The Gathering's current schedule has officially spoiled Edge of Eternities, and Lorwyn has been overshadowed.

Magic: The Gathering 2025 was likely the IP's best year ever in terms of revenue, but player happiness and/or satisfaction hasn't necessarily increased at the same rate, so it's in a strange position right now. In fact, there were various controversies about this part. Magic: The GatheringThere's card power levels for Final Fantasy sets like Vivi Ornitier, Universes Beyond 50% scheduled for release in 2025, the acceptance of Spider-Man, and finally next year's set revealed. But there were quirks and good points, and Edge of Eternities was one of them. The next most hyped set is Lorwyn Eclipsed, which will be released in January 2026. But it's already suffering from some unfortunate problems at UB.

On paper, Edge of Eternities and Lorwyn Eclipsed couldn't be more different from each other. The former is a sci-fi fantasy set with spaceships and space stations, while the latter is a purely high fantasy world with magical creatures, forest animals, and elemental powers. However, both sets share a unique bond in that they are characterized by so-called cycles. MTG Shock Lands are not only valuable, but they are also very powerful in terms of gameplay. These are:

• Edge of Eternities Shock Land

  • Breeding grass (green and blue)

  • Sanctuary of Disbelief (White and Black)

  • Holy Foundry (Red and White)

  • Stomping Ground (Red and Green)

  • Water Grave (blue and black)

• Lorwyn Eclipse Shock Land

  • Blood Crypt (black and red)

  • Sacred Fountain (white and blue)

  • Overgrown Grave (black and green)

  • Steam vents (blue and red)

  • Temple Garden (Green and White)

Now, it's likely that these land cycles are designed to be legal in the Standard sandbox for a few years and to come out soon after each other in order to rotate at the same time. But that is no longer the case. MTG's Universe Beyond is responsible.

Say goodbye to the full set of MTG Shocklands in Standard

Last November, Wizards of the Coast unveiled a foundation for: MTG Here are some changes to the game's Standard rotation coming in the future with the Standard-legal Universes Beyond set. As of now, MTG The sets are replaced in the standard with a new fall set every year, but starting in 2027, this will no longer be the case. Lorwyn Eclipsed was pushed back from 2025 to January 2026 to make room for UB sets for Spider-Man or Avatar, so the new rules, which take effect in 2027, will see the sets rotate when the first calendar year expansion packs are released.

2028 will be the end of the Edge of Eternities and Lorwyn Eclipse era in MTG

What this means is that Edge of Eternities will be leaving Standard in 2028, while Lorwyn Eclipsed will be leaving in 2029, effectively legitimizing the Shock Land cycle in Standard for various periods of time. WotC could reprint the Shock Lands from the first 2028 set to keep them viable for another year with Lorwyn Eclipsed, but the problem will come back in 2029 when the Allied Shock Lands from Lorwyn Eclipsed disappear. This is a major flaw that cannot simply go away or be completely ignored, without which it would not have occurred. MTGThere are many new Standard-legal UB sets available.

MTG's 2025 and 2026 release schedules are already controversial.

Not only that, but even if you don't want to explain the rotation problem, Magic: The GatheringThe delay of the Lorwyn Eclipsed set to next year means players will have to wait a total of five months and three weeks since the release of Edge of Eternities to get the full set of Allied and Enemy Shock Lands in Standard. By comparison, given that Lorwyn was originally supposed to release in Q4 2025, it would have been released in September like Spider-Man (so a month and a half after EoE) or in November like Avatar (so three and a half months).

original release date

August 5, 1993

designer

richard garfield

number of players

2+

Age Recommendations

13 years or older