We’re rounding the corner on MTG Final Fantasy spoilers now, with the last chunk of the expansion set to reveal in the next few days. Though it’s been structured like a normal preview season, it’s really anything but. The release of Final Fantasy will mark the beginning of a new era for Magic: The Gathering. An era in which other IPs form a big part of the game, and Magic’s own worlds and characters take a relative backseat. At a time like this, many MTG players are, unsurprisingly, feeling a bit nostalgic.
Mark Rosewater’s Blogatog has been filled, more so than usual, with players asking for returns to older planes. We’ve also seen discussions of how such sets could be handled with the game’s new modern frameworks, and debates on what exactly makes a Magic set feel authentic and nostalgic in the first place. MTG fans donning the old rose-tinted glasses is nothing new, of course. Now, however, on the eve of such monumental change, these musings feel more poignant than ever.
MTG Players Request Nostalgic Return Sets
“gridnack: May I request we revisit Mercadia? Ruthless Pirates, Mercenaries, the black market, sea monsters like Tidal Kraken, Rebels, and Spellshapers?
Mark Rosewater: How many of you are interested in a return to Mercadia?”
Via Blogatog
Posted to Blogatog yesterday, the above question from gridnack is just one recent instance of MTG players feeling nostalgic. Mercadia is a plane that we’ve only properly seen once, in 1999’s Mercadian Masques. It made a brief appearance during the Phyrexian Invasion arc, but other than that it’s been off the radar for about 26 years.
Mercadian Masques occupies an interesting place in Magic history. Mechanically, it was the follow-up to the absurdly broken Urza block, and managed to get things back on track power level wise. Narratively, it was slap-bang in the middle of the Weatherlight Saga, arguably the most iconic Magic story sequence of all time. It makes total sense, then, for players to look back on it fondly. The simple fantasy themes, which gridnack outlines in their post, are another strong draw.
“segundaii: Is a Brothers War style set for the Weatherlight saga more of an if or a when?
Mark Rosewater: Sadly an if. The Brothers War underperforming doesn’t help.”
Via Blogatog
This wasn’t the only post from yesterday calling out for a return to the Weatherlight Saga. Segundaii also asked after it, albeit in a slightly different fashion. Just as 2022’s The Brothers’ War summarized an older story arc in a modern set, they suggested something similar for the Weatherlight Saga.
Rosewater’s response isn’t hugely encouraging here, citing poor performance from The Brothers’ War as a reason not to pursue such a project. There’s also the fact that the Weatherlight Saga is a much bigger story in terms of sets, so would be pretty tricky to compress down. That said, the fact that multiple players are requesting a return to this era of Magic storytelling is significant, to say the least.
A Question Of Feeling
In the midst of all these requests from nostalgic MTG players, Head Designer Mark Rosewater reached out to ask what qualities define a Magic set in different players’ view. Players consistently requesting returns like this speaks to a certain divide, after all. The responses were varied, as you’d expect, but a few common threads pulled through.
“Earnestness. Too many of the current sets are just huge winks to the camera. They don’t take themselves seriously, they don’t trust themselves to hold your interest without cheap marvel-ass jokes, and as a result I don’t care.”
RWBadger, via r/MagicTCG
Earnestness was a big one. Older Magic storylines, Brothers’ War and Weatherlight being prime examples, were essentially classic fantasy in card game form. Heroes struggled against world-ending villains, with real stakes and some pretty dark content at times. War and conflict were constant themes, and both were handled with respect. In many ways it felt like a story first and a game second, even though that certainly wasn’t the case.
“I have been calling this the balance between gravity and levity. Magic has always had levity, but it is becoming Flanderized as wizards doubles down on ultra-cute and joke cards. Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd takes me out of things more than a seriously toned UB card for the most part.”
Jankenbrau, via r/MagicTCG
Modern Magic, by contrast, is a lot more light-hearted in general. Even in Duskmourn, ostensibly a straight-up horror set, jokes and humor were commonplace. Jankenbrau also makes a good point about the increased volume of ‘cute’ cards in the game. This is an argument you see less often, but with the likes of Loot, Phelia, and others, it’s clear that Wizards is aiming for a specific vibe with cards like these. A vibe that, notably, clashes with the traditional tone established across most of Magic’s lifespan.
For the most part, tonal issues like these are the main issue separating old and new Magic sets. After a few years of escalating in-jokes and inconsequential storylines, players are hungry for something more serious and mature. Those who played through the Weatherlight Saga know Wizards is capable of pulling off such storylines, and they want to see them do so again in 2025.
Modern Solutions
Whether we’ll actually see this happen or not very much remains to be seen. Nostalgic MTG players undoubtedly form a big part of the playerbase, as their large presence in online discussions can attest. On the other hand, we’ve heard time and time again that Magic is doing better than it ever has right now.
Despite all the complaints, the past few years have been rip-roaring successes for the game. With light-hearted sets and Universes Beyond doing such impressive numbers, the chances of another set in the mold of The Brothers’ War are looking slim.
“sniffnoy: Could there be a Modern Horizons set themed around the Weatherlight Saga? 🙂
Mark Rosewater: Is that something people would enjoy?”
Via Blogatog
That said, perhaps approaching the problem from a different angle could work. In another Blogatog post, sniffnoy suggested using a Modern Horizons-type set to scratch the nostalgia itch from players. Immediately, this makes a ton of sense.
“That would be so cool. Would love for sets that dive into mtg’s history (like Brother’s War) to be at an MH level of complexity.”
cascadejack, via Blogatog
Horizons sets tend to be aimed at established players, who are more likely to appreciate the nostalgic underpinnings. On top of that, they tend to be more mechanically complex, which would really let the game’s designers stretch their legs in established worlds.
“Not really. I like that MH sets pull from all sorts of different planes. MH3 was already kinda boring with all the energy and Eldrazi which made it far more homogeneous than the first two MH sets.”
light-wolf, via Blogatog
On the other hand, not everyone wants to see sets like Modern Horizons totally taken up with a single theme. So far they’ve been Magic-themed variety packs, with surprises thrown in from across the game’s history. Swapping that out for one story could feel a bit reductive.
In any case, a set focused on Magic’s past is looking like a tough sell right about now. With three Universes Beyond sets on the horizon, and no hints of supplemental sets to come, players may have to settle for digging out their old cards instead.
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