It’s been 18 years since Magic: The Gathering first visited Lorwyn–Shadowmoor, a fantastical setting inspired by Celtic folklore. But early next year, fans will finally return to that world in Lorwyn Eclipsed. Unlike the first iteration, which took a relatively straightforward approach to its source material, Lorwyn’s homecoming is going to get decidedly weird.
Speaking to a group of journalists (including Polygon) during MagicCon Atlanta last weekend, the team behind Lorwyn Eclipsed offered a hint of what to expect from the upcoming set, which will be the first release of 2026 — and also the next Magic set not based on outside IP.
However, even Magic’s in-universe sets sometimes borrow from external properties. And in this case, the team at Wizards of the Coast took some inspiration from The Dark Crystal, the 1982 dark-fantasy epic directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, who also performed as many of the puppets featured in the cult-classic film.
“The Dark Crystal was an excellent baseline for us in going back and finding what the modern approach to Lorwyn is,” said Roy Graham, the story lead for Magic publisher Wizards of the Coast.
This outside influence gave the set’s creators somewhere to take Lorwyn Eclipsed, beyond simply polishing the original concept.
“We didn’t want to do a straight up return to all the aspects of Celtic mythology we didn’t get to cover the first time around,” Graham said. “So we ended up orbiting what I would call ‘weirdo fantasy’ with a lot of strange creatures — a lot of oddballs, sometimes menacing, sometimes charming, but always a little off the beaten path.”
If you’re worried this means Lorwyn Eclipsed won’t be anything like the original version, well, don’t be. Graham explained that the entire team was also focused on reviving all the things they loved about Lorwyn–Shadowmoor — especially its unique visual style.
“Lorwyn has a lot of nostalgia for fans,” he said, “It’s looked back on really fondly, especially for its art style, as for a couple standout cards. The art team and the creative team were really interested in channeling that hand-painted classic feel. There’s a ton of traditional artwork in the set.”
Beyond its Celtic-inspired creatures and visual style, Lorwyn–Shadowmoor is best known for its core concept of two connected worlds divided into light and darkness. Reflections of each other, Lorwyn exists perpetually in the daytime, while it’s always night in Shadowmoor.
According to Magic’s head designer, Mark Rosewater, this concept came from a desire in the mid-2000s to expand Magic: The Gathering, which at the time was releasing just three “blocks” of new cards per year. (For comparison, Wizards is set to launch seven new sets in 2026.)
“We wanted to do four blocks in one year,” Rosewater said, “Crazy, four blocks in one year! So what I pitched was two mini blocks, and then we wanted to connect them some way.”
Fast-forward 18 years, and Magic has changed a lot, which means Lorwyn Eclipsed will have to find a way to explore both the light and shadow side of its setting in a single set. We don’t know exactly what that will look like just yet. (Wizards revealed a few cards designed to flip between light and dark at MagicCon, but that’s it so far.) However, Rosewater promises they managed to find an elegant solution.
“We came up with a way where the world gets intermingled, and now it’s a marble cake of light and darkness.”
Lorwyn Eclipsed will release on January 23, 2026.
