Magic The Gathering’s future isn’t all about the past

Multiple Magic: The Gathering sets over the course of the next year will tap into the past while setting up the future, providing players with a healthy balance of new and revisited Multiverse planes.

The global release of Dominaria United (DMU), which is scheduled to take place on Sept. 9, kicks off the Phyrexian Multiverse invasion storyline that will incorporate a total of five sets over the next year. One of those upcoming sets is The Brother’s War, showcasing an event set that highlights the war on Dominaria between Urza and Mishra. The past, however, isn’t necessarily the future of MTG, according to head designer Mark Rosewater. 

Returning to iconic MTG planes and events is exciting for many players while hitting those nostalgic feelings, with some players wanting more iconic planes to get the same potential treatment as the upcoming The Brother’s War. 

“If we don’t repeat things, that usually means they weren’t as successful as you thought,” Rosewater said. 

The idea was raised on Rosewater’s Blogatog yesterday, suggesting a return to sets like Planechase, Battlebond, and Conspiracy due to their previous success. And the response from Rosewater wasn’t what most players might have expected.

Reviving the events of Dominaria’s past will tie into the future of the plane, and possibly the entire MTG Multiverse. WotC is willing to revisit iconic planes and events, turning them into sets when appropriate. A successful Magic set isn’t solely about gameplay and mechanics, but about hitting financial projections as well. 

Players can experience Dominaria United digitally through MTG Arena and MTGO, and through prerelease events taking place from Sept. 2 to 8. The official global release of DMU will take place on Sept. 9 and The Brother’s War is slated to release on Nov. 18.