After Commander Masters: MTG Release Schedule 2023 (Second Half)

Universes Beyond - Lord of the Rings and Commander Masters mark the halfway point of 2023's MTG product release schedule. In terms of quantity, though, we are already well over half of the products, with just one more Universes Beyond set, and two main release sets split in between.

Magic: The Gathering 2023 Set Release Schedule Overview

• Dominaria Remastered – January 13, 2023 Released
• Phyrexia: All Will Be One – February 10, 2023 Released
• March of the Machine – April 21, 2023 Released
• March of the Machine: The Aftermath – May 12, 2023 Released
• Shadows over Innistrad Remastered – March 21,-2023 (MTG Arena exclusive) Released
• The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth (Universes Beyond) – June 23, 2023 Released
• Commander Masters – August 4, 2023
• Wilds of Eldraine – September 8, 2023
• Doctor Who (Universes Beyond) – October 13, 2023
• The Lost Caverns of Ixalan – November 2023

Commander Masters (August 4th)

Yet again a very anticipated Masters set release, and this time its focus is on the beloved Commander format. With lots of promised reprints for all the iconic cards auto-included in many Commander decks, it is poised to provide wide support for the format in many ways than one. While the set itself might only feature reprints, a bunch of goodies in the form of etched foils and extended cards are still collectible. There is also exclusive new art on several iconic Commander format staples, including the "borderless profile" style on a good number of selected legendary cards.

As for the actual new cards, they will be featured on the precons, which includes the legendary Commanders themselves. While you shouldn't expect anything earth-shattering from their effects, they should still provide even more options for your arsenal, and should fairly aid the precons in boosting their competitiveness out of the box.

Wilds of Eldraine (September 8th)

The majority of the most important updates about this set are still focused on the previous discussion at the Preview Panel of MagiCon Minneapolis. The iconic fairy tale plane was devastated after the Phyrexian Invasion, with the King and Queen losing their lives in the fierce battle. The overall power balance of the plane is set to change completely, and it doesn't help that Rowan and Will lost their sparks during the Great Pruning (and now have completely different plans). Even worse, with most of the plane's denizens falling under a slumbering spell, Ashiok would most likely enact yet another plan to establish new goals...

Thankfully, we should see the rise of new heroes and vagrants that would rise to the challenge of putting things back in order in this now-negatively enchanted place. Would this result in another Oko devastating Standard a plethora of new fairy tale references? We shall see very soon.

Universes Beyond - Doctor Who (October 13th)

As explained prior, Doctor Who will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023, marking Doctor Who Commander a momentous collaborative moment with MTG. The multiversal structure of Magic: The Gathering once again fits very well with the franchise's basic setting. It's not just other worlds, but other dimensions along their native folks. Well, the doctors won't be planeswalkers gameplay-wise, but they are functionally the same. We're already given a sneak peek of the product set, with new artworks, collector boosters, the four featured Commander decks, and basic lands showcasing the realms visited by the TARDIS.

... though at this point, I suppose the never-ending Levitation Statue joke is simply overused now.

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (November 2023)

There were supposedly a select group of people that were given additional details about this set during the MagicCon Minneapolis event. But so far, no public information is yet available. We don't even know if it would still heavily reference the Phyrexian invasion at this point. What we do know, is that it will resemble the classic "underground world" concepts of older fantasy and science fiction stories, at a time when it was still thought that the world could be significantly hollow underneath (and therefore could feature an entire realm).

Of course, this plane being Ixalan, pirates, dinosaurs, and Meso-American mythological references are still abound. Based on the name of the set, it might also take inspiration from franchises like Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, and Uncharted. Sadly, there's just not much information known about it at the moment.