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Welcome to Magic’s biggest announcement day ever! Hosts Jimmy Wong, Joe Johnson, and Becca Scott are joined by members of the Magic team to reveal what is coming to tabletop, MTG Arena, and more in 2022 — plus exciting partnerships and some unexpected surprises!
Let’s get started right off with some of the most exciting news we received today: the set roster for 2022.
2022 Set Roster
Kamigawa Neon Dynasty – Q1 2022
Kamigawa is Magic’s Japanese folklore themed plane, and the original Kamigawa is one of Magic’s most beloved sets. In 2022, we finally get a return set, but with a twist- Kamigawa Neon Dynasty takes place 2000 years after the original set. Wizards says the goal of the set is to bridge “the history of the original Kamigawa with the future” both in a mechanical and flavor sense. They also teased that the emperor of Kamigawa will be a returning character.
Streets of New Capenna – Q2 2022
Streets of New Capenna is set on a new plane that we haven’t yet visited in Magic. According to the announcement, the setting is Wizard’s take on a gangster movie. Notably, New Capenna will be a three-color set, focusing on five powerful crime families battling for dominance over the plane. New Capenna was originally founded by angels, but the demonic crime families have wrested control. Wizards also says that New Capenna is a significant location for the planeswalker Elspeth.
Dominaria United – Q3 2022
The plane of Dominaria was Magic: The Gathering’s first setting, and it has a rich history in the game- both in terms of in-universe lore and the development of the game in our world. The Dominaria set that was released in 2018 was extremely popular among players and fans, and now, for Magic’s 30th anniversary, we will be returning once again. Wizards specifically mentioned the Weatherlight crew, and says that iconic villains from the plane will be returning as well.
The Brother’s War – Q4 2022
The final premier set that will be coming in 2022 also takes place in Dominaria, but this time far in the past. The Brother’s War is a callback to one of Magic’s oldest expansions, Antiquities. Antiquities was based around the immense, devastating war the brothers Urza and Mishra fought across Dominaria. Urza and Mishra are two of the most iconic characters in Magic, and their violent conflict nearly destroyed all of Dominaria. In 2022, we will get a chance to revisit the clash of the brilliant artificers. The set will be based around the massive artifact war machines created by the brothers, but will also be “widening the lens” to include more details and flavor about how the entire plane is affected by the chaos.
MTG Arena News
As we already knew, the regular Standard set rotation will be taking place this fall along with the release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. Along with the rotation, each player of MTG Arena who signs up or logs in before September 15 will be given a “renewal egg” gift. Details on the renewal egg are still a little fuzzy at this point, but it will include both Individual Card Rewards (ICRs) and also booster packs from Midnight Hunt.
Wizards’ vice president of design Aaron Forsythe also says that they have no plans to remove the new 100-card Historic Brawl format which has been added to Arena.
Finally, there are some upcoming changes to the Arena Open- most notably, there will be an option to play the tournament in the draft format instead of just constructed as it has been in the past.
Store Championships
When it’s safe to do so, Local Game Stores will be able to host in-person events again, and Friday Night Magic will be returning as Wizard’s “flagship in-store play program” in a variety of formats. In December, the Store Championship will also be returning. Stores will be able to choose a format from among Standard, Modern, Pioneer, or limited, so check with your LGS. All players who enter will receive an Arbor Elf promo. The winner of the Store Championship will receive a foil Wurmcoil Engine, and the Top 8 players will receive a foil Collected Company. The name of each store will be printed directly onto the Collected Company and Wurmcoil Engine promos.
Upcoming Paper Products
In addition to the Standard legal sets, Wizards also announced a number of paper products that will be coming soon to Magic. Here’s a quick rundown of everything that was announced:
Commander Collection Black
Pioneer Challenger Decks 2021
Secret Lair: Out of Time Superdrop
Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate
Commander Legends was a highly successful Magic product in 2020 targeted specifically at Commander/EDH players. On top of card designs which were specially designed for constructed Commander, Legends was also unique in that it was designed for draft- the first time Wizards has officially implemented draft for the format. Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate is a follow-up to the original Legends set, also designed for draft, and is based on the lore of Dungeons & Dragons.
Jumpstart 2022
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons is launching as an Arena-only product in two days, but now Wizards has announced a new paper version of Jumpstart coming in the second half of 2022. Each pack will contain 20 cards, and they will include new-to-Magic cards as well as reprints. Also, each pack will have one card with an “anime” theme, although that’s the only detail we have on that for now. Wizards did, however, offer two of the pack themes as a teaser: double-headed creatures and Eldrazi.
Double Masters 2022
Double Masters will also be returning in the summer of 2022, and will follow the original Double Masters in including two rares and two foils in each pack. Double Masters 2022 will be a reprint-only set.
Unfinity
Every so often, Wizards designs “joke sets,” also known as “Un-sets” as they typically have the “un-” prefix in the title. These sets are silver-bordered novelty designs that are not legal for tournament play in any format, but are meant for fun and wacky play. The newest Un-set will be Unfinity, a space carnival themed set where players will be visiting “Myra the Magnificent’s Intergalactic Astrotorium of Fun.” Notably, the beloved full-art basic lands will be returning as “space-ic lands” with a science-fiction theme. On top of that, there will also be space-themed Shock Lands. Unfinity will release in Q2 2022.
Wizards has also announced more details about upcoming Universes Beyond products that will feature Magic cards based on non-Magic IPs. See below for promotional artwork and information about each product.
Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000
Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 will have four commander decks and supplemental Secret Lair drops set in the Warhammer universe.
Universes Beyond: Lord of the Rings
Magic: The Gathering’s take on Lord of the Rings will also include four commander decks and Secret Lair drops, but this product will also include a full booster set in 2022. The set will be designed for the Modern format, but Wizards says it will also be coming to Arena- presumably for Historic play.
Secret Lair: Fortnite
Secret Lair: Fortnite will bring the “vibe” and universe of Fortnite to Magic through a reprint-only drop.
Secret Lair: Street Fighter
Unlike the Fortnite drop, Secret Lair: Street Fighter will have cards specifically built to encapsulate Street Fighter characters. There’s no word yet on whether these cards will be black-bordered, silver-bordered, or if they will have analogous cards set in the regular MTG universe.
