Liberty Prime, Recharged| art by Pascal Quidault

Weird Science!

Welcome back lone wanderers, couriers, chosen ones and sole survivors to the last article in our Fallout Lore series. I’m Joshua, also known as PrinceofBieltan on the internet and I’ll be your guide to the final deck in the Universes Beyond: Fallout release… Science!

If this is your first time seeing an article like this, I have good news, there are three more for you to enjoy based on the precon decks! You can read those as you like:

• Hail, Caesar
• Scrappy Survivors
• Mutant Menace

Many Magic: The Gathering players like to upgrade their decks with cards from Universes Beyond sets while remaining at loss for what the card actually is, or the meaning it evokes. This series aims to illuminate you on what the world of Fallout is like, so let’s not waste energy and dive in.

Technology is one of the key cornerstones of the Fallout setting, set in a timeline divergent from our own and characterized by atomic futurism. There’s signature technology like the Pip-Boy 3000, the Mister Gutsy robot and the Nuka-Nuke Launcher from the previous decks we’ve looked at. With Science! We’ll be exploring some of the finest minds of the setting, taking a look at what humanity actually did with all that atomic power they invented.

It’s worth noting here that with the Science! Preconstructed Commander deck we have our first dedicated energy deck for commanders. This is exciting enough, it’s a mechanic that we haven’t seen for around eight years since the days of Kaladesh and Aether Revolt. You’ll find a lot of these cards do fun things with energy and this is a wonderful way for the mechanic to be reintroduced to Commander before it’s return in the upcoming Modern Horizons 3.

More like RADison Li

Let’s kick things off with our face commander. Dr. Madison Li is the legendary creature who helms this deck, she’s a little more subtle than the backup commander we’ll get to it later. Madison appears first in the game Fallout 3, as someone integral to the growth of the player character. She’s a brilliant multidisciplinary scientist, with the noble endeavor of making the Capital Wasteland, the game’s setting safer for all those who live within it. She aims to do this through Project Purity, a scientific undertaking spanning decades with the eventual aim of providing renewable clean water to the citizens of the wasteland.

Madison’s intellect and dedication are integral to the success of the survivors and factions like the Brotherhood of Steel, who she aligns herself with for a time. Her time working with the Brotherhood of Steel is spent on something big. Reviving and repairing an old piece of pre-war technology that could be the turning point in the Brotherhood of Steel’s battle for the freedom of the Capital Wasteland. With that, let’s move on to our backup commander and the fruit of Madison’s labor.

For Democracy!

If I had a nickel for every time Wizards of the Coast had put out a Commander deck with an awesome robot backup commander then I’d have two nickels (though, it’s strange that it’s happened twice). Joining the ranks of Shorikai, Genesis Engine as backup commanders who are very likely to see more play than the face commander on rule of cool, we introduce Liberty Prime, Recharged.

Liberty Prime, Recharged is a creation of the United States army constructed in the days before the Great War that created the Fallout setting. Discovered in the years following the nuclear fallout below the Pentagon by the Brotherhood of Steel, this awesome weapon of destruction became the patriotic labor of the Brotherhood for many years; its power systems damaged in the years following the Great War. The ultimate collaboration between the Brotherhood of Steel and Dr. Madison Li resulted in Liberty Prime’s power issues remedied and the unit once again able to deploy in battle against the Brotherhood’s sworn enemies, the Enclave.

Once we know the story of how Liberty Prime, Recharged came to be, the card makes much more sense. While this robot towers above many buildings in game it requires colossal amounts of energy to power. You’ll spend a lot of time amassing the energy required to power up this behemoth before you take full advantage of it during your games. Once you do manage to start up Liberty Prime, Recharged, your enemies will crumble before the forces of democracy. Which is non negotiable by the way.

Respect Your Elders

Owyn Lyons sits at the head of the East Coast Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel during the time of Fallout 3. Lyons was tasked with scouring the Capital Wasteland for advanced technology left behind by the United States army that could have survived the nuclear fallout. There’s no surprise that his card is focused around the acquisition of technology allowing you to return artifacts from your graveyard to your hand whenever he enters the battlefield or dies.

Lyons’ discovery of Liberty Prime, Recharged and cooperation with Madison Li make him a key piece in the Fallout story and the Struggle for Project Purity.

I Am Iron Man

The Brotherhood of Steel are one of the main factions appearing at least partially in every Fallout game. They are an order of knights who follow a strict heraldry and teachings of a codex (If I had a nickel for every Universes Beyond IP faction who… alright, you get my drift).

One of the most iconic pieces of Fallout’s design is Power Armor, with the T-45 model being perhaps the most famous. Unlike Liberty Prime, Recharged, cards like Armory Paladin who are depicted wearing Power Armor aren’t robots. But like Liberty Prime these hulking suits require constant supplies of energy to power, as well as specialized training to move in. They turn the wearer into a nigh invincible human tank, capable of battling even the strongest super mutant. Power Armor is as much a part of Fallout’s branding as Vault Boy, and you’ll be able to get your hands on this epic Equipment within the Science! deck.

Considering the energy it will take to power it, it’s quite unlikely this will be a card you’ll be splashing into all your decks. It’s a cool card that’s filled with history though, and historic technology is exactly what the Brotherhood of Steel are about.

Slick Valentine

Detective Nick Valentine would fit right in on the plane of Ravnica it seems, now that everyone in Murders at Karlov Manor has become a detective (He’s even got the hat). Where you’re more likely to see Nick Valentine is in the game Fallout 4 where he operates out of his own detective agency in the heart of the Commonwealth, Diamond City.

Nick is one of the companions that can accompany the player character in the game, and he can be quite an integral one in some sections. He’s a Synth as well as a detective, and the autonomy and life of Synths is very central to the story of Fallout 4.

With his slick talking and old-school noir vibes, Nick became a favorite amongst players and we think he’ll do the same in commander. His slick spy moves can only be blocked by other artifact creatures, perfect for getting by unnoticed if you’re attacking the right player.

Each other artifact creature dying leaves behind a Clue, allowing you to piece together pieces of the puzzle and gain knowledge through card advantage. Much like the mysteries Nick can solve in the video game, though we’re going to keep the plot of Fallout 4 a mystery ourselves should this article series have enticed you to check out the video games (Which, we’d absolutely recommend by the way).

This is Galaxy News Radio, Signing Out.

It’s been a huge undertaking, talking about the Fallout Commander decks we've covered plenty of legendary characters and iconic Equipment, but that's still not all. There’s still plenty more that makes the Fallout set awesome. There’ll be some more content on our site where you’ll get to learn all the more about perks, vaults and bobbleheads but this is where our coverage of some of the key players and themes of the Fallout setting comes to a close.

We’d like to learn from you too though, did you learn a thing or two reading this series? Did it help you understand and become more keen to look at Universes Beyond products? As the face of Magic: The Gathering changes it looks like we should have more and more Universes Beyond as time goes on. The flavor of Magic will forever be in flux it seems.

Aside from exposure to new universes you might enjoy, there are a lot more benefits to be had. With Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings selling record numbers for Hasbro, we can assume that a lot of new players picked up Magic for the first time and that translates to a lot of new faces down at the local game store.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on Universes Beyond, please do so in the comments below. If this was the first article you read, do go back and take a look at some of the others. If you want to discuss ghouls, super mutants or Nuka Cola you can do so with me on Twitter here and on Youtube here.

I’ll see you in the next universe, where we’ll likely be trading in our Nuka-Nuke Launchers for Hidden Blades. We’ll never stop playing cards and having fun though. Take care.

Joshua Clough

Joshua is a Medical Researcher from the UK. He's played Magic since Dragons of Tarkir and loves all things Commander, the more colours the better! When not playing Commander, he can be found insisting Jund is still a viable deck in Modern and painting tiny plastic miniatures on Twitter @PrinceofBielTan