MTG Daily Digest — March 21, 2026

---

Set News

MaRo Reveals Current Codename City: Havana Now in Exploratory Design In a Tumblr Q&A, Mark Rosewater confirmed that Wizards' internal set codenames have shifted to cities, and the set currently in exploratory design is codenamed "Havana." No details on plane or theme yet, but the pipeline keeps churning. Source

Destiny 2 Secret Lair Announced — Universes Beyond Keeps Expanding WotC dropped an unexpected Destiny 2 Secret Lair reveal, adding Bungie's looter-shooter to the ever-growing Universes Beyond roster. Details on card treatments and contents are still emerging, but expect Guardian-flavored reprints or new designs. Source

Deadpool Secret Lair Power Creeps Classics in Low-Value Drop The second Deadpool Secret Lair is catching flak for functionally superior reprints of beloved cards stuffed into a drop with questionable overall value. If you thought Saw in Half couldn't get more chaotic, Deadpool found a way. Source

Secrets of Strixhaven Codex Bundles — Walmart Has the Best Deal The new Codex Bundle product type launches with Secrets of Strixhaven, and Walmart is currently offering the best price point for preorders. If you're looking to crack packs without cracking your wallet, this might be the move. Source

MaRo's Drive to Work: Collector Numbers & New Phyrexia Two new podcast episodes dropped — one is a surprisingly deep dive into collector numbers (yes, he fills thirty minutes), and the other revisits New Phyrexia, the Phyrexian-victory capstone of the Scars of Mirrodin block. Essential listening for design nerds. Source 1 | Source 2

---

Commander Corner

March Commandness Bracket — Round Four Heats Up EDHREC's bracket tournament rolls into round four with the East and West conferences narrowing the field. The matchups are getting spicy as fan-favorite commanders battle it out for bracket supremacy. Source

Building Rat Typal with Marrow-Gnawer — TMNT Set Sleeper The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover set gave Rat typal some unexpected gas. Marrow-Gnawer remains the premier Rat commander, and EDHREC breaks down how to build around the swarm with new and classic tech. Source

Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order — Top 10 Flash Creatures with +1/+1 Counters If you're building around this TMNT duo, the key is flash creatures that enter with counters. Snapping Drake this ain't — think Voracious Greatshark and friends that play at instant speed while growing your board. Source

Political Puppets Precon Remastered — Zedruu Gets the 2026 Treatment EDHREC's Commander Remastered series tackles the classic Zedruu the Greathearted precon, rebuilding it with modern staples while keeping the political gift-giving spirit alive. A great starting point if you've always wanted to donate your Rust Elemental to a friend. Source

Commander Clash: Only Pre-2003 Cards Legal MTGGoldfish's crew cut out two decades of power creep by restricting themselves to cards printed before 2003. No Dockside, no Smothering Tithe, no Cyclonic Rift — just good old-fashioned Odyssey-block jank and actual fair Magic. Source

Etali, Primal Conqueror — Hot and Cold Cards EDHREC's Fire and Ice series examines which cards are trending up and down in Etali builds. If you're still windmill-slamming every green ramp spell, it might be time to reassess what actually closes games when you flip off the top. Source

10 Fun Budget Commander Decks Draftsim ranks the best budget-friendly Commander lists that don't sacrifice playability for price. Proof that you don't need a Mana Crypt to have a good time at the table. Source

EDH vs. cEDH: Key Differences Explained A solid primer for players navigating the sometimes-blurry line between casual Commander and cEDH. If your pod is arguing about whether Thassa's Oracle combos are "casual," this article won't settle it, but it'll give you the vocabulary. Source

---

Competitive Scene

MaRo on Control's Place in Standard A player asked why WotC supports control strategies that "prevent others from playing." MaRo's answer: control has its fans, and Play Design monitors format share. If control is dominating your Arena queue, expect the pendulum to swing — it always does. Source

The Pro Tour Riot of 1997 — A Magic History Deep Dive MTGGoldfish revisits one of competitive Magic's wildest moments: the actual riot at Pro Tour Los Angeles in 1997. Tournament logistics, heated players, and an era when organized play was still figuring itself out. A fascinating read for anyone who thinks modern tournament drama is bad. Source

---

Limited & Draft

The Ultimate Guide to Pauper on MTG Arena Draftsim's updated guide covers everything you need to know about Arena's Pauper format — card pool differences from paper Pauper, top archetypes, and why commons-only Magic is a great way to sharpen your limited fundamentals without spending wildcards. Source

Wilds of Eldraine's Lasting Design Impact MaRo credits Wilds of Eldraine with pushing creative draft archetype theming beyond faction sets. If you've noticed recent limited environments feeling more flavorfully cohesive, WOE was the proof of concept. Source

---

Finance & Market

Weekly Price Spikes: Tasigur Leads a Quiet Week Tasigur, the Golden Fang headlines an otherwise calm market cycle. Premodern continues to quietly move needles, and the Dandan Secret Lair scalper fiasco is the elephant in the room nobody wants to discuss. Source

MTGStocks Weekly Winners: Premodern Drives Two Spikes Two of this week's three winners come from the Premodern format, reinforcing that the format's player base is growing enough to move markets. The third winner is a Commander staple described as "quite the dilemma" — worth checking if it's in your collection. Source

The 25 Most Valuable Sets in Magic Draftsim's updated rankings remind us that Post Malone's $2M The One Ring put Magic finance on mainstream radar, but Alpha through Legends still dominate the top of the list. A good reference if you're evaluating sealed product investments. Source

---

Design & Lore

Epic Stays at 9 on the Storm Scale — But Is There Design Space Nearby? A player asked MaRo whether a mechanic capturing Epic's flavor without the "no more spells" restriction could exist. His answer: a mechanic that stops you from casting spells is fundamentally hard to bring back, and Legendary Sorceries already explored adjacent space. Epic fans, keep dreaming. Source

New Capenna Return: "At Some Point," But Not Soon MaRo acknowledged that New Capenna's first visit wasn't a home run, so a return likely won't happen for a while. If you're a fan of the art deco demon crime families, patience is the name of the game. Source

MDFCs: Designed as Modal Cards, Not "Lands with Upside" When asked whether MDFCs are designed as lands-first or spells-first, MaRo clarified the team views them as truly modal — neither side is the "default." This design philosophy explains why some MDFCs feel like premium spells with a land backup while others feel like lands with upside. Source

"Understand Who Does Like a Design You Don't" MaRo's answer to "what constraint do you wish players understood?" is a masterclass in design empathy: before critiquing a card, try to identify the player it was designed for. Not every card is for every player, and that's the whole point of a 30-year-old game with dozens of formats. Source

WotC Still Looking for Lore-Only Character Card Outlets With Commander precons tied to Standard sets and supplemental sets phased out, there's a gap in how WotC prints cards for lore characters without current story relevance. MaRo confirms they're "on the lookout" for a product to fill that niche. Vorthos players, your patience may yet be rewarded. Source

---

That's the digest for March 21. Havana is on the horizon, Rats are swarming, and Deadpool is power creeping your childhood favorites. Shuffle up.