Pioneer Masters
| Pioneer Masters | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set Information | |||||
| Set symbol | |||||
| Release date | Q4 2024 | ||||
| Plane | Multiversal | ||||
| MTG Arena series | |||||
| |||||
 | This article documents an upcoming release. |
Pioneer Masters is a digital-only reprint set that is planned to be be released on Magic Arena. It will be combining cards from all the sets legal in Pioneer, pulling them together into a single set for both Limited and Constructed play.[1] It is designed to “fill out those remaining archetype gaps” that are not currently in Explorer, while also “being a fun experience on its own”.[2]
History
The set was originally planned for release at the end of 2020, but was pushed back to 2021 for more playtesting.[3] In July 2021, it was put on hold.[4]
It was stated that Wizards of the Coast's schedule didn't have room to focus on growing a unique identity for the Historic format while fully supporting Pioneer at the same time. Some steps toward Pioneer were expected to come as part of Historic's growth, but they paused work toward Pioneer Masters sets for the time being.[4]
In August 2021, the release of Jumpstart: Historic Horizons included a selection of cards with digital only mechanics. This addition to the historic format, alongside the December 2021 release of Alchemy: Innistrad whose cards were added to Historic, meant MTG Arena lost its only “true to tabletop” non-rotating format. As the introduction of Pioneer also had been put on hold, the negative feedback forced Wizards of the Coast to quickly announce that they would be searching for an alternative.[5] Although people asked for the return of Pioneer or Pioneer light, Wizards seemed to search for another format. This made the eventual release of Pioneer Masters even more unlikely.
However, when Explorer was introduced as a format in April 2022, this turned out to be exactly what the people had been asking for: a Constructed, non-rotating, “true-to-tabletop” format using all the Pioneer-legal cards available on MTG Arena, with a path towards becoming Pioneer.[6] On Weekly MTG it was stated that Pioneer Masters was still a possibility but wasn't on the schedule for the immediate future. They also said that priorities could shift and that it was more likely to happen if Explorer would take off.[7]
At Gen Con 2023, it was announced that “tournament Pioneer” would be available on MTG Arena “by the end of 2024”. To facilitate this, the full Khans of Tarkir set would be released in fall 2023, followed by Pioneer Masters at the end of 2024. The set will be designed to fill out the remaining tournament archetypes while also being a fun experience on its own.[2]
References
- ↑ MTG Arena: State of the Game – July 2020. magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast (July 15, 2020]).
- ↑ a b Jess Lanzillo, Chris Kiritz, Athena Froehlich & Mark Rosewater (August 5, 2023). "Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Panel at GenCon – A Recap of MTG's Past, Present & Future (Video)". Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 15, 2020). "MTG Arena: State of the Game – September 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (July 2, 2021). "MTG Arena: State of the Game – Adventures in the Forgotten Realms". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 8, 2022). "MTG Arena: State of the Game - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 21, 2021). "MTG Arena: State of the Game - Streets of New Capenna". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Monthly Announcement Day (Video). Weekly MTG. YouTube (April 22, 2022).