Magic: The Gathering has explored crossovers with other series before through its Universes Beyond range – we’ve had everything from The Walking Dead to Street Fighter, Warhammer 40,000 to Doctor Who.

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However, its crossover with Transformers is slightly different to the rest. For the first time, Magic is including Universes Beyond crossovers inside booster packs for a regular set. Whether you’re a Transformers fan or just want to know what you’re getting in Brothers War, here’s everything you need to know about the Transformers crossover cards.

What Are The Transformers Cards?

Announced at Hasbro Pulse Con 2022, Magic: The Gathering’s The Brothers War will include a subset of cards that cross over with Hasbro’s other big money-maker, Transformers.

There are a total of 15 cards in the collection, and each is a double-faced card. On its primary side is the Transformer in its regular robot form, while the other side highlights them in their transformed (or ‘converted’) Vehicle modes instead:

Front	Back
Prowl, Stoic Strategist	Prowl, Pursuit Vehicle
Three generic, one white egendary artifact creature – Robot – 3/3: More Than Meets the Eye: two generic, one white. (You may cast this card converted for two generic, one white.)	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – :2/3: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Whenever another creature or Vehicle enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Prowl. If this is the second time this ability has resolved this turn, convert Prowl.
Ratchet, Field Medic	Ratchet, Rescue Racer
Two generic, one white legendary artifact creature – Robot – 2/4: More Than Meets the Eye: one generic, one white. (You may cast this card converted for one generic, one white.) Lifelink Whenever you gain life, you may convert Ratchet. When you do, return target artifact card with mana value less than or equal to the amount of life you gained this turn from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 1/4: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Lifelink Whenever one or more nontoken artifacts you control are put into a graveyard from the battlefield, convert Ratchet. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Jetfire, Ingenious Scientist	Jetfire, Air Guardian
Four generic, one blue legendary artifact creature – Robot – 3/4: More Than Meets the Eye: three generic, one blue. (You may cast this card converted for three generic, one blue.) Flying Remove one or more +1/+1 counters from among artifacts you control: Target player adds that much colourless mana. This mana can't be spent to cast nonartifact spells. Convert Jetfire.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 3/4: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Flying Three blue: Convert Jetfire, then adapt 3. (If it has no +1/+1 counters on it, put three +1/+1 counters on it.)
Blitzwing, Cruel Tormentor	Blitzwing, Adaptive Assailant
Five generic, one black legendary artifact creature – Robot – 6/5: More Than Meets the Eye: three generic, one black. (You may cast this card converted for three generic, one black.) At the beginning of your end step, target opponent loses life equal to the life that player lost this turn. If no life is lost this way, convert Blitzwing.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 3/5: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) At the beginning of combat on your turn, choose flying or indestructible at random. Blitzwing gains that ability until end of turn. Whenever Blitzwing deals combat damage to a player, convert it.
Starscream, Power Hungry	Starscream, Seeker Leader
Three generic, one black legendary artifact creature – Robot – 2/3: More Than Meets the Eye: two generic, one black. (You may cast this card converted for two generic, one black.) Flying Whenever you draw a card, if you're the monarch, target opponent loses two life. Whenever one or more creatures deal combat damage to you, convert Starscream.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 2/3: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Flying, menace, haste Whenever Starscream deals combat damage to a player, if there is no monarch, that player becomes the monarch. Whenever you become the monarch, convert Starscream.
Slicer, Hired Muscle	Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist
Four generic, one red legendary artifact creature – Robot – 3/4: More Than Meets the Eye: two generic, one red. (You may cast this card converted for two generic, one red.) Double strike, haste At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, you may have that player gain control of Slicer until end of turn. If you do, untap Slicer, goad it, and it can't be sacrificed this turn. If you don't, convert it.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 3/2: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) First strike, haste Whenever Slicer deals combat damage to a player, convert it at end of combat.
Arcee, Sharpshooter	Arcee, Acrobatic Coupe
One generic, one red, one white legendary artifact creature – Robot – 2/2: More Than Meets the Eye: One red, one white. (You may cast this card converted for one red, one white.) First strike One generic, Remove one or more +1/+1 counters from Arcee: It deals that much damage to target creature. Convert Arcee.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 2/2: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Whenever you cast a spell that targets one or more creatures or Vehicles you control, put that many +1/+1 counters on Arcee. Convert Arcee.
Blaster, Combat DJ	Blaster, Morale Booster
Three generic, one red, one green legendary artifact creature – Robot – 3/3: More Than Meets the Eye: one generic, one red, one green. (You may cast this card converted for one generic, one red, one green.) Other nontoken artifact creatures and Vehicles you control have modular 1. They enter the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on them. When they die, you may put their +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.) Whenever you put one or more +1/+1 counters on Blaster, convert it.	Legendary artifact: Modular 3 X generic, tap: move X +1/+1 counters from Blaster onto another target artifact. That artifact gains haste until end of turn. If Blaster has no +1/+1 counters on it, convert it. Activate only as a sorcery.
Cyclonus, the Saboteur	Cyclonus, Cybertronian Fighter
Two generic, one blue, one black legendary artifact creature – Robot – 2/5: More Than Meets the Eye: five generic, one blue, one black. (You may cast this card converted for five generic, one blue, one black.) Flying Whenever Cyclonus deals combat damage to a player, it connives. Then if Cyclonus's power is five or greater, convert it. (To have a creature connive, draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.)	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 5/5: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Flying Whenever Cyclonus deals combat damage to a player, convert it. If you do, there is an additional beginning phase after this phase. (This phase includes the untap, upkeep, and draw steps.)
Flamewar, Brash Veteran	Flamewar, Streetwise Operative
One generic, one black, one red legendary artifact creature – Robot – 3/2: More Than Meets the Eye: one black, one red. (You may cast this card converted for one black, one red.) Sacrifice another artifact: Put a +1/+1 counter on Flamewar and convert it. Activate only as a sorcery. One generic, Discard your hand: Put all exiled cards you own with intel counters on them into your hand.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 2/1: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Menace, deathtouch Whenever Flamewar deals combat damage to a player, exile that many cards from the top of your library face down. Put an intel counter on each of them. Convert Flamewar.
Goldbug, Humanity's Ally	Goldbug, Scrappy Scout
One generic, one white, one blue legendary artifact creature – Robot – 3/3: More Than Meets the Eye: one white, one blue. (You may cast this card converted for one white, one blue.) Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to attacking Humans you control. Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, convert Goldbug.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 1/3: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Human spells you control can't be countered. Whenever Goldbug and at least one Human attack, draw a card and convert Goldbug.
Megatron, Tyrant	Megatron, Destructive Force
Three generic, one red, one white, one black legendary artifact creature – Robot – 7/5: More Than Meets the Eye: one generic, one white, one black. (You may cast this card converted for one generic, one white, one black.) Your opponents can't cast spells during combat. At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, you may convert Megatron. If you do, add one colourless mana for each one life your opponents have lost this turn.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 4/5: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Whenever Megatron attacks, you may sacrifice another artifact. When you do, Megatron deals damage equal to the sacrificed artifact's mana value to target creature. If excess damage would be dealt to that creature this way, instead that damage is dealt to that creature's controller and you convert Megatron.
Optimus Prime, Hero	Optimus Prime, Autobot Leader
Three generic, one blue, one red, one white legendary artifact creature – Robot – 4/8: More Than Meets the Eye: two generic, one blue, one red, one white. (You may cast this card converted for two generic, one blue, one red, one white.) At the beginning of each end step, bolster 1. Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put a +1/+1 counter on it.) When Optimus Prime dies, return it to the battlefield converted under its owner's control.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – 6/8: Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Trample Whenever you attack, bolster 2. The chosen creature gains trample until end of turn. When that creature deals combat damage to a player this turn, convert Optimus Prime.
Soundwave, Sonic Spy	Soundwave, Superior Captain
One white, one blue, one black legendary artifact creature – Robot – 5/4: More Than Meets the Eye: two generic, one white, one blue, one black. (You may cast this card converted for two generic, one white, one blue, one black.) Whenever one or more creature tokens you control deal combat damage to a player, exile target instant or sorcery with mana value equal to the damage dealt from their graveyard. You may cast the copy without paying its mana cost. If you do, convert Soundwave.	Legendary artifact: Whenever you cast a spell with an odd mana value, convert Soundwave. If you do, create Ravage, a legendary 3/3 black Robot artifact creature token with menace and deathtouch. Whenever you cast a spell with an even mana value, convert Soundwave. If you do, create Laserbeak, a legendary 2/2 blue Robot artifact creature token with flying and hexproof.
Ultra Magnus, Tactician	Ultra Magnus, Armored Carrier
Four generic, one red, one green, one white legendary artifact creature – Robot – 7/7: More Than Meets the Eye: two generic, one red, one green, one white. (You may cast this card converted for two generic, one red, one green, one white.) Ward: two generic Whenever Ultra Magnus attacks, you may put an artifact creature card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. If you do, convert Ultra Magnus at end of combat.	Legendary artifact – Vehicle – :4/7 Living metal (As long as it's your turn, this Vehicle is also a creature.) Haste Formidable — Whenever Ultra Magnus attacks, attacking creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. If those creature have total power eight or greater, convert Ultra Magnus.

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What Is The Shattered Glass Showcase Style?

All but one of the cards (Arcee, Sharpshooter//Arcee, Acrobatic Coupe) is also available in an alternate art showcase style based on the Transformers: Shattered Glass series.

Shattered Glass is an alternate timeline to the regular Transformers canon, and imagines a Cybertron where Optimus Prime and the Autobots are the tyrannical rulers. Completely flipping the usual status-quo, those fighting against them are the heroic Decepticons, led by Megatron.

Alongside a more striking visual style than the regular cards, the Shattered Glass cards show the reimagined Transformers in their new roles. For instance, Megatron and Soundwave’s designs are more inline with the Autobots we know, while Optimus Prime as adopted the Decepticons’ usual purples and greens.

Shattered Glass showcase cards are only available in Collector's boosters.

What Formats Are The Transformers Cards Legal In?

Despite being found in booster packs for The Brothers’ War, the Transformers cards are not Standard-legal. Much like the retro-frame artifact reprints also found in The Brothers’ War, the Transformers cards have their own set code (BOT rather than Brothers’ War’s BRO), officially making them their own distinct set.

As a result, the Transformers cards are only legal in eternal formats like Commander, Vintage, and Legacy. They are not legal in any non-rotating, non-legal format like Modern or Pioneer.

Will The Transformers Cards Have In-Universe Versions?

A point of contention for Magic’s many crossovers has been which products get in-universe reprints later down the line, and which ones don’t.

While we’ve seen in-universe reprints of the Stranger Things cards, and can expect The Walking Dead and Street Fighter to follow suit, Transformers will not be getting in-universe reprints as a rule. This is because the in-universe reprint promise Wizards made only applies to Secret Lair releases.

However, Wizards has repeatedly said it maintains the right to reprint select cards from Universe Beyond products if they become powerful or popular enough to warrant an in-universe version.

Why Do The Transformers Cards Convert Instead Of Transform?

Transform is a real mechanic in Magic that allows double-sided cards to flip to their opposite face. With that in mind, it may strike you as odd that these Transformers cards don’t ‘transform’, they use a mechanic called ‘convert’ instead.

There’s no mechanical reason for this, instead it is a Hasbro policy of not allowing the Transformers brand to use ‘transform’ as a verb. This is allegedly to avoid the Transformers brand becoming genericised like Hoover, Asprin, or Sellotape; if Transformers transformed, then Hasbro feels there would be a slippery slope to all similar toys being described as ‘Transformers’.

Very few official Transformers products released in the last decade use the word “transform”. Instead, they use words like “convert” or “morph”, often to the ridicule of Transformers fans. These cards and their convert mechanic is another example of this, which feels even sillier when convert and transform are nearly identical mechanics.

How To Find Transformers Cards In The Brothers’ War

You’ll be able to find Transformers cards in three different products for The Brothers’ War, which launches on November 18:

• Non-foil and foil regular editions of the cards can appear in both Set and Collector’s Boosters for The Brothers’ War. Unlike the retro-framed reprints, these are not guaranteed to be found in every pack.
• Every booster bundle box of The Brothers’ War will include one guaranteed Transformers card. It has not yet been confirmed which art styles can be found, but considering regular bundles only include Set boosters, it is likely going to only be the regular art that is available.
• The Shattered Glass showcase style can only be found in Collector’s boosters.

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