Magic: the Gathering Incoming Releases in 2022 – 2023

Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum

Posted on Aug. 24, 2021, 9:46 p.m. by DemonDragonJ

I am very surprised that no one has yet made a post about this, so here is a link to all the upcoming products that WotC announced, today.

There are so many products in that announcement that I shall devote only a minimal amount of words to each.

First, and foremost, the game is finally returning to Kamigawa! As someone who started playing in 2003, and is a great fan of both Japanese animation and Japanese culture overall, I know that I should be ecstatic about that, but the fact that the place is now so different from its original appearance has me worried. I know that the plane would change after several centuries, but it now looks far too high-tech/sci-fi for a gamed named Magic. Hopefully, WotC shall make an effort to make the plane still feel the same, despite its differences; perhaps the set shall contrast a highly-developed city with a rural countryside?

Streets of New Capenna looks too similar to either Ravnica or Fiora, so I currently am not interested in it. Also, this will be the third time that the game has featured wedge-colored factions, with the first two being the clans of Tarkir and the triomes of Ikora, so I hope to see new shard-colored factions at some point, as well. Is that Ob Nixilis in the artwork? Whoever it is, he resembles Thanos from the Marvel movies. Also, the name of this set implies that there was an old Capenna, so I hope that that is explained, at some point.

I am not interested in a new un-set, but I hope that is shall have nice lands, as those sets always do.

Yes, after all this time, there shall be a retelling of the Brother's War; I am very excited about that! However, in the story, no planeswalkers were present during that conflict, so I hope that WotC does not make an attempt to fit planeswalkers into this set, since I would like to have a break from them, if that is possible.

I also am very excited for a second Double Masters set, and I shall begin speculation about it as its release date draws closer.

I am not interested in Universes Beyond, but I am very glad that the artwork for the Lord of the Rings set does not seem to be influenced by the Peter Jackson movies and is instead a new adaption of Tolkien's classic tales.

I noticed that there was nothing said about future core sets, so I am very worried that WotC is discontinuing them, again, despite the past several core sets all being amazing.

What does everyone else say about this? What are your thoughts about this massive announcement?

Icbrgr says... #2

Very cool! I think my top 2 things I'm interested in are the pioneer challenger decks and the kamigawa set... it's cool there is some incoming pioneer support and I'm always interested in moon folk ninja support... maybe more Tamiyo lore too!

August 24, 2021 10:23 p.m.

Necrosis24 says... #3

Kamigawa - Excited but have my reservations. Original block has some of my favorite cards/art.

Mafia - tri color commanders?

Dominaria & Brother’s War - Good Reprints and bringing old lore into the current meta.

Unset - always fun janky cards to play around with

Universes Beyond - LOTR cool but unsettling? Mixing two things I like but they don’t quite blend. I couldn’t care less about Warhammer.

August 24, 2021 10:41 p.m.

CasualCucumber says... #4

I am actually really digging Dominaria, Brothers war and Kamigawa. Planes I love. But I am a little hesitant on the cyberpunk aesthetic.

But I am feeling more and more alienated from this game with each annoucement of a new UB product. I must admit without being too dramatic, that the product line-up is turning me away from a beloved hobby. I probably won't quit just yet. But it leaves a sour taste in my mouth with Fortnite and Street Fighter. They are showing me exactly why I didn't like UB to begin with.

Didn't they also announce Baldurs gate commmander legends 2?

August 25, 2021 3:17 a.m.

StopShot says... #5

Today: D&D

Tomorrow: Fortnite

Later on: Raid Shadow Legends

Further on: Hearthstone

Not a fan of the futuristic aesthetics. I feel like we're chasing franchises like Cyberpunk 2077. I don't mind stretching out creative liberties, but do it in a way that feels like MTG. Kaladesh did a great job making a steampunk plane that felt a part of what MTG is. I'm not really getting that feeling with what I see here.

August 25, 2021 5:39 a.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #6

CasualCucumber, yes, WotC did announce Baldur's Gate, but I must have missed it, among everything else that they announced, and I also agree with both you and StopShot in that many of these new sets do not feel like traditional MtG, so I wish that WotC would focus on their own game and not attempt to incorporate elements of other stories into this one.

August 25, 2021 6:44 a.m.

shadow63 says... #7

You forgot the upcoming d&d commander set

August 25, 2021 9:14 a.m.

Caerwyn says... #8

I am skeptical but curious about Kamigawa. This is the first time we have really seen a plane evolve over the course of a few thousand years. Sure, Dominaria has gone through its long history, but it still generally stays rooted in high fantasy - Kamigawa actually seems to have changed with the times.

That said, I’m also concerned Wizards is trying to just capitalise on the cyberpunk trend and is only using the Kamigawa name for nostalgia. Here’s hoping that Wizards makes the evolution from the prior plane seem organic… but I also know putting trust in Wizards’ writing staff is often a mistake.

New Capenna could be interesting. I generally enjoy the Art Deco aesthetic (though I tend to prefer the Art Nouveau which proceeded it) so, at the very least, I expect to see some interesting architectural details on the cards.

Not fond of the Warhammer 40k precons or Street Fighter Secret Lairs. It feels weird to leave Wizards’ IP behind, and I am not overly fond of receiving (presently) unique cards that are specific to these other IPs. It is a bit better now that Wizards has promised to eventually publish Magic versions of all other-IP cards… but who knows how long it will be before they make good on that promise.

Fortnight shares a similar problem to the above, insofar as it is not a Wizards IP, but these cards will all be reprints, which makes it a bit better. Since I don’t play Magic with any teenagers, I am pretty sure no one in my group will choose Fortnight printings so it will not really change anything for me.

As much as I love the LotR books, I would rather they stay out of Magic. That said, I will almost certainly be hypocritical and buy all the Commander precons and some other cards from this set, fully realising that makes me part of the problem.

I see Baldur’s Gate as different from the other non-Magic IPs, since D&D is still part of Wizards of the Coast. We have had crossovers in both directions now, and meshing Wizards’ two multiverse-centric IPs together feels appropriate.

Really excited for both Brother’s War and another return to Dominaria. Both appeal to my nostalgia, and our most recent return to Dominaria was simply fantastic.

August 25, 2021 9:45 a.m.

sergiodelrio says... #9

FYI: As stated by MaRo on his Blog, Core sets are gone for now Source

August 25, 2021 10:14 a.m.

RiotRunner789 says... #10

Not too excited about Kamagawa meets tron. Kamagawa is the plane I most want to return to after Shadowmoore but the artwork makes me more worried than excited.

Don't know how I feel about LOTR rings yet. Don't care about reskinned secret lairs and haven't decided about the other upcoming planes.

A lack of core sets will be sad. Core, you shall be missed.

August 25, 2021 11:06 a.m.

passimo says... #11

I'm very unconfortable with the first two sets. I feel too alienated from what I always thought magic's style was like. What I mean is that I always felt like every ambientation, was it a technological robotic planet (Mirrodin), a steampunk city (kaladesh), a 17 century like gothic horror world (Innistrad) or whatever else, was rooted in the fantasy genre, can't really explain how. This time I feel it leans on too much on sci-fi, obviously with Neon Dinasty (I'll start screaming if I see a laser gun), but even with the New Capenna one, it feels too modern to me (could be wrong about this one, but to me It feels like, I don't know, 20's America? Not an american history expert).

Probably I'm only too picky. At least, I hope. But I really fear keeping on like this could drive me more and more farther from mtg.

The only way I could see this new kamigawa working is if it's invaded by New Phyrexia. And I sincerely hope the phyrexian would completely and utterly win in this scenario. And that then Karn blows the plane with the cylex. Ok not the last part, I'm joking.

On the other hand, Dominaria and Brother's war feels awsome.

Well, we'll see I guess.

August 25, 2021 12:18 p.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #12

sergiodelrio, I am not pleased to hear that; did WotC not learn anything the first time that they retired core sets? Since their return, the past several core sets were awesome, so how could WotC abandon them, again?

Caerwyn, the original Kamigawa block was designed to capitalize on the growing popularity of Japanese animation and Japanese culture in the early to mid 2000's, so I suppose that it is not entirely surprising that the return to that plane is capitalizing on another popular trend.

August 25, 2021 6:53 p.m.

New Dominaria=more kicker spells=more fodder for Hallar, the Firefletcher (fuck Verazol)=yay

More seriously, I'm not pumped about returning to such an altered Kamigawa. KLD and AER did an amazing job taking futuristic inventions and seamlessly melding them with a fantasy vibe, but I have doubts about WotC's ability to recreate that magic.

Fortnite SLD... who... why... ok whatever

Brother's War should be cool--considering how deep the lore is for that event, I have faith that it'll hard to mess up to badly (all you have to do is read your own lore, Wizards! Please!)

August 25, 2021 7:14 p.m.

Icbrgr says... #14

Yeah Kaladesh was a beautiful set amd was well done... now I want a "Return" set of that lol

August 25, 2021 8:39 p.m. Edited.

NinjaBunny01 says... #15

I'm still over here waiting on my return to Alara....

August 25, 2021 10:35 p.m.

legendofa says... #16

NinjaBunny01 I'll be waiting for Return to Alara right next to you.

No core set in 2021 or 2022, but unless I'm missing something, there's no implication (yet) that there won't be a core set in 2023. If nothing else, the game absolutely needs the complexity drop and neutral setting that core sets provide. Here's hoping it's just a temporary break while the creative and marketing teams experiment a little bit.

I'm sure I'm not the first person on the internet to say this, but I'm getting big Shadowrun vibes from new Kamigawa. It could be interesting, but I'm a little worries about too much influence from outside sources like that. A little thematic overlap is inevitable with the genre, but I don't want to see Ninja Deckers or something. Reserving judgement on the genre execution until I see spoilers or previews.

New Capenna - what happened to Old Capenna? Very art deco, Roaring 20s looking. If I show up to a draft, I'm breaking out the Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue at a minimum (Rhapsody in - ha). This is the one I'm most interested in, the most likely to either get me fully back into regular play or break my heart. I'm seeing tricolor themes, Demons, and lots of potential.

We've gotten a couple of cards for Urza now, so Mishra should get a couple of new options, especially since his current incarnation is pretty flat in Commander.

Fortnite don't know and don't really care, Street Fighter I know a little bit but don't really care (SoulCalibur and Tekken are more my style for fighting games), LotR as Commander I'll skim through. I'm still 100% for not buying Secret Lair or UB.

August 26, 2021 2:25 a.m.

legendofa says... #17

(To clarify that last sentence, I still haven't bought anything from SL or UB. If you see something you want, go for it.)

August 26, 2021 2:27 a.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #18

NinjaBunny01, I, also, am very eager for a return to Alara, which likely shall be a single set, given WotC's current mode of operation.

legendofa, with no core set in either 2021 or 2022, I, also, am hoping for those sets to return in 2023, because they are vital to this game.

August 26, 2021 11:05 p.m.

golgarigirl says... #19

I have seen some of the Kamigawa art so far, and if they can actually mesh it in with the worldbuilding they've done...make it feel like it's actually Kamigawa in the future...I am so so very onboard.

New Capenna is really only interesting to me because I am nostalgic for Alara, and since it seems like we're not going back, I'm hoping we're getting this as a shard set. I would die for Alphonse Mucha-inspired Art Nouveau showcase cards, though.

The Dominaria sets...yes. I want to learn this story. I want to see the crazy machines these lunatic brothers concocted. This is how Magic does tech, and I'm curious to see how pushed/advanced it feels after the previous two sets, or if it feels like an appropriate 'MTG' tech level. Because, remember, the Apocalypse storyline had Planeswalkers running about in mech suits.

Un-Set, I'm only curious about the basics. As usual for me. We'll see if the IN SPACE feels too much of a departure for me, but they'll probably be GORGEOUS and I'll probably want them.

Universes Beyond products are a happy gleeful pass for me. I am thrilled to save my money. As I've mentioned before I have plenty of trepidation about these products in general, and I'll try to be positive knowing some of my friends adore this idea and the properties they're collaborating with when I feel like it's killing the flavor of my favorite property. (Though is this honestly worse than if they do cyberpunk poorly? I hope not to find out.)

August 29, 2021 12:25 p.m.

golgarigirl says... #20

I believe it was mentioned that they are -AGAIN- discontinuing core sets. Trying to find where it was mentioned in the showcase, but...

August 29, 2021 12:32 p.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #21

golgarigirl, that really annoys me, because Mark Rosewater clearly said that, after realizing how important core sets were to the game, they would not discontinue them a second time, and the last several core sets were amazing, so I find myself wondering why WotC believed that core sets were not sufficiently popular to be continued.

August 29, 2021 4:12 p.m.

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