MtG's Head Designer Says UB Has Changed The Game Forever, And It's Here To Stay

Magic: The Gathering's head designer Mark Rosewater has finally given an explicit answer regarding his feelings on Universes Beyond, and whether these crossovers will be around forever, or not.

Magic: The Gathering's crossover sets began as fun collector's items that weren't legal in standard play; something to reward players who shared their fandom with another universe.

Universes Beyond Has Changed Things Forever

Fast forward a few years, Wizards of the Coasts' entire business model now hinges on the mega-popular Universes Beyond (UB), the name given to crossover sets. Starting with Final Fantasy in 2025, these sets became legal in Standard, transforming them from something that players could easily ignore into a fundamental part of the game. Since then, we've seen four more UB sets released.

The motivation for parent company Hasbro (and Wizards) is obvious: money and engagement. Take a non-Magic player who is a fan of Final Fantasy, they may become interested and spend money on product. After a positive experience, they may even become a regular Magic: The Gathering player and continue to buy future sets. For Hasbro, the benefits are obvious.

For core players who have been playing the game for decades, however, the increasing commercialisation of the game they love probably leaves a sour taste. Not to mention the fact that sets based around the actual lore and setting of Magic: The Gathering are becoming increasingly rare, as Wizards load up on as many crossover deals as possible. For some, UB is the game's death spiral.

As head designer, Rosewater has been diplomatic about the existence of Universes Beyond. There was a sense among fans that the long-time Wizards employee secretly disapproved of the crossovers, but couldn't express his true opinions because it would upset his employers.

In a recent post on his personal blog, Blogatog, Rosewater opened up about his feelings towards UB, and compared it to his experience of seeing the rise of the Commander format, something he personally didn't see as 'true' Magic: The Gathering.

"Magic has played a pivotal role in my life. My job, my relationships, many of my friends — all happened through this game. Saying it's a core part of my identity is an understatement," he writes. "And I really had to face some demons when coming to grips with the game shifting from where I personally wanted it to be."

He looked deep down and realised the thing he most loved about Magic was the experience of playing it with others. Commander, a 4-player social format, was making the game accessible to more people.

"I compared it to how properties change with the times. The stories I read in my childhood are very different than the stories told today. The world changes and pop culture changes with it," the post continues. "I totally understand that some shifts will leave people behind. Maybe the thing you love is changing in ways that you aren't able to come to terms with."

Rosewater offers three options for players, 1. accept the change, 2. find like-minded people and form a bubble, or 3. leave the community. He stresses that there is no hypothetical fourth option where Magic reverts to how it used to operate.

"Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's just not going back in," he explains. "Whether you like or dislike Universes Beyond, it has fundamentally changed the nature of what the game is. It's taking the game to a whole new level, in both scope and awareness, much like Commander forever changed how people saw and interacted with the game."

Rosewater finishes by saying that he wants to help those who are sceptical of UB understand its positives, while thanking those who choose to leave the community for the time they've invested over the years.

Magic: The Gathering