

There are a couple of other on-theme gameplay tweaks too. The first comes in the form of Bobbleheads. Although there's a different design for each of the franchise's seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats, we think they do the same thing - they provide a mana of any color if tapped. In addition, paying an extra five mana on your turn allows you to draw a number of cards equal to the number of Bobbleheads you have.

Similarly, 'Junk' (which you spend a lot of time collecting the series) allows you to exile the top card of your library. You can then "play that card this turn. Activate only as a sorcery." This ties into the Scrappy Survivors Commander deck and Dogmeat, who finds you junk just like in the video game.

MTG Fallout brings back a couple of familiar mechanics, too. As an example, 'Energy' is making its return to the game via this set. It's represented by counters that, much like rads, are put on players rather than a card. These are then used to power certain abilities instead of mana, and can be found primarily in the Science! Commander deck. Considering how the franchise loves to make us cobble together generators that can run our settlements (and how obsessed the universe's pre-war civilizations were with energy, mainly of a nuclear kind), this mechanic's encore is fitting.

'Proliferate' makes a comeback in MTG Fallout as well. This lets players choose someone else with counters on them - be it Energy or rads - and add one more to the pile.

MTG Fallout story

• There isn't a tie-in narrative for this set
• Draws on all Fallout games...
• ...especially newer ones

Not only has the Fallout universe been expanded through six mainline games, but it’s also seen spin-offs across various formats, including the upcoming Fallout wargame. From the lights of New Vegas to the shantytown of Megaton, there are a wealth of story beats likely to be referenced in this MTG set.

However, don't expect a specific and original narrative to go along with the release. Unlike standard Magic sets, Universes Beyond collaborations don't tend to feature a plot of their own. Instead, 

The good news is that Wizards of the Coast have confirmed that the release will celebrate "elements of all Fallout games," so even longtime fans should see nods to their favorite in-game moments. In particular, you can expect to see some of the fascinating stories from Vault-Tec vaults adapted to Saga cards. Your birthday party in the third Fallout is also referenced, as are the infamous Gary clones.

Best MTG Fallout deals

To help you find the best prices, we've got our bargain-hunting software on the lookout for MTG Fallout discounts. If any are available, you'll see them displayed below. 

Just don't hang about. Some Commander decks are already selling out, so consider yourself warned. We'd be surprised if the Scrappy Survivors deck was still available closer to launch, for example. Who could resist that adorable Dogmeat?

You might have plans for Friday Night Magic, but what about the other six days of the week? Fill them with more tabletop fun by picking up one of our choices for the best board games. Alternatively, if you prefer your games to require a few more dice, check out the best tabletop RPGs.