On August 18th, Wizards of the Coast held their first-ever Wizard Presents event, detailing their plans for Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons for the year to come. From Universes Beyond and Secret Lairs to new expansions, there was a ton for fans to dive into and get excited about.
Image Credit: Manuel Castañon / Wizards of the Coast
Let’s start off by asking, do you like Lord of the Rings or Doctor Who? If the answer is yes, and it probably is, rejoice, because both franchises will be receiving the Magic the Gathering treatment by the end of 2023. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth will also be coming to MtG Arena as an Alchemy set.
Wizards is pulling out all of the stops for the 30th anniversary of Magic the Gathering next year, kicking things off with the Magic 30 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. This convention runs between October 28th and 30th and features a number of exciting commemorative events, including a top eight beta draft, and will take place in conjunction with the 2022 World Championship.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Release Schedule
- Dominaria United – September 9, 2022
- Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 – October 7, 2022
- The Brothers’ War – November 18, 2022
- Dominaria Remastered – January 13, 2023
- Phyrexia: All Will Be One – Winter Q1 2023
- March of the Machine – Spring Q2 2023
- March of the Machine: Aftermath – Spring Q2 2023
- Wilds of Eldraine – Fall Q3 2023
- Universes Beyond: Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth – Fall Q3 2023
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan – Winter Q1 2024
Dominaria United
Magic: The Gathering’s 93rd expansion, Dominaria United, is set to release September 1st on MtG Arena, with the paper release happening on September 9th. Dominaria is, of course, quite legendary in the Magic the Gathering multiverse.
Dominaria itself was the Nexus of the Multiverse before the Great Mending. Not only that, but it’s been the setting of countless MtG expansions. There is no more perfect place for Magic’s 30th anniversary than its original plane.
The story in Dominaria United will follow Karn, who will try to prepare Dominaria for its upcoming troubles. The Phyrexians, who are well-known to MtG fans and have been causing trouble here and there in recent expansions, are already on the plane, and conflict is inevitable.
Dominaria United will have regular 16-card Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Collector Boosters, 4 Commander Decks, and a bundle. Jumpstart Boosters are a novelty here, replacing Theme Boosters. Jumpstart allows players to take two themed boosters and combine them, creating a playable 40-card deck. There are 10 different Jumpstart boosters in all, two per mana color.
The Expansion will feature 281 cards in total, and all booster packs will have a guaranteed legendary card. There will be more than 40 legendary creatures in the set.
Another thing we wanted to mention is the reappearance of Box Toppers. Dominaria United will feature 20 promo box toppers under the name “Legends Retold”. Twenty updated legendary creatures from MtG’s third expansion, Legends, will be available.
Warhammer 40,000
While it slipped from its initial planned release earlier this year, Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Warhammer 40,000 is just around the corner, with a release on October 7th.
This collaboration will consist of four Commander decks containing new and reprinted cards themed on different factions from the tabletop franchise. These decks are:
- Necron Dynasties (black)
- Forces of the Imperium (white, blue, and black)
- Tyranid Swarm (green, blue, and red)
- The Ruinous Powers (blue, black, and red)
In addition to the Commander decks, there will also be three Secret Lair drops. These drops are:
- Orks
- Age of Sigmar
- Blood Bowl
The Brothers’ War
Dominaria United is followed up just over two months later with The Brothers’ War, as planeswalkers travel back in time to a major event from Magic: The Gathering’s past: the feud between brothers and artificers Urza and Mishra. This event was previously depicted in MtG’s second expansion, Antiquities. Befitting a war between artificers, players can expect to play a lot of artifact cards, including creatures like giant mechs.
Phyrexia: All Will Be One
This will be the first premier MtG set release next year, and the third set of the Phyrexian arc. It is set to take place in New Phyrexia, which we haven’t visited since the 55th expansion in 2011, and will be out in the first quarter of 2023.
March of the Machine
This will be the second set releasearriving in Spring next year. March of the Machine will mark the conclusion of the Phyrexian arc, where planeswalkers and Phyrexians clash for the fate of the multiverse.
March of the Machine: Aftermath
We didn’t get much info on this one, but it would appear that March of the Machine: Aftermath will be exactly what the name suggests. Seeing as how March of the Machine will be the final showdown, Aftermath will explore what happens afterwards. Aftermath will be released shortly after March of the Machine, in Q2 2023.
Wilds of Eldraine
It seems that one the Phyrexian story arc ends, we are going to be heading to the plane of Eldraine. Releasing in Autumn 2023, we are going to see a lot of enchantments and likely a lot of fairy-tale themed stuff, and we are here for it.
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth
Here we are, this is the big one. It is coming to us sometime in Q3 2023, and it will feature well-known, beloved characters from the universally familiar and timeless LotR universe. The story will follow the Lord of the Rings trilogy plot, so we get to go on an adventure with the whole squad once again. What’s more, the famous battle of Pelennor Fields will be depicted as 18 individual cards that form a gorgeous tableau.
We feel this might even bring in and introduce new people to the game, expanding the already huge player base. We know one ring, I mean thing, we cannot wait to get our hands on it.
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan was the last set announced during the event. Set to release in Q1 2024, we are heading to yet another plane. Ixalan, last seen in the 77th expansion from 2018, is filled with colourful landscapes and jungles, and features amazing characters that range from vampires to dinosaurs.
This time around however, it would appear that we are heading deep into Ixalan’s undergrounds. Caverns, caves, and tombs are filled with treasure that awaits discovery from brave explorers.
Doctor Who
Crossovers with other major franchises are not a new thing for Magic the Gathering. They have already collaborated with the likes of Fortnite, The Walking Dead, and more. They will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of BBC’s famous Doctor with a themed set of cards celebrating the history of the show. However, it is not just the previous characters that are making a comeback here. It will feature the upcoming Ncuti Gatwa’s 14th incarnation of the Doctor as well.
The set will be released in Q3 2023 for the Commander format, and will consist of four decks and collector boosters. There will also be Doctor Who-themed Secret Lair drops.
A lot of interesting things have been announced, more than enough to keep fans excited and speculating until they start releasing. 2023 is going to be a wild ride for sure, and we for one cannot wait for it all to start. Dominaria United is out in just a few weeks, so make sure to revisit Hotspawn for our impressions of the new set!
