Back in 2007, Wizards of the Coast gave players visions of the figure in Future Sight. Released as part of the Time Spiral block, this set aptly included MTG cards from the future. Well, from what Wizards thought the future might bring, in any case.
Boasting a unique frame and wild new mechanics, Future Sight’s Future Shifted cards quickly became a beloved innovation. Unsurprisingly, MTG players have been keen to see more of these unique cards. Unfortunately, in the 17 years since Future Sight’s release, Wizards hasn’t created a single new Future Shifted card
This detail, however, may be about to change. Thanks to a curious question from MTG’s Head Designer, it’s possible that more Future Shifted cards could be coming soon. In fact, it may not be long before we’re all marveling at a brand-new Future Sight 2 set!
Future Sight 2: Electric Boogaloo
Off the back of Modern Horizons 3, there have been a lot of questions about what comes next. As much as Modern Horizons 4 seems inevitable, there’s a good chance it will take many years to appear. This concern arose following the announcement that Wizards would be releasing two major Universes Beyond sets in 2025 and beyond.
Thankfully, the unusually shifted 2024 MTG release calendar has shown there’s still space for three tentpole supplemental sets. Despite this, the future of Modern Horizons 4 is no less certain. Now, it seems that this set may be replaced by another MTG set entirely: Future Sight 2.
While this dramatic revelation has by no means been confirmed, player interest in this set is at an all-time high. This followed a recent poll, on Blogatog, which showcased just how much players want Future Sight to return. After fielding 1,877 votes from the community, it seems 80% of players want Future Sight 2 over Modern Horizons 4.
At first glance, this poll makes Future Sight 2 seem like an inevitability that’s being put into production as we speak. It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that this poll only touches a tiny fraction of the MTG player base. While Blogatog readers are dedicated MTG players and fans, Magic: The Gathering has millions of players, not barely 2,000.
With this in mind, it’s worth remembering that Wizards of the Coast is always going to make the best business decision. Beyond this, Wizards is always going to try to please the most amount of players possible. MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, recently said exactly this in a follow-up question. Thanks to this, the tried and tested Modern Horizons franchise may still win out.
The Futureshifted Future
Despite this poll not guaranteeing anything, many MTG players were still incredibly excited about the idea of Future Sight 2. Given the first set is regarded as a beloved fan-favorite, this isn’t a surprise at all. They might look utterly bizarre with their unique frame, but there’s no denying Future Shifted cards are loved.
I really enjoy the Modern Horizon sets, but they seem to be more akin to Time Spiral than anything else. I’d love to see a “Future Sight 2” type of set. A bunch of weird one-off highly experimental mechanics coupled with a bunch of teasing the future (or possible futures).
Not only were Future Shifted cards fun in the moment, being new and all, but they’re doubly exciting when reprinted. When Delve got new cards after seven years in Khans of Tarkir, it was a treat for players who remember Death Rattle. On top of this, we can’t forget that Tarmogoyf teased the imminent release of Planeswalkers as a new card type.
Speaking of Tarmogoyf, this iconic card quickly became a multi-format powerhouse following their release, being especially dominant in Modern. This card, however, was an outlier among Future Shifted cards, as the majority were quite bad. While this usually doesn’t help packs sell, this has become part of their charm as these cards have aged.
“Future Sight was very fun, and had some weirdly unique mechanics that were often a bit rubbish, but loved them.”
For better or worse, this element of Future Shifted cards may not return in the sequel, if it gets made. Instead, given the past precedent of Modern Horizons sets, there’s a chance Future Shifted cards could be incredibly pushed. Theoretically, this could cause Future Sight 2 to cause a forced rotation even more than a Modern Horizons set.
Thankfully, there’s no guarantee new Future Shifted cards would be overpowered, even if power does sell nowadays. That said, it’s unclear if nostalgia and wackiness can carry a set alone nowadays. Following the failure that was Unfinity, and the bar being raised by Universes Beyond, experimental sets have become even riskier.
Fanciful Future Options
As much as Future Sight 2 would likely be beloved by long-time fans, and intriguing to new players, nostalgia is the focus here. Not only is there nostalgia for a 14-year-old product, but also future nostalgia for the potential reprints. When mechanics like Kindred return, it’s fun to look back at their origin, but only devoted MTG fans will care about that.
Even if we consider the possibility of creating a risky and experimental set like Future Sight 2, there are countless other options. On Reddit, players were clamoring for Battlebond 2, Conspiracy 3, and even Planar Chaos 3. The latter of these could even fulfill the long-standing desire for a What If-themed MTG set.
With so many experimental MTG sets desired by players, there’s no guarantee Future Sight 2 is even at the top of the list. Even if it is, there’s no telling when such a set would be released. Thanks to MTG’s roughly 2 year development time, we might be waiting an awful long time for this poll to come to bear fruit.
Right now, we can only hope that Wizards of the Coast is interested in making more experimental MTG sets. Following on from Unfinity, it’s very unclear if these sets are still on the table. Hopefully, now that MTG Foundations has carved out a new spot on the calendar, there will be more room for experimentation. Whether or not Wizards will utilize this new space with the variety players want, however, remains to be seen.
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