The past few years have brought about a lot of innovations for Magic: The Gathering. Some of these, like Epilogue sets, were spectacular failures that didn’t even warrant a second attempt. Universes Beyond, meanwhile, has been on an absolute tear, almost going from success to success. If it weren’t for MTG Spider Man, we could say these crossover sets just don’t miss.
While Universes Beyond is still rather controversial, it has demonstrated just how much the boundaries of MTG can be pushed. For better or worse, Wizards of the Coast is apparently set to do this again in 2026. During MagicCon: Atlanta, it was revealed that Reality Fracture does something that wasn’t believed to be possible before.
Unsurprisingly, since this announcement, MTG players have been constantly guessing what Wizards might have in store. For now, Wizards is keeping their cards close to their chest, as expected. That said, MTG’s Head Designer has confirmed a few things that we won’t be seeing.
No Triple-Sided Cards in Reality Fracture
It might not be the most shocking announcement, yet it’s still one of the most disappointing. According to Mark Rosewater, there won’t be any triple-sided cards in Reality Fracture when it releases in 2026. Unless you’re clued into Blogatog, this topic may have come out of nowhere, but the topic was briefly brought up recently.
A couple of days ago, Rosewater was asked about the possibility of triple-sided cards ever coming to MTG. At the time, Uotpauld presumed the issue would be making this happen, but as Rosewater notes, Wizards has already figured it out. The Duel Masters TCG in Japan, which Wizards of the Coast produces, already has triple-sided cards.
As Rosewater explains in his post, these cards fold along their longest edge, allowing you to have three cards in one. While we can’t speak to their competitive viability, aesthetically and conceptually, these cards are fantastic. Essentially turning Meld up to 11, these cards would be perfect for showing a character’s progression in a story.
Sadly, even though Wizards of the Coast has figured out how to create these cards, they’re not guaranteed for MTG. After explaining how Wizards creates them, Rosewater stated that he’s “skeptical they’re going to make it to Magic.” This is due to the “numerous production issues” associated with creating these folding cards.
Unfortunately for fans of this concept, this means there’s little hope beyond Reality Fracture in 2026, too. Notably, Rosewater isn’t outright saying no here, but it’s not exactly an enthusiastic yes either. Thankfully, this wasn’t the only Reality Fracture suggestion that Rosewater has ruled out.
Reality Fracture Won’t Mix Realities
When Reality Fracture was announced and first hyped up, MTG players immediately came up with a worrying suggestion. Due to the multiversal themes of the set, it was theorized that the set could merge the main Magic Multiverse with Universes Beyond. Much like triple-sided cards, this definitely fits the bill for something Wizards once thought impossible.
Since 2023, and The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth specifically, sentiment around Universes Beyond has been steadily improving. This has already allowed for something once believed to be impossible, as Universes Beyond sets made the jump to Standard. Since then, Final Fantasy and Spider Man have been a rollercoaster of high and low points, but morale is improving.
With this in mind, it’s not completely outrageous to think that Universes Beyond could jump one step further into the main MTG multiverse. The thought of this alone might be enough to make some players immediately outraged, but it’s not all bad news. In theory, this could be a decent compromise to keep expanding MTG’s lore, just with Universes Beyond characters floating about.
Personally, the more I dwell on this possibility, the more interesting it becomes. It executed well; it could be much more palatable than the current system, in fact. For better or worse, in spite of this potential, Wizards of the Coast will not be jumping this shark. On blogatog, Rosewater quashed the rumor floating around quickly after it was first theorized.
“Estrogenandspite: Hey Mark, can you confirm the obvious and state that Reality Fracture is not going to lore-wise integrate UB into Magic lore? The rumor keeps popping up.
Mark Rosewater: The streams are staying separate. : )”
Via: Blogatog
Realistically, it makes total sense that Wizards of the Coast wants to keep the Magic Multiverse separate from Universes Beyond. Between not paying licensing costs and growing the game’s own lore, Wizards won’t be jumping that particular shark quite yet. Still, it certainly sounds like Reality Fracture has something interesting planned.
A Long Wait Ahead
Sadly, outside of the bizarre conformation that we can’t, or rather shouldn’t, eat Reality Fracture cards, that’s all we know. It’s likely going to stay that way for quite some time, too. While I wouldn’t put it past Rosewater to tease some things, don’t expect much from Wizards of the Coast.
Not only is Reality Fracture not being released until October of 2026, but it’s a hugely important set in the grand scheme of MTG. Much like March of the Machine from 2023, this set has massive multiversal consequences. Right now, it’s next to impossible to predict what these might be, but the potential is definitely there.
While we won’t know exactly what happens until the set’s story concludes, there’s a good chance Wizards will be more cagey than usual. This story arc has been three years in the making, after all, and it’d be horrible to fumble it at the last moment. Ultimately, while we expect things to be quiet, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Hopefully, at the very least, we should learn more at MagicCon: Amsterdam, on July 17th, 2026. Considering we’ve got at least nine months until then, I definitely wouldn’t hold your breath.
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