The original plan for Star Wars Unlimited‘s 2026 releases was that there would be three major sets, with two smaller sets coming out between them. Between A Lawless Time and Ashes of the Empire, we got a smaller release focused just on the Twin Suns multiplayer format. Then, the original plan was for the smaller set, Icons 2027 Edition, to be released between Ashes of the Empire and the year’s final set, Homeworlds. However, this order has now been slightly changed.
As shown in a post on the Star Wars Unlimited Reddit page, instead of Icons hitting shelves in October, we’ll be getting Homeworlds first, with Icons pushed back to November. This shift impacts both the experience of collecting Star Wars Unlimited, and the game’s meta. Although it hopefully won’t be too much of a disruption to the original plan, it does mean players will have to plan around these changes.
Perhaps the most meaningful way this impacts players is financially. Pushing Homeworlds a month earlier means that there are now two major sets coming out closer together than they normally would. Anyone who is trying to keep up with the game will be getting a few less paychecks than they normally expected between these releases. TCGs can already be difficult to keep up with from a financial standpoint, and accelerating the release of a larger set can make it even more taxing.
As Star Wars Unlimited lead designer Danny Schaefer stated in an interview with the Unplayable YouTube channel, Icons is a smaller set that is meant to have a lower barrier of entry. Though Schaefer wasn’t able to give any specifics on the set’s products, he did imply that it would likely be less of an expense than the average set. Having Icons first would therefore have been a slight reprieve before releasing another larger set.
The second consideration when sets are rearranged like this is how it will impact Star Wars Unlimited‘s meta game. Luckily, this seems like it will be less of an issue. According to Schaefer in the Unplayable interview, Icons and Homeworlds switching places in the release schedule shouldn’t have a major impact on the overall competitive scene. It helps that they’ll be releasing pretty close together, so there will only be about a month while Homeworlds is out, but Icons isn’t. It’s good to know the developers seemingly planned for a potential schedule change while designing the sets.
As of now, any specifics about the two sets are still pretty under wraps, with only one card from Homeworlds revealed so far. From what we can gleam from Schaefer’s interview, Icons is meant to be a set that can help new players get into the game, while also adding valuable cards for existing players. Given that it has a year attached to it, it seems like Icons may be an annual thing for Star Wars Unlimited, similar to Magic: The Gathering’s old core sets. We will have to wait for future official announcements to know more about these sets.
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order