There’s no denying that Wizards of the Coast has been on a roll recently. Despite multiple damning controversies, WotC is still making an obscene amount of money. Magic: The Gathering, in particular, is doing wonders as Hasbro’s billion-dollar golden goose. Given all that has happened over recent years, it seems MTG really is too big to fail… right?
In 2025, Wizards is pushing the MTG-shaped boat out and testing new waters. For the first time, Wizards will release not just one, but three major Universes Beyond sets in a single year. As if this wasn’t a dramatic enough change, each of these three sets will be legal in every MTG format. This alone will be a colossal change to MTG as we know it, but Wizards isn’t stopping there.
For better or worse, Wizards of the Coast is also reducing the number of MTG sets released in 2025 following player demand. Similarly, Standard is being given a long overdue revitalization with incredible competitive support. It’s clear that 2025 is going to be a year of massive change for MTG which obviously causes concern. Despite fears from players, however, this won’t be the year that MTG suddenly dies.
Cause for Concern
The major fear moving into 2025 is that Universes Beyond is taking another step forward into the limelight. 2023’s The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth was already a bitter pill to swallow, but 2025 is on another level entirely. As mentioned, a total of three Universes Beyond sets will be released throughout the year. So far, only one of these has a vaguely typical fantasy aesthetic.
While I am admittedly biased, being a fan of Final Fantasy, there’s more than enough lore and fantasy gubbins to fill out an MTG set. Hell, Fantasy is even in the franchise’s name, so Wizards shouldn’t struggle there. From the art we’ve seen so far, there’s a distinct MTG-tinge to all the art, just as we’ve seen with other crossovers.
Marvel’s Spider-Man, however, could be a different kettle of fish entirely. It’s too early to judge things, but this set’s aesthetic could be tonally discordant with the rest of MTG. Given this set will be Standard-legal, along with all other new Universes Beyond releases, the fear is that Magic’s core aesthetic is being diluted.
While Universes Beyond, and dubious real-world references, have been doing this for multiple years now, 2025 is massively accelerating things. Not only is Spider-Man likely going to look very Spider-Man-y, but there are three Universes Beyond releases. Depending on what the Unnanounced Universes Beyond set is, we may soon be approaching Cardboard Crack levels of parody.
For a lot of MTG players, this is a very bitter pill to swallow. Even if Wizards does know what they’re doing, it’s hard not to recoil as MTG evolves into something different. Given how different this new normal is going to be, it seems likely that many players will quit entirely. But that won’t be enough to kill MTG outright.
A Calculated Play
Regardless of whether you love them or hate them, Wizards of the Coast knows what they’re doing. While tons of passionate MTG-loving people work at Wizards, the company is a business at the end of the day. Due to this, profit through high sales, player retention, and collectability will always trump good aesthetics.
When it comes to profit, Wizards knows exactly what works, a lot more than any of us do. They’re the ones with all of the sales data, not to mention survey feedback. With this in mind, it’s incredibly unlikely that 2025’s massive evolution is even a risk in Wizards’ eyes.
Ultimately, a move like this wouldn’t be made without data to support the desired outcome. Wizards has undoubtedly done the calculations and these will account for an exodus of players, potentially even a mass boycott. Such action from players would seem damning on the surface, but Universes Beyond should remedy that potential problem.
For Wizards, any Universes Beyond set has the potential to bring in scores of new players. While there’s little guarantee all these players will continue playing long-term, that’s also not a problem. With three Universes Beyond sets being released each year, Wizards can just move from franchise to franchise.
Thankfully, gutting the game with no player retention won’t be Wizards’ game plan. As mentioned, WotC is built and run by people like Mark Rosewater who have immense passion for the game. There’s also no guarantee that Universes Beyond is inherently evil. Spider-Man may look strange as an MTG card, but many players are hugely excited by that opportunity.
What Players Want
It’s worth remembering that while Universes Beyond is the big 2025 talking point for MTG, Wizards is listening to players. For the first time in what feels like forever, only seven sets will be released in 2025. Considering we had 11 major releases throughout 2025, it’s safe to say this is another fairly colossal change.
Potentially, this change isn’t even in Wizards’ best interest, especially if player retention isn’t the goal. If Wizards was just trying to sell sets, then adding more Universes Beyond to the 2024 calendar would have been easy. Instead of being business-driven, this change stems from years of player feedback asking for exactly this. As a result, it’s hard to say that Wizards isn’t listening.
On top of release calendar changes, the renewed focus on Standard has also been a common complaint for years. While rejuvenating the format’s competitive scene will help Wizards too, players pushed for this to happen. Even with the potential of Universes Beyond bringing in new players, Wizards still cares about enfranchised fans.
Ultimately, there’s no guarantee that Standard-legal Universes Beyond sets will stick around long-term. Wizards will be planning and brokering deals a few years in advance, yes, but change can happen. If these Universes Beyond sets don’t sell well and are despised by the community, plans may change. Any evidence of that change might not manifest until 2027, however.
For now, there’s still a lot to enjoy about MTG in 2025, even if you ignore half of it. Innistrad Remastered, Aetherdrift, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and Edge of Eternities should all, hopefully, be fantastic. We can only hope that the Universes Beyond lot won’t be too much for Standard to handle. Given past statements everything should be fine, but we’ll have to see about that.
