The popular trading card game Magic The Gathering, which is 32 years old and has over 100 sets, is starting to make waves in the community with the over production of “Universe’s Beyond” sets. These sets are ones that take place in different franchises. For example, the latest sets include Marvel’s Spider-man, Final Fantasy, and the one that is releasing next week, Avatar, The Last Airbender. So far, the Final Fantasy set was regarded as a hit, while the Spiderman set received more negative reviews.
With the release of Final Fantasy, fans of the video game, rather than the card game started to buy up all the products, therefore raising the prices of packs, and booster boxes to extremely high prices. The highest, which was the 12 pack collector booster box, includes packs with all foiled cards, and the chance of getting the most expensive cards in the set, for the price of $1200. This being said, It was the fastest selling set in Magic The Gathering history. With the expensive packs aside, this set includes some nostalgic characters coming from all the Final Fantasy games. This set also includes some reprints of old, expensive cards, which includes Rhystic Study. This card is one of the most powerful blue cards in the game.
But with all the success that was Final Fantasy, comes the failure of Marvel’s Spider-Man. This set comes with poorly designed cards, lackluster game mechanics, and does not feel like Magic The Gathering at all. Although there are a couple good cards here and there, the others consist of cards like “Hot Dog Cart” and “Peter Parker’s Camera”, just to name a few. These don’t have the same fantasy, wizard-like feel to it, instead it seems like walking down the street of New York City picking up commonly used things. This set, in all, feels too rushed, and maybe, just maybe, it could have been good if they put more thought into it.
And finally, there is Avatar the Last Airbender. With this set officially coming out on Nov. 21, this set is already being perceived as really good. With the mechanics, which consist of Air bending, Water bending, Earth bending, and Fire bending, these mechanics already give a better feel than Spiderman. Although the prices of these products are set to be expensive, the expensive cards that they are reprinting in the set make up for it. With the return of the popular group in Avatar the Last Airbender, and the improved look of the cards, Avatar The Last Airbender is set to be a more successful set of 2025.
With the rise of the Universe’s Beyond Set, Wizards of the Coast has revealed that in the seven sets being released in 2026, four are from different franchises, including “Star Trek”, “The Hobbit”, “Marvel Super Heros”, and one that is yet to be announced. These sets are bound to be through a rollercoaster of ups and downs, as one could be like the Final Fantasy set, while the other can be like the Spiderman set. But, the public’s want for the in-universe Magic The Gathering sets will still be greater than their want for different franchises in Magic The Gathering.
