As this year of Magic: the Gathering unfolds, Universes Beyond will play a huge role in Magic's premier format, Standard. While Paper Magic has made a massive comeback following the pandemic, Digital formats like Magic: the Gathering Online and MTG Arena are still as strong as ever. However, Universes Beyond hasn't always been featured digitally, especially on MTG Arena - and it looks like that trend will continue as we move through 2025.
In a post on the Magic: the Gathering site, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that not all UB sets will be represented digitally, despite the fact that they are legal in any format starting this. This begs the obvious question of how formats like Standard, Modern and more will function if those cards aren't represented in Arena or MTGO. Today, the company announced a new release type to solve this that will be exclusive to digital formats: Through the Omenpaths.
Through the Omenpaths are digital sets that are mechanically the same as their real-world Universes Beyond counterparts. These sets will feature new names for cards and original card art that are consistent with Magic's own multiverse, but mechanically are identical to their Universes Beyond versions in Paper.
Via today's blog post:
"We will not be creating Through the Omenpaths sets mirroring every Universes Beyond set, only the ones that will not be coming to digital platforms. This lets our formats remain mechanically at parity with one another digitally without having to create patchwork solutions here or there. We are also currently only planning to create Through the Omenpaths releases for full sets that are legal in all formats."
The first set to receive this treatment will be the upcoming Magic: the Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man set releasing on September 23rd. Both the upcoming Final Fantasy and Avatar: The Last Airbender sets will be fully represented within Magic's digital offerings. Magic's Blake Rasmussen also confirmed in the post that future Marvel sets will get the Through the Omenpaths treatment.
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