Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Artist Spotlight: Games Workshop’s MTG Illustrations in the Warhammer 40,000 Commander Set

Magic: The Gathering has always thrived on the way a card’s art frames a story before you even read the text. When Universes Beyond collided with Warhammer 40,000, fans got a visually striking blend of two universes that honor both the grim grandeur of 40k and the flexible complexity of MTG. One standout from the Warhammer 40,000 Commander collection is Their Number Is Legion, a rare black sorcery illustrated by none other than Games Workshop. 🧙‍♂️🔥 The piece captures that unmistakable industrial aesthetic—sleek, baroque, and a touch ceremonial—while hinting at the mechanical menace behind a Necron legion. It’s the kind of card that makes you want to pause, study the illustration, then plan your next move with feverish delight. 💎⚔️

Let’s unpack what makes Their Number Is Legion both thematically rich and mechanically intriguing. With a mana cost of {X}{B}{B}{B}{B}, it’s a high-risk, high-reward formula: you’re paying a steep black-mana tax to fuel a variable X. The spell reads, quite simply: create X tapped 2/2 black Necron Warrior artifact creature tokens, then you gain life equal to the number of artifacts you control. And yes, when you’ve squeezed all the value out of the moment, you exile the card from the stack—a small but meaningful reminder that this is a spell built for graveyard recursion, a hallmark of many modern artifact-centric builds. You may cast this card from your graveyard, which adds a tactical wrinkle that can catch opponents off guard and extend the life of a strong board presence. 🧙‍♂️🎲

From a lore perspective, Necron Warriors are quintessentially Warhammer: disciplined, relentless metal legions, forged to endure and overwhelm. Translating that flavor into MTG tokens—artifact creatures that epitomize the robotic, relentless march of the Necron horde—feels like a natural fit for the Universes Beyond project. The token identity isn’t merely mechanical; it’s flavorful: you’re summoning a contingent of war machines that persist as artifacts on the battlefield, each 2/2 body representing steady gunmetal efficiency rather than flashy spark. The life-gain payoff ties the whole package together, rewarding a player who has cultivated a sizable artifact ecosystem. It’s the gravity of a mechanized army meeting the gravity of MTG’s lifegain calculus. ⚙️💥

“In a world where engines hum louder than incantations, a single spell can summon a chorus of Necron whispers and drain your opponents’ lives in one smooth, macabre rhythm.”

Why this card stands out in an artist-led lineup

• Artistic coherence: Games Workshop’s signature linework and tonal palette give the card a cohesive look with other 40k entries while still feeling at home on an MTG table. The metallic sheen, panel-like composition, and grand, almost cinematic framing are a treat for collectors and players alike. 🎨
• Synergy in play: The X cost scales your board quickly when you’ve built a steady pipeline of artifacts. The rescue-from-graveyard clause invites a longer, more resilient game plan than a typical X-spell, rewarding patient artifact strategies. 🔧
• Flavor-forward design: The combination of Necron tokens and lifegain ties mechanical theme to a life-based payoff, a motif that resonates with “paying for power” archetypes while leaning into the lore of a tireless empire. 🔒
• Collector value: As a rare universes Beyond card in a modern set, it sits at a niche but stylish intersection of MTG history and crossover worlds, appealing to both Warhammer fans and MTG completionists. 💎

For players who love big-value plays, Their Number Is Legion is a reminder that gravity in MTG isn’t just about color or tempo; it can be about stacking artifacts, building toward a resilient board, and delivering a terminal salvo as the Necron legions converge. If you’re piloting artifact-heavy decks, or you simply want to showcase a dramatic World War—er, World of Warhammer—on your battlefield, this card is worth a closer look. 🧙‍♂️🔥

Gameplay angles you can try at your table

• Artifact-heavy build enabler: Prioritize artifact ramp and card draw to maximize the X value. The more artifacts you control, the higher your life gain, and the more resilient your board gets as you push for a decisive swing. 🧭
• Graveyard resilience: Since you may cast from the graveyard, consider adding recursion spells or effects that protect your graveyard or recycle this spell during your opponent’s turns for a late-game double-dip. 🔁
• Counterplay awareness: The exile clause provides a natural point of interruption for opponents looking to stop your X-fueled cascade, so timing matters—don’t overcommit too early unless you have a plan to pressure the board. 🛡️
• Flavor synergy: Pair this with other Warhammer 40k-universe cards to reinforce the gestalt of a grim, mechanized theater on the battlefield. It’s not just a queue of tokens; it’s a narrative moment you can lean into during your turns. ⚔️

Beyond the tactical depth, the collaboration’s aesthetic—led by Games Workshop’s art—invites a broader conversation about crossovers in card design. When a universe as beloved as Warhammer 40k steps into MTG’s arena, you get a richer tapestry of imagery and a conversation piece you’ll want to showcase in sleeves and chat with friends about during casual games or tournament rounds. 🧙‍♂️🎲

Market, rarity, and the collector’s angle

As a rare card from the Warhammer 40,000 Commander set, Their Number Is Legion sits at an interesting juncture for collectors. It’s not foil, but its Universes Beyond status gives it a distinctive place in a collection—especially for fans who value the confluence of MTG’s mechanical depth and Warhammer’s lore. The card’s price in the wild has been modest, reflecting its niche appeal but also its potential for future appreciation as crossovers remain a vibrant facet of the MTG landscape. The token theme—Necron Warriors—also offers a tactile reason to explore this card in paper formats, where the curvature of the tokens on the battlefield can be appreciated in person. 🧭💎

Design-wise, the set’s black mana emphasis, its high X-cost, and its graveyard recursion all align with a familiar MTG archetype: a bold swing that rewards careful planning and a keen eye for artifact support. For players chasing dramatic finish lines, this card isn’t just a spell—it’s a statement: the mechanized march of a Necron host can bend life totals to your will while exiling itself to keep the cycle alive in the long game. 🔥⚙️

More from our network

• https://crypto-acolytes.xyz/blog/post/nft-stats-bpw-1456-from-bonk-puppets-collection/
• https://crypto-acolytes.xyz/blog/post/nft-stats-midevil-2699-from-midevils-collection/
• https://blog.crypto-articles.xyz/blog/post/how-shaders-change-potted-spruce-sapling-appearance/
• https://blog.rusty-articles.xyz/blog/post/how-set-themes-drive-nyxborn-hydras-mechanics/
• https://wiki.digital-vault.xyz/wiki/post/pokemon-tcg-stats-hoppip-card-id-swsh7-2/