Mark Rosewater’s Commentary on Arcavios Beyond Strixhaven
General forum
Posted on Aug. 14, 2025, 9:17 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
In this post, Mark Rosewater stated that it would be difficult to have a set on Arcavios without including Strixhaven, which deeply disappoints me, since Strixhaven is only a single location on Arcavios, and it make no sense for an entire plane of existence to be limited to a single location, so I do hope that WotC can eventually expand Arcavios and give the plane its own identity, so that it shall feel like an actual world, and not merely a one-trick pony.
What does everyone else say, about this? Are you disappointed with Rosewater’s opinion on this matter, and do you hope to see more of Arcavios, beyond Strixhaven, at some point? I certainly am interested to hear your thoughts, on this matter!
Crow_Umbra says... #3
What if Strixhaven is like an Ivy League, but there are smaller, less prestigious schools? Maybe a sequel set could also do like an expanded faction set where it's Strixhaven vs a rival school, & the other school has the other missing color pairs. Idk. I hope they don't go this route, as I'd like Strixhaven/Arcavios to further distinguish itself from a certain wizard school franchise.
I was thinking that an expansion of Arcavios' setting beyond what legendofa suggested could push into cities and similar settings. A potential challenge then becomes distinguishing "metropolitan Arcavios" from a setting like Ravnica, in terms of another MtG plane with similar-ish aesthetics.
August 15, 2025 12:23 a.m.
plakjekaas It's pretty well implied that there's not much of value or interest outside other than the city on Ravnica. The entire plane is one massive megalopolis, and the city of Ravnica is the dominant and most diverse part of that. So "Ravnica, outside the city" is somewhere between uninteresting and meaningless.
It's directly confirmed that Strixhaven is on a peninsula on the northern continent of Arcavios. It's the center of civilization in a lot of wilderness, but that's basically the same description as Eldraine, which just got a set focusing on the wilderness outside the centers of civilization.
It's less "Ravnica, outside the city" and more "Eldraine, outside the city".
August 15, 2025 11:11 a.m. Edited.
TheoryCrafter says... #6
Difficult does not mean impossible. It just means considering the lore of Arcavios, Strixhaven is the core of the plane's culture. The only way we're getting an Arcavios set without Strixhaven if the school was completely destroyed by the Phyrexians, the Elder Dragon Founders are all dead and it was centered around the struggle between what's left of the Oriq and the world's governments.
This isn't the Wizarding world where everyone is enrolled into Hogwarts automatically. I don't remember the name of the card but it depicts a goblin with a deny stamp on his forehead trying to apply and repeatedly told he needs to do more than just saying "apply".
The only thing I'm hoping for in the new Arcavios set is a guest lecturer from the Tolarian Academy on Dominaria.
August 17, 2025 7:51 a.m.
TheoryCrafter The card is Reject--great flavor.
And you're right that it's going to take a lot for the school to be completely absent for an Arcavios set, but I wouldn't mind it being shifted more into the background as more of the area gets explored. Strixhaven's the core of the culture, but it's far from the only thing around.
It really seems like everybody's only goal in life is to get into Strixhaven. This paragraph is from the Planeswalker's Guide to Strixhaven, and it hints at more world building that we can't ever see as long as Strixhaven's the only setting we visit.
- Graduates from Strixhaven travel many different paths after leaving the university. Many simply return to their communities, using their magic to help at home. Some mages travel the plane in search of ever-greater magic, engaging in mage duels when they encounter others along their path. Some find a new home with a loved one or with their own mystical pastimes. Some create sanctums or laboratories to continue their study, perhaps even hoping to one day return to Strixhaven as professors themselves. A select few join the Dragonsguard, an elite force of mages who work with the honored Founder Dragons.
As it stands now, we've only ever seen acceptance into classes, taking classes, school life, and graduation. What's the "ever-greater magic" that people are seeking out? What's going on in the sanctums and laboratories? Does anyone not care about the school, and if so, what do they do?
August 17, 2025 6:28 p.m.
TheoryCrafter says... #8
legendofa, Yes! Reject! Thank you. As long as we get to see our characters, postgrad, I can see that shift away from Strixhaven happening.
August 17, 2025 8:54 p.m.
Planes in Magic are always oversimplified. This is nothing new
legendofa says... #2
I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but what I think could work is just expanding the radius of interest around the school. First visit focuses on the school, the biggest local landmark. Second visit is the school plus surrounding area, filling in details of the Lorehold dig sites, the Witherbloom wetlands, and so on. Third visit has the school as a minor but visible presence while exploring the outlands, the stone arches, the archaics, and other weirdness. Maybe introduce another settlement here. And just keep expanding the known area.
Another approach would be to go back in history. Check out the Blood War, or the founding of Strixhaven, or something.
Because I agree. If the only notable landmark on the entire plane is one school, where does everyone come from? What's the point of letters of acceptance if everyone apparently just is born, grows up, lives, and dies on school grounds? Or are they only sent to planeswalkers?
August 15, 2025 12:03 a.m.