Quick Hits

• The Hobbit Spoilers Shake Up Multiple Formats: MTGGoldfish reports that Settle the Wreckage is returning to Standard, while EDHREC speculates that the newly revealed Smaug, Wicked Worm could be cEDH's next Dockside Extortionist.
• Gen Con Mystery Booster Incoming: Mark Rosewater confirmed on his blog that the highly anticipated Mystery Booster Commander Edition should be playable or revealed at Gen Con this weekend.
• Splinter Twin Gets a New Toy: Draftsim highlights a newly spoiled common Hobbit bear that opens up fresh infinite combo lines for Modern's most infamous duo.
• Looking Ahead to Star Trek: Draftsim confirms that the Star Trek release closing out 2026 will feature a Standard-legal main set, a bonus sheet, and dedicated Commander decks.
• Design Teases from Mark Rosewater: Rosewater touched on the lack of flying in the upcoming Nauctis set, the return of the "prepared" mechanic in Reality Fracture, and the possibility of a Future Sight-framed Garruk callback.

Set News

The Hobbit spoiler season is hitting its stride. MTGGoldfish breaks down the latest reveals, including a cycle of rare legendary Dwarves and the massive Standard-legal return of Settle the Wreckage. Mark Rosewater also explained the creative process behind flavor-shifted reprints like Bilbo’s Deadly Slice, noting that R&D will gladly rename functional reprints like Murder if it fits the set's story better. Looking further ahead, MTGStocks offers early speculation on what players should be watching for in future 2026 releases, while Draftsim dives into everything we know about the upcoming Star Trek Standard set and its Commander decks.

Commander Corner

The Hobbit continues to dump absolute gas into the 99 and the command zone. EDHREC asks if Smaug, Wicked Worm is the next Dockside Extortionist for the cEDH format, while Draftsim reminds Commander players that the newly reprinted Settle the Wreckage remains one of the most tilting board wipes to windmill slam. For players looking for a different typal strategy, EDHREC breaks down Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a unique Hero commander. Finally, if you're messing around with Un-cards in your Rule Zero games, Rosewater clarified a rules interaction with Split Screen, reminding players that each divided deck pile must be completely randomized.

Competitive Scene

Standard might have a new hilarious boogeyman, as MTGGoldfish's "Against the Odds" built a deck that leverages Multiversal Incursion to copy itself infinitely. Over in older formats, Joe Dyer is covering the format staples: he explores the resurgence of CounterVine in Vintage, as well as the impact of the Energy mechanic in Legacy. For Modern players feeling starved for strong black creatures, Rosewater offered a glimmer of hope, assuring players that color pie pendulums swing and black will have its day again soon.

Finance & Market

Beyond the immediate impact of The Hobbit, players are looking back to older sets to find hidden gems. EDHREC ranks the Top 10 aggressive fliers to slot alongside the newly spoiled Lord of the Eagles. EDHREC also continues their Precon Remastered series, taking a data-driven look at how to upgrade the Sworn to Darkness Ob Nixilis deck, and explores the lasting Commander value of the Khans of Tarkir and Theros block era. If you're just looking to bling out your existing mana base, Draftsim ranked the 28 best Forest arts in Magic history to chase for your collection.

Design & Lore

Mark Rosewater's blog was highly active today, offering a peek behind the curtain of R&D. He confirmed that Wizards conducts formal post-release retrospectives for every set to evaluate successes and failures. When asked about designing hybrid cards, Rosewater noted that Blue/Black and Blue/Red are the trickiest color pairs—especially at lower rarities—though creatures are universally easier to design in that space than non-creatures. Vorthos players also got a treat: Rosewater acknowledged the famous lore regarding Garruk Wildspeaker originally being slated for Future Sight, stating there is perhaps a chance we could eventually see him printed in the iconic future-shifted frame as a callback.