Magic: The Gathering 2022 products include Pioneer Challenger Decks, expanded in-store play options

Magic: The Gathering is entering a busy year full of sets and products coming in 2022. Wizards of the Coast revealed plans today for eight full sets coming throughout next year.

Along with the eight premier sets, a handful of smaller products are releasing in 2022. These products include preconstructed decks, curated collections of cards, and a twist on the two upcoming Innistrad sets.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Crimson Vow are the last two sets scheduled to release this year. After both sets are out, Wizards will hold special draft events early in 2022. In Wizards Play Network stores, Innistrad Double Feature is a special draft format that will combine both sets into one format. This calls back to block formats that were phased out five years ago.

These Double Feature events will include alternate art promo cards that reimagine the cards from Innistrad in the style of classic monster movies.

Wizards Play Network stores will also hold special events alongside regular Friday Night Magic events. Commander Parties will begin with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and are regular Commander-focused events that are focused on collective storytelling and fun. In the background of all the games, there will be some kind of running story for players to engage with from game to game. Participants will earn a special promo card.

Store Championships are also being introduced. These competitive events will take place in a variety of formats that will change depending on what store you’re playing at. The winner of a Store Championship event will receive a promo Collected Company. The top eight players will earn a promo Wurmcoil Engine and participants will receive a promo Arbor Elf.

Each foil card will have that store’s name printed on the card.

Wizards of the Coast didn’t give a definite date for these events to start. Each will take place depending on local regulations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. These events will occur whenever it makes sense for stores to hold them.

Commander Collection: Black is the second edition of the series. The curated set of eight cards contains eight staple reprints centered around color. These cards will receive new art. Commander Collection: Black includes the following cards.

• Ghoulcaller Gisa
• Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer
• Ophiomancer
• Phyrexian Arena
• Reanimate
• Toxic Deluge
• Sol Ring
• Command Tower

Challenger Decks were introduced in 2018. These have been lower-end competitive decks that are introductions to the Standard format. These underpowered decks are inspired by top-tier competitive lists. Typically, these decks are inspired by lists full of cards that are about to rotate out of Standard.

Next year, Wizards will introduce Pioneer Challenger Decks. This collection of four decks includes recreations of some of the best decks in the format. The decklists are significantly more powerful than the Standard version of this product. The lists are nearly complete versions of their competitive counterparts, only with lower-end mana bases and none of the Modern Horizons 2 additions.

Mono-Red Burn, Lotus Field Combo, Orzhov Auras, and Azorius Spirits are the four decks included in the release.