Everything You Need to Know About the Star Trek MTG Prerelease

Kirk, Enterprising Captain | Illustration by Nathaniel Himawan

Space. The Final Frontier. At least for 2026.

Yes, Magic’s last set for the year is also its last Universes Beyond set, a crossover with Star Trek that aims to pack 60 years of history into one release slate. Many of us saw this coming with Edge of Eternities and its spacecraft and planets, but now we get to take those mechanics to strange new worlds. Or the next best place, the same world at which we first explored EOE: the local game store.

If you’re looking to attend the Star Trek Prerelease, I’ve got all you need to make it so.

What Is the Star Trek Prerelease?

U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class | Illustration by Pablo Mendoza

The Star Trek Prerelease is a series of Magic: The Gathering events that will be held in the week ahead of the official release of the Star Trek MTG set. Players get together and build decks with only cards from the new set, and it’s our first chance to open and play with them.

What Format Is Prerelease?

Prerelease is played in a Sealed format, usually in three best-of-three rounds. Players build their decks from the contents of their Prerelease Kits, plus basic lands. You can bring your own basics, but anyone who runs a Prerelease event should have a land station from which you can borrow (emphasis on borrow).

Check the details of the event’s listing before you register, because some stores offer variations on the typical Prerelease formats. My local store, for example, runs a quick two-round event as the first Prerelease of a new set, and every participant leaves with an extra booster. They’re also running a Two-Headed Giant Prerelease event, in which two teams of two players face off against each other.

Note that as of Reality Fracture, Wizards of the Coast supplies one Prerelease Kit and two boosters for each team in Two-Headed Giant Prerelease, rather than two Prerelease Kits.

What Comes in a Prerelease Kit?

A Star Trek Prerelease Kit contains:

• 6 Star Trek Play Boosters
• 1 traditional foil rare or mythic rare card
• A Spindown life counter

This is the last set that will call the boosters used for Draft and Sealed “Play Boosters”. As of Nauctis, we’ll refer to these as Booster Packs.

When Is Star Trek Prerelease Weekend?

The MTG Star Trek Prerelease weekend takes place from Friday November 6, 2026 to Sunday November 8. Your LGS may or may not schedule more Prerelease events throughout the week leading up to the set’s official release on November 13.

Where Can You Attend the Prerelease?

Local Game Stores (LGS) that are affiliated with the Wizards Play Network (WPN) can hold Prerelease events.

To find a game store near you, go to the Wizards of the Coast store locator website, input your city or ZIP code, and click the search button. You can refine results to show only Prerelease events.

Who Goes to Prerelease?

Magic players of all skill levels attend Prerelease events, including newer players, though these events especially attract fans of Limited and Sealed gameplay. A Universes Beyond set like Star Trek is also likely to attract fans of that property; a good set like Final Fantasy brings in returning Magic players and newer Magic players alike.

Magic players who prefer other formats like Commander or who fit into the “collector” archetype don’t tend to go to Prereleases as much. A well-attended Prerelease event can also be a crowded, overstimulating environment, and that’s certainly not for everybody.

Is Going to Prerelease Worth It?

From a strict dollar perspective, if your Prerelease costs you about as much as six Play Boosters (MSRP=$6.99), you’re already in the clear in terms of your financial investment before any prizes are considered. Anything above about $42 and you have to consider the gap to be like your admission fee.

But if you’re truly a Star Trek fan, you’re motivated by things beyond currency and treasure, aren’t you? You want to meet new people or touch base with old friends. You want to attend for the joy of playing the game, of exploring new cards and mechanics and their interactions. And for that, Prerelease events are great fun. The best way to get new Magic stories to tell is to play Magic, and to meet people who don’t need a universal translator to understand them (i.e.: other Magic players).

TRK Sealed Simulator

Draftsim’s Sealed Simulator goes live in the days following the full set spoiler, and it’s a Star Fleet cadet’s best tool to practice building Sealed decks ahead of the TRK Prerelease.

Where to Find Star Trek Spoilers

As Star Trek spoilers hit our sensors, we’ll report our findings to Draftsim’s TRK Spoiler Page. Be sure to check often ahead of prerelease!

Wrap Up

Picard, Leading by Example | Illustration by Julie Dillon

Star Trek is shaping up to be an interesting mix of legendary creatures, unique lands, and spacecraft, and early spoilers indicate there’s going to be references flying all over the place. I know enthusiasm is mixed to say the least, but if you’re hyped for the TRK Prerelease, I hope the Prophets guide your deckbuilding.

Are you attending the TRK Prerelease? Is your Local Game Store doing something neat or fun with it? Let us know in the comments below, or drop your personal log over on the Draftsim Discord server. And don’t forget to check out our newsletter, The Daily Upkeep, to stay up to date and informed ahead of the set’s release.

Until next time!

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