Magic: The Gathering May Be About To Break One Planeswalker Trend

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Summary

  • The limited number of Planeswalker cards is restrictive for deckbuilding in MTG if they are often multicolored.
  • Recent 2024 MTG sets featured mainly multicolored Planeswalkers, impacting deck diversity.
  • Wizards of the Coast is addressing the issue of multicolored Planeswalkers for future sets.

As a long-time Magic: The Gathering enthusiast with countless hours spent shuffling, drawing cards, and strategizing, I must say, the current state of Planeswalker distribution has been quite a challenge for me and many other players like myself.

Over the years, I’ve built decks that cater to various color combinations, but having only one mono-colored Planeswalker in a set can make deckbuilding an arduous task, especially when sets boast multiple multicolored ones. It’s like being invited to a grand feast and only getting a breadcrumb – not very satisfying!

However, it seems Wizards of the Coast is starting to recognize this issue, as they’ve recently confirmed that they are working on finding solutions for more flexible Planeswalker color options. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting their next move to ensure a smoother experience for all players.

And on a lighter note, I can’t help but think of the irony in Magic: The Gathering’s multicolor conundrum – isn’t it funny that a game about creating colorful strategies is giving us a headache with its own colors? But hey, that’s part of the charm, right? Keep up the good work, Wizards! May our decks always be diverse and our draws lucky.

When creating new Magic: The Gathering cards, Wizards of the Coast must take into account several internal guidelines, including adhering to the color pie and evaluating a card’s impact on gameplay. For instance, all colors in Magic: The Gathering possess some form of elimination, but they vary in themes and typical costs, reflecting the color pie’s underlying philosophy and the combinations of colors. Over time, Planeswalkers have significantly altered the dynamics of Magic: The Gathering gameplay. Initially introduced as single-colored cards, they have since been included in sets with various color combinations.

The color combinations in ‘Magic: The Gathering’ can be intriguing for both aesthetic and strategic reasons, as well as gameplay aspects. For instance, the assortment of Rakdos combos within ‘Magic: The Gathering’ often offer a win at a high price or with significant risks. Although multi-colored cards in ‘MTG’ are generally beneficial, they can present challenges during deck construction, particularly for card types that are scarcely printed per set, such as Planeswalkers. In fact, many sets only contain one or a few Planeswalkers, and when multicolored, it can be difficult to incorporate them into certain decks. However, Wizards of the Coast may soon alter this pattern.

Why Multicolored, One-Per-Set Planeswalkers are a Big MTG Concern

In Magic: The Gathering, having multiple multicolored Planeswalker cards can create issues due to Wizards of the Coast’s decision to include only one Planeswalker per set starting from Wilds of Eldraine. This limitation on the number of annual Planeswalkers results in a significant restriction when building decks as most are multicolored. Consequently, some Planeswalkers may not receive enough playtime within the game’s meta because they demand specific deck types and color combinations to function effectively.

On September 8, 2023, the Wilds of Eldraine set made its debut as the initial Magic: The Gathering expansion to contain just a solitary Planeswalker card (excluding replicas and special cards), paving the way for a fresh trend in the game.

The concept of only including a single Planeswalker card per set isn’t inherently flawed; it provides Wizards of the Coast with the opportunity to delve deeper into each Planeswalker’s objectives and affiliations, as well as how these factors influence the set they appear in. Nonetheless, limiting the introduction of new Planeswalker cards per set to one can pose challenges when incorporating them into decks, particularly within Magic: The Gathering‘s Standard and non-Eternal formats, where restrictions are most stringent.

MTG’s Planeswalkers in 2024 Sets Explained

In 2024, a number of Planeswalker cards were produced, and among them, only one was single-colored. This was Jace Reawakened from Outlaws of Thunder Junction, which is a Blue card. On the other hand, all the Planeswalker cards printed in the previous year were multi-colored. These include:

  • Kaya, Spirits’ Justice (White and Black) from Murders at Karlov Manor
  • Oko, the Ringleader (Green and Blue) from Outlaws of Thunder Junction
  • Ral, Crackling Wit (Blue and Red) from Bloomburrow
  • Kaito, Bane of Nightmares (Blue and Black) from Duskmourn: House of Horror

In the previous year, Oko, not Jace, served as the primary Planeswalker for Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Since there were four Planeswalkers from 2024’s main sets in total, lacking a mono-colored dedicated one could be quite disappointing when it comes to constructing decks.

Magic: The Gathering is Trying to Solve The Multicolored Planeswalker Issue

In addition to this, sets belonging to Magic: The Gathering’s UB faction won’t feature Planeswalkers in the 2025 release schedule, which implies that only three Planeswalker cards will be available this year. Nevertheless, Mark Rosewater from Wizards of the Coast has hinted that they are addressing the challenge related to multicolored Planeswalkers and their constraints in deck construction.

It remains undecided how Wizards of the Coast intends to design future Planeswalkers without making them overly limited by colors. For now, fans can only speculate. The upcoming Standard-legal set for this year, titled Aetherdrift, is expected in February and will showcase Chandra as its central Planeswalker. However, further details about the set are currently scarce.

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2025-01-02 04:14