As the release date for the Final Fantasy MTG set fast approaches, Standard is primed to see another shake-up. Final Fantasy might not be the most competitive-oriented set in Magic’s existence, but there are still tons of powerful cards. Thankfully, all is not lost if Final Fantasy doesn’t completely rejuvenate the somewhat tired Standard metagame, as rotation is right around the corner.
Occurring alongside the release of Edge of Eternities, this rotation has been a long time coming. Cards from Dominaria United and March of the Machine have long been dominating Standard’s metagame. In a few months, these cards will finally leave us, and it seems some players are sad to see them go.
The Setting Sunfall
Kicking off this recent discussion on Reddit was a surprisingly early rotation-based post by MapleSyrupMachineGun. Using the classic death and the dog template, this meme jokingly celebrated the upcoming rotation Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, saying, “You weren’t so bad after all.”
For a time, saying this would have felt like heresy, as Sheoldred was once a total menace in Standard. While she has fallen out of favor recently, it’s hard to forget when decks were essentially just Sheoldred and removal. Now, with Izzet Prowess and Mono Red decks topping the charts, these oppressive Mono Black decks almost feel like a fond memory.
“Kinda crazy how Sheoldred went from feeling like a OP house to just a reasonable level card over the span of her standard legality”
Joshuralize
Meme-y nostalgia aside, a fair few notable cards are leaving us this upcoming Standard rotation. Alongside Sheoldred, some of the best black removal also came from this era. Liliana of the Veil, Go for the Throat, and Cut Down will all be rotating too. As if that wasn’t enough, Temporary Lockdown and Sunfall will also be rotating out too.
Thankfully, it’s not just removal that’ll be leaving us in a couple of months. Zur, Eternal Schemer is also on the chopping block, so Domain Overlords will also be hurt somewhat. Even Izzet Prowess is taking a slight hit, as The Brothers’ War’s Monastery Swiftspear will rotate out, too.
Thanks to these cards, and plenty more besides, it seems Standard is really in for quite a substantial shake-up soon. That being said, all this still might not be enough…
Rotation Isn’t Enough
Thanks to the range of staples rotating out, it seems certain that the Standard metagame will be shaken up somewhat. At the very least, existing decks like Dimir Midrange, Domain Overlords, and Azorius Omniscience will have to replace outgoing tools. This is all fairly expected for rotation, all things considered, but some decks are barely being touched.
Worryingly, Izzet Prowess is barely being hit by the upcoming Standard rotation. We mentioned it’s losing Monastery Swiftspear, but that’s it for most lists. The main value engine of Stormchaser’s Talent and Cori-Streel Cutter will be untouched, which is concerning given this deck’s dominance. Potentially, Izzet Prowess could become even more of a problem post-rotation.
Thankfully, it is possible for Wizards of the Coast to address this problem. On June 30th, 2025, there will be another banned and restricted announcement. While this announcement won’t touch Modern, Standard bans are very much a possibility, and arguably very needed. Without them, we could be facing another long year of Cori-Steel and Beanstalk-based dominance.
That said, we don’t know what the rest of this year holds for MTG, and Standard in particular. For all we know, Edge of Eternities could be another superpowered set that massively shakes up the established metagame. Marvel’s Spider-Man and the MTG Avatar The Last Airbender set could similarly have metagame warping power levels.
All in all, we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens, and watch Edge of Eternities’ spoiler season carefully. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if we see high-powered replacements for outgoing staples. Whether or not that will happen, however, remains to be seen right now.
When Is the 2025 Standard Rotation
While talking about what’s coming and going is all well and good, it’s worth going over when Standard rotation is in 2025. Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t so simple, as there are actually two different dates when rotation will occur.
On paper, the 2025 Standard Rotation will take place on July 25th, 2025. Meanwhile, on MTG Arena, rotation will take place on July 29th, 2025. When rotation takes place, the following five sets will rotate out of Standard.
- Dominaria United
- The Brothers’ War
- Phyrexia: All Will Be One
- March of the Machine
- March of the Machine: The Aftermath
While this all seems simple enough, technically, neither of these dates is when Edge of Eternities actually releases. The official release date for this set is August 1st, 2025, but that’s only really for big box stores and online retailers. Since 2022, set legality has been tied to when Prerelease events happen, not the official release date.
To add to the confusion a little more, MTG Arena rotates on a Tuesday, rather than a Friday, due to when updates are rolled out. Thankfully, this has been tradition for a long time, so it hopefully shouldn’t be too confusing to players. That said, it’s definitely not ideal that there are so many different dates to keep track of.
No Rotation In 2026
As if things weren’t complex enough already, Wizards of the Coast is changing up rotation once again. For better or worse, there won’t be a rotation in 2026. Instead, rotation is changing to take place “with the first set of the calendar year starting in 2027.” This change in date also affects which sets rotate out, meaning 2027 will be an even more massive shift for Standard.
In 2027, when the first Standard-legal set is released, five sets will rotate out of Standard. These sets are Wilds of Eldraine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Murders at Karlov Manor, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Bloomburrow, and Duskmourn: House of Horror. Notably, Foundations won’t be rotating in 2027, since that’s sticking around until 2029 at least.
Thankfully, after this slightly confusing rotation, things should be a lot simpler going forward. In 2027, three full years of MTG sets will be legal in Standard. When 2028 comes along, all the sets released in 2025 will rotate out. Ideally, this should make keeping track of things a lot simpler, so long as Wizards doesn’t change things again.
Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait to see what happens, both for this year and in 2027. Hopefully, Wizards will make all the right decisions to ensure Standard can properly flourish into the future. Whether or not that will happen, however, ultimately remains to be seen.
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