So much has been made of Universes Beyond, Magic: The Gathering’s crossovers with other IP, that many have dubbed the game “the Fortnite of card games”.
2026 saw seven sets in a single calendar year, which means that—at the time of writing—we’re transitioning from Marvel Super Heroes to The Hobbit. 2027, however, will be different: Not only is Wizards of the Coast cutting the number of sets down to six (with three Universes Within and three Universes Beyond), but we won’t get a double-helping of Universes Beyond at all – hooray!
Here’s all we know about Magic’s 2027 sets so far, and what to expect from them.
Nauctis: The Sunken Realm
February 5, 2027
The first set of 2027 will debut in early February, and it’ll take us to Nauctis. This “Sunken Realm” is all about being under the waves, so you can expect some deep-sea humans alongside merfolk, homarids, and seals.
Here’s Wizards of the Coast’s synopsis: “As tensions bubble between two warring kingdoms, a group of unlikely heroes must rise to the occasion—or their home will be swallowed up by the abyssal depths of the ocean. Adventures await under the water, and players will come face to face with fearsome creatures that dwell far, far from the surface.”
Kamigawa: Titanbreach
June 4, 2027
2026 saw two trips back to iconic planes with Lorwyn and Strixhaven, and in 2027 we’re heading back to Kamigawa.
The cyberpunk-infused setting will see a huge shift when the Ikoria plane crashes into it, leading to a mechs versus kaiju set.
“Return to Kamigawa and harness the power of next-generation mechs that can match the might of any titan. The Kamigawans will need all the help they can get, because the behemoths of Ikoria may be the greatest threat this plane has ever seen.”
“And if you’d rather be the monster than fight them, you can harness your favorite creatures from Ikoria in the battle for the city. Suit up, get ready to rumble, and witness a battle on a scale you’ve never seen before.”
Zhalfir
October 1, 2027
Zhalfir sounds a lot like it’ll be a love letter to longtime Magic fans, arriving as its own plane and bringing back the legendary chronomancer, Teferi Akosa.
It’ll lean into the afrofantasy subgenre, but we don’t know much else about it just yet.
“Immerse yourself in the beauty of Zhalfir and harness innovative new forms of magic. The minds behind this plane have crafted some especially mind-bending cards, each embracing the unique visual design of Magic’s take on the afrofantasy genre.”
“And because Zhalfir is so closely tied to an era of Magic that many players hold dear, we’re honoring its legacy in every aspect of the set. This is Magic: The Gathering as you remember it, crafted with the love and care of our contemporary design philosophy.”
Universes Beyond
We are yet to have anything confirmed for 2027 Universes Beyond, but that won’t stop us speculating on what could be in store. For now, we have the dates in which we should expect the three sets.
- April 5, 2027
- August 6, 2027
- November 19, 2027
Beyond that, if you’ll pardon the pun, the only piece of info we have is from Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks notes in the recent earnings report. Cocks noted feedback on recent Universes Beyond sets, which have run the gamut from two trips to Middle-Earth, just as many visits to New York City, every single Final Fantasy, and, soon, Star Trek.
“The one thing I’ll say on the Universes Beyond partners that we have next year is they’ll probably be a bit more fantasy-adjacent,” he explained.
“And I don’t think any of them will take place in New York City because we definitely have gotten that feedback from some fans.”
From that, there are a lot of potential crossovers that would be fun for Magic: The Gathering, but the idea of refocusing on fantasy IP certainly is interesting.
We’ve recently predicted it could be anything from Games of Thrones, to Elden Ring, Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, The Legend of Zelda, The Witcher, and something else Marvel related. But, that’s purely speculation, and we shall have to wait and see what is officially announced later this year.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
