After Dominaria Remastered: Release Schedule 2023

The long-awaited release of Dominaria Remastered opens today, January 13th!

Its whopping 27 sets span the legendary plane’s history both in-lore and in-real, aiming to be a big step up from the previous Time Spiral Remastered. With a format that is perfect for all types of players, and cards that showcase the long history of Dominaria, it makes you really wonder... why wasn’t this set made as the centerpiece of last year’s infamous 30th anniversary?

But enough of Dominaria Remastered, because we’re just getting started. With a few updated changes here and there, we welcome the rest of the goodies that we should anticipate in Magic: The Gathering for the year 2023.

Magic: The Gathering 2023 Set Release Schedule Overview

• Dominaria Remastered – January 13, 2023 Released
• Phyrexia: All Will Be One – February 10, 2023 (changed from February 3, 2023)
• March of the Machine – April 21, 2023
• March of the Machine: The Aftermath – May 12, 2023
• Shadows over Innistrad Remastered – Mid-2023 (MTG Arena)
• The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth (Universes Beyond) – Q3 2023
• Wilds of Eldraine – Q3 2023
• Doctor Who Commander (Universes Beyond) – Q4 2023
• The Lost Caverns of Ixalan – Q4 2023

Phyrexia: All Will Be One (February 10th)

After the disaster at the Mana Rig and the battle at Urza’s Tower, we head back to the plane of New Phyrexia, formerly the artificial plane of Mirrodin. This will be the premier set of 2023, launching off with the penultimate climax of the current main story. As the set’s name suggests, a lot of new Phyrexian cards will be introduced, more planeswalkers to be compleated, as well as the return of the Rebel creature type, representing the unwavering vagabonds of old Mirrodin. The set has been controversial as of late for having leaked way too many cards than usual. But at least, this gives us a very early glimpse into its signature mechanics and abilities.

Phyrexia: All Will be One's release date was pushed back a week from its original release schedule of February 3rd, apparently due to “player feedback”. Subsequent updates then subjected Phyrexia: All Will Be One to pre-release legality changes as the first one to officially implement them (later).

March of the Machine (April 21st)

Thankfully, this set isn’t as spoiled as Phyrexia: All Will Be One, as only specific product catalog additions on Amazon for the Aftermath were spotted prematurely so far. As hyped by WotC, it is (supposedly) the final showdown of New Phyrexia against everyone who is against their uncontrolled expansion to the Multiverse. Not a single shred of information is concretely unveiled just yet. The promo art is inspiring, if anything, despite nothing really of note. There are also (non-leak-based) clues, starting with the new World Tree that Elesh Norn shows to the disassembled Karn.

Is it overhyped? It inevitably would be. The scale of its effects on the bigger world of Magic: The Gathering lore and mechanic-wise seems to give off a size larger than that of Eldritch Moon, War of the Spark, or probably even Apocalypse itself.

March of the Machine: The Aftermath (May 12th)

Sets that are introduced as epilogues of an overarching story are quite rare in Magic: The Gathering. Even weirder, this set is scheduled to be released only a month after. What exactly is the point of this set? It is by far the most enigmatic set since we know that it is a Standard-legal feature set, yet has all these weird elements that separate it from regular releases. But hey, since the game and its Multiverse are claimed to have significant fundamental changes after the poetic climax, this probably is a way to show how it works.

That, or these so-called “Epilogue Boosters” are just another marketing tactic to beef up the hype for Phyrexia: All Will Be One and March of the Machine.

Shadows Over Innistrad Remastered (Mid-2023)

The much-awaited release of this classic set’s remastered version has been years in the making. With the schedule slot already revealed for it, the next question would be: how would its update be implemented in MTG Arena? Since it will be a curated mix of the original Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon, we’re left to wonder as to which cards will be included, and to fear which ones will be deliberately cut from the chopping block.

Perhaps one possibility is that, since The Brothers’ War reintroduced meld, we should expect cards like Brisela, Voice of Nightmares to make a return. Hoping that our gargantuan mistress stuck on the moon will return as well.

Universes Beyond - Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth (Q3 2023)

For this year’s Universes Beyond release, MTG looks forward to releasing probably the most iconic high-fantasy franchise of all time. Though opinions will be wildly mixed among players, the realm of Middle-Earth still fits right into the flavor of Magic: The Gathering’s most iconic stories and sets. Hopefully, the products themselves will have a more reasonable composition and price, if the Baldur’s Gate much-skewed product releases last year are to be made as reference.

Oh and, do take note that this release will be largely based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books, rather than any of the later adaptations and spin-offs. So depictions (art, mechanics, etc.), characters, and maybe even the flavor of card effects might not be what you remember from the big screen.

Wilds of Eldraine (Q3 2023)

Quite sometime after the climactic battle between the Phrexians and various Multiverse denizens, we go back into the iconic fairy tale plane! Huh, come to think of it, we never did know what really happened to Oko, Thief of Crowns at the end of Throne of Eldraine. Of course, being that this is the famous (infamous?) set that introduced well-loved mechanics and abilities such as adventure cards and Elk food tokens, we’re sure to expect similar additions again, plus potential “flavorful” improvements that could “spice” it all up more.

Could the word “wilds” be a clue as to the focus of the set? Meh, we still have to witness the ultimate fate of the Multiverse first before we even consider anything else.

Universes Beyond - Doctor Who Commander (Q4 2023)

Another entry for this year’s Universes Beyond crossover product series, Doctor Who celebrates its 60th anniversary with a fateful crossover with Magic: The Gathering. The franchise, oddly enough, actually fits the game’s multiversal nature. As such, the best we can expect would be the colorful array of classic transdimensional villains and otherworldly folks of this well-loved series. These beings represent what otherwise would have been creatures from Magic: The Gathering’s plethora of iconic planes. Aside from the regular commander packs and decks, obligatory Secret Lair goodies is also expected to be on the way.

Wait, did that Levitating Statue just…

Lost Caverns of Ixalan (Q4 2023)

Ah yes, the recuperation plane of the battle-worn planeswalkers (players). At this point in time, the events of New Phyrexia might just be an echoing memory for the survivors, so it will be the perfect time to back into the high seas of piratic adventures. Based on the name of the set, looks like it will be less about stealing and taking booty, and more about uncovering and discovering booty. Like Wilds of Eldraine, though, not a single bit of information is available just yet, so everything moving forward will just be speculation.

It is interesting to note that at one point in time, Mark Rosewater admitted that the Ixalan sets were “underperformers”, despite players loving the new setting, lore, and factions. Like, it tanked financially. The Kamigawa sets were at one point, also the same. But with the explosive success of Kamigawa Neon Dynasty, is it safe to expect that the Lost Caverns of Ixalan is also about to revive the plane in the same way?