Reality Fracture: Three Jace Planeswalkers, Echoed Pairs and 3 Legends per Pack

Skolnik traced some ideas back to Planar Chaos, the 2007 set that put effects in unexpected colors. The team did not want to repeat that exact formula.

Head Designer Mark Rosewater was reportedly keen to try the concept again, and Skolnik said it fit the conclusion of Jace's storyline.

Reality Fracture Echoed Pairs and Pack Structure

Echoed Pairs include a normal and an Echoverse version of a card. The example given is Karn, Argent Defender and Karn, Gilded Guardian.

Mullaley said the pairs drew on lessons from earlier Magic IP sets with multiple legends. Characters were picked because they are, or plausibly could be, active in the current moment of Magic's timeline.

Most characters stay on their home planes instead of showing up on Hexhaven to stop Jace. That keeps the story focused and cuts down on "why is this person here" questions.

Packs reportedly contain:

• 3 legends each, which Skolnik said was needed to guarantee Echoed Pairs given printer constraints
• a guaranteed card from a special subset, a technique that debuted in Dominaria with 1 legend per pack

Skolnik said this 3-linked-cards-per-pack experiment is not directly related to the 2027 pack changes.

Jace Planeswalkers and the Empower Jace Mechanic

There are three Jace Planeswalker cards, each marking a different point in his journey and reflecting his growing power and readiness for his final plan. The approach is similar to legends in Edge of Eternities and The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth.

Jace has been around since Lorwyn in 2007 but has sat in the background of recent sets.

The Empower Jace mechanic keeps him present even for players who touch the set only lightly. A few cards are stronger with Jace Planeswalkers, so digging out old Jace cards pays off.

TCGKing's take: a Jace who finally gets three cards, plus a mechanic that rewards old copies, is a good reason to check your binder before the set arrives.

Cards the Designers Called Out

Named cards include Craterclaw Colossus, Hexhaven Invigorator, Ajani Resolute, Ajani Unrelenting and Vindictive Triumph.

• Ajani Resolute, a 2-mana Planeswalker, shows up in standard Life Gain decks.
• Ajani Unrelenting has been strong in draft and is doing well in Commander decks built around Planeswalkers.
• Vindictive Triumph is Mullaley's favorite: Liliana resurrects her Echoverse doppelgänger as a lich and takes the fight to Jace.

The story leans on fantasy tropes such as "Dark Wizard's Tower" and "Former Ally Turned Foe", with deeper lore references in the art and Jace's conclusion in the web fiction.

Reality Fracture Secret Lair Bundle Delayed

The Reality Fracture Secret Lair Bundle has been delayed since the interview, and no new date is given.

The designer's answer was that it will become a staple of Magic Multiverse sets. The bundles partly consolidate Special Bundles into one package that can repeat set after set, with Reality Fracture and Jace's inner sanctum as the starting point.

For context on another Universes Beyond bundle, see the Magic x Marvel Arcanum Bundle restock.

What is still unknown

• A new date for the delayed Secret Lair Bundle, and its price and contents.
• What the 2027 pack changes involve.
• The official set release date, which is not given in the interview.

TCGKing updates this article as soon as Wizards of the Coast announces these details. Follow all Magic news or get it in our newsletter.