Last updated on January 2, 2025
Alms Collector | Illustration by Bram Sels
Magic has been around the block for a while, more than 30 long years at this point. The folks at Wizards of the Coast have been toiling away releasing new sets of cards every few months for almost the entire history of the game.
Each set has its own unique story not just with in-game lore, but how impactful the cards have been on the game as a whole. Some of these sets have major impacts on Magic which can still be felt to this day.
So let's dive in and get to know everything there is to know about Magicโs sets!
Upcoming MTG Sets and Set Symbols
Witness the Future | Illustration by Anato Finnstark
Let's start off with what isnโt out yet. These MTG sets will be Arriving Soonโข with different stories and legality available. Information is pretty scarce on some of these sets. Hereโs what I know:
Set Name | Set Code | Release Date | Set Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Innistrad Remastered | INR | January 24, 2025 | |
Aetherdrift | TBA | February 14, 2025 | |
Tarkir Dragonstorm | TBA | April 11, 2025 | |
Final Fantasy | TBA | June 13, 2025 | |
Edge of Eternities | TBA | August 1, 2025 | |
Marvel Spiderman | TBA | TBA |
List of Available MTG Sets and Set Symbols
Revoke Existence | Illustration by Adam Paquette
This is the total list, every set with boosters is listed here:
Set Name | Set Code | Release Date | Set Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Limited Edition Alpha | LEA (1E) | August 1993 | |
Limited Edition Beta | LEB (2E) | October 1993 | |
Arabian Nights | ARN (AN) | December 1993 | |
Unlimited | 2ED (2U) | December 1993 | |
Antiquities | ATQ (AQ) | March 1994 | |
Revised Edition | 3ED (3E) | April 1994 | |
Legends | LEG (LE) | June 1994 | |
The Dark | DARK (DK) | August 1994 | |
Fallen Empires | FEM (FE) | November 1994 | |
Fourth Edition | 4ED (4E) | May 1995 | |
Ice Age | ICE (IA) | June 1995 | |
Chronicles | CHR (CH) | July 1995 | |
Homelands | HML (HM) | October 1995 | |
Alliances | ALL (AL) | June 1996 | |
Mirage | MIR (MI) | October 1996 | |
Visions | VIS (VI) | February 1997 | |
Fifth Edition | 5ED (5E) | March 1997 | |
Weatherlight | WTH (WL) | June 1997 | |
Tempest | TMP (TE) | October 1997 | |
Stronghold | STH (ST) | February 1998 | |
Exodus | EXO (EX) | June 1998 | |
Unglued | UGL (UG) | August 1998 | |
Urza's Saga | USG (UZ) | October 1998 | |
Urza's Legacy | ULG (UL) | February 1999 | |
Sixth Edition | 6ED (6E) | April 1999 | |
Urza's Destiny | UDS (UD) | June 1999 | |
Mercadian Masques | MMQ (MM) | September 1999 | |
Nemesis | NEM (NE) | February 2000 | |
Prophecy | PCR (PY) | June 2000 | |
Invasion | INV (IN) | September 2000 | |
Beatdown | BTD | October 2000 | |
Planeshift | PLS (PS) | January 2001 | |
Seventh Edition | 7ED (7E) | April 2001 | |
Apocalypse | APC (AP) | May 2001 | |
Odyssey | ODY (OD) | October 2001 | |
Torment | TOR | February 2002 | |
Judgment | JUD | May 2002 | |
Onslaught | ONS | October 2002 | |
Legions | LGN | January 2003 | |
Scourge | SCG | May 2003 | |
Eighth Edition | 8ED | July 2003 | |
Mirrodin | MRD | October 2003 | |
Darksteel | DST | February 2004 | |
Fifth Dawn | 5DN | June 2004 | |
Champions of Kamigawa | CHK | October 2004 | |
Unhinged | UNH | November 2004 | |
Betrayers of Kamigawa | BOK | February 2005 | |
Saviors of Kamigawa | SOK | June 2005 | |
Ninth Edition | 9ED | July 2005 | |
Ravnica: City of Guilds | RAV | October 2005 | |
Guildpact | GPT | February 2006 | |
Dissension | DIS | May 2006 | |
Coldsnap | CSP | July 2006 | |
Time Spiral | TSP | October 2006 | |
Planar Chaos | PLC | February 2007 | |
Future Sight | FUT | May 2007 | |
Tenth Edition | 10E | July 2007 | |
Masters Edition | MED | September 2007 | |
Lorwyn | LRW | October 2007 | |
Morningtide | MOR | February 2008 | |
Shadowmoor | SHM | May 2008 | |
Eventide | EVE | June 2008 | |
Shards of Alara | ALA | September 2008 | |
Conflux | CON | February 2009 | |
Alara Reborn | ARB | April 2009 | |
Magic 2010 | M10 | July 2009 | |
Zendikar | ZEN | October 2009 | |
Worldwake | WWK | February 2010 | |
Rise of the Eldrazi | ROE | April 2010 | |
Magic 2011 | M11 | July 2010 | |
Scars of Mirrodin | SOM | October 2010 | |
Mirrodin Besieged | MBS | February 2011 | |
New Phyrexia | NPH | May 2011 | |
Magic 2012 | M12 | July 2011 | |
Innistrad | ISD | September 2011 | |
Dark Ascension | DKA | February 2012 | |
Avacyn Restored | AVR | May 2012 | |
Magic 2013 | M13 | July 2012 | |
Return to Ravnica | RTR | October 2012 | |
Gatecrash | GTC | February 2013 | |
Dragon's Maze | DGM | May 2013 | |
Modern Masters | MMA | June 2013 | |
Magic 2014 | M14 | July 2013 | |
Theros | THS | September 2013 | |
Born of the Gods | BNG | February 2014 | |
Journey into Nyx | JOU | May 2014 | |
Conspiracy | CNS | June 2014 | |
Magic 2015 | M15 | July 2014 | |
Khans of Tarkir | KTK | October 2014 | |
Fate Reforged | FRF | January 2015 | |
Dragons of Tarkir | DTK | March 2015 | |
Modern Masters 2015 | MM2 | May 2015 | |
Magic Origins | ORI | July 2015 | |
Battle for Zendikar | MFZ | October 2015 | |
Oath of the Gatewatch | OGW | January 2016 | |
Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | April 2016 | |
Eternal Masters | EMA | June 2016 | |
Eldritch Moon | EMN | July 2016 | |
Conspiracy: Take the Crown | CN2 | August 2016 | |
Kaladesh | KLD | September 2016 | |
Aether Revolt | AER | January 2017 | |
Modern Masters 2017 | MM3 | March 2017 | |
Amonkhet | AKH | April 2017 | |
Hour of Devastation | HOU | July 2017 | |
Ixalan | XLN | September 2017 | |
Iconic Masters | IMA | November 2017 | |
Unstable | UST | December 2017 | |
Rivals of Ixalan | RIX | January 2018 | |
Masters 25 | A25 | March 2018 | |
Dominaria | DOM | April 2018 | |
Battlebond | BBD | June 2018 | |
Core Set 2019 | M19 | July 2018 | |
Guilds of Ravnica | GRN | October 2018 | |
Ultimate Masters | UMA | December 2018 | |
Ravnica Allegiance | RNA | January 2019 | |
War of the Spark | WAR | May 2019 | |
Modern Horizons | MH1 | June 2019 | |
Core Set 2020 | M20 | July 2019 | |
Throne of Eldraine | ELD | October 2019 | |
Theros: Beyond Death | THB | January 2020 | |
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | IKO | April 2020 | |
Jumpstart | JMP | July 2020 | |
Core Set 2021 | M21 | July 2020 | |
Double Masters | 2XM | August 2020 | |
Zendikar Rising | ZNR | September 2020 | |
Commander Legends | CNR | November 2020 | |
Kaldheim | KHM | February 2021 | |
Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | March 2021 | |
Strixhaven: School of Mages | STX | April 2021 | |
Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | June 2021 | |
Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms | AFR | July 2021 | |
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | September 2021 | |
Innistrad: Crimson Vow | VOW | November 2021 | |
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | NEO | February 2022 | |
Streets of New Capenna | SNC | April 2022 | |
Double Masters 2022 | 2X2 | July 2022 | |
Dominaria United | DMU | September 2, 2022 | |
The Brother's War | BRO | November 18, 2022 | |
Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | December 2, 2022 | |
Dominaria Remastered | DMR | January 13, 2023 | |
Phyrexia: All Will Be One | ONE | February 10, 2023 | |
March of the Machine | MOM | April 21, 2023 | |
March of the Machine: The Aftermath | MAT | May 12, 2023 | |
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth | LTR | June 23, 2023 | |
Wilds of Eldraine | WOE | September 8, 2023 | |
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan | LCI | November 17, 2023 | |
Murders at Karlov Manor | MKM | February 9, 2024 | |
Outlaws of Thunder Junction | OTJ | April 19, 2024 | |
Modern Horizons III | MH3 | June 14, 2024 | |
Assassin's Creed | ACR | July 5, 2024 | |
Bloomburrow | BLB | August 2, 2024 | |
Duskmourn: House of Horror | DSK | September 27, 2024 | |
Foundations | FDN | November 15, 2024 |
List of MTG Arena Only Sets
Exclusion Ritual | Illustration by Daniel Ljunggren
Set Name | Set Code | Release Date | Set Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Alchemy: Outlaws of Thunder Junction | A24 | May 7, 2024 | |
Alchemy: Murders at Karlov Manor | A24 | March 5, 2024 | |
Alchemy: Ixalan | A24 | November 27, 2023 | |
Alchemy: Wilds of Eldraine | A24 | October 10, 2023 | |
Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | March 21, 2023 | |
Alchemy: Phyrexia | A23 | February 28, 2023 | |
Alchemy: The Brothers' War | A23 | December 13, 2022 | |
Alchemy: Dominaria United | A23 | October 6, 2022 | |
Alchemy: Baldur's Gate | A22 | July 7, 2022 | |
Alchemy: New Capenna | A22 | June 2, 2022 | |
Alchemy: Kamigawa | A22 | March 17, 2022 | |
Alchemy: Innistrad | A22 | December 9, 2021 | |
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons | J21 | April 26, 2021 | |
Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | November 12, 2020 | |
Amonkhet Remastered | AKR | August 13, 2020 | |
Pioneer Masters | PIO | December 10, 2024 | (Telescope) |
If you look around in Arena, you can scroll through the various sets with boosters available in the packs tab of the Arena Store.
There are helpful reminders on the legality of cards in certain packs, to help you avoid buying packs of cards you won't use.
List of Magic Online Only Sets
Exclusion Mage | Illustration by Chris Seaman
Set Name | Set Code | Release Date | Set Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Tempest Remastered | TPR | May 6, 2015 | |
Vintage Masters | VMA | June 16, 2014 | |
Masters Edition IV | ME4 | January 10, 2011 | |
Masters Edition III | ME3 | September 7, 2009 | |
Masters Edition II | ME2 | September 22, 2008 | |
Masters Edition | MED | September 10, 2007 |
How Many MTG Sets Are There?
Outnumber | Illustration by Tyler Jacobson
There are roughly 130 MTG sets if you count the main sets, Core sets and exclude supplemental sets like Commander precon decks, Planechase, Conspiracy, Un-sets, Duel Decks, etc.
Iโm only counting โsetsโ as those that came with booster packs. This prevents a headache because listing every single Commander precon and Secret Lair would be painful for everyone involved.
What Were Blocks?
Champions of Archery | Illustration by Donato Giancola
Expansion sets for Magic were originally grouped into โblocks,โ a collection of two to four sets that all shared a common theme and setting. They usually started with one โlargeโ set followed by two or three smaller sets of cards and a core set (Iโll get to that in a second).
This system was in place starting back in 1996/97 with the Mirage block and continued until 2015 when it transitioned to a two-set per block system called the โTwo-Block Paradigm,โ discontinuing core sets altogether.
Blocks were eventually shelved after Wizards realized the Two-Block Paradigm was problematic for a lot of reasons, mainly because of a lack of reprints and issues with developing sets. Wizards replaced the system with a โThree-and-Oneโ model where each release is a large standalone set and we get a new core set every summer. Now just about every set is standalone and spaced out with Universes Beyond, new planes, and revisited ones.
What's a Core Set?
Into the Core | Illustration by Whit Brachna
Magic initially used to refer to these as โbasic setsโ or โbase sets,โ and they werenโt wrong. Core sets made up a large portion of the common cards that players used regardless of format and age. These sets were mostly reprints of cards from other sets and featured reminder text on cards to help new players. The card themselves didnโt feature keywords or mechanics that were exclusive to expansion sets, instead featuring evergreen mechanics that were more common and less complex.
Core sets have been a part of Magic since its inception. Despite a brief pause from 2015 to 2018 WotC released one every year. 2021 sets took a bit of a deviation from this as Forgotten Realms was originally designed as a core set but evolved into its current incarnation as development continued.
Wizards learned they wanted to release products other than core sets. So another base or core set may happen again, and it seems most likely that the bottom line will define what sticks going forward no matter how much you try to balance simple and complex sets.
What Were Starter, Advanced, and Expert-Level Sets?
Leveler | Illustration by Carl Critchlow
Because Magic has such a wide variety of complexity, Wizards implemented a rating system for products with the release of Fifth Edition in 1997. These were introduced to better inform new players how complex a set or product would be.
Starter-Level Sets
Starter-level was the lowest level of complexity and offered a great starting point for new players. Starting with products like the Portal trilogy and Starter 99/00, these were marketed to bring new players into the game.
These products were quietly discontinued, but you can find similar products with starter decks from your local game store or boxed sets like the 2021 Arena starter kit.
Advanced-Level Sets
Advanced-level is the โbaselineโ for the game, exclusively belonging to core sets.
Expert-Level Sets
Expert-level was the height of the rating system and were the most complex mechanics and thematic cards available. Every expansion set was also traditionally an expert-level set.
This rating system was put out to pasture in 2007 with the release of Lorwyn, though I canโt find any announcements from Wizards as to why. I suspect that the sheer amount of set releases and most of them being expansion sets (which are always expert-level) meant there was no real need to continue the rating system anymore.
What's a Supplemental Set?
Enhanced Awareness | Illustration by Ryan Alexander Lee
While Standard is the primary driver for printing new cards and it was the most popular format until Commander, there was still a demand for other products that didnโt have to affect the fragile Standard environment or were focused on a different aspect of gameplay like drafting (with Conspiracy), multiplayer (Archenemy and Battlebond), or new formats like Jumpstart.
Weโd eventually begin to see other types of supplemental sets that introduced new cards to the game but still wouldnโt be introduced to Standard as traditional expansions. Products like Commander decks, Modern Horizons, and Masters sets quickly became extremely popular and continue to this day. The product line of Universes Beyond with IPs that arenโt owned by Wizards of the Coast continues to prove profitable, and there is seemingly always another franchise that deserves Magic card versions.
Can You Mix Magic Sets?
Combine Chrysalis | Illustration by Hector Ortiz
Of course, you can mix sets! This is how we come up with formats for play. Standard, Commander, Modern, Pioneer, Timeless, Historic, Vintage, Legacy, and other formats are all made up of different sets with their own rules on what sets are considered legal in that format.
How Often Do Magic Sets Come Out?
In a regular year, Wizards releases a new Standard-legal set every three months. Exceptions in recent years are the Innistrad twins Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow, which were released within two months of each other. Supplemental sets are printed between these release windows, usually also one per quarter.
Wrap Up
Summary Judgement | Illustration by Deruchenko Alexander
Magic wouldnโt be where it is without its unique set structure to introduce new cards into the game. You can see how itโs affected other TCGs as well, with many of them operating on a similar structure. Weโll definitely be seeing the boundaries pushed in the future with new structures and new sets getting bolder and bolder as theyโre announced. While some of us may be getting exhausted by the never-ending hype train, all we can do for now is hang on tight.
Whatโs your favorite set? Do you have any fond memories of sets old or new? Let me know in the comments or reach Draftsim on Twitter.
Stay safe out there, and keep slinging that cardboard!
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10 Comments
Just wanted to say that the set code for Zendikar says “September” instead of the actual set code “ZNR”. I don’t know if anyone else caught it and said something but in case that no one has, tada!
Fixed, thanks!
While going through all the sets to brush up my mtg knowledge in 2022, after an almost 20 year break, I noticed that Beatdown from 2001 is missing.
from 2000*
What set is “SLX” I have a “Bjorna, Nightfall Alhemist” an cannot find the set it belongs to. Logo is like a shhoting star similare to the welcome decks.
These cards are from “Universes Within,” which are Secret Lair cards from outside the MTG universe that were recreated so that they would fit the Magic world.
you are missing the Double Feature set (DBL)
Hey Charles, we actually opted to not include product releases like this since they’re not full sets, don’t have a unique set code, and are more of a card variant. Do you think that assessments fair? I’m open to changing it if people think we’re off on that.
I work at a LFGS that sells MTG singles, so count me in as one vote for an alternate version of the list that includes sets like that, commander sets and things like the OTJ Big Score symbol/special guests/etc as well as regular releases! We have a document to use as reference for finding set names, abbreviations and symbols. This list was extremely helpful when recreating the document to something more streamlined recently, but I still have to hunt down all the other set symbols. ๐
Thanks for the input Kat, weโll definitely look into either adding these supplementary sets or finding a place to list those as well.
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