Magic: The Gathering head designer Mark Rosewater wants to know if fans would be interested in MTG products based on Taylor Swift and Grey’s Anatomy, and predictably, some fans are dead set against the idea.
Rosewater posed the question on his Blogatog blog on June 11, and it turned out to be pretty polarizing. Responses range from describing the idea as “a dream come true” to “please, please, a thousand times no.”
We’d say there’s a solid business case for a crossover like this, especially with Taylor Swift. She is arguably the biggest recording artist in the world right now, so there’s bound to be Swifties in the Magic audience, and music fans who could be enticed to play Magic if it featured their favorite singer-songwriter.
While we can’t see either suggestion supporting a full-sized MTG set, a Secret Lair doesn’t seem out of the question. However, many fans are concerned that Tay Tay doesn’t fit into the world of Magic.
MTG’s Universes Beyond sub-brand includes collaborations with tons of other IPs, like the recent Assassin’s Creed crossover. The concept has been controversial since its inception, but many fans warmed to the idea after the Warhammer 40K and The Lord of the Rings sets, which fit quite well within the high-fantasy aesthetic of MTG.
But there’s a popular sentiment that Wizards of the Coast should draw the line somewhere, and many don’t like it when real-world celebrities become Magic cards. This was a big criticism with the MTG Doctor Who set, which featured lots of British actors.
The Post Malone Secret Lairs drew similar criticism in 2022, but in this case it was somewhat offset by the fact that Posty is a big Magic fan and has been heavily involved in the community – he’s the proud owner of the $2 million One Ring card, after all.
We’re big Swifties here at Wargamer, but even we have to admit it’d be an odd bit of synergy. Still, if it can attract new audiences, it could be seen as a positive move for Wizards. We’re curious to see how the extremely talented artists could depict Taylor in the Magic universe – the Post Malone cards were admittedly pretty badass.
Rosewater was only putting the feelers out in his blog post, so there’s no guarantee that these proposed Taylor Swift and Grey’s Anatomy sets will ever materialize, but as he himself put it, “There’s always a chance.”
For more Magic content, check out the best MTG Arena decks, or our guide to MTG keywords.
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