Magic: The Gathering Reveals Foundations Set for November, 2025 Release Schedule

Magic: The Gathering Reveals Foundations Set for November, 2025 Release Schedule

As a long-time Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, I can hardly contain my excitement for the lineup of sets Wizards of the Coast has planned for 2025! The upcoming releases promise to be an exhilarating journey through various realms, both familiar and entirely new.


In a significant change, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is preparing to establish a solid foundation for players across all formats, starting with the release of the Foundations set on November 15, 2024. This set is intended to serve as the bedrock of MTG for at least the next five years, possibly even beyond. The Foundations set will remain Standard-legal until at least 2029, but its designers hope it will continue to be a constant presence in the background for an extended period. Essentially, this set is being crafted as the base of Magic: The Gathering. While the Foundations set is scheduled for release in November 2024, a Marvel Secret Lair drop will occur beforehand. Wizards of the Coast (WotC) is already looking ahead with six sets planned for 2025.

In a digital gathering involving Elizabeth Stewart (Senior Communications Manager), Bryan Hawley (Director, Game Design), Carmen Klomparens (Senior Game Designer), Forrest Schehl (Senior Art Director), Ari Zirulnik (Creative Lead), Mark Rosewater (Head Designer), and Blake Rasmussen (Director of Communications) from Wizards of the Coast, they shared their plans for Magic: The Gathering. The upcoming release, MTG Foundations, marks a significant close to the year, but due to its expansive nature and role, it’s expected to serve as a key foundation for the game in the future. Moreover, the company also announced three new Magic Multiverse sets and three Universes Beyond sets for the year 2025, indicating a promising outlook for that period.

What to Expect From Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations Set

As an enthusiast, I can’t help but appreciate the fact that MTG Foundations is designed to be the most accessible gateway into the captivating world of Magic: The Gathering. Given the introduction of more Universes Beyond sets, this initiative takes on even greater significance. Wizards of the Coast assures us that Foundations will offer an abundance of powerful cards suitable for both novice and veteran players. The gameplay is streamlined with simplified abilities and keywords, yet it still retains a thrilling element with cards capable of combining to secure victory.

In a simplified manner, the strategy involves using two Magic: The Gathering (MTG) cards – Demonic Pact and Harmless Offering. Demonic Pact is a Black enchantment that can deal damage, let you draw cards, and even force your opponent to discard cards, but it ultimately leads to your defeat at the start of your next upkeep unless certain conditions are met. Harmless Offering, on the other hand, allows you to transfer control of one of your permanents (creatures or artifacts) to your opponent.

The significance lies in the fact that while the Foundations set of Magic: The Gathering is designed as a more straightforward and accessible version to welcome new players, it remains fundamentally Magic at its core. This game flourishes on endless combinations and strategies. To help beginners grasp the essentials, Wizards of the Coast created four distinct learning tools.

Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations Beginner Box Explained

As a budding Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, I’ve just stumbled upon an exciting new way to dive into this captivating world. It’s a set designed for beginners like me, offering two instant-play decks themed around engaging subjects such as Cats and Vampires. These decks are perfect for teaching the fundamentals of MTG in a friendly manner, with characters that resonate – pirates, wizards, elves, and more!

Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations Jumpstart Boosters Explained

Unlike traditional MTG Foundations sets, this particular product is not designed to follow the Standard format. Jumpstart Boosters are positioned as a bridge between the Beginner Box, Starter Collection, or even the main Foundations line. They offer more diverse themes and allow you to mix any two Jumpstart Boosters for gameplay. Each booster comes with an anime-inspired MTG Legendary creature, making it an intriguing choice for Commander players. Additionally, this set combines reprints and new cards.

Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations Starter Collection Explained

The Starter Collection serves as a stepping stone to fully grasp the essence of the game, Magic: The Gathering, and its offerings. Essentially, it’s likened to a treasure trove of cards from older siblings, offering players an initial dive into the game and deck building. This comprehensive set houses 350 cards, boasting essential elements across all colors in Magic: The Gathering. Additionally, it includes a promotional card called Gigantosaurus, which is a formidable 10/10 creature without any special abilities or effects, and can only be obtained through this collection as it’s not available elsewhere.

Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations Set Explained

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but excitedly share that the fundamental collection of lands for Magic: The Gathering is a must-have, as these basic lands, designed meticulously by the creators, embody the essence of their respective archetypes flawlessly. Notably, there’s a cycle of basic lands featuring art by Rebecca Guay, along with two cycles of full art basic lands, each one representing a forthcoming main character in the upcoming Magic: The Gathering releases. These include Ajani and Giada for White, Zimone and Kaito for Blue, Liliana and Tinybones for Black, Chandra and Kellan for Red, and Loot and Vivien for Green. I can hardly wait to witness these characters unfold!

This collection features some classic MTG Alpha cards, such as Savannah Lions, Serra Angel, Shivan Dragon, Giant Growth, and Juggernaut, to honor its origins. The goal is to provide players with tools to create their own narratives within Magic, through a combination of reprints and new cards. New cards are designed either for concepts that lacked appropriate representation in the series’ past or to depict characters and moments from the game’s rich history, regardless of current events. For instance, Herald of Eternal Dawn was inspired by Platinum Angel – it is a 4 generic and 3 White card with a 6/6 size, possessing Flash and Flying abilities, and its power lies in preventing players from losing or opponents from winning the game.

Magic: The Gathering Reveals Foundations Set for November, 2025 Release Schedule

In this collection, known as MTG Foundations, the scope is beyond any specific timeline and showcases both classic and contemporary cards from various dimensions of the multiverse. Each mythic and rare card has unique alternate artwork variations, while 70 borderless cards are exclusive to Foundations.

What to Expect From Magic: The Gathering in 2025

From 2025 onwards, there are significant changes in store for Magic: The Gathering, marking a new phase for the game. Expect adjustments to the game environment and a more structured approach to product rotation. A departure from tradition will occur in 2027 as new Standard cycles won’t start in the fall anymore; instead, they’ll begin with the first release of each calendar year. This simplifies things and makes the system smoother, but it also means that Magic: The Gathering’s Bloomburrow and Duskmourn will no longer be Standard-legal from 2027 onwards. Additionally, starting in 2025, each Magic set will have a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).

Changes are coming regarding the legality of cards and release schedules, along with the types of set releases. In terms of legality, the new system primarily consists of two categories: all-formats-legal (sets that pass through Standard) and eternal-legal (like Commander products). Notably, starting in 2025, MTG Universes Beyond will be legal across all formats. As for releases, there will be three Magic Multiverse sets and three UB sets coming in the year 2025.

Magic: The Gathering’s 2025 Roadmap Explained

The plan we have here does not feature Innistrad Remastered as it’s not eligible for Standard play, and we’ve previously announced its existence.

Aetherdrift – February 14, 2025

In February of 2025, we’ll experience a thrilling death race called Aetherdrift, spanning three unique dimensions of the multiverse. This high-octane event will feature numerous vehicle cards and will pit 10 distinct teams against each other, each team having its own unique identity represented by two different colors. The central narrative revolves around Chandra from Magic: The Gathering, who joins this race in pursuit of the Aetherspark. Her goal is to harness its power to restore Nissa’s lost Spark.

Tarkir Dragonstorms – April 11, 2025

This new collection marks the eagerly anticipated revisit to the realm of Tarkir following a decade’s absence. However, this Tarkir is not the same as before; it has been subtly reshaped by Sarkhan Vol, who traveled back in time to prevent the Khans and their tribes from annihilating the dragons that now rule this world. Instead of being wiped out, the dragons have become the dominant force here. In the current timeline, old clans are re-emerging, which means that the set will blend beloved elements from the Khans of Tarkir (including multi-colored cards) with the popular dragon creatures.

Final Fantasy Universes Beyond – June 13, 2025

In keeping with what fans might anticipate, this “Final Fantasy” collection showcases characters, locales, monsters, weapons, and more from every game in the series, ranging from “Final Fantasy 1” to the latest “Final Fantasy 16”. This set will incorporate artwork from both “Final Fantasy” and “MTG” artists who have exclusively contributed to this collection. However, characters, items, or locations from spin-off games participating in the crossover will not be included in this particular set.

Edge of Eternities – August 1, 2025

This collection deviates from typical Magic Multiverse offerings by being set in the cosmos. It appears linked to Magic: The Gathering’s Blind Eternities, as it retains Magic-like design elements, yet incorporates themes and fresh ideas from space fantasy, such as planets, aliens, space conflicts, and so forth. In Edge of Eternities, Tezzeret makes a reappearance and will assume the role of the primary antagonist in the narrative.

Spider-Man Universes Beyond – TBA, 2025

Mark Rosewater is working on a project that holds personal significance to him, as it involves sharing the tale of receiving a Spider-Man comic book when he was young and finding joy in the blend of Marvel and Magic: The Gathering (MTG) within the product. This set promises to be a significant launch, similar to Magic’s past Lord of the Rings release and the anticipated 2025 MTG crossover with Final Fantasy.

Unannounced Universes Beyond – TBA, 2025

2025 marks the anticipated arrival of a new UB (Universe-Beyond) collection, although specifics are yet to be confirmed. As per Mark Rosewater’s statements, he has had a chance to play with this set and appears to be quite fond of it; however, more details remain undisclosed at present.

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2024-10-26 01:36