Summary
After revealing almost the entire 2025 lineup,Magic: The Gatheringhas announced there is one more surprise coming at the end of the year: an unrevealed Universes Beyond crossover set.
While there may be other supplementary sets left to be announced, this crossover will make up the sixth Standard-legal ‘tentpole’ release to cap off a year also full of Final Fantasy andSpider-Man.
Teased at the MagicCon Vegas preview panel, the set is currently codenamed “UUB”, or Unannounced Universes Beyond. It’s anyone guess what this set could be, let alone what form it would take. However, we do know it will be a Standard-legal major release, and so should get the same lineup of Play and Collector boosters, and Commander decks, that usually accompany a release.
Universes Beyond is Magic’s crossover umbrella brand, used to describe any product that isn’t based on a Wizards of the Coast property. Though it started small with the Walking Dead Secret Lair and the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks, it’s since ballooned into one of the most important parts of Magic: The Gathering, with multiple full set releases based on external series each year.
2024 didn’t have a major Universes Beyond set like Lord of the Rings, but it has the aforementioned crossover with Fallout, and the mini-set release based onAssassin’s Creed.
What Could The Unannounced Universes Beyond Product Be?
There is a possibility that this set could be the second Marvel crossover, as Wizards has already stated that Spider-Man is only the first of many releases as part of the partnership. However, that would mean dipping into Marvel two sets apart, so it’s equally possible it could be something different entirely.
A return toThe Lord Of The Ringsis possible, considering 2023’s Tales of Middle-earth is the best-selling set in Magic’s history. Or it could be Fallout, which is the best-selling Commander product of all time. More than likely, though, is that it’s something entirely different.
My biggest hope is it’s Discworld. The mixture of fantasy and silliness would be a really nice palette cleanser after a year of sets that largely diverge from Magic’s usual fantasy fare.
As mentioned, we do know this set will be legal in Standard, and therefore also legal in Modern and Pioneer (and Commander, Vintage, and Legacy). Starting in 2025, sets will either be legal in everything, or only made for the three latter Eternal formats.Universes Beyond sets will largely come under the former, meaning next year will see this unannounced project being the sixth Standard set.
Although we’re now going to be getting three Universes Beyond sets per year, there’s still things on offer for those who enjoy the Magic multiverse.
Aetherdrift will take us through a multiplanar death race (including what looks like the plane of Muraganda finally having its time to shine), Tarkir Dragonstorm is bringing back the three-colour clans of Tarkir, and Edge of Eternities features Tezzeret in an outer space set full of spaceships and explosions.
We can expect the Unannounced Universes Beyond set to be revealed partway through 2025, ahead of its launch in Q4.
Magic: The Gathering
Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.
