Hi folks, guess what? We’ve got new word on upcoming Dice Masters release dates!
This post is one of those good news/bad news things.
On Tuesday (10th August) Wizkids released a blog post on their site providing us an update on anticipated release dates for the current slate of announced sets.
“that’s good news” I hear you say. Well… yes & no. Let me get into it…
Dice Masters Release Dates
First – let us take a look at the release dates themselves. The blog post outlined the following:
DC Dice Masters: Superman Kryptonite Crisis will be released in Q1 2022
Marvel Dice Masters: Dark Phoenix Saga will be released in Q1 2022 (approximately 8 weeks after Kryptonite Crisis)
Marvel Dice Masters: Secret Wars will be released in June 2022
Marvel Dice Masters: Fantastic Four Vs Galactus, also released in June 2022
As I’m certain many of you will have quickly figured out: this means that there will be no Dice Masters release in 2021.
Some of you fine folks will have also noticed that Superman Kryptonite Crisis and the Dark Phoenix Saga sets have switched. Kryptonite Crisis will now be the next set released, NOT Dark Phoenix Saga as previously announced.
There was no indication from Wizkids in the blog post regarding an estimated release date for the announced Marvel Dice Masters: House of X set.
Wait!? Next Year For New Dice Masters
Yep. Nothing until 2022 folks.
While nothing specific is referenced, the post mentions that they have been “impacted by unprecedented delays”. We’ve known this was an issue; Jimmy O’Brien (Dice Masters Product Manager at Wizkids) briefly discussed shipping challenges when we interviewed him on our Century Podcast episode celebration.
So… this is where the “good news/bad news” bit is – it’s great to have official word from Wizkids. Even better that it has clear estimated release dates. BUT, its sad news for those eager to get their hands on some new cards to play with.
It’s been a little upsetting for those with money tied up in pre-orders. Many of us (myself included) pre-ordered Dark Phoenix Saga for the very original release date. That was June 2020! (I’ve been writing about, and making videos about, this set for that long! LOL) I’ve got a pre-order in for Kryptonite Crisis too, so I get it.
As a momentary aside – I want to share a joke that friend of the blog Stu.ART made to me earlier. We were talking about Dark Phoenix Saga, and he said…
“Well, it’s living up to the ‘saga’ part of it’s title”
It’s no secret that Wizkids play cards close to their chest a lot of the time, so to have a formal update is refreshing. We’re encouraged to see some comms on the subject. So while we’re not enthused about the wait, we’re certainly glad to have a sense of how long.
Anything Else?
Yes! Even though the blog post was brief it included a few other little nuggets for Dice Masters fans.
A New Dice Masters Card Look
First; they re-visited the fact that there is a new look coming. We’ll see this in the Kryptonite Crisis set and they chucked in a couple of spoilers to demonstrate it. The text is bolder & more readable and the global colour is now blue.
The spoilers look hella fun. I usually write a spoiler review on the blog, but I’ve been experimenting with doing those as video, so if you want to hear more you can check out my first-reaction vid here:
The new look may seem a minor thing, but there was definitely some who struggled with the clarity of text in Infinity Gauntlet. The decision to have the artwork behind the text box made it a challenge for some to read. This is a welcome change, and I for one quite like the new font and blue global text.
Dice Masters Organised Play
While no specific details were given, the post also had a short note in it re-assuring players that we can expect news on Dice Masters Organised Play as 2022 approaches.
What this looks and feels like is yet to be shared, but supports Jimmy’s comments in our podcast interview that it is still an area of the Dice Masters experience they are very much focussed on. he also mentioned they are keen to mix it up as far as organised play is concerned, so this is something we shall be keeping an eye on.
With the new set releases in the Draft Pack format, and the hope that the impact of the Pandemic will diminish, 2022 could be a big year for in-store play and competitive play.
Final Thoughts
The wait’s gonna be killer. The new stuff look amazing and we’ve been looking forward to it. It is sad that its been delayed so much. No one gets that more than the folks at Wizkids.
In the meantime, we’ll be digging in and continuing to play and enjoy the card pool we have right now. There’s lots of ways to enjoy the game and we’re going to explore all the formats & combos we’ve had on the rainy day list fully.
So.. try a new format, build around that combo you’ve not quite got to yet, start a campaign, draft some oldies (but goodies) and do what you can to keep it alive for the rest of year.
We’ll be playing every Wednesday on our Twitch channel (approx 10:30pm UK) and talking more about this on the Ministry of Dice podcast. Check them out for some inspiration while we wait for Kryptonite Crisis…
