Magic once tried to make an experimental epilogue micro expansion - it didn't end well
In 2023, Magic decided to try something new: Epilogue boosters. As March of the Machine brought an end to a long storyline, it was decided that a bit more was needed. So the micro-expansion March of the Machine: The Aftermath was created, with other future sets, like Outlaws of Thunder Junction, getting their own planned out.
Released in May 2023, March of the Machine: The Aftermath caused quite a stir. First of all, it didn't exactly get out to a great start, as it had all been leaked online beforehand - something that usually hits sales at least a little bit. Second, the small number of cards in the epilogue expansion, 50, was a huge complaint. Many players felt that the small number of cards didn't justify a higher price. Even worse, it was deemed undraftable, battering both the expansion reputation and sales.
So how bad was it? Mark Rosewater flat out said that it was hated, with the expansion getting an all-time Magic low of 5% of players liking it. March of the Machine: Aftermath went from what was a new twist on an expansion into a bit of a nightmare. Players hated it, it wasn't being played, and even die-hards disowned. About the only positive points was the artwork, which duh, is Magic. Of course the artwork is fantastic. As Rosewater said, it pretty much killed Epilogue expansions for the forseeable future.
"One of the biggest complaints about Aftermath is it was undraftable," said Rosewater in 2024. "That was us dipping our toe into undraftable sets and it went about as badly as it could go, so for the forseesable future, all our randomized booster releases will have a limited play component (which includes drafting as a big element)."
It also tanked all future Epilogue expansion -- especially after the Universes Beyond Assassin's Creed set came out not too long after March of the Machine: Aftermath and (reportedly) sold poorly as well. One of those sets, which was far into development, was Outlaws of Thunder Junction: The Big Score. It had to be stripped away and had to be released as a bonus sheet of 30 cards, with the rest going out in collector's boosters and as special alternate cards. A few others in early planning withered away as well, although unlike The Big Score, no art had been commissioned for them yet.
The failure of Aftermath pushed Magic back away even further from the block system. Many players had seen both March of the Machine expansions as a little block, so when Aftermath crashed and burned, Magic swerved more into single expansion focuses. During a press conference at MagicCon Las Vegas 2025, the developers slammed the door once again on blocks coming back, and by proxy, epilogue expansions. It was an abject failure, but one Magic has learned from. Huge successes in 2024 and 2024, including Bloomburrow, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and Final Fantasy ground in even further that epilogue sets simply were not needed.
While Magic has a never say never approach to most things (like the Lorwyn plane coming back after nearly twenty years), epilogue expansions seem to be a bit out of reach.
