Magic: The Gathering already offers myriad ways for players to personalize their decks via official means, but not even Wizards of the Coast, running the printers 24/7 as it no doubt does, is able to meet some demands.
Following the news that a recent Secret Lair – promotional products only available for a brief window – based on AMC’s The Walking Dead has proven to be the most successful of its kind to date, the company will surely be seeking to strike a deal with owners of other popular franchises to immortalize them in cardboard form, though who knows when (and what) those will entail. With clearly no interest in waiting to find out, one fan has now transformed parts of their collection into a particular group of misfits that you’ve no doubt heard of before.
Using several existing Legendary Creatures as a base template, Alk Alters has replaced the official art of each with the likeness of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out images for all eight alters, as well as the cards’ original names, down below:
- Star-Lord, Reluctant Guardian (Anowon the Rain Thief)
- Gamora, Betrayer of Thanos (Akiri, Feaerless Voyager)
- Drax the Destoryer (Zurgo Helmsmasher)
- Rocket Raccoon (Grenzo, Havoc Raiser)
- I Am Groot (Colfenor, the Last Yew)
- Mantis, the Empath (Thriss, Nantuko Primus)
- Nebula, Daughter of Thanos (Glissa, the Traitor)
- Yondu Udonta (Zareth Sun, the Trickster)
As for the process used, it mimics that employed by Wizards previously in sets such as Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, where it printed a limited number of Godzilla cards in collaboration with Japanese film studio Toho. The Walking Dead‘s aforementioned crossover, on the other hand, is an exception to the rule in that Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors are completely unique, a decision that’s led to some controversy, to say the least. Sadly, none of the above are for sale, as Alk Alters doesn’t sell what it produces, though you can show your support by checking out their Patreon.
In related news, Magic: The Gathering‘s first Standard expansion of 2021, Kaldheim, recently suffered a substantial leak. See here for all the details.