Summary
Magic: The Gatheringwas marred by a few controversies in the latter half of 2024, between the Commander bans and the debacle that followed and the poorly-received launch of Marvel Secret Lair drops, but things are likely looking up at the beginning of next year. While 2025 may not be entirely a positive year for the game, mainly due toMagic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond sets being Standard-legal and the fact that this decision was met with backlash, a good shift is bound to happen. This is thanks to the re-release of a beloved set, the launch of an entirely new expansion, and a new type of card that could take the community by storm.
There will be a lot going on forMagic: The Gatheringnext year, with a total of six Standard-legal sets coming out, possibly alongside other Eternal releases, like preconstructed Commander decks. On top of that, January will continue the tradition of remastered sets, all while introducing the new “headliner” cards. BetweenMagic: The Gathering’s bigFinal Fantasyset and thenew Universes Beyond release schedule, including a Spider-Man expansion, a lot of beginners will likely approach the game, so Wizards of the Coast needs to start 2025 on the right foot.
Magic: The Gathering’s first set of 2025 is going to be Innistrad Remastered, which is a collection of reprints from the various Innistrad expansions and releases. This is a special set for many reasons, not least the fact that Innistrad is one of the mostbeloved planes inMagic: The Gathering’s entire history. Innistrad Remastered will include a new card type that will presumably star in every release of 2025, and that’s the new headliner cards.
Innistrad Remastered will include a lot of valuable reprints, like Liliana of the Veil and Meathook Massacre.
What to Expect From Magic: The Gathering’s Headliner Cards in 2025
MTG’s new headliner cards are serialized from 1 to 500, meaning there will only be a total of 500 copies of that specific card and print in existence for each set headliners star in. In the case of Innistrad Remastered, the headliner will be a reprint of Edgar Markov, which in and of itself is an expensive card and a good one to pull, sitting at around $70 in value. However, the headliner version of Edgar Markov will likely become one ofMagic: The Gathering’s most valuable cardsgiven that only 500 copies will be printed, and it’s going to be very rare to pull.
It’s worth noting thatMagic: The Gathering’s Innistrad Remastered setwill be available both in Play Boosters and Collector Boosters.
Magic: The Gathering’s Death Race Set is Launching on July 08, 2025
While it may seem hard to top the reprint of a lot of popular Innistrad cards,Magic: The Gathering’s new Aetherdrift expansionwill be right around the corner to kick off 2025 in style as the first Standard-legal set of the year. Defined byMTG’s own Mark Rosewater, this set will take place across three different planes and will feature ten teams, all competing in a death race to win the ultimate prize - the Aetherspark.
Based on the art shown so far, Aetherdrift will most likely take place in Kaladesh and Amonkhet, with the third plane still up in the air as it was never the main setting of any expansion.
On top of Aetherdrift featuring this new concept of a tri-planar death race, it will also have its own headliner card, which is The Aetherspark itself. This card seems to be anMTGPlaneswalkerin and of itself based on art, but details have yet to be confirmed. Still, the expansion seems full of popular characters and locations, so it could be a great release for longtime fans.
