It’s no secret that an awful lot of MTG sets are produced every year nowadays. We’re at a point where we’re almost getting a new major set every single month. Give it a few years and that worrying prospect will likely become reality. Even before then, many MTG players are already tired and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content to keep up with.
Despite the constant deluge of details and new cards, MTG players can’t help but look forward. Duskmourn: House of Horror is here, but many are looking much further ahead into the great unknown. Specifically, taking to Blogatog, eldeew31 recently asked about the possibility of returning to New Capenna. Sadly, Mark Rosewater doesn’t have good news for this plane’s fans.
Probably No New New Capenna
Responding to eldeew31, Mark Rosewater stated a return to New Capenna is only an “if” rather than when. This is fairly unsurprising, all things considered, as Streets of New Capenna was hardly a beloved set. It may have provided plenty of staples, but at the end of the day, this set just wasn’t a success.
Earlier in May of this year, Mark Rosewater revealed that New Capenna sits at a 6 on the Rabiah Scale. This is surprisingly high considering the set had a great deal going for it. It was fairly well-liked, has loads of room for expansion, and has interesting distinct mechanics. Despite all these selling points, the set failed to do that, and Wizards is very weary of repeating past failures.
With this Rabiah Scale rating in mind, Rosewater’s recent statement is old news, quite frankly. We already know Wizards is unlikely to return to this plane, and this response is another nail in the coffin. That said, Rosewater did go on to say, “We do make a lot of Magic sets though,” which is a slight glimmer of hope.
To further this hope, Wizards has returned to an exceedingly unsuccessful plane in the past. When it first launched, the Kamigawa block was incredibly unpopular, pushing it to an 8 on the Rabiah Scale. Despite this, Wizards returned to the plane with a new perspective 17 years later in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
This unique redesign of a plane massively boosted its popularity and place on the Rabiah Scale. Now, Kamigawa sits at a 4, so it wouldn’t be too long before we see it again. In theory, the same could happen to New Capenna. In fact, this plane may be a fantastic candidate for such a revitalization.
An Exciting Opportunity
While it may not have hit the first time around, New Capenna does have a lot of potential as a plane. A return visit, for example, could fix one of the set’s biggest problems; the lack of law enforcement. Thanks to the set’s development coinciding with anti-police protests, this aspect of the set was reportedly scrapped, leaving it feeling hollow.
Ultimately, Streets of New Capenna was pretty much gangsters or nothing. Sure, a few angels were flying around, but they didn’t have a huge impact on the set’s tone. There was no subterfuge or threat of punishment, it was just crime through and through. This doesn’t mean a sequel would have to follow suit.
After being particularly ravaged during the Phyrexian invasion of the multiverse, New Capenna is currently rebuilding itself. Factor in the Omenpaths opening up everywhere, and you could feasibly create a strong police force. As TravvyJ comments on Reddit, you could even call a set all about this “Crackdown” which fits wonderfully.
Outside of fixing the flavor mistakes, a return to New Capenna would also be a chance for needed reprints. Thanks to being named after the faction’s iconography, the New Capenna Triomes are annoyingly difficult to reprint. Outside of a Masters Set which can take from all over, it’s a return trip to Capenna or bust for these lands.
In theory, along with the interesting mechanical identity, this should make a return trip to New Capenna rather exciting. Unfortunately, the fact this set didn’t sell well really hurts its chances of returning. While one bad performance isn’t the death knell for a set, it certainly doesn’t help. Especially when there are a lot of other better, safer, and more reliable options to pick from.
Too Many Good Things
When making a new MTG set nowadays, Wizards of the Coast is spoilt for choice. Not only are there no end of suggestions for new planes to explore, but there are countless beloved ones, too. A return to Lorwyn, for example, has been constantly requested by players and is finally happening in 2025.
In theory, the same could happen to New Capenna before too long, however, it would likely be quite a wait. In 2025, we’re going to two brand-new planes, and 2026 will likely be the same story. Should this trend continue, there will be few chances to return to an interesting, albeit somewhat risky, plane.
Hopefully, the wait between New Capenna and its return visit won’t be as long as Lorwyn’s. As much as it allowed plenty of time for hype to build, 18 years is one hell of a long time. Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether or not we’ll have to wait that long. For now, returning to New Capenna is only an if, so don’t hold your breath.
Read More: The MTG Netflix Show Has Been Revived As Production Begins
