At San Diego Comic Con on Saturday July 22, artwork from eight upcoming MTG sets was revealed. During head designer Mark Rosewater’s presentation, eight images of eight future Magic: The Gathering products were presented without comment. Some of these we recognise from our 2023 MTG release schedule, but others are almost certainly unknown MTG sets from 2024.
No details have been confirmed on any of these products, but we can still analyse this art to make some strong educated guesses. The first three are particularly strong, as these seem to be sets we already know about or continuations of existing products.
For instance, while goose hydra is a recent DnD meme, this image likely comes from MTG Wilds of Eldraine. A goose laying gold is a fairytale and fable trope (already featured in Eldranie with the card Gilded Goose) and this one not only has gold in its nest, it also looks like that nest may be located at the top of a beanstalk.
Then we’ve got an image of, presumably, Lost Caverns of Ixalan. We’ve already had clues that the bat demons hinted at in our first Ixalan visit will be showing up in this journey underground, and both bats and jaguars feature in Mesoamerican underworld mythology. Also, there’s an Ixalan-style feathered dinosaur grafted to this fella’s arm.
And then, a total freebie, there’s an MTG Lord of the Rings image showing the riders of Rohan mowing down orcs and goblins. That’s 100% certain because we can see the Rohan symbol on the banner, and a dropped shield sporting the white hand of Isengard. But why is there another Lord of the Rings product? Perhaps this will be reprints of existing cards with Lord of the Rings art? Another MTG Secret Lair – one that’s less disappointing than the other Lord of the Rings lair?
Next are three images which we’re tentatively labelling as returns to old planes. The first shows a man in a top hat taking a photograph with a funky camera. The buildings in the lens and slight art deco vibe of the camera makes us think of New Capenna, and the overall vibes scream ‘murder mystery’. But it’s also worth noting that a building, person, and lamppost all seem to be glowing with eerie green light, bringing a suggestion of the supernatural to the scene.
After that, we’ve seen plenty of theories about this leaping figure – from Lorwyn elf to Zendikar vampire – but our money is on Rakdos guild member, and a potential return to Ravnica. With its carnival-esque attire, red face paint, and density of knives (especially knives on ropes), this person wouldn’t look out of place next to Blade Juggler and Massacre Girl.
Finally, the woman with her hydra friend immediately suggests Theros. The column ruins seem to support that theory, though they do look a bit more ruined and jungle-y than we might expect from the Greek-inspired plane. Still, that’s our best guess for this pic.
Last of all, there are two relative unknowns. That spooky guy is definitely Old Rustein, but it seems too soon for another revisit to Innistrad. He looks to be on the road, so perhaps he’s hopped through an Omenpath (the new holes between planes) to some other land. (If there’s one plane we’d want to get away from, it’s Innistrad.) There are some Wild West vibes to the image too – a genre with a strong undercurrent of horror and the supernatural – so perhaps Rustein is there to provide that aspect to a wild west set.
Then, something that seems entirely new. An adorable little mouse knight facing off against a burning wolf. The wolf could perhaps be from Azgol, the little-known plane of burning zombies, only shown on one Invasion card, or perhaps elemental animals is just something you get on this new animal plane. It feels very Redwall, and very adorable.
The wrinkle, of course, is we don’t know which of these products are new sets, and which are supplemental. According to the presentation, they’ll all be previewed in the next two weeks, so stay tuned to find out more.
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