Popverse's top stories

- Jason Momoa cast himself in Street Fighter 

- Daniel Warren Johnson turned down DC's Absolute Batman for Transformers, and somehow everyone won

- Oh yeah, Critical Role's Sam Riegel has considered playing a Kobold... and making an all-Kobold game

Magic: The Gathering's next set, Reality Fracture, will be released in early October. And now, Wizards of the Coast is alerting us ahead of time that it might be difficult to find play booster packs "in the weeks after the set's release" in North America. But if you're planning on getting a Reality Fracture prerelease kit from your local gaming shop, fear not: prerelease kits are unaffected by the Reality Fracture booster pack delays. Similarly, the set's pre-constructed commander deck, collector booster boxes, bundle, and draft night bundles are unaffected by any delays. 

This announcement was made on the official Magic: The Gathering website, along with more information for other global regions affected by delays. The site also notes that "Omega Collector Boosters (single Collector Boosters that are available at larger retailers) will also be delayed." The one region unaffected by product delays is Japan, in case you were wondering. 

So why are we expecting a delay in play booster packs after Reality Fracture releases? As it turns out, the cause of all of this isn't Jace Beleren's machinations spilling over into our world, but the discrete charm of the Panama Canal. According to another post on Magic's site, "there is a drought in a freshwater lake in Panama that feeds the [Panama] canal, and the lower water levels have created a bit of a traffic jam in the canal. One of the ships caught in that naval snarl is carrying a percentage of our Reality Fracture Play Boosters that are headed to North America, so supply will be tighter at launch than anticipated as those boosters make their way through the logjam."

If anyone knows some merfolk who are willing to help the Panama Canal out, this is your time. For the rest of us, this is a great time to exercise patience and flexibility. 

Reality Fracture will be released in stores on October 2, 2026. 

Whether you are a Commander player, a regular at your local game shop's FNM event, or simply love collecting Magic: The Gathering cards, you've landed in the right place. From Universes Beyond to the furthest reaches of the Magic Multiverse, we've got you covered here at Popverse. 

• Wizards of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering upcoming release schedule
• The most expensive MTG cards in the Secrets of Strixhaven set
• Magic: The Gathering and Marvel are planning "multiple sets" and Commander Decks - thanks to Thanos' Infinity Stones
• Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy crossover is already the top-selling set in Wizards of the Coast’s history