One could argue that 2025 has been one of the busiest years for Wizards of the Coast andMagic: The Gathering, and regardless of whether they are new fans or longtime players, there is quite some truth to this. November 2024 saw the release of the Foundations set, which is supposed to stay inMagic: The Gathering’s Standard formatfor at least 5 years, but the plan is semi-perpetuity. 2025 saw the release of four sets so far, counting the Innistrad Remastered products in January, and there are still three to go. This may be ascribed toMTG’s Universes Beyond sets taking much more space on the schedule, but it’s not just that.
It doesn’t really matter what the sets being released are, as the problem is the way the schedule has been set up in terms of all the various releases, their information cycles and spoiler seasons, and how all this is affecting the game and its fans. In a way, Wizards of the Coast is castingMagic: The Gathering’s Smother on the community, not necessarily for its effect, but for what it stands for - asphyxiation. There’s a certain fatigue one can experience when keeping up with every set release, and with the way the hobby is built, there is very little wiggle room about who should care about it and who shouldn’t.
Smother is a 2-CMC (1 generic, 1 Black) Black instant from the 2002 Onslaught set, and it destroys a creature with CMC 3 or less.
Magic: The Gathering’s Release Schedule and Information Cycle is a Double-Edged Sword
Currently,Magic: The Gathering’s Edge of Eternities setis in its pre-release phase, fully launching on August 1, and WotC has already revealed around 100 cards from the September Spider-Man set, while also sporadically revealing cards for the NovemberAvatar: The Last Airbenderset. The same happened with Aetherdrift, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, andFinal Fantasy. Some release dates are clustered together, and while that may be for marketing reasons or simply because that’s what happens with six or seven sets in a year, it can be a bit too much.
MTG’s Avatar Aang cardwas revealed in June, five months before its respective set would be released, and now the recent conference in San Diego revealed the full extent of what to expect from the Spider-Man set, including a plethora of new cards for the main set and even some from the Eternal side. All this is not easy to keep up with when most formats in the game will use these new cards, with Standard being bombarded with new sets and constantly changing its meta.
TBD, 2026
MTG’s Release Schedule and News Fatigue May Persist Through 2026
It seems very likely thatMagic: The Gathering’s 2026 release schedulewill be almost identical to that of 2025, maybe without the typical Remastered set or extra release, as WotC’s own Mark Rosewater confirmed that the plan for the near future is to have a 50/50 split for in-multiverse and Universes Beyond sets. Considering that 2026 will mark the release of Lorwyn Eclisped, Secrets of Strixhaven, and the codename Ziplining set, it’s fair to assume that there will be three UB sets in the mix.
It could be argued that the only format that is mostly immune to all the news cycles, hype cycles, spoiler seasons, and constant releases isMagic: The Gathering’s Commander, as players will most likely only ever need a few cards from each release, if any at all, to add to their decks. As such, it’s a tall task for the average player to keep track of all the news, spoilers, release dates, prerelease dates, products being sold,MTG Arenabundles, format changes, and everything in between, while also having the time to actually play the game.
For example,Edge of Eternities' Tannuk, Steadfast Second, is being talked about for all the combos it enables, including a powerful synergy with Portal to Phyrexia. However, with everything going on, one might not realize that this combo won’t be available in Standard, as Edge of Eternities marks when the next rotation happens, and Portal to Phyrexia will rotate out of the format.
Magic: The Gathering’s Constant Releases May Backfire After Final Fantasy’s Success
What follows is that, while many players are and may be hyped by all the new releases in 2025, the constant updates may end up taking a toll on the community sooner rather than later.Magic: The Gathering’sFinal Fantasyset earned $200 millionin a single day, and a lot of new players or collectors inevitably got into the game thanks to this specific release, but it remains to be seen whether they are willing to keep up with everything once the new fad is over.
Considering all the gameplay intricacies and the many rules andrule-bending cards inMagic: The Gathering, this game is often more than just a hobby for those who partake in it actively. As such, a slew of announcements, updates, changes, and new releases can be perceived as a “second job,” making the TCG less of a hobby and more akin to live-service video games.
This is not necessarily a bad thing for those who enjoy this aspect, but the whole package can feel like too much to handle for a layperson or casual fan, and it could counteract the introductory aspect ofUniverses Beyond sets inMTGin the long run. Still, there are many cool cards coming out this year after Edge of Eternities, regardless of where one stands about the UB sets flowing through Standard, and with enough time and patience, the new release schedule can also be a blessing in disguise.
