The Gathering makes a controversial change to Booster Boxes

Wizards of the Coast has announced that they are making a big change Magic: The Gathering's booster boxes for early 2026, getting rid of the 17-year program. 2025 was one of the biggest years ever for the beloved card game, with several highly anticipated sets and huge crossovers hitting the game. Magic: The Gatheringcooperation with Final Fantasy took the world by storm and became one of the fastest selling sets ever, while the November Avatar the last: Airbender The expansion also proved to be a hit with fans. But it looks like big changes are coming with the first set in 2026.

Magic: The Gathering returns to one of his most beloved planes to kick off 2026, with the beloved world of Lorwyn returning to the spotlight. Wizards of the Coast has revealed Lorwyn Eclipsed as the first new set coming to the 2026 card game, which is set for an official release on January 23rd. Magic: The Gathering has yet to reveal much about the individual cards coming with Lorwyn Eclipsed, the developer has already revealed some notable returns including MagicThe 5 remaining “Shock Lands” to complete the cycle began Edge of Eternities. Now the popular program will be running for the last time in Lorwyn Eclipsed.

Magic the Gathering releases new Final Fantasy cards

Magic the Gathering has revealed some brand new Final Fantasy cards coming to the game later this year as part of a new holiday product.

Wizards of the Coast has officially announced that they will end their “Buy-a-Box” promotion for Magic: The Gathering after the release of Lorwyn Eclipsed. The promo previously gifted players with a special promotional card for purchasing a full booster box new Magic: The Gathering set, with the program first starting with the release of Magic 2010 in July 2009. In their official statement, Wizards of the Coast did not give a reason for ending the Buy-a-Box promotions, only saying that Lorwyn Eclipsed will end MagicA typical trend of including promotions. Wizards of the Coast also did not mention any potential promotion to replace the Buy-a-Box promotions.

As part of the statement, Wizards of the Coast addresses how the Buy-a-Box promotion has changed significantly since its roots in 2009. Magic: The Gathering often switched between printing alternate art versions of the cards included in the sets and creating entirely new cards as Buy-a-Box promotions. The practice of including mechanically unique cards like Magic: The Gathering the promo has even sparked controversy a few times, with past Buy-a-Box promos like Nexus of Fate and Kenrith, The Returned King being released as meta-defining staples. Recent expansions have gone back and forth between alternate versions of cards within the expansion, e.g Avatar's Firebending Student and new artwork for older cards such as Final FantasyReprint 's Herald's Horn.

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What's next for Magic: the Gathering in 2026?

While the successor MagicWhile the Buy-a-Box promos haven't been revealed, Wizards of the Coast has teased some of their future plans after all. The developer hinted at “new event structures, support and promotions” in local stores after the Buy-a-Box sale ends. MagicThe newest sets often experiment with new types of products. The aforementioned Avatar: The Last Airbender set included an exclusive Commander Bundle with Avatar– themed reprints of Commander main format cards such as Fierce Guardianship and Deflecting Swat. Magic: The GatheringMore recent crossovers have also typically received their own Scene Boxes, offering mechanically unique cards with interconnecting artwork.

Image via Wizards of the Coast

Although the Buy-a-Box promotions ride off into the sunset, Magic: The Gathering has a lot in store for 2026. The TCG has already given fans a complete schedule of what to expect from the next calendar year with popular Magic settings like the previously mentioned Lorwyn and Strixhaven return. Wizards of the Coast also has a plethora of crossovers planned throughout the year, featuring four different collaborations with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel Super Heroes, The Hobbitand Star Trek as main sets. Magic: The Gathering2026 looks set to be an eventful year with lots of big changes on the way.