The 2026 release schedule for Magic was presented at MagicCon Atlanta, and we now know about (most!) of the sets coming out next year. We also got to see some Secret Lair Projects, and the general trajectory of the Magic story. For a recap of everything we know about Magic in 2026, keep scrolling.
MAGIC 2026 TIMELINE
The first thing to note is that we’ll be getting a mighty seven Standard legal sets. Six of them we know about, with one currently unannounced. According to Wizards, this is a “scheduling quirk”, and they’ll return to six sets again next year.
- Lorwyn Eclipsed, January 23, 2026
- Unannounced Universes Beyond Set, March 2026
- Secrets of Strixhaven, April 2026
- Marvel Superheroes, June 2026
- The Hobbit, August 2026
- Reality Fracture, October 2026
- Star Trek, November 2026
So, we have four new Universes Beyond products hitting next year, and the continuation of the Omenpaths arc, which will reach its climax in Reality Fracture. I for one am deeply invested in seeing how that arc ends.
LORWYN ECLIPSED PREVIEWS
The first set we’ll visit is Lorwyn Eclipsed, where we’ll apparently follow some Strixhaven students on their mishaps and adventures visiting the plane through the Omenpaths.
I’m immediately interested to see classic Enchantment Bitterbloom on a body, which I think we can all agree is huge. That’s not all though. We also got to see some of the new evoke cards.
I for one love the “fixed” evoke trigger as a cast trigger, rather than as an EtB. It opens up design space, and doesn’t create more potential issues with flicker spells such as Ephemerate or Feign Death effects. Plus Emptiness is just pretty rad, no? You get to either Skinrender something, or reanimate something, or both if you’re far enough into the game.
Deceit is angling to be played in 1v1 formats too, with very relevant modes indeed. If these are the cards that might shape Standard, then hey, maybe I’ll check it out too.
Double-sided cards make a return, as we’ll be experiencing both the sunny side of Lorywn and the darker side of Shadowmoor. Isilu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight is a sweet design, giving you convoke on your creature spells on the front side, and then flipping into a creature that can shepherd your board through boardwipes and removal by giving your nontoken creatures persists. It’s also a 5/5 Flying Lifelink, which gets the job done on attacking and blocking duties.
Fan favorite Sygg is back with stunning new art, this time in Azorious colors. And unblockable bear on the front that can loot you cards off of itself or something else in play, the back side grants Sygg’s protection to a creature until your next turn. It’s a fun engine piece in Merfolk decks and could see a lot of play in Standard in the right build.
Ashling ends her pilgrimage in Izzet colors, apparently. She grants rummaging and mana generation, which for two mana, is pretty reasonable. Again, seems very focused on Standard if you ask me.
What’s more, Shocklands make their return, with two-sided cards. Whether you prefer to express your Lorwyn or Shadowmoor side, these beautiful renditions are something to look forward to.
The Showcase treatment for ECL is this gorgeous storybook fable style frame. It’s distinct from the Eldraine one in many ways, and I think of the two treatments, this might even be my favorite. It evokes Celtic and Scandinavian vibes, which is right up my street.
Rounding out ECL previews is Jean-Emmanuel Depraz’s World Champion card, Formidable Speaker. This is a fun one – it’s basically Survival of the Fittest on an Elf as an ETB, with a way to untap Gaea’s Cradle or Nykthos or just one of your Elves that taps for a lot of mana. It’s a great and fun design.
THE REST OF THE YEAR
We know that Secrets of Strixhaven will feature students going off-campus to discover what lies beyond the walls of the colleges, but we don’t know much else so far. What we do know is that the excellent Seanan McGuire has penned a YA novel. If you want to get your hands on the Command Tower promo above, you’ll have to get a copy of the novel.
All we’ll say is that if you like Magic’s story, and want to show you support it, then you need to go buy this book and show your support.
Marvel: Superheroes looks to be featuring a wide range of classic characters. Can I say that this looks more appealing to me than Spider-man? Is that cool?
The Hobbit looks to build on the success of Tales of Middle-earth, and I think it’ll be a relative hit – especially if it comes with a reprint of The One Ring!
Personally I’m looking forward to seeing Thranduil and his armies of Mirkwood elves.
The last thing we got a glimpse of was the Star Trek set. It could be a hit depending on how they pull it off. I really enjoyed Edge of Eternities, but it remains to be seen if this is for me. But maybe you’re a die-hard Trekkie, and it’s for you. Love that for you.
END STEP
The Preview Panel at MagicCon: Atlanta
To check out the full preview panel recap, visit Wizards’ Magic YouTube.
2026 looks to be a wild year for Magic, with some fan-favorite planes to revisit and Universes Beyond in full swing. What are you looking forward to? What do you think the unannounced Universes Beyond will be? Let us know on Socials.
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.