Magic: The Gatheringis about to enter a new era starting on November 15 with the release of a core Standard set meant to be the backbone of the game’s formats for at least five years. Not only that, however, Wizards of the Coast announced a big change to the legality ofMagic: The GatheringUniverses Beyond sets, which will be tentpole, Standard-legal releases starting in 2025, with the release of three different sets. One of these will be dedicated to theFinal Fantasyfranchise, another will be all about Marvel’sSpider-Man, and the third is yet to be announced. As much as these products can be hype-inducing for some fans, they will all lack a specific card type, limiting players' options.
It’s not often thatMagic: The Gatheringintroduces a new card typeto the game, with the first and last time in over 15 years being March of the Machine’s Battles. While Duskmourn’s Rooms are arguably new as well, they are essentially enchantments with extra steps, whereas Battles have their own set of rules like other card types, including Sorceries, Instants, Planeswalkers, and more. Based on recent comments made byMTG’s own Mark Rosewater, the upcoming 2025 Universes Beyond sets (as well as any future ones, it seems) will all lack one of these card types.
Why Magic: The Gathering Won’t Have Planeswalker Cards in Universes Beyond
Universes Beyond sets in 2025will have no Planeswalker cards within them, according to Mark Rosewater, as they are exclusive to theMagicMultiverse setting. As much as Planeswalkers would have made sense in some UB sets, like Dr. Strange from Marvel or multiple characters fromFinal Fantasygames, it seems that fans won’t get access to this card type in their favorite non-MagicIPs. This is not necessarily a good thing as much as it’s not a bad thing, though.
Past UB sets never had Planeswalkers, but it was plausible things could change with the change to the legality of these releases.
The Pros and Cons of Magic: The Gathering UB Sets Not Having Planeswalkers
NoPlaneswalker cardsin Universes Beyond sets means that players will still get to experience this part ofMagic: The Gathering, but only within the universe of the game, including the many iconic characters that have enjoyed this status over the years. Planeswalkers are also quite often central figures inMTG’s overarching story, so it makes sense not to meddle in this aspect of the TCG with its many upcoming crossovers. Furthermore, the fact that the game is getting so many Universes Beyond sets that are Standard-legal doesn’t sit right with many fans because the overall perception is thatMTGis watering down its identity. So, having Planeswalkers remain exclusive to the in-game universe may be a good thing.
On the other hand, there is a lot of potential with crossover sets to have some kind of Planeswalkers. More importantly, it’s a rather significant part of the game that newcomers who are mainly getting into the TCG thanks to their favorite IPs may not experience from the get-go.Magic: The Gathering’s Planeswalkers have unique, fun mechanics that sometimes are key to victory or at least make decks more varied. For example,competitive Commander decksusing Sisay, Weatherlight Captain often include a flickering combo with Aminatou, the Fateshifter and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God.
WithMagic: The Gathering’s Foundations setreprinting one of MaRo’s favorite cards in Doubling Season, it would have been interesting to see more Planeswalkers in Standard given the 6-set release schedule. This doesn’t mean that the threeMagicMultiverse sets of 2025 won’t be stacked with Planeswalker cards, but it’s both a weird and understandable choice not to feature them in the now more consistent Universes Beyond. Considering fan feedback, this was probably the best move for Wizards of the Coast to avoid at least a little part of the backlash from the legality changes surrounding UBs.
Magic The Gathering
Magic the Gathering is a tabletop and digital collectable card game created by Richard Garfield and released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Players take on the role of a Planeswalker and use various cards to battle other players by casting spells, summoning creatures, or utilizing artifacts. It features two main rule categories, constructed or limited, and can be played by two or more players at a time.
