While player opinion has improved over time, Universes Beyond sets weren’t well liked when they first started. The move from Secret Lairs and Commander decks to fully fledged sets was a massive step forward, and not one that everyone was comfortable with.
These tensions worsened when Wizards revealed Universes Beyond would be coming to Standard, leaving little escape from crossover cards. Thankfully, this change hasn’t caused pandemonium, as instead MTG has gone on to make record profits in recent years.
As much as MTG’s recent success is definitely impressive, Universes Beyond still isn’t universally beloved. With subpar sets sticking out like a sore thumb, there are real questions about what should and shouldn’t be a set.
Curiously, it seems that MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, knows this already. In a recent statement, Rosewater confirmed that Universes Beyond only has so much design space, partly due to lines being drawn in the sand.
The Universe Is Finite
Niamhistired: You’ve said many times that you’re confident there’s plenty of design space left in magic. What about Universes Beyond properties? Do you think you’ll ever run out of suitable options?
Mark Rosewater: ”The number of viable Universes Beyond properties is much more finite.”
Via: Blogatog
At first glance, this statement feels like a bit of a death knell for Universes Beyond sets going forward. If there are only so many properties that would make for good sets, then surely this product line’s days are numbered.
Technically, judging by Rosewater’s statement, this is very true, and it will happen at some point. In reality, however, the devil is in the details, as Universes Beyond is only finite compared to Magic Multiverse sets.
With Wizards in complete control of their own universe, the only thing preventing future sets is Wizards’ creativity. Considering that imagination is a near-limitless resource, however, the bar is being set astronomically high.
In comparison, Universes Beyond has tons of hurdles, as there are legal, design, and social issues to contend with. This, however, still leaves an inordinate number of suitable properties for Wizards to make future sets with.
Not only are there tons of film, book, and TV franchises that could make good Universes Beyond sets, but the number of suitable games is obscene. MTG players seem keen to prove this point, in fact, suggesting new crossovers in weekly social media posts.
All of this is to say that Universes Beyond won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Even if the well isn’t endless, we’ve still got many, many years of solid Universes Beyond sets ahead.
Lines in the Sand
Mark Rosewater: “I can’t get into specifics, but there are many lines we have drawn.”
Via: Blogatog
As much as Universes Beyond might not be going anywhere anytime soon, Wizards still has to be picky. Some properties, for instance, simply wouldn’t make a compelling Universes Beyond set for one reason or another.
Now that every Universes Beyond set is Standard legal, each set has to have a robust Limited environment and themes that support that. Ideally, this means sets will have plenty of characters that suit evasive abilities, like Flying and Unblockable.
While Wizards rarely peels back the development curtain, it’s rumored this has already stood in the way of a Game of Thrones set. Even with Dragons, this set has very little in the way of flying, and it doesn’t fully represent Magic’s color pie.
For better or worse, this hurdle is likely to sink a lot of would-be sets, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By their very nature, Universes Beyond sets are built upon licensing deals, and that business backend will have tons of roadblocks.
Even if we don’t know the ins and outs of Wizards’ business dealings, there are social elements that play a factor, too. This is believed to be the main reason why Wizards won’t make a Harry Potter Universes Beyond set.
Because of these potentially deal-breaking issues, Wizards has an uphill battle on its hands. Still, even when being picky, Universes Beyond should still have a long future ahead of it.
Don’t Hold Your Breath
At the very least, Universes Beyond won’t be going anywhere for four years. This is the current length of MTG’s development cycle, so we’re locked in until at least 2030 already.
Beyond this, it’s highly likely that Wizards is already setting up future Universes Beyond deals and discussing future sets. With this in mind, I definitely wouldn’t hold your breath for any sudden changes in Universes Beyond’s future.
Even if the well does start to run dry at some point, Wizards will likely slow down Universes Beyond, rather than stop it entirely. Instead of three sets per year, for instance, we could get one or two, which would leave room for supplemental sets again.
Ultimately, given Wizards of the Coast rarely reveals Magic’s future all at once, we can only wait and see what happens. Thankfully, in the meantime, we’ll have plenty of MTG sets to enjoy, so we shouldn’t be bored until then, at least.
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