It's that time again! As we approach the end of another year in Magic, I have turned my thoughts to the horizon, and began to think about the sets coming next year, and what the future might hold. 2026 looks to be an exciting year for Magic, and I can't wait to dive into some of these sets. These are my predictions for some of the things what we might see happen in 2026.

Lorwyn Eclipsed Will Be A Kamigawa-like Homerun

It took 18 years for Magic to return to Kamigawa, so when they finally did, they made it count, with Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty being one of the best, and most influential, sets this decade. Lorwyn Eclipsed feels like a similar case, as after almost two decades we're returning to one of the more beloved locations in Magic history. The previewed cards have looked flavorful, powerful, and evoke the set in a way that drips with nostalgia. With many players grasping for sets that feel like actual In-Universe Magic with the rise of Universes Beyond, I can see the design team working extra hard to make sure this set knocks it out of the park. This may be my most anticipated set of the year.

A Lesson card will be banned in 2026...

... and if Learn is a mechanic reprinted on Secrets of Strixhaven, we may see 2-3 Lessons banned. Right now, my bet is on Boomerang Basics, which combines with some of the cheaper cards like Stormchaser's Talent and Roaring Furnace to create the kind of obnoxious game states that got This Town Ain't Big Enough banned, only this is cheaper and draws a card as well. The Lesson cards from Avatar: The Last Airbender are much, much better than the Lesson cards from the original Strixhaven set, an, if they push Learn to a similar power-level in Secrets of Strixhaven, Lesson/Learn could be an oppressively powerful ability that will warp sideboarding across multiple formats. This is my big worry for Magic in 2026, from a design perspective.

Kindred/Typal Decks Will Be the Big Theme

It feels like so many of the sets in the last few years have focused on typal/kindred strategies. Bloomburrow was a pure kindred set, and that was great, but it felt like this spilled over into the rest of Magic design. Murders at Karlov Manor focused on detectives. Outlaws of Thunder Junction wanted us to focus on Outlaw types. Tarkir: Dragonstorm was, obviously, all about the dragons. Spider-Man had Hero and Villain focus, and Avatar: The Last Airbender gave us an Ally focus. There are so many competing creature types and most of them feel so poorly supported (because there's very little bleed over into the other sets) that it gets a little tedious at times. With Lorwyn Eclipsed and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the horizon, I fear this is only going to increase.

Reality Fracture Will Be The Biggest "Event Set" Since War of the Spark

Reality Fracture wraps up the Omenpaths storyline and I see it as a formative set that will shape Magic's next few years of in-Universe storylines. Will Jace ascend to true villainhood? Will Nicol Bolas make his return as the next Big-Bad? Will we get 15 more Loot cards? It's still too early to speculate on what exactly we'll see with the set, but this one feel special to me, like they're putting a lot of storytelling eggs in the basket, and we may see something huge come from this one.

Secret Lairs Will Be Better Than Ever

The recent announcement regarding the Monster Hunter Secret Lair Superdrop was huge, and game changing in many ways. This is the first time Wizards has changed an announced release strictly due to card design satisfaction (whether it was from the player base or the IP holders), and this could not have been an easy, or cheaper, action to take. As such, I can see this having major ramifications on the entire Secret Lair lineup going forward, as it's a shot across the bow for the sets. Wizards can't afford to have this kind of thing happen often, so they will probably respond by juicing the next few rounds of Secret Lair products until they can find a good equilibrium again. So, 2026 should see some powerful, high-value Secret Lairs.

Marvel Super Heroes Will Be Better Than Spider-Man

I think the reaction to the Spider-Man set has grown into something unprecedented in the way so many players have flocked to dogpile it. Personally, I don't think it was a very good set, and it has had very little impact on the Standard format, but the criticism has grown a bit out of control. Marvel is a probably the biggest partnership Magic has right now, so I expect them to rebound with a pushed second Marvel set.

Star Trek Will Be the Biggest Release of 2026

There is a TON of competition next year, with everything from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to a return to a Lorwyn some have desired for almost two decades, to a return to Middle Earth with The Hobbit. All of these have their own niche in the cultural zeitgeist, but my money is on Star Trek being the set that generates the most excitement (and $$$$) for 2026. Star Trek is one of the classic geek properties, and I'm betting it will draw in new players unlike any set we've seen in the Universes Beyond cannon.

You can find more of my Magic musings on Twitter/X @travishall456 and on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/anakinsdad.bsky.social