Bloody Hell, MTG, Is New York Your Only Friend Now? Or, My Thoughts on the Pizza Lands Debacle
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff critiques Magic: The Gathering's increasing reliance on New York City as a setting across multiple Universes Beyond sets, particularly highlighting the 'pizza lands' from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set as a sign of creative strain and design shortcuts. He argues that while popular IP is compelling, the saturation of one setting dilutes Magic's diverse multiverse and artistic integrity.
Alright, gather 'round, you lovely lot, because I've been tinkering with the latest whispers from the æther, and fair dinkum, it's wilder than a rogue spell in a wizard's kitchen. Remember when *Magic: The Gathering* was, you know, a *fantasy* game? A grand old romp through a multiverse teeming with unique, mind-bending planes? Ravnica's sprawling city-scapes, Innistrad's gothic horrors, the warring clans of Tarkir... we've seen some truly iconic places across *Magic*'s long, storied history.
But here's the kicker, mate. Wizards of the Coast, bless their cotton socks, seems to have developed a rather intense fixation on one particular locale for their latest jaunts. And no, it's not some newly discovered planar anomaly or an ancient, forgotten realm. It's New York City. Yeah, you heard me. The Big Apple. And honestly, I'm starting to wonder if they accidentally cast a 'Spatial Lock' spell over their creative department and now can't seem to port out.
The brilliant Samantha Nelson over at Polygon (whose original musings sparked this whole train of thought) pointed out that by the end of 2026, New York will have hosted more *Magic* sets than Amonkhet, Strixhaven, Capenna (oh, the irony of a good city plane!), Duskmourn, Eldraine, Kaladesh, Kaldheim, *and* Ikoria combined. It'll be tied with Ixalan and Tarkir. That's a frankly staggering amount of concrete jungle. We've got the *Spider-Man* set already slinging webs, the *Avengers*-focused *Marvel Super Heroes* set on the horizon for 2026, and a *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* set hitting us in March. That's a lot of boroughs, a lot of yellow cabs, and presumably, a lot of pigeons.
Now, I get it. New York City has a colossal cultural footprint. Marvel Comics, TMNT – these franchises are practically synonymous with the place. They’re gold mines for popular characters and IP. And look, I'm all for *Universes Beyond* when it brings genuinely exciting crossovers that fit the *Magic* ethos. *D&D* and *Lord of the Rings* felt like natural extensions of the fantasy vibe, weaving in nicely. But when the setting itself starts to feel less like a canvas for new adventures and more like a restrictive straightjacket, that's when my gently skeptical wizard senses start to tingle.
You see the strain most clearly, if you ask me, in the basic lands. These aren't just pretty pictures; they're the soul of a set's setting, visually grounding you in the plane you're exploring. Think of the breathtaking full-art lands of Zendikar or the cosmic vistas of Edge of Eternities. They transport you. *Spider-Man*'s lands, fair enough, did the job, incorporating webs into city backdrops, using smokestacks for mountains and Central Park for forests. A bit pedestrian, perhaps, but functional.
But then we hit the *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* set, and things took a turn for the truly... well, *bizarre*. Instead of trying to find new ways to depict New York City – which, let's be honest, is a challenge when you've done it three times in two years – Wizards decided to represent *Magic*'s five iconic mana colors as... *pizza toppings*. Pizza. I'm not making this up. Green is kiwi, jalapeños, and broccoli. Blue is anchovies. Yes, anchovies. I can practically hear Raphael's scathing movie monologue from here. Whoever came up with that particular stroke of genius probably gave themselves a hearty pat on the back.
And look, pizza is core to the TMNT pantheon, absolutely. Wizards is even flogging a special 'Pizza Bundle' – because of course they are. But these lands, mate... they look like a messy, unappetizing culinary experiment gone horribly wrong. They don't evoke wonder, or power, or the fundamental forces of mana. They evoke 'what's that smell?' They feel less like collectible art and more like a 'design challenge' where the answer was 'let's just put food on cards and call it a day.' It's so utterly out of character for *Magic: The Gathering* that it makes me wonder what kind of reality-bending portal their art directors slipped through.
This isn't to say city settings can't be stunning. The metropolis lands in *Streets of New Capenna* were absolutely gorgeous, evoking a unique, art-deco, mob-family vibe that fit perfectly. They showed that you can make a city feel distinct and magical. The TMNT pizza lands, however, feel less like a creative breakthrough and more like a lazy shortcut, a symptom of an overpacked *Universes Beyond* release schedule that's pushing them to pump out content faster than a goblin token generator. It’s like they tried to cast an 'Infinite Creativity' spell, but got the 'Infinite Replacements for Creativity' effect instead.
So, what's happening here? Is it purely a chase for popular IP to boost sales, potentially at the cost of creative integrity and variety? Are we seeing the logical conclusion of a strategy focused on familiarity over fresh experiences? It makes me cautiously optimistic that *Marvel Super Heroes* will do better with its lands, but after that, I genuinely hope Wizards of the Coast lets New York take a well-deserved sabbatical. The multiverse is, by definition, infinite. Let's explore it, eh? My spellbook's ready for some new destinations. And for the love of all that's magical, no more kiwi on my lands. Please.
*Original article by Samantha Nelson, published on Polygon.*
Tags: Magic: The Gathering, Universes Beyond, Game Design, Collectible Card Games, Gaming Industry
Original article: Polygon