Magic: The Gathering is Already Breaking a Universes Beyond Promise With Its 2026 Releases

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Fans have been discussing the yearly release plan for Magic: The Gathering since Wizards of the Coast shared their intentions last November. The initial concerns revolved around the plan to release six major sets in 2025, with three of those being collaborations with other universes. Now, the 2026 schedule has been largely unveiled at MagicCon Atlanta, and while much of it was expected based on recent statements from Wizards, one change from the 2025 plan goes against a significant promise.

Many *Magic: The Gathering* players were upset when Wizards of the Coast decided to make their Universes Beyond releases fully integrated into the core game as Standard-legal sets, dividing focus 50/50. Originally, Wizards promised that special, mechanically unique cards first offered through Secret Lair would be reprinted in future main set releases, but they haven’t kept that promise for many recent Secret Lair cards. Furthermore, Universes Beyond was initially designed as a series of standalone, supplemental releases-like Commander decks and smaller sets. Now, Wizards is also moving away from that concept and appears to be backing away from their commitment to the 50/50 split as well.

How MTG’s 2026 Release Schedule Breaks Its 50/50 Promise

Mark Rosewater, the lead designer for *Magic: The Gathering* (MTG), recently said on his blog that sets focusing on blue and black (UB) colors would be split 50/50 in the future. However, the 2026 release schedule for *Magic: The Gathering* already goes against that plan, and it’s not ideal. Here are the sets currently planned for next year:

  • Lorwyn Eclipsed – January 23, 2026
  • Unannounced MTG x Nickelodeon UB set – TBA, likely between February and March 2026
  • Secrets of Strixhaven – April 2026
  • Marvel Super Heroes UB – June 2026
  • The Hobbit UB – August 2026
  • Reality Fracture (previously referred to as “Ziplining”) – October 2026
  • Star Trek UB – November 2026

Almost 60% of Magic: The Gathering’s 2026 Release Schedule is Universes Beyond

This means there will be more Magic: The Gathering sets released in 2026 than in the current year, which already faced criticism for having too many releases. What’s more concerning is that four out of the seven sets planned for 2026 will focus on Universes Beyond content. This uneven distribution breaks Wizards of the Coast’s recent promise that Universes Beyond sets would make up no more than half of the sets released in a year for Magic: The Gathering’s Standard format.

MTG’s Unannounced UB Set is Already Clear

There’s strong evidence suggesting the surprise Magic: The Gathering (MTG) collaboration with Nickelodeon planned for 2026 will center around Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here’s why:

  • A movie sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was previously planned for 2026 and then delayed to 2027, but since WotC works on UB sets in advance, the release date was likely set in stone quite some time ago.
  • Other TMNT projects are in the works, including a movie and a video game dedicated to The Last Ronin.
  • The panel dedicated to the reveal includes WotC’s Crystal Frasier as a guest, who is particularly passionate and knowledgeable about TMNT.
  • MTG‘s Foundations Jumpstart packs included a creature card called Taeko, the Patient Avalanche, which has “turtle ninja” as its subtypes.
  • TMNT is one of the biggest Nickelodeon properties, and it would fit the size of a full MTG set.

MTG’s 2026 Universes Beyond Sets Make Sense As Much As They Don’t

The new sets featuring Marvel characters were anticipated due to Wizards of the Coast’s ongoing partnership with Marvel. A recent hint on Twitter suggested a *The Hobbit* set was also in development, and *Star Trek* felt like a natural fit following the *Edge of Eternities* expansion. The mechanics introduced in *Edge of Eternities* – particularly the focus on stations and spacecraft – would work very well with a *Star Trek* theme. While these sets make logical sense, initial reactions have been mixed. This adds to concerns about Universes Beyond, which now represents almost 60% of all *Magic: The Gathering* releases, a significant shift from the originally planned – and already debated – 50/50 split.

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2025-09-27 17:01