Responding to a comment on his blog, Magic the Gathering’s lead designer Mark Rosewater has affirmed that “trans people, people of color, and women playing a larger role, are all part of modern fantasy because they’re all part of the actual world”, and that “it’s important that [MTG’s] stories and world building be reflective of that”.
Rosewater published his statement on his MTG blog on February 6 after a commenter expressed conflicted feelings about the promised ‘Return to Lorwyn’ MTG set. The commenter claims to be turned off by the “real world politic [sic] agenda (not so) subtly pushed in late sets”, and that “we want to see stories of faeries, kithkins, elves, goblins, giants, merfolk and cinders… no trans they/them fairies that think they’re kithkins”.
Rosewater’s response is extremely civil. He asserts “For far too long, fantasy, as a genre, was used as a way to reflect the worldview of those in power” which “leaned into stereotype and reflected how the privileged wished the world was”. In contrast, “modern fantasy is more reflective of the actual world”, including “the wide variety of life experiences that exists”. That, he says, includes trans experiences, as well as people of color, women with agency, and more.
Rosewater adds that the wish “to return to a time where we could ignore the existence of certain elements” of life because we are happy “living in that ignorance” is not “an excuse to deny real people and their real life experiences”. He says that “entertainment is at its best when it lifts everyone up and isn’t used as yet another means to ignore certain people’s reality”.
Addressing what an upcoming Lorwyn set may be like, he says “we understand returning to Lorwyn requires embracing what made people love it the first time around,” but that “there will be updates, as the game has evolved much since our first visit”. Nevertheless, the MTG design team is reportedly “very aware of the need to recapture the plane’s essence”.
The original Lorwyn sets were released in 2007-2008, and evoked the darker, weirder edges of European folklore. A new ‘Return to Lorwyn’ set was originally scheduled for the end of 2025, but has been bumped back on the MTG release schedule into the start of 2026 by an as-yet unrevealed Universes Beyond set.
It’s a long time to wait, but we’re eager to see how the return to Lorwyn handles this iconic plane. We were otherwise occupied when the first block released, but we’re looking forward to building Kithkin and Merfolk MTG Arena decks. If you’d like a little gift from the fae, check out our guide to MTG Arena codes to unlock some free boosters!
Source: Wargamer
