For a few years now, Universes Beyond has been hit or miss regarding integration into digital Magic gaming. Whether it was Magic: The Gathering Online or Magic Arena, some sets in Universes Beyond didn't release for the digital interface. This left many players pining for a more paper-like play experience in these interfaces. However, on Monday, April 21st, Wizards of the Coast announced Through the Omenpaths, a new digital-only release that sates those needs. Through the Omenpaths will serve a similar purpose to Universes Within, bringing in Universes Beyond cards into digital Magic spaces with an in-universe aesthetic.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arvinox, the Mind Flail"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadpool, Trading Card"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forge, Neverwinter Charlatan"></div></div>
<h2>Wizards of the Coast's Statement on Through the Omenpaths</h2>
In their announcement on <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/through-the-omenpaths-and-digital-universes-beyond-updates">DailyMTG</a>, Blake Rasmussen had this to say about the initiative for the digital playspaces:
<blockquote>We will not be creating Through the Omenpaths sets mirroring every Universes Beyond set, only the ones that will not be coming to digital platforms. This lets our formats remain mechanically at parity with one another digitally without having to create patchwork solutions here or there. We are also currently only planning to create Through the Omenpaths releases for full sets that are legal in all formats.
For the remainder of 2025, two Universes Beyond sets will be coming to MTG Arena and Magic Online: Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY and Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender.
One 2025 set, Magic: The Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man (as well as future Marvel sets) will not be coming to digital Magic platforms. Instead, we will release our first Through the Omenpaths set on September 23. We'll have more information on that set as we get closer to the release date.</blockquote>
<h2>The Implications For Universes Within</h2>
The announcement of Through the Omenpaths brings some hope for players who want in-universe versions of powerful Universes Beyond cards. Because these newly in-universe cards will have new art and aesthetics paired with mechanics that exist in paper Magic, this is a recipe to bring cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcish Bowmasters" href="#" target="_blank">Orcish Bowmasters</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dino DNA" href="#" target="_blank">Dino DNA</a>, or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celestine, the Living Saint" href="#" target="_blank">Celestine, the Living Saint</a> to Universes Within as well.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dino DNA"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orcish Bowmasters"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Celestine, the Living Saint"></div></div>
<h3>The Potential Financial Impact</h3>
Previously, many members of the Magic community who were critical of the licensing issues behind Universes Beyond have stated that printing mechanically-unique cards in a licensed release makes a pseudo-Reserved List. However, with this new initiative and the hope behind it, this complaint may soon become a much smaller issue. As a result, some Universes Beyond cards may stop carrying as much value on the secondary market. That said, players still need proof of concept from Through the Omenpaths before that idea is proven to hold water.
<h2>Universes Within The Digital Playspaces</h2>
The implications of Through the Omenpaths are massive, but the proof that they're effective will have to wait for a few months from now. Nevertheless, it's an exciting prospect for fans of in-universe Magic. It's timely, too, as just three days earlier, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/mark-rosewater-in-multiverse-sets-should-feel-like-magic">we reported</a> on Magic Head Designer Mark Rosewater's statement that in-Multiverse aesthetics need to feel distinctly like Magic. This statement has sparked some discussion about what that means, both for Magic's Multiverse and for Universes Beyond.
What do you think about Through the Omenpaths as a concept? Do you hope for in-Multiverse versions of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">The One Ring</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Great Unclean One" href="#" target="_blank">Great Unclean One</a>, or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megatron, Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Megatron, Tyrant</a>? Sound off below!

magic arena

Through The Omenpaths Introduced For MTGO, Arena