Magic: the Gathering players itching to get their hands on the game’s newest Standard set, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths might have to wait longer than originally anticipated. The COVID-19 pandemic has already delayed the set’s release on paper and the game’s head designer and unofficial spokesperson, Mark Rosewater, recently said he was unsure whether Ikoria products would ship out on May 15th in most regions as originally planned.
Rosewater was recently asked whether the release of Ikoria would be postponed any further and instead of allaying fans’ concerns, he replied with the following:
“That has a lot to do with factors out of our control. Trust me, we want to get the cards into your hands; we just want to make sure we’re doing it safely.”
Much like many other games and products, COVID-19 has heavily impacted Magic‘s events schedule. Wizards of the Coast (WotC), Magic’s publisher, already cancelled several high-level paper tournaments around the world, which came after many countries banned large gatherings. WotC also pushed back Ikoria‘s original release to May 15th in North America, Europe, Latin America and several other countries.
The urgency of adapting to the pandemic by staying home could lead to further delays as well, but fortunately, it looks like Magic: the Gathering won’t let a global crisis get in the way of fans enjoying the game. Ikoria is still releasing on digital platforms this week and players who can’t wait to build their own monsters in the world’s oldest strategy trading card game can do so on their computers until a physical release hopefully arrives next month.
Tell us, though, do you plan on checking out Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths? Let us know in the usual place down below.
