The Gathering Format is caught between a rock and a hard place in 2025

Summary

2025 brings new Magic: The Gathering products such as three Magic Universe sets and three Universes Beyond sets.
Universes Beyond sets, once not for Standard, are now legal in all formats as of 2025.
Players may struggle to manage the six standard sets released close each time, affecting gameplay and financial investment.

2025 will bring a lot of new products and cards Magic: The Gathering fans to collect – from three Magic Universe sets (Aetherdrift, Tarkir Dragonstorm, and Edge of Eternities) up to Innistrad Remastered, including three Universes Beyond sets. MTGUB sets are polarizing in terms of design, as the switches don't always fit perfectly into the game environment. More importantly, Universes Beyond kicks in Magic: The Gathering may be a bit controversial as Wizards of the Coast originally promised that these releases would not affect the regular Standard rotation and would not be playable in Standard, but in 2025 that will no longer be the case.

A lot changes in it Magic: The Gathering at the moment, and that started in November with the launch of Foundations – the first set to enter standard rotation for at least five years, if not semipertinuity. Then Wizards of the Coast announced a change from four Magic Space sets and two UB sets for three and three, which was accompanied by the announcement that Universes Beyond would now be legal in all formats. However, this may throw off some fans' plans as UB sets are legal by default, meaning six sets need to be played per year instead of four to maintain the current format.

magic-the-gathering-mtg-creatures-with-partner cards-companions-deckbuilding-commander-forbidden-formats-powerful-broken-no-reprints-new-cards-good-bad

Two Magic: The Gathering Card Types may never be reprinted

Magic: The Gathering has many card types and subtypes, but two of them are problematic enough to never get reprints.

There's an argument to be made that six standard legal sets are a bit of a stretch for players, both in terms of news cycle vs. fatigue, as well as from a financial point of view. Magic: The Gathering has many expensive cards. This means that it will be difficult for collectors to manage the six standard sets, as they may be forced to choose which sets to open and display, and which to skip or limit to a few concepts. Additionally, the new total of six standard sets means that it can be harder to take breaks from the format if one wants to stay competitive.

That's not even taking into account the fact that Universes Beyond sets may not be for everyone Magic: The Gathering fans may want to stick around Magic The universe fits for reasons of setting, design, and tradition. Instead, standard decks will inevitably have to include cards from Universes Beyond sets with the new release schedule and legalization rules, which can be frustrating if one doesn't want to see Spider-Man or Final Fantasy cards in MTG. This is true for every UB set, but now that they are legal in all formats and released more often, it will be difficult.

Why six standard sets can be difficult for new MTG UB fans to manage

At the other end of the spectrum, new players who are starting to collect Magic: The Gathering cards are becoming a part of the game because of their popular IP and they also intend to start playing Standard, collecting cards from all the previous expansions to catch up and build a deck isn't exactly easy. Likewise, these new players may not like another IP from Universes Beyond and lose interest in Standard or the game as a whole.

Aetherdrift launches on February 14th, 2025, followed by Tarkir Dragonstorms on April 11th, Final Fantasy UB on June 13th, and Edge of Eternities on August 1st. The Spider-Man UB set and the unannounced UB set don't have a release date yet, but are likely to be released between September and October and between November and December.

Magic: The Gathering's 2025 release schedule may be too tight

As a result, for new standard players and veterans, changing to six sets in one year means it may be best to buy individual cards instead of boosters, or try to use decks with as few new cards from each set as possible. Still, given the six-set cadence, it may be hard for Standard players to keep up since there will only be a few months between each 2025. Magic: The Gathering release. Overall, 2025 will be rich in new products, but it can take a toll on players, especially in Standard.