The MTG you know is evolving: Foundations era, Tarkir's dragons, and Final Fantasy are coming

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Buckle up, because MTG is changing forever starting in 2025. But first, a recap of what you may have missed this week. Game designer Gavin Verhey revealed the Commander format panel on Oct. 22, showcasing 17 individuals with various MTG backgrounds. 

• Attack on Cardboard

• Bandit

• Ben Wheeler

• Charlotte Sable

• DeQuan Watson

• Deco

• Greg Sablan

• Ittetu

• Josh Lee Kwai

• Kristen Gregory

• Lua Stardust

• Olivia Gobert-Hicks

• Rachel Weeks

• Rebell Lily

• Scott Larabee

• Tim Willoughby

• Toby Elliott

I'm impressed with the list of members who make up the Commander format panel and feel this is a step in the right direction. Each panel member is signed on for one year, as the panel may change from year to year. Wizard of the Coast devs will make any final decisions but have encouraged the panel members to speak openly about disagreements. No ban list changes are slated to drop anytime soon.

Commander power ranking brackets are still a hot topic, even though the panel has begun to test ways to grade cards. DeQuan Watson dropped a Q&A video following Verhey's Commander panel announcement, in which he voiced concerns about the bracket grading system while admitting he's remaining open to the concept as the panel begins to test it.

Epic changes to MTG starting in 2025

Wizards of the Coast dropped multiple epic news bombs at MagicCon Vegas today, and they weren't about the Magic World Championship. The release of Foundations on Nov. 15 (Nov. 8 for Prerelease events) will begin the Foundations era. All cards within the set are legal to play in Standard through at least 2029 and potentially longer. 

The real changes to MTG go into effect after the release of Foundations, kicking off the new era with a bang. Here is a quick rundown of what you need to know:

• MSRP is back! WotC removed MSRP with the launch of War of the Spark in 2019 and it's been a hot topic ever since. MSRP will be applied to most MTG-sealed products. Prices for Foundations products were reduced as the set is geared toward new and returning players while other sets will have standard MSRP pricing. 

• Standard rotation date is changing again. The three-year legality of cards in Standard will remain the same, but the fall rotation is ending. Starting in 2027, Standard rotation will go into effect at the start of the year and no longer take place during August or September. 

• Universes Beyond sets are Standard legal. Starting in 2025, Universes Beyond tent pole sets are officially Standard legal. This will include the Final Fantasy and Spider-Man sets. The legality of past Universes Beyond sets, like Lord of the Rings and Assassins Creed, will not change.

All 2025 MTG sets

The legality change to Universes Beyond sets has affected the MTG release schedule, as 2025 will include three Universes Beyond tent pole sets and three regular sets following the lore timeline. Some dates were confirmed while the others were narrowed down. Here's what we know so far.

• Innistrad Remastered: Featuring cards from the Innistrad block, Shadows over Innistrad block, MID, and VOW, the set is slated to drop through events that begin on Jan. 17.

• Aetherdrift: This is the first set of 2025 and will launch officially on Feb. 14. The Standard-legal set was designed around a multiplane race that features an Aether Spark as a grand prize win which Chandra is determined to win for Nissa. The set will have a heavy Vehicle theme within its design and Limited will feature 10 dual-color archetypes that represent teams from different Multiverse planes. 

• Tarkir Dragonstorm: The highly anticipated return to Tarkir will take place through the official release on April 11. It's been a decade since WotC showcased the Tarkir plane. Limited and the main set have a three-color design focus in a plane that showcases both dragons and  Khans. Ugin and Sarkhan Vol will also return for the epic set. 

• Final Fantasy: Showcasing content from volumes one to 16 is the Universes Beyond Final Fantasy set. The official release date is June 13. The artwork featured in the set is from MTG artists, along with classic art from the Final Fantasy artists. 

• Edge of Eternities: Travel into space for the fall release of Edge of Eternities on Aug. 1. Tezzeret returns as the main villain in a set designed around space fantasy tropes. 

• Marvel Spider-Man: We don't have an official release date for Spider-Man, although it's likely that the set will drop sometime in late September or early October. 

• UUB (TBD): Yes, there is still one more set dropping in 2025 and it's a Universes Beyond set that hasn't been announced at time of writing.

For those of you who have been counting, there are six Standard-legal MTG sets dropping in 2025. 

Foundations spoilers

In addition to all the new changes taking place in MTG during the Foundations era that were revealed at MagicCon Vegas, spoilers for the upcoming set also dropped. It is important to remember these cards are expected to remain legal to play in Standard through at least 2029. 

Multiple Planeswalkers are returning to Standard and I'm excited about it. It was also revealed that Foundations will have a Limited format and Special Guest cards. Jumpstart returns as do dual-color Scry lands. And as with all MTG sets, there are multiple variants to chase after for the collectors. 

• Borderless treatments

• Borderless Mana Foil treatment

• Japan Showcase treatment

• Special Guest Showcase frames

And that's a wrap for this week’s MTG Madness installment. Be sure to check in throughout the weekend for Worlds standings and Standard decks shaping up the meta.