Magic: The Gathering Announces Unsanctioned Set

Magic: The Gathering this week announced Unsanctioned, a new silver border set coming in February 2020. Unsanctioned follows in the tradition of Magic's off-kilter, humorous "Un"-sets like Unglued, Unhinged, and Unstable, but provides a new kind of play experience to use those cards. Unsanctioned is made up of five combinable 30-card, silver-bordered decks for wacky and fun gameplay. The set includes sixteen new cards, plus reprints of cards from previous Un-sets. Combine the decks to do battle against friends and foes in the wackiest Magic: The Gathering experience imaginable. As a preconstructed, out fo the box, lighthearted experience, it's an easy way to share a fun Magic experience with casual players.

Unsanctioned also includes new full-art, black-bordered basic land cards with new. That's something players can take from the set and add to any tournament legal deck.

Wizards of the Coasts released some additional details about what the set is made up of. Unsanctioned includes:

• 5 30-card decks
• 2 six-sided dice
• 10 double-sided tokens
• 10 full-art basic lands (5 regular, 5 premium)
• 1 reusable box

Magic: The Gathering is set to have a big year in 2020. The free-to-play online version of the game, Magic: The Gathering Arena, launched with the release of Magic's latest set, Throne of Eldraine. Wizards of the Coast hopes to make the Magic: The Gathering a competitor in the esports space by taking advantage of Arena's spectator-focused presentation.

Wizards also revealed its Standard set release schedule for 2020, and it includes returns to two fan-favorite planes from the Magic: The Gathering multiverse. The first 2020 Magic: the Gathering set is Theros: Beyond Death. Theros is the plane inspired by Greek mythology that was introduced in the 2013-2014 Theros block of sets, which consisted of Theros, Born of the Gods, and Journey Into Nyx. Theros is ruled by a pantheon of gods. Mortals live in perpetual fear of the gods and their wanton whims. The plane is home to minotaurs, giants, sea creatures, sirens, and heroes.

The second Magic: The Gathering set of 2020 is Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths. Ikoria is a brand new plane in the Magic multiverse. It is described as "the plane of monsters" and that players will be able to "make their own monsters" with cards from the set.

Then comes the annual Magic: The Gathering Core Set. Core 2021 will focus on Teferi, the time-manipulating planeswalker and hero of Dominaria, Magic's original home plane. Core 2020 focused on Chandra Nalaar and she received multiple Planeswalkers cards at different rarities in the set. Perhaps Teferi will get the same treatment in Core 2021.

The final set of 2020, which will usher in a new Standard rotation, is Zendikar Rising, a return to the shattered plane of adventure that debuted in the original Zendikar block of sets in 2009-2010 (Zendikar, Worldwake, Rise of the Eldrazi). Magic revisited the setting in a sequel block in 2015-2016 (Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch). The plane is home to races of humans, elves, vampires, kor, and merfolk. The plane was nearly destroyed when the Eldrazi — otherworldly titans of immense scale — destroyed two of the planes continents. The efforts of the Gatewatch stopped the rampage and the survivors are struggling to restore the plane to life.

Are you looking forward to Unsanctioned and the other 2020 Magic: The Gathering releases? Let us know in the comments. Unsanctioned goes on sale February 29, 2020.