Magic Origins – What we know.

What is Magic Origins?

Magic Origins was first called M16 being the next in the Core Set cycle, but this year Wizards is morphing the Standard formula and changing the structure of the blocks. As a result the Core Sets will be no more and this release has thus been renamed Magic Origins. With a focused storyline and brand new features this set is looking set to be much grander then the usual summer Magic releases of past.

So, what’s different?

The main point Wizards wants to get across is that this set should not be seen as a ‘rebranded Core Set’ but instead it should be viewed as a unique set of its own. We should see less reprints and a shift towards new content that will make Magic Origins stand out.

There are a few key changes that definitely differentiate this set from a normal Core Set:

• There will be 2 new mechanics in Magic Origins. (Core Sets never contain new mechanics)
• A lot less reprinted cards then “normal” Core Sets.
• An overall storyline will be present in the cards, creating a more cohesive feel to the set.
• 272 cards in the set, three more than the usual 269.
• Double-faced Legendary Creatures/Planeswalkers!

Double-faced Creatures/Planeswalkers?!

That’s right! Magic Origins focuses on the origin stories of five returning Planeswalkers: Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, Chandra Nalaar, and Nissa Revane. Each of these characters gets a Legendary Creature card representing their former self that when a certain condition is met, will flip over and become the Planeswalker we know them to be! This, in my humble opinion, is a fantastic way to represent these character’s sparks igniting and adds a new layer to the game with creatures becoming Planeswalkers.

Will we see more double-faced cards in the set? Based on the knowledge that double-faced cards require their own special sheet to be printed out I feel positive that we will see more cards that flip over in this set. Perhaps we’ll see the evolution of other fringe characters as we get to see the moment that changed their life too.

The rest of the cards in the set will have a focus on telling the story of these characters according to Doug Beyer (Senior Creative Designer), “we’ll see these characters’ home worlds, learn about the joys and crises of their early lives, and discover how they became the Multiverse-traveling Planeswalkers we know today.”

What else do we know?

At the time of writing there is not much more solid information available on Magic Origins. We know the set will be tied in to Wizard’s next digital release, Magic Duels: Origins, which will be out on Xbox One, PC and iOS tablets, with a PS4 release later on. After that, aside from the normal speculation of “Fetches being reprinted!” not much is known about any of the cards in this set. Spoiler season will start soon after the release of Modern Masters 2015 at the end of May and hopefully we’ll start to learn more about this ‘new beginning’ set that has supplanted the Core Sets to lead us in to a new era of Magic.

We will update you once we know more!