This Magic: The Gathering Set Never Being Printed Makes For a Wild ‘What If’ Scenario

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Magic: The Gathering is enjoying a very successful year, and there’s still more planned. In 2025, Wizards of the Coast will continue its Universes Beyond initiative, bringing popular franchises into the Magic universe – similar to the Secret Lair collections. The recent Final Fantasy collaboration was a huge hit, becoming the best-selling set in Magic’s history with $200 million in sales on its first day, practically guaranteeing more crossovers in the future.

The recent *Final Fantasy* collaboration noticeably changed how people play the game, and opinions on it are quite divided. The upcoming *Marvel’s Spider-Man* set is already generating a lot of discussion. While these crossover sets can be enjoyable and attract new players, some worry they’re straying too far from what makes *Magic: The Gathering* unique. Interestingly, Wizards of the Coast plans to experiment with releasing future sets like *Spider-Man* exclusively online, which raises an intriguing question about the game’s direction.

MtG’s Through the Omenpaths Digital-Only Adaption of the Spider-Man Universes Beyond Set Could’ve Made it Big

Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond Sets Have Been On a Roll, But Not Everyone is On Board

Magic: The Gathering’s main expansions and Universes Beyond sets this year include:

  • Final Fantasy (released June 13)
  • Edge of Eternities (released August 1)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (releasing September 26)
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender (releasing November 21)

Out of the recent sets, only *Edge of Eternities* features entirely original content from the *Magic: The Gathering* universe, resulting in a 3-to-1 ratio of sets based on other universes compared to original expansions. While these collaborations have been mostly well-received, some fans haven’t been happy with this direction. The upcoming *Spider-Man* crossover will be the first to be specifically adapted for *Magic: The Gathering*’s online and digital platforms.

Magic: The Gathering’s Digital-Only Through the Omenpaths Sets Provide Alternative Versions of UB Crossovers

Earlier this year, Blake Rasmussen, Communications Director at Wizards of the Coast, shared details about the future of *Magic: The Gathering Arena* and *MTG Online*, specifically how they plan to incorporate content from Universes Beyond. He explained their approach, outlining the following:

Okay, so here’s the deal with the new “Through the Omenpaths” releases. Basically, they’re digital versions of some of the cool “Universes Beyond” sets that wouldn’t normally come to Magic Arena or MTGO. The cards themselves will play *exactly* the same as the paper versions, but they’re getting a fresh look – new art, different names, a whole new vibe! Think of it as a reimagining of those sets specifically for digital play.

To illustrate how this works, the Aunt May card from the *Magic: The Gathering* *Spider-Man* set has been reimagined as Zora, Spider Fancier in *Through the Omenpaths*.

Rasmussen also clarified that:

We won’t be making *Through the Omenpaths* versions of every *Universes Beyond* set. We’ll only create them for sets that won’t be available on digital platforms. This ensures our different formats stay consistent with each other online, without needing complicated fixes. Currently, we’re only planning *Through the Omenpaths* releases for complete sets that are playable in all formats. *Marvel’s Spider-Man* (and other future Marvel sets) won’t be released digitally. Our first *Through the Omenpaths* set will launch on September 23rd.

This idea offers a way to simplify releases for both printed and online versions of the game, and could please players who have differing opinions on cross-universe collaborations. Importantly, it ensures that all players, regardless of how they play, will have access to new sets as they are released.

If *Through the Omenpaths* had been released as its own standalone set, it likely would have been equally successful as both a Universes Beyond product and a new *Magic: The Gathering* set in 2025. This approach might have been more popular with fans, while still allowing for all the cards currently planned for the *Spider-Man* collection. Depending on how fans reacted, Wizards of the Coast could then better balance future releases, alternating between Universes Beyond and entirely new sets more consistently.

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2025-09-15 20:06