For better or worse, it’s no secret that the Magic: The Gathering release schedule can be rather busy at times. Not only are there plenty of main sets each year, but all of these are loaded with products. Add on Secret Lair drops, and all of the announcements for everything on top, and it’s rare that MTG players actually get a break.
Thankfully, Wizards of the Coast has been aware of this problem for a while and has slowly been making changes. In 2026, Wizards began a conscious effort to slow releases by announcing only seven major sets. While 2027 takes this one step further, with only six major sets, a new reveal from MTG’s Head Designer is already making it feel busy.
A Plethora of Precons
During MagicCon: Amsterdam, Wizards of the Coast revealed that each newly announced Universes Within MTG set for 2027 would have four precons. At the time, this news was received pretty positively, as precons are a great source of worldbuilding and powerful cards. Now, however, MTG’s Head Designer has confirmed that Universes Beyond sets will get the same treatment, flipping the script somewhat.
“I can confirm that all six sets of 2027 will have at least four Commander decks.”
Mark Rosewater | Via: Blogatog
Beyond just revealing that Universes Beyond sets will get four precons each next year, Rosewater specifically said “at least four.” With this in mind, 24 unique Commander precons is the minimum we can expect, as one or more sets could have five. Even at the minimum, that is a lot of Commander, which has raised some concerns.
As some MTG players pointed out, on the surface, it does feel like more precons can do no wrong. At the very least, more precons should mean more reprints, which are vital as costs keep creeping up. Additionally, MTG players aren’t forced to buy each new deck, so more precons simply provide more options.
Speaking of options, getting more Universes Beyond precons is particularly exciting since they contain new art throughout. This can open up more thematic and flavorful deckbuilding options for main set Commanders while generally delighting franchise fans. With these fans in mind, more precons also help attract new players, a huge part of Universes Beyond.
Potentially Pervasive Problems
Unfortunately, while having plenty of precons has its positives, they’re not universally beloved. On Reddit, some players were quick to bemoan how this is simply a lot of product. Even though players don’t have to buy it all, it’s still new cards you’ll see around a Commander table and have to learn.
Beyond needing to keep up with more cards, there’s also the potential problem of new precon cards being overpowered. We recently saw how much havoc
The Fantasticar
The Fantasticar
Flying
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may have The Fantasticar become an artifact creature until end of turn.
Whenever you cast your fourth noncreature spell each turn, you may sacrifice The Fantasticar. If you do, create four 4/4 colorless Construct artifact creature tokens with flying and haste.
caused before it was banned, and more precons theoretically means more chances for similar cards to be created. Admittedly, Wizards tends to learn from its mistakes, but some players are nonetheless concerned.
On the cost side, while reprints can bring prices down, MTG precons also introduce new cards. With each deck having roughly ten cards, it’s common for at least some of them to become new Commander staples. Depending on their power and playability, these cards can become remarkably expensive.
Proof Is in the Pudding
Ultimately, while there are plenty of pros and cons to this abundance of precons, the current posturing is somewhat premature. Realistically, we’ll have to wait until 2027 is well underway to know what players really think.
That being said, as much as the jury is still out, it’s very odd that we’re back in this position again. Previously, Wizards of the Coast deliberately reduced the number of Commander precons after player complaints. As a result, some recent sets had no precons, while others had only one or two.
Now, in 2027, we seem to be thrown back in at the deep end with little explanation as to why. While we can hope this is a change for the better, it seems Wizards can’t make up their minds. Potentially, this may mean we’ll see another pivot in a couple of years once fresh feedback is received and learned from.
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