Ever since Magic's crossover with Doctor Who has been announced I've been using it as a gateway to invite people into the game. My friends and I grew up loving the universe of Doctor Who, so it's been a great way of getting them interested in trying out the game. But what about the other way around? I'm sure there's plenty of folks that love Magic, but haven't taken their own trip through the time vortex. So in preparation for this Universes Beyond event, I rewatched all of Doctor Who. All of it. Even the missing episodes. Because I'm apparently a masochist.
My friend Joshua Clough is going to guide you through "Timey-Wimey" and "Paradox Power," the decks based on the reboot era incarnations of the Doctor. That leaves me with the other two decks: Bad Guys and Old People, otherwise known as "Masters of Evil" and "Blast from the Past." I'll walk you through the characters, standout cards, and some episodes to start you on your Doctor Who journey.
Blast from the Past
The Doctor
A Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, the Doctor takes on many faces throughout the course of the series. "Blast from the Past," the green-white-blue deck, focuses on the First Doctor through the Eighth Doctor. While the Doctor was never planned to have been portrayed by multiple actors, the ailing health of William Hartnell led to the concept of regeneration being introduced.
The initial idea of the Doctor was modeled after the classic serial hero: a swashbuckling explorer in their late 30s with a penchant for getting into trouble. However, production changes led to the idea of the Doctor as a kind of time-traveling grandpa, giving the character their unique flair. While the early incarnations of the Doctor played into this reserved nature, the show dipped further into campy charm as it went on. This arguably peaked with the Fourth Doctor, the most popular of the original incarnations and the face of "Blast from the Past." Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor defined many of the elements we now see as essential to the Doctor: Eccentric clothes, an odd demeanor, and an alien sort of charm. The deck certainly shows a bias towards him, but that's likely not out of a personal agenda and more so because his run defined classic Doctor Who.
A huge part of this era's charm was the influence of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. While the series still had its grim and dramatic moments, the ability to recognize the own absurdity of its premise and embrace it allowed the show to thrive. Green-white-blue is the perfect color combination for this. While this era of the Doctor still has moments of tension of aggression, it is altogether characterized with the Carl Sagan-era optimism of space exploration. While the Sixth and Seventh Doctors leaned more into the darkness of the character (to varying degrees of success), the whimsy of the original series remained at the franchise's core. Even the Seventh Doctor, arguably the most manipulative of the first eight Doctors, uses his attack trigger to present your opponent with a riddle.
Even the strange 1996 reboot/remake/re-quel TV movie Doctor Who continued this trend. Amidst an era of Rob Liefeld superheroes and gritty reboots, Paul McGahn's Eighth Doctor was a hopeful beacon in a pessimistic era. While Wizards wasn't able to get the rights to that film, the 2013 interpretations of the character still appear in the deck. As such, McGahn's abilities lead into the events of that episode, where he attempts to save the life of others but fails to stave off death itself.
But you can't have a grandfatherly alien without someone for them to grandfather. That's where the Doctor's companions come in!
The Companions
The Doctor's companions are their constant sidekicks on their adventures through space and time. "Blast from the Past" has the most iconic companion for each Doctor with a smattering of other notable tagalongs. The idea of companions was to give the Doctor someone to play off of during their adventures. The companion usually takes the role of the audience surrogate to allow for needed exposition. They also can challenge the Doctor without becoming a direct obstacle. Sure, the Daleks might be attempting to take over Earth, but the Doctor's companions present a moral dilemma that can be equally if not more enticing.
Sarah Jane Smith is the deck's featured companion, with her abilities pairing nicely with the Fourth Doctor. First appearing in the Third Doctor serial "The Time Warrior," Sarah Jane Smith established the role of the companion much like the Fourth Doctor established the Time Lord's personality. With most companions being women and the Doctor had only been played by men at this point, the series often relied on regressive gender stereotypes. Sarah Jane Smith rejected the role of the submissive companion. Instead, she became a character in her own right, more of a TARDIS co-pilot than an assistant. Her ability plays into this, allowing her to put her journalism skills to use whenever she encounters an iconic piece of the Doctor Who universe. I'd say Sarah Jane Smith walked so that Amy Pond could run, but it's more like "Sarah Jane Smith ran so that Amy Pond could also run, but with less BBC executives getting mad." Sarah Jane eventually received her own spin-off that featured other companions like Jo Grant and K-9, but the final season wasn't able to feature her due to Elizabeth Sladen's passing.
Now you know about the Doctor (doddering grandparent with a passion for primary colored outfits) and the companions (young, spunky women with a can-do attitude), now it's time to learn about the stories, events, and iconic moments that show them off.
Sagas, Screwdrivers, and Stewarts
Every Doctor has their own Saga, each one representing what is arguably their most iconic episode. Some of these were obvious picks, with the First Doctor's Saga being the first episode of the series. Much like the episode set the stage for all of the show, this Saga searches up all the pieces you need for the Doctor to take off in the TARDIS with their companion! The Eighth Doctor's Saga is the only episode of his they could get the rights to, so that was likely an easy choice. The Night of the Doctor was a mini-episode about the final moments of the Eighth Doctor's life, where he forsakes the title of Doctor to fight in the time war. Sagas are the perfect way to depict episodes. Since Sagas in Magic depict in-universe pieces of art, Doctor Who's Sagas do the same, except the art in question is episodes of the show! Aaron Radney was one of the first people to really show me how cool Sagas can be, and this set is no exception. You can check out his article on Dominaria United's Sagas here!
Sagas take on a special role in this deck as it's themed around the historic mechanic. Considering there's more Doctors in this deck than all the others and each Doctor has their companions, the deck is packed to the brim with legendary creatures. Cards like Hero's Blade were a perfect fit for the deck. Not only is it a fun reprint that synergizes with the deck, it also shows off the Third Doctor's swordplay. Plus, it's an artifact, so it is also historic! Another Equipment, Ace's Baseball Bat, plays into a precon environment. While you aren't likely to run into many Daleks in your usual game, a pod of each of the Doctor Who Commander decks will have plenty of targets for Ace to clobber. Finally, if you're looking for a non-Doctor way of building a historic deck, then Alistair, the Brigadier is the commander for you. One of the Doctor's most loyal allies, it's fitting he would ascend beyond the role of companion to be a commander in his own right.
No matter who helms this deck, the focus on historic permanents means every card in the deck is referencing some esoteric aspect of Doctor Who lore. My personal favorite is this printing of Waterlogged Grove. Its flavor text reference "Shada," a previously unproduced episode that was recently reconstructed through animation and voice acting. If you want the Douglas Adams charm of this era of Doctor Who, it's certainly a fun adventure. But if villainy is what you desire...
Masters of Evil
The Baddies
It's the Grixis deck, so you already know it's going to be full of evil. While "Masters of Evil" highlights villains of every shape and size, it centers the three most iconic ones. The Master, the Daleks, and the Cyberman Patrol. Each of these villains receives several cards in this deck, each of them united under the villainous choice mechanic. With much of Doctor Who taking inspiration from the morality tales of The Twilight Zone, presenting your opponents with a dilemma they must answer with no clear correct choice embodies the role they play in the show.
The Daleks and Cybermen both act as the faceless horde of goons for the Doctor. Both of them hold the black color pie ideal of "Greatness at any cost." However, the decks delineate between the two with what color is secondary to each of them. The Daleks are violent, war-hungry, and seek only to destroy what is not them. Their philosophy places them firmly in black-red. The Cybermen seek to improve others through forceful assimilation into the cybermind, aligning with blue's pursuit of perfection through knowledge in a very blue-black way. While both of them act as villains and seek similar goals that result in the elimination of humanity, Magic's color pie allows them to remain distinct.
The Master, on the other hand, is the anti-Doctor. Stylizing themself after the Doctor with a title of their own, the Master seeks to undo everything the Doctor does. We see multiple versions of the Master that also play within the color pie. While the pre-reboot Master was more of a sly, manipulative, hypnotist, the reboot Master is a force of nature defined by the desire to cause mass destruction. As such, the classic Masters are all blue-black with a focus on control and political strategies, while the reboot Masters are black-red (or black-blue-red in the case of Missy).
While The Master, Multiplied has gotten plenty of attention, I'm personally drawn to The Master, Gallifrey's End. This incarnation, played by Sacha Dhwan in series 12 and 13, destroys Gallifrey and fuses Time Lords with Cybermen. His ability plays into this, allowing him to rebuild a stronger army from the ashes of what was lost. If I had to critique the Masters in any way, I'd say I was disappointed that we didn't get a reference to the Lumiat, the forgotten incarnation between Missy and Dhwan. Maybe she could have fit in "Paradox Power" as a mono-blue Time Lord? Maybe we'll see her next time we hop in the TARDIS.
Missy: A Story Told in Cards
While we don't have as many Sagas depicting specific episodes, I still wanted to take the time to showcase some of my favorite episodes about this deck's villains. Many of the cards focus on Missy's arc throughout Capaldi's run as the Doctor. Her eponymous card shows her plots from series 8 in which she plucks the dead from the afterlife and places them in Cybermen. This Cybermen mechanic also appears in Death in Heaven, telling the story of that series's finale where the Cybermen rise from the dead to invade Earth. Her character is driven by a desire to bring the Doctor to her level. The last time the two clashed, the Doctor was in their tenth incarnation, a self-stylized messiah figure. Missy's chaotic personality mirrors her past incarnation, with her violent streak taking on a hint of the manipulative elements of blue.
While Missy takes a backseat for a short while, she returns in full force with her former incarnation in series 10. Their dynamic is depicted in Wound Reflection, an alliance constantly on the verge of betrayal. Even though Davros is the face commander, there's a reason she's front and center on the artwork: Missy is everything a Doctor Who villain should be. Campy, quippy, and captivating.
Villains of the Week
It's not all Masters and Metal, this deck features villains from across the spectrum of Doctor Who. While you've likely heard about the Weeping Angels, I want to take the time to show off the more obscure characters you can find in "Masters of Evil."
One of the deck's alternate commanders is the Valeyard. Originating in the Sixth Doctor serial "The Mysterious Planet," the Valeyard is described as being from the Doctor's future, between their twelfth and final incarnations. Taking the form of a Gallifreyan lawmaster, the Valeyard encourages you to manipulate voting and force your foes to make tough decisions. Fitting then that the Valeyard would be the one to put the Doctor on trial! If you're wondering why this card doesn't have the creature type Doctor, it's likely because the Valeyard's origins are dubious. Some say he is a potential future, a fragment of the Doctor's psyche, or an imposter altogether. To put it in Magic terms, if the Doctor was Mairsil, the Valeyard would be The Raven Man.
When looking through the deck, you may be surprised to find a card with Doctor's companion. But Vislor Turlough is no ordinary companion. Exiled from his home planet of Trion, he made a deal with the personification of dark forces known as the Black Guardian, swearing to kill the Doctor. For a short while, Turlough traveled with the Fifth Doctor with the intent to betray him. However, he went back on his deal and somewhat redeemed himself in the eyes of his people. Turlough's card is a flavor masterpiece. Since his origins are a bit muddy, Turlough doesn't have the creature type Alien or Human. Instead, he's just a Rogue, giving him a typeline as mysterious as his past. Further, the ability to gift him to your opponents represents his cunning nature. Yes, he is technically the Doctor's companion, but he isn't working on the same side as the Doctor. A flavor home run!
And last, check out The Toymaker's Trap! The Celestial Toymaker from the First Doctor's run was a Jigsaw-esque figure who placed the Doctor and his companions into a series of deadly games. While the Toymaker's original depiction is rooted in some pretty egregious stereotypes, this card depicts the episode and the Toymaker's personality without showing the character himself. Quite the clever workaround! I'm looking forward to a much better depiction of the Toymaker coming in November, when he's played by Neil Patrick Harris (Yes, I'm being serious).
An Adventure in Time, Space, and Commander!
Thanks for joining me on this epic exploration of these two Doctor Who Commander decks! You can check out Josh's review of "Timey-Wimey" and "Paradox Power" for the scoop on the modern versions of the Doctor. As a longtime Doctor Who and Magic fan, this crossover combined two things I never thought I'd get to see together. It's clear that everyone involved was so passionate about this universe and how it can be expressed through Magic. I could gush about this set all day, but I have to get back to building a River Song deck. Thanks for traveling with me. See you around!
