Over the past three decades, Magic: The Gathering has become increasingly complex as a card game: from new mechanics and formats to the contemporary rotation of cards considered playable in these forms, much has been done to transform the game, even in the way it is sold. And that’s before you even try to follow. regular outings, or wild special collaborations with other franchises. But now Wizards has realized that the game itself might need a little breathing room to set the stage for its future.
This future will be partly glimpsed in November with the release of Magic: The Gathering – The Basics. Announced at MagicCon: Amsterdam this week, Foundations will act as a sort of springboard for the game in the near future, offering a new line of cards and reprints that will become the new legal line for the game in Standard format for at least the next five years, until 2029. If This is your first attempt at When trying to get into the game, you don’t have to worry that the cards will soon no longer be used in most competitive formats. But Foundations is also meant to help people get into the game beyond the simple act of playing, with long-standing characters from all over Magic essential lore and maps from the many blueprints and sets that have made up the game over the past decades, introducing concepts, settings, and themes in a format that’s easy to dive into as a starting point.
It’s a decision that makes sense, as more and more people are finding themselves intrigued by the game through its sophisticated crossovers with players like To fall, Doctor Who, the Lord of the Ringsand more, and with even more of these Along the way, there will always be new audiences potentially exposed to Magic for the first time. A set that gives everyone an easy starting point over the next few years, while also providing a new standard for competitive players to strategize and build decks around—without completely wiping out everything the game has become at this point in the process—is a good way to set up Magic‘s future over the next few years…or at least until a successor is named Foundations becomes necessary, that is.
Magic: The Gathering – The Basics is scheduled to be released on November 15, 2024.
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