Magic: The Gathering is capping off a strong year with a couple more sets still to come, specifically in its Universes Beyond crossovers, before the end of 2025. With the likes of the Final Fantasy collection earlier this summer shaking up the meta scene, as well as becoming the most profitable set by far (amassing $200 million in a single day), Magic: The Gathering is heading into next year with a full head of steam.
Firstly, Marvel's Spider-Man Universes Beyond set is already garnering a lot of attention, and it drops soon on September 26. Following that will be the Avatar: The Last Airbender collection , releasing on November 21. While those are the final two for this year, there are a few known details about what players can expect from Magic: The Gathering in 2026. And given that the UB collections likely won't be slowing down any time soon, there is one I feel that would make for a great collaboration for a number of reasons.
Due to licensing issues, Wizards of the Coast will be adding a set titled Through the Omenpaths that recreates the Spider-Man cards as an in-universe collection solely on digital platforms.
I'm Really Hoping That One of Magic: The Gathering's 2026 Universes Beyond Sets is a Resident Evil Crossover
Wizards of the Coast Will Reveal More Information About the 2026 Release Schedule Soon
So far, it's known that six Standard-legal sets will be dropping throughout 2026. These will be split evenly between original ones and Universes Beyond. Regarding the former category, Lorwyn Eclipsed is scheduled for January 23, 2026, with Secrets of Strixhaven coming in Q2 2026. The third, which will be the final within the story arc, has a planned Q3 release and is currently known only by its vague codename: Ziplining. Thankfully, though, fans won't have to wait long to see what else Wizards of the Coast has in store for next year, as the upcoming MagicCon, which will be held on the same day as the Spider-Man full release, promises to reveal more of 2026's roadmap.
Why a Magic: The Gathering x Resident Evil Collaboration in 2026 Would be a Perfect Fit
Magic: The Gathering has covered a wide variety of specific themes and genres over the years, such as the popular animal-centric Bloomburrow and the Western-flavored Outlaws of Thunder Junction. The most recent in-unverse set, Edge of Eternities, is heavily science-fiction themed. A Resident Evil crossover would naturally channel some of the more horror-themed collections that MTG has previously done, like the Lovecraftian Shadows Over Innistrad, and last year's Duskmourn: House of Horror.
However, the biggest reason I would argue that the timing would be right for this crossover is that 2026 marks Resident Evil's 30th anniversary. On top of that, the highly-anticipated latest entry in the franchise, Resident Evil: Requiem, will be dropping in February. Wizards teaming up with Capcom to create a Resident Evil set would go a long way towards celebrating this milestone, and, similar to the Final Fantasy set, likely draw in new players along with pleasing longtime fans.
In terms of how I could see an RE adaptation functioning, it might follow the pattern that MTG's collaborations for Fallout and Final Fantasy have. WotC could take a few notable and recognized characters and place them in the Commander spot, with potential picks and their likely color combinations being:
- Chris Redfield/Leon Kennedy (White/Red/Green)
- Albert Wesker (Black/Red/Blue)
- Jill Valentine (White/Blue/Red)
- Lady Dimitrescu (Blue/Black/Green)
These are only a few personal suggestions, of course, but ones I posit could at least be a good starting point. The set could also draw from the IP's rich history by featuring other supporting cast members, Resident Evil's diverse enemy types, and significant events in the series. All in all, I think it would be excellent to see Magic: The Gatherin g bring Resident Evil into its world, and would point to all the above as justification for why there would be no better time for it than 2026.
- Franchise
- Magic: The Gathering
- Original Release Date
- 1993
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Age Recommendation
- 13+