While Outlaws of Thunder Junction may be releasing today, few things are as exciting in MTG as the future. Unlike already revealed sets with their myriad cards we already know about, the future can contain literally anything. Well, almost anything, at least, as we know a surprisingly large amount about 2025 already.
Thanks to a remarkably revealing presentation at Gen Con 2023, we already know most of the planes we’re going to in 2025. Between Tarkir, Lorwyn, and a new plane in space, MTG is literally going all over. Currently, only one mystery remains on the 2025 MTG calendar: Tennis.
Also known as Magic’s Death Race set, this novel release promises to be all over the multiverse thanks to Omenpaths. Right now, exactly where this set will take players is unclear, but we’ve just been given one clue about the future. Thanks to Mark Rosewater, it seems the first new MTG plane in 2025 may not be such a mystery after all.
Three for the Price of One
During the initial announcement for Tennis/Death Race, Mark Rosewater revealed the set primarily focuses on three planes. According to Rosewater, two of these planes are ones we’ve seen before, while the third is a never-before-seen plane. As always with a mystery in MTG, this started a lot of players guessing and predicting what may appear.
Right now, Wizards of the Coast hasn’t officially named any of the planes we’re going to see in Death Race. That being said, it seems practically guaranteed that Kaladesh will make an appearance in a major way. Since this plane debuted Vehicles in MTG, it would be a major shame if it didn’t feature heavily.
While players are dead set on Kaladesh’s return, predicting the second known plane is much more difficult. Due to some vague Mad Max vibes in the set’s concept art, some players have suggested Amonkhet will return. Given the plane is themed around ancient Egypt with very little technology, this suggestion feels rather unlikely.
Moving up the likelihood order, some players have suggested that we’ll see the Streets of New Capenna once again. Considering the set has an abundance of roads, vehicles, and crime, this plane seems significantly more fitting. Failing this, Thunder Junction would be another incredibly apt plane, however, we doubt MTG would return there so soon.
Since it’s a brand-new plane, predicting the final Death Race location is a lot more difficult. Well, it would be, at least, without a recent tidbit of information from Mark Rosewater. Speaking on Blogatog recently, Rosewater revealed that we’ve actually seen the new plane before. Calling the plane “new-ish,” the door has once again been opened for ceaseless speculation.
“Two planes are worlds that have been the primary setting of a premier set, so returns. The third plane has been referenced on Magic cards, but never the primary setting of a premier set, so what I would call new-ish.”
Mark Rosewater
A Plethora of Possible Planes
Now that we know the final main plane in Death Race isn’t entirely new to MTG, we can begin divining the future. Unfortunately, doing this accurately is hardly an easy feat, since MTG has so much expansive lore. That being said, after looking through all the known planes, we’ve narrowed down our list to six options. Here’s a little bit about each of them.
Antausia
If we are to be honest, Antausia probably isn’t going to appear in 2025’s Death Race set. Sure, it may fulfill the requirement of being almost new, but it doesn’t really suit the set’s aesthetic. Despite this, we’re still including Antausia in this list as I just really want to go there.
Looking at the limited art of the plane from March of the Machine Commander, Antausia looks absolutely gorgeous. In case you’re curious, Antausia is made up of eight separate realms, all connected by the Antausian Vortex. While each of these realms could be fun to race through, Antausia probably deserves its own fully-fledged set.
Ultimately, as much as we’re interested in it, we can’t rate the chances of Antausia appearing in Death Race. If it does turn up, we’ll be flabbergasted, so it’s safe to say we’re not optimistic.
Gobakhan
If we’re looking for a set with fantasy deserts and Mad Max vibes, Gobakhan appears to offer exactly that. Boasting massive arid deserts and violent storms made of diamonds, this plane is certainly dangerous enough for a Death Race. That being said, transport in Gobakhan is primarily beast-based rather than suped-up magical V8s.
Sitting at a nine on the Storm Scale, it is admittedly rather unlikely that Gobakhan will appear anytime soon. Hopefully, these odds will improve if it’s one of three planes in a set, but that remains to be seen. While there’s undeniably potential in this plane, it may be too sparse for a premier set on its own.
Much like Antausia, we sadly can’t rate the chances of Gobakhan appearing too high in Death Race. Due to it being so sparse, we’d be surprised if this plane even gets a nod during the set.
Iquatana
Very rarely talked about in MTG, Iquatana is a plane with an awful lot of magical aether. Vented out by massive natural chimneys known as The Aether Flues this landscape could be an interesting circuit. More than this, the plane’s aether could potentially be used to fuel the many vehicles that Death Race will contain.
Beyond the abundance of aether, Iquatana is an all-around interesting plane thanks to its native Narcomoeba. As beings of pure memory, this plane certainly has some tricks up its sleeves, but we admittedly know very little. On one hand, this could make it a blank canvas for Wizards to expand, however, it may be too niche.
Ultimately, while there is some chance for it to appear, it seems unlikely Iquatana is the unknown Death Race plane. Since there is some potential, we won’t count it out of the running just yet, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope.
Segovia
Moving into the back half of this list, Segovia is the first of three planes that could genuinely appear. As seen on The Hippodrome, this plane already has its own racing arena, making it a clear fit. Unfortunately, there is just one problem with Segovia; its size.
Unlike most MTG planes, Segovia, and everything inside of it, is tiny, as Segovian Leviathan proves. In theory, this doesn’t stop racing from occurring as Planeswalkers who travel there get shrunk down. Should this process occur when going through an Omenpath, then Segovia is a viable option.
Even if the size problem is solved, Segovia’s time period may prevent proper vehicle racing. The last time we saw it, Segovia was based on ancient Greece or Rome, so unless the Phyrexians miraculously improved the plane, the eras would be off. Despite this detail, it still seems like there’s a real chance that Segovia could appear in Death Race.
Vryn
Arguably the most sensible and likely choice on this entire list, there’s a lot of hope that Vryn will appear. As Jace’s home plane, this plane has only been mentioned in passing for years, creating immense demand for a visit. Given Jace appears to be leading Magic’s story now, Death Race showing up there appears more likely than ever.
As for the plane itself, Vryn is fairly unknown outside of its mage rings. Used to control the plane’s mana, it’s entirely possible these rings could be raced through should drivers dare. Outside of these rings, there’s sadly little information about the nature of Vryn and if it could support a Death Race.
Despite the lack of details about the plane, there’s a huge amount of player demand to see Vryn. Considering it has been set up for years now, it feels like surely we’ll be going there soon… Right?
Xerex
Topping off this list, we have arguably the most interesting option; Xerex. Previously winning the player vote of planes we’d most like to see, Xerex is another fantastically popular potential plane choice. Thanks to it featuring an M. C. Escher-esque take on reality, it’s no wonder players want to visit this plane.
Given Xerex’s somewhat loose grasp on the laws of physics, racing here would certainly be unique. For a Death Race, this could be perfect, however, it may also be a touch too far. Sadly, we don’t really know about Xerex right now to say if it’d be a suitable racing location, but it does have potential.
Where Will We Go?
If you ask us, Xerex sits alongside Vryn as the most likely potential new-ish plane in Tennis/Death Race. Whether or not our prediction will be accurate, however, remains to be seen. Since Tennis/Death Race isn’t scheduled to launch until Q1 2025, we’ve got a long while to wait.
For now, sadly there’s simply no way to know where we’ll be racing for sure. On top of all the options we’ve covered today. Magic has dozens of other potential planes we could go to Ultimately, we’re just going to have to wait and see what gets revealed as the set’s release date draws near.
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