Big week across the TCG world, and it’s Magic doing the heavy lifting on hype. Here’s everything worth knowing from the last seven days.
Magic Beams Up: Star Trek First Look Drops at MagicCon Amsterdam
Weekly MTG went live from MagicCon Amsterdam this week for the first full look at Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek, and it delivered. The Universes Beyond crossover releases November 13, 2026, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most ambitious sets Magic has ever produced.
Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Kathryn Janeway anchor the set as mythic rares, both introducing a brand-new Officer creature type. Kirk’s a mono-red legend that gives you a modal trigger every time he enters or attacks — discard-and-draw, make a 1/1 Officer, or pump the team. Multiple alternate arts and surge foil treatments are already confirmed for both captains.
The chase card everyone’s already talking about, though, is a hand-signed Jean-Luc Picard card autographed by Patrick Stewart — one of the boldest signature-card plays Wizards has made in years. On the mechanical side, LCARS-frame cards bring Starfleet’s iconic interface to 29 cards plus 10 Shock Lands, and a Borg mechanic is confirmed for the set. If you collect Universes Beyond, this is the one to start budgeting for now.
Riftbound Locks In Ban List Ahead of Vendetta
Riftbound’s Standard and brand-new Constructed 2v2 ban lists went into effect July 24, ahead of the Vendetta expansion launching July 31 — the set’s first release with a single unified date for China and the US. Vendetta brings Ambessa, Mel, and Akali in as new champions, and Riot used the pre-launch window to trim a few problem cards from the format rather than let them collide with the new set’s power level. It’s also a small but notable milestone for the game logistically — Vendetta is the first Riftbound set to launch on the same day worldwide instead of staggering China and the US, which should cut down on the spoiler-leak chaos that hit earlier sets.
Gundam Card Game Bans Anksha as Freedom Ascension Hits Shelves
Bandai’s Freedom Ascension — the 1st Anniversary set pulling from Gundam SEED Destiny and G Gundam — released July 24 alongside a banlist update that pulled GD01-020 Anksha from competitive play. Bandai pointed directly to Blue/Purple decks pairing Anksha with Purple damage effects putting up win rates well outside the norm. It’s a pattern we’ve seen from Bandai all year: quick, surgical bans rather than letting a dominant deck sit unchecked for a full set cycle. Worth watching whether the ban reshuffles the early Freedom Ascension meta or just clears room for whatever the SEED Destiny cards bring to the format.
Weekend Roundup: SWU Championship, FaB Pro Tour, Sorcery Prep
Star Wars: Unlimited closes out Organized Play Season One this weekend with the Galactic Championship in Las Vegas (July 24–26) — over 3,000 players expected, with the new Ashes of the Empire set still being figured out live on camera as competitors test whether the hype cards actually hold up under tournament pressure. Flesh and Blood wrapped Pro Tour: Las Vegas (July 17–19) featuring Classic Constructed and Set 19 Booster Draft, capping off the game’s return to US soil for the World Tour. And Sorcery: Contested Realm is gearing up for a four-day Gen Con run starting July 30, including two Grand Contest Championships, limited events, and new Dust Reward Court promos that go legal for official play once the con opens.
The Takeaway
Magic’s Star Trek reveal is going to dominate collector conversation for months — a Patrick Stewart autograph card is the kind of thing that gets talked about well past its release date. But don’t sleep on the ban list activity in Riftbound and Gundam this week; both are signs their publishers are actively steering young metas in real time rather than letting a single strategy calcify a format. Busy week across the board, and there’s more on the way with Vendetta, Gen Con, and the Galactic Championship results all landing in the next seven days.
What’s your take on the Star Trek reveal — dream crossover or one crossover too many? Come share it with us on socials, or catch the rest of the week’s roundups at manariotgames.com.