The final Magiccon of 2025 kicks off next week, and we're expecting Friday's preview panel to reveal exactly what's on the MTG release schedule for 2026.
We already know several of the Magic: The Gathering sets coming up next year. There's one taking place on Lorwyn, one based around Strixhaven, and some sort of grand story finale where I'm guessing Jace will either ascend to Big Bad status or be unexpectedly redeemed.
Those are the Magic IP sets of 2026, but what about Universes Beyond? If Wizards sticks to the same release cadence for next year, we can expect three more third party IPs to receive an entire Standard set full of cards.
Just like last year, we're going to have a shot at predicting these before the announcements. True, in my last attempt, I didn't get a single one right, but in fairness, some of my guesses weren't super duper serious. I didn't actually expect to see Yugioh come to Magic, as trippy as that would be. This time we'll actually try and make a solid forecast, though!
So prepare yourself for spoilers, because these are definitely the next batch of crossover release.
Marvel X-Men
We're leading with our most confident guess because it's actually based on some real hard facts. We know for certain that multiple Marvel sets are coming, and it would be weird if Wizards decided to space them out with a big gap in between. There are all sorts of reasons not to do this. For gameplay reasons all these Villain and Hero cards ought to be printed close together in the same Standard environment and dragging the releases out too long just gives more time for interest to wane.
If we're looking for an obvious subsection of Marvel comics that would make for a good set, then your options are really X-Men or Avengers, and I think it makes a lot more sense to lead with the smaller groups, then have Avengers be your big finale.
Another clue: Mark Rosewater has confirmed that the Marvel Secret Lair cards are getting printed again in a future product. And sure enough, those cards feature X-Men and Avengers! Really, this one seems like a no-brainer. I'll be a little shocked if it doesn't happen.
Star Trek
Star Wars would obviously be a massive get for Magic, but that IP has its own trading card game trying to achieve escape velocity, so I imagine WotC will have to settle for the other popular science fiction property with celestial bodies in its name. Even if all the Star Trek related leaks are fakes, there are a ton of reasons to expect this pair-up sooner rather than later.
For starters, Star Trek is owned by Paramount Skydance, which has already greenlit crossover products for its properties from WotC, most notably Avatar the Last Airbender. 2026 marks Star Trek's 60th Anniversary, and you can expect to see Paramount making a concerted push to bring more attention to the beloved old series. Lego just announced a crossover with Star Trek, so why not Magic too?
Finally, 2026 would be great timing for a Star Trek set given what else WotC has put out of late. Edge of Eternities just introduced Spacecraft, and softened us up for this release with the most hard sci-fi setting Magic has ever seen.
Warhammer 2
The Warhammer 40k Commander decks were one of the first big wins for Universes Beyond and showed Wizards of the Coast exactly how profitable this new strategy had the potential to be. But Games Workshop's grimdark universe holds an enormous amount of lore (a whole dingy archivesful) and the four decks that came out in 2022 barely scratched the surface.
With Space Marine 2's stunning success, Warhammer 40k is in the zeitgeist even outside of the tabletop sphere, so it would make perfect sense to revisit it now. There are loads of popular Warhammer 40k factions that haven't received a single card, and we had some fun a few years ago thinking up what an Eldar, Tau, or Ork deck might look like.
Even among Space Marines, there were lots of Primarchs and famous chapters that didn't get a look in.
Monster Hunter
I've been racking my brain for big, popular videogame franchises that would fit Magic: The Gathering's fantasy aesthetic to a tee, and my mind keeps going to Monster Hunter. Since it doesn't seem like we're going to return to Magic's monster world Ikoria anytime soon, why not a set based on Monster Hunter world? WotC has collaborated with Capcom before on the Street Fighter Secret Lair, so this wouldn't be wild(s).
Monster Hunter doesn't exactly have famous characters, and it might actually be good for gameplay to get a UB property that runs light on legendary creatures. In their place are the super distinct monsters you hunt. Personally, I would love to have a Rathalos or Diablos on a card.
I can imagine this set would feature plenty of big stompy creatures, and also an equipment subtheme. Perhaps you could use DFCs to show the beasts before and after you turn them into fashion accessories.
FromSoftware
Okay, okay, that's not an IP. I'm just using the company's name as a catch-all to bundle together all the Souls games. Any of these settings could make for a strong release, and I must admit that picturing the original art Wizards would commission for a Soulsborne release has my mouth watering.
Obviously the most likely one to appear as a Magic set is Elden Ring, given its recent, enormous success. Personally, though, I'd prefer Dark Souls. While Elden Ring's open world was a gamechanger, you can't exactly represent that in a TCG, and Dark Souls' vibes just can't be beat.
What are your predictions for next year's crossover sets? Let us know on the Wargamer Discord. And don't miss our guides to the best MTG commanders and MTG precon decks.