Recently, it seems Wizards of the Coast has been dramatically cutting down on what products they produce. Masters sets have been put on hold, and direct-to-Modern sets have gone the way of the dodo. Now, the 2026 MTG release calendar consists entirely of Standard sets, with most of them being Universes Beyond.
Unfortunately for those who’d like some variety and non-Standard sets, it appears they’re all out the window now. In a recent statement, MTG Head Designer has confirmed that another classic MTG product is on hiatus. After a decade-long history and an exceptional streak of successes, standalone MTG Commander decks have been cancelled.
The End of an Era
Cannonspectacle: If or when: more commander decks not tied to a particular expansion?
Mark Rosewater: If. It’s not something we’re currently focusing on.
Via: Blogatog
Since 2011, standalone Commander precons have been a pillar of the MTG release calendar. Each year, up until 2019 at least, we got a collection of Commander precons that were disconnected from the year’s sets. This gave us some of the most interesting and powerful Commanders in the format.
Planeswalker Commanders, Eminence, and Commander Tax-scaling abilities all debuted in the standalone Commander precons. Beyond introducing interesting and now fan-favorite mechanics, these decks also massively boosted the format’s popularity. Commander was already a well-liked format in 2011, but the increased support led to its true popularity explosion.
After 2019, Commander decks started to be released alongside major MTG sets. Thankfully, this is set to continue, as these precons won’t be going anywhere. Notably, while set-connected precons have pushed the format even further, standalone precons didn’t die out there.
In 2021, the first preconstructed Secret Lair Commander deck was released. Following on from this, in 2022, we got the first Universes Beyond Commander deck, which was a roaring success. With Doctor Who and Fallout Commander decks continuing this trend, standalone precons seemed like a fantastic option for Universes Beyond.
Now, however, it seems Wizards of the Coast won’t be releasing any more standalone decks. If nothing else, considering how successful these products have been in the past, this seems like a wild move. Despite this, the writing has been on the wall for a little while now.
Doing As Asked
In 2022, Magic: The Gathering seemed to reach its breaking point with the sheer number of sets being released. Between main sets, supplemental releases, Alchemy, and Universes Beyond, the year was truly non-stop. Things were so bad that two MTG sets, Unfinity and the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks even released on the same day.
Since then, Wizards has been making a concerted effort to reduce the number of products released each year. While things were set in stone for a couple of years, we’re finally seeing this in action in 2025. This year, only seven major products are being released, and we’re getting the same in 2026.
After that, it’s expected that Wizards will reduce things further, only releasing six sets per year. For better or worse, this doesn’t leave room for anything else, and Wizards has been cutting things accordingly. First, Masters sets were effectively canceled and have since been officially put on hiatus. Following this, it was confirmed that direct-to-Movie sets had also been shelved later that month.
Now, standalone Commander decks have followed suit, which makes perfect sense since there’s no space for them. Considering what standalone Commander decks have brought to the game, this is understandably disappointing. At the same time, however, it’s also exactly what MTG players have been asking for.
Not only were there complaints about too many products being released, but the overabundance of precons was also a concern. Over time, Wizards has steadily been addressing this by reducing the number of set-connected precons, and this is just another step down that road. Thankfully, even if this is disappointing, it’s not like Commander precons are entirely dying out.
Far From Over
While standalone Commander decks might be on pause for now, main sets should still get them. We already know that Lorwyn Eclipsed will have two precons, in fact, and both look fantastic. Beyond this, even before things are officially confirmed, we can expect most 2026 sets to have a couple of precons at least.
At the end of the day, Commander precons sell exceptionally well, especially those tied to Universes Beyond releases. Due to this, Wizards is bound to keep producing them alongside sets, as the company is ultimately a business. Hopefully, these decks should continue to provide plenty of interesting Commander-based mechanics, but we’ll have to see about that.
Thankfully, even if set-based Commander precons don’t massively push the boat out, we might still get some standalone decks. Potentially, Secret Lair may provide an occasional precon once in a blue moon. While these haven’t contained mechanically unique cards so far, they’re still a great collector’s item. Technically, there’s also a non-zero chance that Wizards hasn’t scrapped Universes Beyond Commander decks, but this statement does feel fairly clear-cut.
Ultimately, this confirmation from Mark Rosewater is unlikely to shake the foundations of the Commander format. That said, it does make Wizards’ current Standard-focused direction that much more apparent. Hopefully, this will be a positive for the game; however, that remains to be seen.
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