Between the horror in Innistrad, the cyberpunk races of Aetherdrift, Final Fantasy and the struggles between Dragons, Magic's schedule for 2025 is busy. Also with two fairly versatile Secret Lair extensions!
After two contradictory pieces of news, the first where I spoke to you about the loss of identity of Magic with the Marvel crossover, then the second which made me lie with the pre-orders for this same crossover which exploded the servers, I am speaking to you today of the expansion schedule for Magic for 2025. With a surprise guest: SpongeBob.
The Magic schedule for 2025
Here are all the expansions planned for 2025 for Magic!
Innistrad Remastered (released January 24, 2025)
Innistrad Remastered revisits the horrific theme that was a hit in its previous iterations. This expansion will bring together the best cards from the series, and a renewed and terrifying drafting experience, faithful to the unique atmosphere of Innistrad. I find it a little too close to the release of Mornebrune thematically, but oh well.
Aetherdrift (released February 14, 2025)
In Aetherdrift, players take part in a fast-paced race across three different dimensions, choosing from ten teams of dual mana colors. This expansion introduces a racing concept that mixes strategy and skill to capture the Aetherspark, the ultimate trophy. It looks great, and the obvious connection with Mad Max makes this expansion very desirable in my eyes!
Tarkir: Storm of Dragons (released April 11, 2025)
Return to the tumultuous plane of Tarkir, where dragons and clan factions resume their legendary battles. Tarkir: Dragonstorm brings back stylish elements like the dragon storms and key characters like Sarkhan and Ugin. This will be the only purely Heroic Fantasy expansion of the year!
Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy (released June 13, 2025)
Squaresoft's famous Final Fantasy franchise comes to the Magic multiverse with a complete expansion. Scheduled for June 2025, this expansion is inspired by key elements from the entire FF saga, incorporating legendary characters such as Cloud and Noctis. Each card will be a celebration of the narrative richness of Final Fantasy, enriched by exclusive illustrations created for the occasion. So, who is this Mythical Foil Chocobo for? I hope we can play Blitzball!
At the Gates of Eternities (released August 1, 2025)
This expansion this time takes players to the confines of a science fiction universe, where worlds orbit around stars of mana and aether. At the Gates of Eternities follows scavengers (not Axiom) exploring a galaxy on the verge of collapse, with Space Opera, Metabarons and Devourers of Worlds, Magic sauce on the menu.
Marvel's Spider-Man (at the end of the year)
We don't know much about this Secret Lair, a continuation of the one on Marvel, and you'll have to watch the launch page here. In my opinion everything will be scalped by bots and the set will be sold out in less than 5 minutes.
SpongeBob (in 2025 unspecified)
The SpongeBob universe joins the Magic collection in a special Secret Lair. It's the turn of Nickelodeon's iconic yellow sponge to make its completely WTF-esque entry into the Wizards of the Coast universe. Fans are already speculating about the inclusion of characters such as Squidward and Sandy, or recurring accessories from the series, such as Bob's spatula or the Magic Conch.
Fortnite-ification
This way of mixing IPs to scrape consumers everywhere has a name: Fortnite-ification. Because the video game Fortnite implemented this way of thinking about business, by bringing together big names in chaotic mixes. Magic's split is crude in 2025, between Innistrad, Final Fantasy, Spider-Man and SpongeBob.
If the objective of Secret Lair is to bring new players to the Magic table, which an expansion like Innistrad for example will not do, one wonders what the long-term effects of these expansions will be. As many IPs as Lord of the Rings or Fallout have points in common with the Lore of Magic in a global way. But seeing Spider-Man and now SpongeBob integrate this lore, much less.
On the other hand, Magic has changed the way it designs Infinite Universes, making them compatible with all formats of the game. This is how Final Fantasy will be playable in Standard or Modern.
