As 2025 comes to a close, I've been reflecting on my time playing Magic this year. It's been a year of highs and lows, as I put up some of my best tournament results and consistent RCQ wins, while also falling painfully short of my first Pro Tour invite. At the same time, I've taken more of a break from playing Magic this year in favor of focusing on my personal life more. As I get older, I've found life gets in the way more, for better or for worse.

My relationship with Magic is ever-evolving. I've still got the fire, but as the game changes, both in its competitive tournament structure and its inclusion of non-Magic IPs, I find myself reevaluating what matters to me. 2026 is going to be a huge year for Magic, as it's the first time we have seven Standard releases in a year, with more than half of them being Universes Beyond products. While this has been stated to not be the case every year, it makes me cautious of how Magic is changing as a game. In 2026 I've thought of a few key changes I'd like to make to my Magic lifestyle, and while I certainly won't be leaving the game any time soon, the time I spend with it is slowly being allocated to other areas of my life.

Playing Next to No RCQs

RCQs, in my opinion, have become a waste of time outside of them being a prime way to hang with the homies. With the changes to the RC circuit, stores now get to run three events per season, some with two invites, giving players the opportunity to play two Regionals in a season. Overall, I appreciate there are more paths to qualify for these events, but it almost feels like too much now. Regional Championships also now allot last-chance qualifiers, in which if you win an invite you can apply it to that RC, or a future one. This makes qualifying very easy if you're already planning on going to the event itself, especially if you live in an area with a multitude of stores.

The last RC I played had around 1400 players in it, making it much larger than most, if not all, of the Spotlight Series events this year. This honestly has made Regionals feel less like a special event and more like a chore to qualify for. As a 30-year-old I no longer want to spend my weekends traveling to a store to play a five-round event, to try to win it just for the opportunity to play an event that's about the same size as old Grand Prix. Rather, I think it's a better use of your time to just travel to the RC itself and LCQ. Even if you don't win on Friday there are still a ton of events the remainder of the weekend that give qualifications (this is how I got my most recent invite for a Regional that's not for another four months!).

That being said, I do think there's merit to playing an RCQ if you know it's going to be soft or have good odds. I wouldn't give up on playing that two-slot 14-person Standard RCQ that's down the street from you, but I certainly wouldn't give up your weekends or valuable free time to slug out a 33+ person event for one slot.

Playing the Best Deck

If you're a consistent reader of my articles you know I have an affinity for Control decks in Standard. While it's true that I feel more confident playing Control, I think at times I lose out on percentage points by playing a deck that isn't in the top three of a given format. Now this isn't always the right choice, as my Jeskai Control deck was probably the perfect choice for me at RC Minneapolis earlier this year, as I had a great matchup against the most popular deck in the room. It also isn't the case when I play smaller local RCQ events where I know I'll have an edge given my knowledge of the metagame. However, in 2026 I want to push myself to play better decks.

Over the course of my career I've come short of a big top 8, tournament win, or qualification in a number of events. I'm definitely not the best player, and I still make some boneheaded mistakes to this day. However, I do think there are times where I would be rewarded for playing a more proactive strategy, especially given my skill level and time playing the game. I think it all comes down to preparation time.

For example, with RC Portland taking place on the same weekend as Lorwyn Eclipsed's release, I probably won't play anything too crazy at the Regional Championship just to play it safe. I don't want to get trapped trying to scramble together a new deck that I have no practice in - the stress isn't worth it for someone who works a full-time job already. RC Portland is probably an event where I play a Control deck.

However, looking to the future at RC Columbus later this year, I'd like to play whatever the "best deck" is. The problem is, I should only really do this if I have the time or resources to practice and learn my list inside and out. I actually recommend that my friends pick up Control for the local RCQ tournaments. I personally don't approve of the ideology of picking up the "best deck" with no practice as a winning strategy. Sometimes you get bailed out by dumb cards doing dumb things, but I feel like more often than not you'll lose to someone who just has slightly more practice or an idea of what's at play. This is why I prescribe Azorius Control - it's essentially just an easy deck to play because the gameplan is so basic and you don't worry about combat math.

Overall, I want to be better disciplined when it comes to deck choice. I also don't want to pick a deck simply because it's the best, but more so because I have the reps and practice to back it up.

Prioritizing Health and Sleep at important Events

To go off my last point, another important practice I want to put into place next year is to take better care of myself at events. When I was in my early 20's I traveled to events with little to no sleep, crammed myself in a room with four other guys, and ate some pretty bad takeout for my meals - sometimes not even carrying a water bottle with me at events! As I get older, and I travel to less large events overall, my sleep and well-being is more important than ever.

The reality is I probably will not go to most Magic Cons and Spotlight events this year, but will probably go to at least one Regional Championship per season cycle. Because I'm going to less events I most likely will be booking a hotel room for just myself, or staying with only one extra person max. This isn't because I don't like my friends, as a light sleeper I just need my rest, especially when taking flights after a whole work week.

Additionally, I want to be better about staying hydrated and snacking at multi-day tournaments. I've definitely gotten better at this over the past year (shoutout to my team for always having snacks on hand) but there's still room for improvement. I also want to be better about eating balanced meals on Friday and Saturday night, so as to not upset my stomach (thankfully I've given up on Korean BBQ at large event weekends).

While I don't think I'll need to stay by myself for less-important events, like Spotlight Series or Magic Cons, I do want to take the Regional Championships a bit more seriously this year.

Engaging Only With Products I Want to Engage With

Lastly, this year I only want to play with Magic products I know I'll enjoy. It's weird to even say this, given that only a few years ago we had no crossover IPs in Magic, but 2026 will mark the first year we'll have more out-of-universe products than within. Originally, I was fully on board with Universes Beyond for major sets that had big fantasy tie-ins. I was incredibly stoked both for Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth and Final Fantasy. While I'm a fan of both those IPs, I also just thought both of those properties made for great Magic sets.

Now we're at the point where you have to play with Spiderman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cards in competitive formats. Look, I have nothing against you if you're excited for these IPs in Magic. I also believe Universes Beyond is a fantastic way for Magic to grow and stay relevant while bringing in new players year after year. However, I no longer understand what Magic's identity is.

I'm sad that we only get three sets a year focusing on the mainline story and characters we've grown to love over the years. Again, I wouldn't be as upset if we only had one Universes Beyond mainline set a year, but three to four is just overkill. This has made me less enfranchised in Magic as a product, and I get it - I'm not the target audience anymore.

That being said, it's still a bit upsetting to see. I honestly don't think I'll be drafting any TMNT or much of Marvel Superheroes and Star Trek. I am pretty excited about The Hobbit, but with release windows being so small with seven sets a year, I probably won't get to draft the set all that much.

Magic as a product is changing at a rapid pace, and while people joke about the Fornite-ificcation of the game, I do see some truth in that sentiment. That being said I don't think anyone believes you need to engage with seven mainline expansions in a given year. Sadly, you might have to if you play Standard given how powerful sets are these days. However, it's okay to sit out a set or two.

I encourage people to take breaks from Magic. Whether you're an enfranchised grinder or just a Commander player, there's no reason for anyone to be expected to buy products or attend prerelease every month and a half. Rather, I think it's more important to engage with products or IPs you actually enjoy and allocate your budget to what makes you happy.

In my case, I'll be allocating my resources to acquiring Standard cards I want to play with or need for competitive events and just drafting the sets that look fun and interesting to me. 2026 is going to be an incredibly busy year for me work-wise, so I know I won't have time to play seven different sets. I will be keeping my eyes on all the in-universe sets, and The Hobbit though.

If you've come this far, thank you for listening to my ranting and raving about all things Magic. I don't write it enough, but I really do appreciate people taking the time to read my thoughts on this game that's impacted our lives so much. At the end of the day, Magic is still an incredible game that brings people together, especially face to face in the digital age. I still have so much fun Chaos drafting or winning an event with Azorius Control.

While 2026 is going to be a huge year for Magic I hope you too can find ways to better interact with the game and get the most out of it. Here's to the new year.

-Roman Fusco