Magic: The Gathering has gone to space, so we talked to an astrophysicist about the striking art in 'Edge of Eternities' (exclusive)

Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has fascinated millions – us included – for decades now. On top of being a fantastic collectible card game that's always refreshing its mechanics, the dense multiverse-building and sprawling lore, the cards themselves are traditionally gorgeous to look at.

As both MTG and space nerds, the recently released Edge of Eternities set is right up our alley, and we had the opportunity to chat with an astrophysicist about the expansion's most striking vistas.

But wait, isn't Magic: The Gathering meant to be a fantasy universe? Well, things have changed a lot over the years, and while traditional fantasy settings remain at the center of the franchise, its canon Multiverse opened up almost endless possibilities, including themed crossovers with properties like The Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, and even Marvel.

Edge of Eternities isn't that. It's part of the core, 'actually canon' sets, and introduces 'the Edge', a region of space that exists outside the Multiverse where "forces vie for cosmic power."

Zoe Le Conte, astrophysicist at Durham University, was kind enough to answer our questions regarding some of Edge of Eternities' most fascinating art pieces, ranging from planet-killing super weapons to space whales and plenty of cosmic phenomena that look equal parts pretty and destructive.

The following Q&A has been editorialized and lightly trimmed for better flow.

Beyond the Quiet

Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

We started by looking at 'Beyond the Quiet' (art on the card by Yohann Schepacz & Serena Malyon), which depicts a 'supervoid' or black hole. In the alternate art, a god-like feminine figure holds what might be the universe itself. Both images are beautiful and scary in different ways.

Le Conte points out that black holes "are very common in our Universe, forming when the most massive stars die." However, it's worth asking what lies "beyond the horizon" or what they specifically do to "heavily influence the way the Universe evolves." She ties the nature of black holes and supernovas to the cycle of destruction and creation we’ve learned about over the decades.

Even in the ‘Edge’ region this MTG set focuses on, that balance is present, and the art represents events which are both terrifying and gorgeous. The astrophysicist adds that we currently know a supernova explosion "replenishes the space surrounding the resulting black hole." This allows all-new stars to be "formed while the dense star core collapses into a singularity – simultaneously death and rebirth."

Sothera, the Supervoid

It's safe to say Edge of Eternities packs plenty of black hole imagery. For example, the showcase art on 'Sothera, the Supervoid' (Mateusz Urbanowicz) "shows the black hole shadow, surrounded by matter slowly spiralling towards the black hole." This is called an "accretion disc."

Usually, "the disc will keep accumulating more matter from nearby stars and planets and fuel the black hole." These discs have a very distinct glow because they're among "the most energetic places in the Universe."

Singularity Rupture

At the same time, cards like 'Singularity Rupture' (Néstor Ossandón Leal) present black holes as destructive forces. "Their power is mighty," Le Conte points out. But harnessing that kind of power would require extremely advanced technology.

"It could be used as a slingshot," the astrophysicist says of their gravity, though you'd have to be very careful not to get too close. "All the light and matter that is sucked into the black hole cannot escape and will never be seen again. Black holes can be thought of as the time capsules of the Universe."

Pinnacle Starcage

When it comes to massive structures created by advanced spacefaring civilizations, we have plenty of cards embracing classical sci-fi megastructures like Dyson spheres. The prime example in Edge of Eternities may be 'Pinnacle Starcage' (Leon Tukker), which literally shows a gorgeous Dyson sphere.

Le Conte elaborates on this recurring concept: "The idea of humanity building a Dyson sphere comes with the scary thought that humanity will require so much energy that we would need to harvest power from the Sun. Even if civilisation had the technology, the concept of these megastructures would require more material than what is available in our Solar System. So for humanity, this will not be within our near future, but for other intelligent life, this could be a possibility."

Deafening Silence & Lost in Space

Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

This set also includes special cards that evoke the aesthetic of posters for early sci-fi B-movies and covers of pulp magazines. One of our favorites is 'Deafening Silence' (SkinnyElbows), which has an astronaut looking at large-scale destruction, which isn't producing any sounds. Despite Magic: The Gathering's focus on fantasy and the space opera orientation of Edge of Eternities, the creatives were leaning on a widely known fact about outer space with this one. "Outside of any planet's atmosphere, explosions are silent," Le Conte reminds readers. Sci-fi works that stick to this rule are infrequent, so it was a nice surprise to see MTG acknowledging it.

Another common element in sci-fi tales across all media is the breathtaking vistas seen from the surfaces of moons and planets. If you're going otherworldly, you might as well have fun with the alien skies. In 'Lost in Space' (Allen Panakal), an extraterrestrial is stranded on what we must assume is a moon, with a ringed planet seen in the blue and pink background.

Of course, getting such views would depend on the atmosphere of the celestial body, the light it receives, etc. Le Conte adds that many planets are surrounded by large numbers of moons: "Planets often have many moons (the Earth is special in having just one), such as Jupiter having 97 confirmed at the moment. These moons can range from rocky and dusty to ice moons, and orbit closer to the planet."

Starbreach Whale

On the more fantastical front, sci-fi often depicts creatures that can survive in the depths of space. Even Star Wars has the purrgil, so it doesn't come as a surprise that Edge of Eternities followed suit and gave us space-roaming animals the 'Starbreach Whale' (Sam Burley).

"We have only explored about 5% of both the ocean floor and space," Le Conte reminds us. "The alien-like nature of some of our deep-sea creatures inspires the concepts of alien life surviving in different atmospheres." In fact, there are animals like the "water bear", which survived the vacuum and radiation of space." Earth is plenty weird, so it's not a stretch to think of even weirder creatures living elsewhere!

Planetary Annihilation

If we continue following the trail of Star Wars references in the expansion, we quickly find 'Planetary Annihilation' (Cristi Balanescu), which shows a smaller version of a Death Star unmaking a planet far bigger in size. Outside the realm of sci-fi stories, are planet-killing weapons even possible with the right technology?

"To blow a planet, the force would need to overcome the gravity holding the planet together. For something Earth-like, the laser's energy would need to come from a powerful source like the Sun. Harnessing star power could be the answer," Le Conte answers. This would point any nefarious civilization in the direction of the aforementioned Dyson spheres, probably. Or maybe they could just find the closest thing to kyber crystals in our/their galaxy.

Uthros, Titanic Godcore & Cosmogoyf

Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Circling back to stunning space vistas, we couldn't resist asking about 'Uthros, Titanic Godcore' (Adam Paquette); it presents what we can only describe as a gigantic 'space hurricane' happening around a hidden planet. Le Conte had a nearby example to share after seeing this image: "This reminds me of the big red dot on Jupiter, which is a giant hurricane storm lasting almost 200 years. Bigger planets are known as gas giants and do not have a rocky surface... But their atmospheres can be like Earth's and have giant storms."

The 'Cosmogoyf' (Chris Rahn) – also seen above – turns the beauty of space (a nebula in this case) into something monstrous… something alive. This one's completely rooted in the realm of space fantasy, but we shouldn't forget "new life is created" thanks to "the most diverse collection of metals and materials" found in nebulae. Le Conte describes them as "star nurseries formed from the supernova explosions of dying stars." If you ask us, we think it's fun to play with their nature to create a mind-bendingly massive cosmic menace.

The Eternity Elevator

Last but not least, recurring sci-fi megastructures like 'The Eternity Elevator' (Josu Solano) make us dream of what we could achieve in the future right here on Earth. A way to go up to space without flying a rocket ship would be useful, but getting there is tricky. Le Conte doesn't shoot down their viability, but says they're obviously "beyond our current technology."

Artistic licenses aside, the astrophysicist admits that she enjoys "the complexity and marvel of the Universe" these images capture. She adds they "also depict the broad and most extreme phenomena that occur in the furthest parts of space," which isn't the kind of stuff you normally see printed on Magic: The Gathering cards.

Magic the Gathering – Edge of Eternities was released on July 29, 2025, on MTG Arena (the full digital version of the card game) and on August 1, 2025, for the physical card game. It's the game's 106th expansion.