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  • 2025's Releases
  • Big Changes To Standard

Magic: The Gathering's yearly announcements are usually a big event. We finally get to find out next year's sets, get a first look at new planes and characters, and perhaps even entirely new products.

This year's Next Era panel at MagicCon Vegas was no exception. While plenty of the announcements are sure to be controversial, we also got an impressive look at four of the upcoming sets, some much-needed rules changes, and a Secret Lair crossover nobody could've anticipated.

Foundations

Ajani, Caller of the Pride by Victor Adame Minguez

Alongside revealing next year's stuff, today also marked the start of the preview season for Magic's next set, Foundations.

  • Everything Revealed At Magic: The Gathering's Foundations Debut. We got to see the art treatments, mechanics, side-products, and, of course, lots of new cards for Foundations. This set is meant to be an easy way for new players to get into the game, without skimping on the high power and complexity that veterans like. There's also a really nice cycle of full-art lands featuring Planeswalkers relaxing, which helps ease newbies into the lore.
  • Every Card Revealed For Magic: The Gathering's Foundations. Over the next week, the entirety of the Foundations set is going to be revealed, complete with its multiple art styles. We'll be updating as each card is revealed.

Foundations Jumpstart is a full, proper Jumpstart set with cards not found in Foundations itself.

  • Every Card Revealed For Magic: The Gathering's Foundations Jumpstart. Foundations isn't the only set launching on November 15. Alongside it is an entire Jumpstart set, following on from the excellent Jumpstart 2022. It's got a very good new Saproling commander called Shroofus.
  • Magic: The Gathering Introduces Huge Rule Change To Combat. Magic's getting some under-the-hood tweaks with Foundations, too. How you designate damage to multiple blockers is changing, meaning you no longer put them in an order and take them out one by one.
  • Magic: The Gathering Is Bringing Back MSRP. Magic is finally going to have an MSRP again, allowing stores and sellers to all sell products at similar prices. Hopefully this means the end of ridiculously expensive Commander decks, like the ones we saw with Modern Horizons 3 and Commander Masters.

2025 Releases

Foundations was only a small part of what was revealed today. We also got a look at five of the six major releases coming next year, taking us everywhere from Kaladesh to Midgar... to Bikini Bottom.

  • Magic: The Gathering Reveals First Proper Look At Death Race-Themed Set Aetherdrift. The first Standard-legal set of 2025 takes us on a death race across three planes. Featuring the return of a personal favourite character Daretti, it also features the plane of Muraganda's first major appearance in a set, and lots and lots of Vehicles.
  • Magic: The Gathering's Tarkir: Dragonstorm Is Bringing Back The Clans. Tarkir has long been a favourite setting for MTG fans, with its excellent worldbuilding and all-timer limited environment. Tarkir: Dragonstorm has a lot to live up to by combining the best of both Khans of Tarkir and Dragons of Tarkir, but so far it looks like it's up to the task.
  • Magic: The Gathering Reveals Its First Look At The Final Fantasy Set. The first of not one, but four Universes Beyond crossovers in 2025, Final Fantasy is a full-blown booster set that is going to bring together all of the mainline games in one release. It's also the first time Universes Beyond will be Standard-legal, in a huge shift for the series.

Though it wasn't talked about at the panel, Innistrad Remastered will still be launching in January.

  • Magic: The Gathering Heads To Outer Space With Edge Of Eternities. Magic is going harder into sci-fi than it ever has before with a space-faring set. It's got spaceships, it's got aliens, it's got Tezzeret, and it's blasting off in August.
  • Magic: The Gathering Has An Unannounced Universes Beyond Set In 2025. There is one set next year we don't know anything about. Launching after Spider-Man as the final release of the year, it's a third Universes Beyond crossover. We don't even know what it's crossing over with yet, but whatever it is will be big enough to pull off its own, full set.
  • Magic: The Gathering Announces Secret Lair Crossover With SpongeBob SquarePants. There's no good way to break this news, but SpongeBob SquarePants is coming to MTG next year through Secret Lair. We don't know if the cards will be reprints, or if they'll be mechanically unique, but there is now a threat of Patrick Star knocking you out of a game with commander damage.

Big Changes To Standard

Dawn's Truce by Justin Gerard

For years, Wizards of the Coast has been trying to bring the game's Standard format back to life. Today saw a number of announcements that push this plan even further, with a new type of set rotation, and a change to Universes Beyond that is not going to make some players happy in the slightest.

  • Magic: The Gathering Makes Universes Beyond Sets Legal In Every Format From 2025. Starting from next year, every set will either be legal in all formats, or only legal in Commander, Vintage, and Legacy, to help streamline set legality for new players. This means Universes Beyond sets like Final Fantasy and Spider-Man will be legal in Standard for the first time, making this easily the most controversial announcement of the day.
  • Magic: The Gathering Is Changing Set Rotation Again In 2027. Standard is shifting to a calendar year rotation system, rather than removing its oldest sets with the launch of the Autumn release. This unfortunately means that Bloomburrow and Duskmourn will be rotating out a few months early in January 2027, and we won't be getting any kind of rotation in 2026.

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Magic: The Gathering

Franchise Magic: The Gathering Original Release Date August 5, 1993 Publisher Wizards of the Coast Player Count 2+ Age Recommendation 13+ Length per Game Variable

Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.

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