In this edition:
State of the Formats 2026 and Retiring Alchemy
We recently published an article by Dave Finseth going into detail about the current states of MTG Arena’s various formats. In the article, it was announced that the Alchemy format will be retired with the next Standard rotation in February 2027.
A great deal of thought and care was put into the creation of Alchemy, and that is also true of the decision to bid it a fond farewell. The article contains details on how the process will work for the players, what will happen to Alchemy cards, and a timeline of when things will happen.
In addition to the details regarding Alchemy’s retirement, the article also goes into depth discussing MTG Arena’s other formats, reporting on their statuses, trends the team has observed, and some thoughts from behind the scenes. It’s an insightful read, and we highly recommend checking it out.
Explore Reality Fracture
The Echoverse is here, and it’s brought mind-bending and color-shifting chaos along with it! Reality Fracture previews are underway in an exciting countdown to the set’s release on MTG Arena. Get up to speed on what’s been revealed—and what’s coming soon.
Preorder Bundles
Reality Fracture comes to MTG Arena in just a couple more weeks! On September 29, utter chaos will be visited upon the Magic Multiverse and MTG Arena is no exception! Three Reality Fracture preorder bundles will be available in the MTG Arena Store until the set releases.
Pack Bundle
$49.99 USD
Available at release (September 29):
45 Reality Fracture packs
5 Reality Fracture mythic packs
5 Golden packs
Chandra, Torch of Defiance card
Chandra, Torch of Defiance depth art card style
Chandra, Chill of Compliance card
Chandra, Chill of Compliance depth art card style
Pass Bundle
$49.99 USD
Available at release (September 29):
Set Mastery Pass + 10 bonus levels
1 Sealed token
20 Reality Fracture packs
2 Golden packs
The Theorist, Jace Beleren card
The Theorist, Jace Beleren depth art card style
Play Bundle
$49.99 USD
Available at purchase:
Puppeteer’s Mage Hunter companion
Liliana sleeve
Available at release (September 29):
4 Draft tokens
2 Sealed tokens
20 Play-In Points
Liliana, the Faultless card
Liliana, the Faultless depth art card style
Liliana, the Repentant card
Liliana, the Repentant depth art card style
Reality Fracture Story
The complete story of Reality Fracture is out now, so there’s no better time to get up to speed. Head to MTGStory.com to read the saga, or you can listen to it via The Magic Story Podcast. This ten-episode masterclass in Magic storytelling is one of our most ambitious narratives yet, and we look forward to seeing your reactions.
Reality Fracture Card Image Gallery
The Reality Fracture Card Image Gallery is the place to find the latest and greatest cards from the set! Pore over the full breadth of the set to familiarize yourself with the Echoverse.
As part of the release of Reality Fracture, we’re pre-banning two of the set’s Special Guests cards in various MTG Arena formats. Some of Hexhaven’s secrets are simply too dangerous to be left unchecked.
Brawl
Historic
Mind Twist is banned.
Eye of Ugin is banned.
Arena Direct for Aetherdrift
(September 15–20)
The Arena Direct event for Aetherdrift starts tomorrow! From September 15–20, rev up your highest-octane deck-building skills and hit the track to compete in Best-of-One Aetherdrift Sealed. Prizes include gems and MTG Arena packs for three to five wins and, while supplies last, Aetherdrift Play Booster boxes for players who greet the checkered flag six times or more!
Please visit the Arena Direct page and the official terms and conditions for more details regarding this event.
Arena Powered Cube Is Back
(September 8–28)
Palace Jailer
Fall from Favor
Emberwilde Captain
Court of Bounty
Aragorn, King of Gondor
Forth Eorlingas!
Arena Powered Cube made a triumphant return last week, and it will continue to run through September 28! Arena Powered Cube is a bombastically powerful Limited event that allows you to build decks from a huge pool of cards that contains some of the most famous cards from across Magic’s vast history.
Zach Barash has penned another informative article about the cube’s broad themes and this version’s changes, including cards with the monarch mechanic. In addition to a wealth of thoughtful commentary on the design process and the current state of the format, the article also includes a changelog and a full list of the cards in the cube.
September Arena Championship Qualifier Events
Two more Arena Championship Qualifier events remain for this month. The Best-of-Three Qualifier Play-In will be held on September 17, followed immediately by the Qualifier Weekend from September 18–19. The format for these events is Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™ Sealed. If you’ve dreamed of setting out on a journey to try and reach the highest levels of competition in MTG Arena, these events can be a decisive first step!
Flashback Premier Drafts
(Through September 28)
Two more flashback Premier Draft events will see MTG Arena to the end of this month. These events are great opportunities to get some ranked play in, compete for prizes, and draft with sets that have been rotated out of Standard.
September 16–21: Dominaria United
September 22–28: Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Event Schedule
The full Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit event schedule is available here.
Premier Play
Qualifier Play-In events are single-day tournaments in which players compete to earn invitations to that month’s Qualifier Weekend events.
Qualifier Weekend events are two-day events in which eligible players compete for invitations to upcoming Arena Championship events.
Qualifier tokens earned through seasonal rewards are delivered to your MTG Arena inbox. Remember to claim them before the event starts!
September Qualifier Format: Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit Sealed
September 18: Best-of-Three Qualifier Play-In
September 19–20: Qualifier Weekend
October Qualifier Format: Standard
October 24: Best-of-One Qualifier Play-In
October 25: BONUS Best-of-One Qualifier Play-In (Reality Fracture Sealed)
October 30: Best-of-Three Qualifier Play-In
October 31–November 1: Qualifier Weekend
September Season Rewards
Players will receive their rewards for the September 2026 season at the start of the October 2026 ranked season (12:05 p.m. PT on September 30).
You must have played at least one ranked game in the respective format to receive seasonal rewards.
Bronze Reward: 1 Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit pack
Silver Reward: 1 Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit pack + 500 gold
Gold Reward: 2 Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit packs + 1,000 gold + Desolation Prowler card style
Platinum Reward: 3 Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit packs + 1,000 gold + Desolation Prowler and Most Decrepit Old Bird card styles
Diamond Reward: 4 Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit packs + 1,000 gold + Desolation Prowler and Most Decrepit Old Bird card styles
Mythic Reward: 5 Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit packs + 1,000 gold + Desolation Prowler and Most Decrepit Old Bird card styles
Desolation Prowler (Depth Art)
Most Decrepit Old Bird (Depth Art)
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