Have you wondered what the story behind the cards fromUniverses Beyond: Doctor Who is? Why some of these cards' effects seem so strange? Well, it's because they are tied to the episodes of the television show they're modeled after!

The Story of Doctor Who Cards Explained

Let's start with River Song, who hates Spoilers (and if you do as well, look away!). She has quite the arc, but her main theme is that she and the Doctor meet in reverse. Every time they meet in the show its Earlier in her timeline and later in his. The first episode where we meet her is the episode where she dies. And whenever the doctor or anyone tries to peek into her journal or ask her for hints about the future, she simply says "Shhh, Spoilers".

Now that we've got the spoiler warning out of the way, let's discuss Four Knocks. This is the episodes where the Tenth Doctor regenerates into the Eleventh Doctor, and says his most famous line, "I don't want to go." The Doctor is told "Your song is Ending ... He will knock four times." Throughout the episode we believed it was the sound of the Drums because it was a pattern of four. But in reality, it was Wilfred who was trapped in a malfunctioning radioactive chamber and when the dust settled, and the doctor believed he was safe. Wilfred Knocked on the glass four times to get the doctors attention and tell him he was stuck. It was at this moment everyone realized these were the four knocks.

In the same episode as the Four Knocks, we have The Master, Multiplied. In this episode, The Master has returned after being brought back to life by his wife from a previous episode. The Master transplants himself into every human being on the planet, calling it "The Master Race."

The Flood of Mars is one of my favorite Flavor Wins from this set by far. In this episode, The Doctor is on Mars, and the colony there is trying to terraform the planet. They are drilling for water and the water is contaminated. The Water then turns people into "Water Zombies" and if you get infected by the water you too turn into a Water Zombie. They can also travel through the water itself.

Speaking of Flavor Wins with weird interactions, Heaven Sent is another great one! In this episode, the Twelfth Doctor is trapped in his Confession Dial by the Time Lord General. Repeating the same loop until he confesses what he knows about "The Hybrid" In this episode he must investigate the strange castle he is trapped in and break down a Wall of Diamond with his bare hands. At the end of his loop, he would die and restart at the moment he woke up in his confession dial.

While we are on the topic of time loops, This Is How It Ends refers to an episode with The Eleventh Doctor and the Ponds (Amy, Rory, River Song). Rory is sent back intime to 1938 Manhattan via a Weeping Angel, where he reunites with River Song. They escape the Angels by creating a Paradox. When they return to present time, Rory is sent back again by another Angel thus trapping him there for good due to the paradox. Amy then sacrifices herself to be with him and save the Doctor and River.

Blink is the first time we encounter the Weeping Angels. This episode takes place in two different time periods, the present and the past. Where our heroes (Not the doctor, this is one of the few episodes where the doctor isn't inherently present but referenced and shown on screens) must solve the mystery of the angels and how to reunite themselves. The story taking place in two time periods explains why this Saga does not resolve in sequential order (1,3,2,4).

Our last new card deserves a heartbreaking explanation. Last Night Together focuses on the Twelfth Doctor and River Song. This is the last episode she is in and the doctor finally takes her to the Singing towers of Darillium for one night. Little does River Song know that one night on Darillium is 24 years. The Doctor gives River the Sonic Screwdriver she uses in her first Episode "the forest of the dead" and he cries, because he knows she will die soon.

For our Honorary Mention we why not a reprint? The art on Out of Time refers to the episode where All of the known Doctors (Plus the Twelfth) join forces throughout time to save Gallifrey from the Time War by locking them in a pocket dimension, "Out of Time," until they can find a way to truly save them.

I hope you enjoyed this little story time explaining some of the story behind the art and effects of these new Doctor Who cards. Be sure to speak up if there are any more you'd like to know about!