October is shaping up to be a surprisingly quiet month for Magic: The Gathering. Outside of a couple of Secret Lair Superdrops and Avatar: The Last Airbender spoilers at the end of the month, very little is going on. While this quiet period is definitely a rarity, MTG players are still digesting a mountain of news.
At the end of September, Wizards of the Coast announced almost the entire 2026 MTG release calendar. Debuting multiple sets and plenty of spoilers, the MagicCon: Atlanta Preview Panel was one hell of a show. Curiously, despite some fantastic sets being announced for 2026, MTG players really aren’t happy.
Following the MagicCon: Atlanta Preview Panel, we’ve seen wave after wave of backlash, especially centered around Universes Beyond. Thanks to a new poll, it now seems that this negativity isn’t just hot air, as it’s seriously affecting player sentiment.
A Damning Decline
Each month, Magic Data Science runs a quick three-question survey on Twitter. This poll plainly asks players if they approve of Wizards of the Coast’s work, if Magic is headed in the right direction, and if it’s a good time to buy MTG cards. While this poll does not attract a huge number of votes each month, its consistent questions can nevertheless show trends.
For the most part, the results of this poll are fairly stable. Responses may be fairly negative across the board; however, the negativity is at least consistent. In October 2025, however, there has been a significant shift in every answer to Magic Data Science’s poll.
This month, more players than ever before have stated they “strongly disapprove” of Wizards’ work producing MTG. Similarly, October results show that only 6.2% of players think MTG is going in the right direction at the moment. Finally, only 19.1% of results say it’s a good time to buy MTG cards, while a whopping 51.2% outright state it’s a bad time to buy.
Notably, while these numbers are pretty terrible, at most, the October poll at 508 votes. This is fairly typical for Magic Data Science’s polls, as they don’t attract a massive audience. Still, there’s clearly been a major shift in player attitude. This is undoubtedly due to the recent Preview Panel and the rise of Universes Beyond.
In 2026, Wizards of the Coast is releasing four Universes Beyond sets and only three Standard MTG sets. While three and three should be the norm going forward, having more Universes Beyond releases next year has players concerned. For some, it seems like Wizards is making Universes Beyond sets the priority before Magic Multiverse ones.
Recency Bias
With the optics of the 2026 MTG release calendar in mind, it’s no wonder that player sentiment is at an all-time low. Beyond the poll on Twitter, we’ve also seen repeated complaints and concerns across Reddit, Tumblr, and all social media. Thanks to all this, it really seems like Wizards of the Coast is making some wrong decisions next year, by upsetting the core MTG audience.
Before we get to those sets in the future, it’s also worth noting that MTG Spider Man went down like a lead balloon. Not only is this set on the weaker side, but prerelease and limited attendance are reportedly down significantly. Part of this will undoubtedly be due to the Pick-Two format, which was controversially created to support this set.
While MTG Spider Man isn’t the first set to flop, it doesn’t paint Universes Beyond sets in a good light. Final Fantasy may have been fantastic, but its record-breaking success faded from the spotlight surprisingly quickly. The negativity surrounding MTG Spider Man, however, is sticking around, potentially due to the extended dry period.
Personally, I do think recency bias plays a bit part in the recent dip in polls and overall player sentiment. There are genuine reasons to be concerned and upset, of course, but it’s been one problem after another recently. Once Lorwyn Eclipsed is released, or perhaps even Avatar: The Last Airbender, I’d expect an improvement to player morale.
Ultimately, good Magic: The Gathering sets make MTG players happy. Sometimes, a set’s setting can cause controversy, but it’s not like anything slightly irregular is despised en masse. Edge of Eternities is the perfect example of this, as the unique space theming didn’t stop it from being a fantastic, well-enjoyed set.
A Vocal Minority
At the end of the day, even if recency bias doesn’t play a part in this at all, this poll doesn’t foretell the death of MTG. At worst, this is just a change that the game is going through, even if it’s a dramatic one. Magic: The Gathering might be changing, but it’s still Magic: The Gathering at its core. This would be true even if it were nothing but Universes Beyond sets.
Since Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro are businesses, MTG is always going to follow the money. Right now, this is in Universes Beyond, and following that trend ensures the game’s continued success. Should the tide turn for whatever reason, Wizards would undoubtedly pivot once again, as maintaining the game’s existence is paramount.
Notably, while Wizards will always follow the money, they’re not turning that dial up to 11 just yet. Magic Multiverse sets are still hugely important and play a key role within the game’s identity and success. Due to this, doubting Wizards’ commitment to a 50:50 Universes Beyond and Magic Multiverse set split seems premature.
For now, it seems like a lot of the discontent online is from a vocal minority, rather than the entire MTG playerbase. If hatred for Universes Beyond was as strong as this poll indicates, Final Fantasy wouldn’t have sold $200,000,000 in one day. That said, we’ll have to keep an eye on where the future goes, as things are still very new and fresh.
Realistically, 2025 is the first year in Universes Beyond’s latest expansion, which makes predicting the future incredibly difficult. In theory, all of 2026’s sets could be absolute smash hits, making current concerns seem premature. Alternatively, Spider Man could genuinely be the start of players tiring already, but that remains to be seen.
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