Magic: The Gatheringhas been knocking it out of the park with its Universes Beyond sets. The Lord of the Rings andSpider-Mansets have been great, but they’re nothing compared to the recentFinal Fantasy, whichsold more cards in two days than LOTR ever did. It definitely earns the big bucks.
However, while Universes Beyond sets are popular, long-time MTG fans are worried that Wizards of the Coast may be leaning too heavily towards them and neglecting in-universe sets. While head designer,Mark Rosewater has specifically said that’s not the case, some fans have a hard time believing it.
Part of the controversy comes from the perceived delay of Lorwyn Eclipsed. The return to the beloved setting of Lorwyn was originally revealed to be following this summer’s Spider-Man, with many assuming that meant it would be the final set of 2025. However, the later reveal of Avatar: The Last Airbender led many to feel as if Universes Beyond had pushed a long-awaited return to Lorwyn back into next year.
MTG’s Lorwyn Eclipsed Was Not Delayed To Accommodate Spider-Man And Avatar Sets
On hisblog, Rosewater was asked why certain sets are being delayed to accommodate others. Specifically, why Lorwyn Eclipsed was delayed to make room for Avatar, but the same was not done for Spider-Man, a smaller set that has been expanded from an initially even smaller, Assassin’s Creed-style release, in order to upgrade the card count. Rosewater replied saying that Lorwyn Eclipsed was technically not delayed for another set, there was simply a change in roll-out strategy at MTG.
“Lorwyn was delayed only because we slowed down the number of sets per year,” he explained. “It was 8 in line and we cut from 9 down to 7, so it became the first set of next year. It was never moved out of its #8 position.”
Wizards of the Coast plans its release schedule way in advance, but it’s always changing due to the time it takes for artwork, and there’s also balancing to keep in mind. This means that, originally, we were going to see Spider-Man, Avatar, and Lorwyn all launch in 2025. The change to release seven sets a year instead means it is now the first set of 2026, pending any unannounced January remastered sets, like this year’s Innistrad Remastered.
It’s understandable to think that Wizards of the Coast would favour Universes Beyond sets, as they’re extremely popular and it earns a lot of money. But, it has time and again noted that they will never replace in-universe sets, as that’s what MTG is built upon. While that’s the case, the community was pretty miffed when it was announced thatUniverses Beyond crossover sets with Final Fantasy and Spider-Man will be legalin the Standard format, and we’ll likely not see complaints about crossover sets stop any time soon.
