MTG Lead Designer confirms new card type is here to stay

Battle cards brought a fresh new type of gameplay to MTG, and players will be happy to learn that they will be making a return to the game.

Magic: The Gathering has kept itself fresh and popular throughout its 30-year lifespan by constantly innovating, bringing bold new mechanics into the game with every set. But while mechanics and abilities might constantly cycle in and out of the game, card types are a different story.

In order to remain fundamentally the same game, MTG has generally stuck to its core group of card types: Lands, Creature, Sorceries, Instants, Artifacts, Enchantments, and Planeswalkers, only adding new ones in especially rare circumstances. This is why a whole new card type – Battles – debuting in the March of the Machine set was such a big deal.

Battles hit the ground running, comprising a large number of March of the Machine’s cards. Thirty-six battles in total were included in the set. As a result, many players are confused as to why a new card type with such a strong showing has been absent from MTG ever since.

Why haven’t Battles appeared in MTG sets since March of the Machine?

WOTC

With them playing such an outsized role in March of the Machine, players may be wondering why Battle cards haven’t reappeared since, especially in sets that would be a perfect fit for them like Tales of Middle Earth.

While it may not be apparent from the outside, there is often a significant delay between the conceptualizing of a mechanic or card type in MTG and its debut in the game. MTG head designer Mark Rosewater previously stated that the team wanted to wait and see how Battles performed and were received by the player base before committing to them going forward.

Thankfully, the generally positive reception to Battles means that the card type has been cleared for further appearances. As part of an official MTG blog post looking back over the biggest successes for Magic of each year, Rosewater highlighted Battles as 2023’s runner-up, just behind Universes Beyond.

Rosewater made it clear that Battles weren’t just a hastily constructed experiment, but something that was carefully considered by the MTG team prior to their inclusion:

“We don’t take making a new card type lightly and spent a lot of time trying to make battles something that was worthy of doing.

“I’m quite pleased with the response from the players, and I’m happy to say it’s something we’ve greenlit eternally for future use.”

Unfortunately, Rosewater was unable to give specifics on when Battles will return to MTG, stating:

“I can’t say where or when, but there will be more Battles coming”

Still, it’s good to know Battles can now appear in any future set where it would make sense to have them.

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