A recent Q&A with Mark Rosewater sort of answered an interesting question: When will we see a return to the plane of Capenna?
While first seen in the Honor Bound webcomic in 2009, the plane of Capenna had it's expansion debut in 2022 with Streets of New Capenna. Reaction to the set was mixed. A mob feel with 1920s aesthetics was unique, and special triome lands were very much well liked. However, play proved to be a bit unbalanced, and resale values didn't exactly stay high up there.
Overall, New Capenna proved to be quick out of the gate (becoming the most sold expansion on Amazon to that point, although COVID likely helped) but faded in the stretch (factory-sealed draft booster boxes today go for under $100). Nonetheless, the expansion has its share of fans, and, like any plane, there is a contingent of fans wanting to see a return.
Since it's first Rabiah Scale setting, Capenna has been consistently at a six. For comparison, Lorwyn-Shadowmoor was a consistent 6/7 (haha) for years, and only returned with Lorwyn Eclipsed in 2026 after a nearly 20 year gap. Meanwhile, planes like Tarkir and Eldraine were at fours and saw sequels happen much quicker, with newer planes like Arcavios and Bloomburrow getting 3s and 2s and have either gotten quick turnarounds on expansions (Arcavios) or are expected to get returns in the next few years (Bloomburrow).
In a nutshell - Capenna will likely see a return at some point, but with Magic's current UB/original scheduling and renewed focus on fantasy, it could be awhile. At least that was the narrative until a recent round of questioning with Mark Rosewater. On his blog, this question came up:
"Hi, Mark! Despite MKM falling short of expectations, would WOTC consider revisiting murder mystery/film noir themes in a future set, maybe on a return to New Capenna? There were many comments about MKM's theme feeling more at home on New Capenna."
And he gave a cryptic answer, focusing more on what goes into a setting rather than just a yea or nay on a plane.
"The biggest problem with a murder mystery theme it’s not a genre that leans on environment, but rather character archetypes. One of our lessons of the last several years is for Magic in-multiverse worlds, we need to lean on resonance that’s environmental in nature (and also blends well with fantasy). For example, gothic horror is a genre baked into environment. Action/adventure is a genre baked into character."
So yeah, a return to Capenna is still likely not in the cards in the near future...unless the need for a certain environment comes up. Or Magic decides to do an expansion that crosses several planes again.
