Since its inception, Universes Beyond has ruffled more than its share of feathers within the Magic: The Gathering community. External IPs, even when they’re great fits like The Lord of the Rings, create an aesthetic clash in the game. Universes Within was meant to be the solution to that problem, but so far it has seen minimal use. Until now, perhaps. Today, Wizards of the Coast has announced ‘Through the Omenpaths:’ a new initiative to bring full Universes Within versions of sets to MTG Arena.
This will help paper over some of the cracks in the current digital Magic release schedule, assumedly caused by rights issues. It will also provide a platform for future Universes Beyond to be converted to mainline Magic wholesale, rather than the piecemeal approach we’ve kind of seen before. It’s a bold move, to be sure, and one that may hinder as much as it helps in the long run.
The MTG ‘Through The Omenpaths’ Initiative
Through the Omenpaths was announced earlier today, via the official MTG website. In the article, Blake Rasmussen, Magic’s Senior Communications Manager, walked through the initiative and how it will work going forward.
Basically, Through the Omenpaths sets will be fully-converted Universes Within versions of Universes Beyond sets. The cards will be mechanically identical to the originals, so no changes there. Rasmussen notes, however, that they will have “unique creative treatments, different art, and different names.” There’s been talk about a concept like this in the past. Few would’ve expected it to actually come to pass, however.
The catch? Through the Omenpaths will be a digital-only venture. Rasmussen added that “We will not be creating Through the Omenpaths sets mirroring every Universes Beyond set, only the ones that will not be coming to digital platforms.” This is a bit of a double-downer. Not only will paper Magic not be getting these sets, but Arena won’t be getting them for every UB release, either. Only the ones that, for whatever reason, can’t be released on the platform normally.
Rasmussen then revealed that Spider-Man, the penultimate UB set of 2025, will not be coming to Arena in its regular form. Instead, it’ll be the first Through the Omenpaths set for the platform. Presumably, this is down to a licensing issue since Rasmussen notes that “future Marvel sets” will not be coming to digital Magic platforms either.
The Universe-swapped version of Spider-Man will come to Arena on September 23rd, a few days before the set’s full paper release. This aligns with the usual Arena release expectations, so there is no weirdness on that front.
A Mammoth Undertaking
There’s certainly a lot to unpack here. Full-on Universes Within sets have been a bit of a dream scenario for many players over the years. The ability to play with every available card without compromising the game’s aesthetic is something a ton of people are interested in. Seeing Through the Omenpaths for MTG Arena is fantastic in that sense, but it’s also not so great in others.
First of all, the fact that it’s digital-only isn’t ideal. This is an understandable point, of course. Even simply creating a Universe-swapped set is a huge amount of work, never mind organizing a separate print run for it. Based on the article, this isn’t really the point of the initiative, either. Rasmussen notes that Through the Omenpaths “lets our formats remain mechanically at parity with one another digitally without having to create patchwork solutions here or there.” It’s highly suggests that this is a solution to a digital rights problem, rather than a concession to anti-UB players.
Additionally, Through the Omenpaths won’t apply to all sets. Rasmussen also mentioned that Wizards is “currently only planning to create Through the Omenpaths releases for full sets that are legal in all formats.” This means direct-to-Modern releases like The Lord of the Rings are a no-go here. We may not see those again if this year’s release plan works out, but it’s worth considering regardless.
For these reasons, Through the Omenpaths is a bit of a bittersweet pill all round. It’s cool that it’s happening, and great that digital platforms won’t be going without sets. At the same time, it’s not the implementation of this idea that many would’ve liked.
The Digital Divide Deepens
On top of that, Through the Omenpaths also has the potential to exacerbate one of the biggest problems with MTG Arena as a platform. Since its introduction, Alchemy has created a lot of confusion among players. The idea of digital-only cards is cool at first, but it immediately creates a divide between physical and digital players. Since Alchemy cards are unavailable in paper, the bulk of the community will never get to experience them. This is likely a big factor behind the general lack of popularity Alchemy has always suffered from.
Through the Omenpaths introduces another digital/physical split, and arguably a much more significant one. While these sets won’t have any mechanically unique cards like Alchemy, they will have all-new art and flavor. The potential for confusion here is huge, especially for players that dabble in both physical and digital Magic. Rather than just learning and shorthanding the name and art for one version of a card, now players will need to process two. This is a significant cognitive load, and one that could easily lead to mistakes during play.
This will also make discussion of sets like Spider-Man more complex, too. Players and content creators will need to settle on one version or another to refer to, or just mention both every time. It’s a lot of extra complexity, and a downside of the ‘full Universes Within set’ idea that few have grappled with thus far.
It’s hard to fault Wizards for its ambition here. Through the Omenpaths is a massive undertaking, and a worthy one to keep digital platforms in the loop. I expect its downsides, however, will become more and more prevalent over time.