MTG: Mark Rosewater Says Non-Magic IPs Won’t Be Standard-Legal
Mark Rosewater weighs in on the recent question of Magic’s plans for cards from outside the franchise with a definitive answer. Check it out.
If you were looking forward to building a Stranger Things, Lords of the Rings, or even Warhammer 40K related standard deck, then you might be in for a bit of a disappointment as Magic’s head designer, Mark Rosewater weighs in, confirming that future Magic: the Gathering “crossover sets” will not be in permier sets.
The announcement comes via Mark Rosewater’s tumblr, where he frequently teases mechanics, answers questions, and makes reveals about the game:
“Hi Mark! I just want to thank you for an amazing year of Magic! I loved Kaldheim and Strixhaven has become my all-time favourite set! However, I am not a fan of AFR and it has me concerned for the future of premier sets. I wish premier sets were reserved for Magic’s own IP.”
Rosewater’s response, “future sets with non-Magic properties will not be premier sets” clarifies that while Adventures in Forgotten Realms replaced a core set this year, next year will likely see a return to the traditional core set template which AFR replaced. If you’re wondering, Premier sets are sets that are standard-legalor unique, like Modern Horizons 2 or Strixhaven, both of which were also released this year.
Which means that AFR is probably the only crossover premier set we’ll see in Magic. If you were holding out hope that any of Magic’s Universes Beyond might work their way into Standard-legal or that we’d see a return to the Forgotten Realms in a future set–we still might, it just won’t be a Premier set. That said, you’ll still have plenty of opportunities to play around with crossover cards.
We know that 40K, Stranger Things, and Lord of the Rings are all on the docket as future “expansions”–most likely Secret Lair drops, but you never know you might see a Commander Deck here or there. Either way, big things lie ahead for Magic: the Gathering, just not necessarily crossovers.
What do you think of the news?
