Nauctis: The Sunken Realm is Magic: The Gathering's first fully underwater set, releasing February 5, 2027. Wizards of the Coast announced it at MagicCon Amsterdam in July 2026, and only a handful of details are confirmed so far. This guide covers everything Wizards has said officially, and we will update it as more comes out.
Last checked: October 7, 2026. Nauctis is still about four months out, so Wizards will reveal far more between now and release, including the set's mechanics, full product lineup and card previews. Nothing below is a rumor or a guess; every fact links back to where Wizards or its designers said it.
What is Nauctis?
Nauctis is an ocean plane: an endless sea with vast cities beneath the waves, and gods that command the currents as they swim alongside their followers. Wizards' announcement describes a world of merfolk, seals, homarids and a few daring humans, with two warring kingdoms whose tension drives the story. It is Magic's first set built entirely underwater. You can read the official announcement on Wizards' site.
Official key art for Nauctis: The Sunken Realm, from Wizards of the Coast's July 2026 announcement.
When does Nauctis release?
Nauctis: The Sunken Realm releases on February 5, 2027. MTG news sites, including Draftsim and MTGRocks, report that prerelease weekend begins January 29, 2027, the Friday before launch, matching Magic's usual prerelease-the-weekend-before pattern. Wizards has not yet posted a prerelease date on its own event calendar, so treat that date as reported rather than officially locked in.
What is the theme and tagline?
Nauctis' tagline is \"Magic runs deep.\" Wizards' own product page describes a journey that \"begins in calm waters, but even more magic... and danger... awaits the deeper you venture,\" which suggests the set's difficulty or danger scales as you go deeper into its world, both in story and possibly in draft or gameplay structure. You can see this on the official Nauctis product page.
What is the story?
As tensions rise between two warring kingdoms, a group of unlikely heroes has to rise to the occasion, or their home will be swallowed by the abyssal depths of the ocean. Wizards has not named the two kingdoms, any characters or Planeswalkers involved, or the nature of the \"apocalyptic danger\" at the bottom of the ocean yet.
Video: Nauctis: Sunken Realm Official Announcement. Official Magic: The Gathering YouTube channel.
What do we know about the mechanics?
The one confirmed mechanical detail is what Nauctis will not have: flying. At a MagicCon Live preview panel in July 2026, Wizards confirmed that Nauctis will not use the flying keyword, since it makes little sense for an entirely underwater set. In its place, the set introduces a new, not-yet-named evasion mechanic. Magic's head designer Mark Rosewater also said on his Blogatog that the new mechanic is not simply a renamed version of an older evasion keyword like horsemanship or shadow, so expect something built specifically for Nauctis rather than a reskin.
Beyond that, no mechanic names, card types or set-mechanic interactions have been revealed.
Who is designing Nauctis?
Mark Rosewater leads Vision Design, Ian Duke leads Set Design, and Forrest Schehl leads art direction. The set's internal development codename was \"Amsterdam,\" after the MagicCon where it was announced. Nauctis is the 116th Magic expansion.
What products will be available?
Wizards has confirmed Booster Packs, Collector Boosters, a Nauctis: The Sunken Realm Bundle and a Secret Lair Bundle. Booster Packs is the new name for Play Boosters, starting with this set. Prerelease Packs and any Commander-deck products have not been announced yet, and neither has a card count for the main set.
God Packs start with Nauctis. On October 5, 2026, Wizards announced that about 1 in 1,000 Booster Packs and 1 in 300 Collector Boosters will be a God Pack, where every nonbasic card is a rare or mythic rare. Foil commons and uncommons are also leaving Booster Packs. See our God Packs and 2027 booster changes post for the details.
What else is coming from Wizards in 2027?
Wizards is calling 2027 the \"Year of the Gathering.\" Alongside Nauctis, it announced two more Magic Multiverse sets for the year: Kamigawa: Titanbreach on June 4, 2027, and a return to Zhalfir, the home plane of the Planeswalker Teferi, on October 1, 2027. 2027 alternates three Magic Multiverse sets with three Universes Beyond sets. Wizards' own release-calendar graphic dates the three Universes Beyond releases to April 9, August 6 and November 19, 2027, but as of this check none of the three has a name yet.
Official 2027 release calendar, from Wizards of the Coast's July 2026 announcement.
The same graphic lists four MagicCons for the year: Detroit (February 26 to 28), Tokyo (May 14 to 16, Wizards' first MagicCon in Japan), Las Vegas (August 27 to 29) and Amsterdam (December 3 to 5), plus a Limited Championship in Minneapolis (June 18 to 20).
What has not been revealed yet?
- The new evasion mechanic's name and rules. Only that it exists and is not a renamed older keyword.
- Any card previews. No card names, art or rules text have been shown.
- The full product lineup. Prerelease Packs, Commander decks and exact card counts are still unannounced.
- Prerelease details from Wizards itself. The January 29, 2027 date so far comes from MTG news sites, not a Wizards events page.
- Pricing. Nothing has been announced.
Wizards has said it will share more about \"fishy friends and foes\" as preview season approaches, which for a February set usually means card reveals ramping up in December and January.
Where can you read Wizards' own announcement?
- Everything Announced for the Magic Multiverse in 2027: Wizards' July 17, 2026 announcement, covering Nauctis, Kamigawa: Titanbreach and Zhalfir.
- Official Nauctis: The Sunken Realm product page: release date, tagline and a sign-up for Wizards' own updates.
We will carry Nauctis: The Sunken Realm product when it releases. Keep an eye on our events page for prerelease details once a local event is scheduled.