Ever since The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth was released, it was clear that Universes Beyond was here to stay. By completely smashing sales records, this set forever altered the course of MTG, and that pivot really worked. Since then, Universes Beyond sets have continued to perform, with MTG Final Fantasy further obliterating sales records.
While Universes Beyond has been doing extremely well, these crossover sets aren’t the only ones selling well. Recently, back-to-back in-universe sets have broken their own sales records, much to the delight of players. Judging by a new comment from MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, this success could even slowball in the direction many players have been begging for.
Back-to-Back Brilliance
When it was announced that 2026 would contain more Universes Beyond sets than in-multiverse ones, many MTG players were outraged. Considering Universes Beyond sets only became Standard legal last year, this frustration was easy to sympathize with. Even the reassurance of a 50:50 set split going forward didn’t help things, as it felt like Universes Beyond was taking over.
Given how well Universes Beyond sets were doing, the fear that Universes Beyond would replace more in-universe sets didn’t feel unfounded. Even if Wizards said that wouldn’t happen, noting the importance of having their own brand, the numbers don’t lie. At the end of the day, MTG is a business, and Hasbro craves healthy profits.
With this in mind, it used to be incredibly easy to give in to this fearmongering and be all doom and gloom. Recently, however, things seem to have been turning around thanks to Lorwyn Eclipsed and Secrets of Strixhaven. Both of these sets are the best-selling in-universe sets of all time, which is one hell of a trend for back-to-back sets.
Thanks to this, MTG players are now looking at a recent statement from Mark Rosewater a little differently. Before, the reveal that we could get more in-universe sets than Universes Beyond in one year could easily be dismissed as a scheduling quirk. Now, however, it feels like the Magic Multiverse has a real chance of actually winning out over Universes Beyond.
A Return to Form?
“I believe there will be future years (although not ones in the near future) where in-Multiverse sets outnumber Universes Beyond sets.”
Mark Rosewater
If the emerging trend set by Lorwyn Eclipsed and Secrets of Strixhaven continues, printing Magic Multiverse sets could genuinely be more enticing than a Universes Beyond set. So long as the monetary divide isn’t too large, there are a lot of reasons not to make a Universes Beyond set. Licencing fees, scheduling woes, and licence holder stubbornness can all be avoided, for instance, which is a godsend.
Beyond all this, Wizards would be strengthening their own IP’s value and presence, which is always important. With the MTG Netflix show supposedly still in the works, too, Magic’s own IP being strong is more important than ever. As if all that wasn’t enough to convince Wizards, it’d make tons of MTG players happy, if nothing else.
Considering these benefits, a switch to a mostly Magic Multiverse calendar might seem like a no-brainer. Realistically, though, there are equally as many reasons not to get overly hyped about Rosewater’s statement. Not only is there no time expectation for when this could happen, but Universes Beyond serves an important purpose.
As fun as MTG is, acquiring new players without a Universes Beyond-sized hook can be difficult. These newly acquired players, in fact, are likely a big part of why the recent Magic Multiverse sets have been doing so well. After all, with more people playing MTG, it’s only natural for more recent sets to do better.
Even if Universes Beyond isn’t responsible at all for the recent in-universe successes, there’s simply enough room in the release calendar. So far, the seven sets we’re getting this year haven’t felt too overbearing, so Wizards could easily squeeze in another set for future years. Potentially, this could even bring back Masters sets, which would count as an in-universe release.
Only Time Will Tell
Unfortunately for those who want to see Universes Beyond play a smaller role in MTG, changes won’t happen soon. Not only has Mark Rosewater already basically confirmed this, but any changes made today would take years to appear. Since in-universe sets take three years to develop, and Universes Beyond upwards of four, we’re basically locked in until 2030.
Technically, after 2030, all bets about Magic’s future are off, but that’s not saying much. Given how much MTG has innovated in the past few years, the potential for change is practically endless. Due to this, we can only really wait and see what happens in the coming years. Still, the fact that in-universe sets have been doing so well recently is cause for celebration.
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