Throughout the 33 years that MTG has been around, the design and construction of sets have gone through multiple evolutions. The era of blocks, for instance, has been and gone, despite frequent calls for them to return. More recently, Aftermath sets were an incredibly short-lived flash in the pan that only lasted for one set.
Now, it appears that we’re entering into a new era of MTG for 2027 and beyond. According to MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, the small sets we’ve been getting recently are now a thing of the past. Judging by early reactions on social media, this is good news; however, it’s potentially not all sunshine and rainbows.
No More Small MTG Sets?
Janeasterisk: What’s the overall internal view of small sets at the moment? Are they viewed as a failed experiment, or something to do consider doing occasionally going forward?
Via: Blogatog
Mark Rosewater: There are no current plans to make tentpole sets of that size.”
Earlier this year, following the 2027 MTG calendar reveal, Mark Rosewater confirmed that there would be no small sets next year. This was a notable change from past years, as in 2026 alone we’ve had two small sets. Now, however, not only are they going away for 2027, but potentially for good, judging by Rosewater’s recent comment.
Once this news hit social media, MTG players didn’t hesitate to celebrate. While they’re not all bad, small sets have long been associated with having a poor Limited experience. The fact that Pick Two had to be created as a format to solve this issue speaks volumes about how rocky they were.
Thanks to their limited environment and the lack of Commander precons, it often felt like small sets lacked staying power. As some players pointed out, they often felt like a collection of cobbled-together cards rather than a fully fledged experience. Some MTG players even speculated that small sets are just a carryover from the botched micro sets like Assassin’s Creed.
On top of this, it certainly didn’t help that smaller Universes Beyond sets inherently felt like a compromise. While Wizards can only work with what it has for smaller properties, it makes them feel like they simply aren’t suitable. With that in mind, it’s little wonder Wizards of the Coast seems to have no hesitation about phasing them out.
Small Sets, Big Profits
While it’s no secret that small sets can have plenty of problems, they’re not all financial failures. In fact, in a recent Hasbro investor call, it was revealed that The Hobbit is on track to outsell The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. Considering this Universes Beyond set was once the best-selling MTG set of all time, this is no small feat.
Admittedly, in the three years since Tales of Middle-earth was released, MTG has become significantly more popular. As such, every set is selling better, so this achievement isn’t down to The Hobbit being fantastic in isolation. Even with that in mind, however, it’s clear that The Hobbit hasn’t performed poorly, and it would have taken fewer resources to develop, too.
Considering this, it does seem that smaller MTG sets could be viable from a business point of view. At the same time, bigger sets with more products have higher potential revenue, so smaller sets aren’t ideal by comparison. Considering that The Hobbit didn’t have Commander precons attached, it certainly feels like Wizards left money on the table.
That said, Wizards hasn’t ruled out small sets forever. Previous statements indicated that small sets could return, and even now, Rosewater is only talking about “current plans.” Given how quickly we’ve seen Wizards’ plans change in recent years, the same could easily happen again in time.
A Long Wait for a Small Set
Considering Wizards currently works three to four years in advance, I wouldn’t hold your breath for another small set. Even once we’re beyond current plans, it’ll still come down to a business decision. As a result, I can’t see Wizards going back anytime soon, even if it is technically possible.
Beyond the business side, it’s also notable that MTG players on social media aren’t pining for their return. Even though they’re not all bad, smaller sets seemed to have very few fans overall. Hopefully, this means the absence of small sets is an all-around positive change going forward, even if we face a tidal wave of precons next year.
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