Magic: the Gathering Making Controversial Change to Booster Boxes

Wizards of the Coast has announced it will be making a major change to Magic: the Gathering‘s booster boxes to start 2026, getting rid of a 17-year-long program. 2025 has been one of the biggest years ever for the beloved card game, with multiple highly anticipated sets and huge crossovers hitting the game. Magic: the Gathering‘s collaboration with Final Fantasy took the world by storm and became one of the fastest-selling sets ever, while November’s Avatar the Last: Airbender expansion has also proven to be a hit with fans. However, big changes look to be coming with 2026’s first set.

Magic: the Gathering will return to one of its most popular planes to kick off 2026, with the beloved world of Lorwyn set to come back into the spotlight. Wizards of the Coast has revealed Lorwyn Eclipsed as the first new set to come to the card game in 2026, scheduled to officially release on January 23. While Magic: the Gathering has yet to reveal much about the individual cards coming with Lorwyn Eclipsed, the developer has already teased some notable returns, including Magic‘s 5 remaining “Shock Lands” to complete the cycle started with Edge of Eternities. Now, a popular program will be seeing its last run in Lorwyn Eclipsed.

Magic the Gathering is Releasing New Final Fantasy Cards

Magic the Gathering has revealed several brand-new Final Fantasy cards coming to the game later this year as part of a new holiday product.

Wizards of the Coast officially revealed it will be putting an end to its “Buy-a-Box” promotion for Magic: the Gathering after the release of Lorwyn Eclipsed. The promotion previously gifted players with a special promotional card for buying a full booster box of a new Magic: the Gathering set, with the program first starting with Magic 2010’s release in July 2009. Wizards of the Coast did not share a reason for the discontinuation of Buy-a-Box promos within its official statement, simply stating that Lorwyn Eclipsed will end Magic‘s typical trend of including the promos. Wizards of the Coast also did not mention any potential promotion coming to replace Buy-a-Box promos.

Within the statement, Wizards of the Coast addresses how the Buy-a-Box promotion has changed significantly since its roots in 2009. Magic: the Gathering has often switched between printing alternate art versions of cards featured within sets and creating entirely new cards as its Buy-a-Box promos. The practice of including mechanically unique cards as Magic: the Gathering promos has even caused controversy several times, with past Buy-a-Box promos like Nexus of Fate and Kenrith, the Returned King releasing as meta-defining staples. Recent expansions have gone back and forth between alternate versions of cards within the expansion, like Avatar‘s Firebending Student, and new artwork for older cards, such as Final Fantasy‘s Herald’s Horn reprint.

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What’s Next for Magic: the Gathering in 2026?

While a successor to Magic‘s Buy-a-Box promos has not been revealed, Wizards of the Coast did tease some of its future plans. The developer hinted at “new event structures, support, and promotions” at local stores in the wake of Buy-a-Box’s discontinuation, with Magic‘s recent sets often experimenting with new types of product. The previously-mentioned Avatar: the Last Airbender set included an exclusive Commander Bundle, featuring Avatar-themed reprints of staple Commander format cards like Fierce Guardianship and Deflecting Swat. Magic: the Gathering‘s newer crossovers have also typically received their own Scene Boxes, offering mechanically unique cards with connecting artwork.

Image via Wizards of the Coast

Though Buy-a-Box promos are riding off into the sunset, Magic: the Gathering has lots in store for 2026. The TCG has already given fans a full roadmap of what to expect from the next calendar year, with popular Magic settings like the previously-mentioned Lorwyn and Strixhaven returning. Wizards of the Coast also has a plethora of crossovers planned throughout the year, teasing four different collaborations with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel Super Heroes, The Hobbit, and Star Trek as main sets. Magic: the Gathering‘s 2026 looks to be an eventful year with plenty of big changes on the way.