Summary
Magic: The Gatheringmay not have had an Unfinity or March of the Machine: The Aftermath to stink up this year, but to say it’s been tumultuous would be an understatement. Between the iffy releases at the front of the year, the Commander problems of this Autumn, and the bombshell that we’ll be seeing a lot more Universes Beyond in the future, 2024 has been one of the most unsettled for the game in a very long time.
But it hasn’t been a total washout, either. We’ve had some excellent releases with inventive cards, and some of my favourite releases of the year came as a complete surprise. But which sets were bangers, and which ones will be destined for the bulk box?
This ranking only includes sets that had booster pack releases. This means that Fallout and Assassin’s Creed are valid, but Ravnica: Clue Edition is not.
10: Murders At Karlov Manor
Ravnica is one of Magic’s most beloved settings, with its world-spanning city feuded over by ten delicately balanced guilds serving as the backdrop for some of the game’s best sets. Everybody knows Ravnica, and has an expectation on what a Ravnican set would do.
Unless it’sMurders at Karlov Manor, which ditched the guild theme and instead stuck half of its residents in a murder mystery. The story was phenomenal, but the set itself was let down by boring mechanics like disguising and suspecting, and outside of a few key cards (Delney, the surveil lands etc.) it’s failed to have any kind of lasting impact.
9: Ravnica Remastered
In an attempt to stir up some excitement for Ravnica before Karlov Manor ruined it,Ravnica Remasteredbrought cards from across the various Ravnica sets into one, draftable environment.
Like other Remastered sets, it was an incredibly forgettable experience. It wasn’t necessarily bad to draft, but lots of the cards weren’t anything to write home about once you went home from the shop. The inclusion of all ten shock lands and Cyclonic Rift feel more like a cynical ploy to make packs seem more valuable than they actually were when the rest of the set is relative chaff like Tomik, Distinguished Advokist or Tajic, Legion’s Edge.
8: Outlaws Of Thunder Junction
Outlaws Of Thunder Junctionshould’ve been so much more than it was, as the Wild West is a theme we’ve been asking Magic to tackle for years, but the execution here left a lot to be desired. The worldbuilding was hollow, with Thunder Junction simply being a big dustbowl for random characters to inexplicably show up in. Did we need Marchesa in a cowboy hat? Or Rakdos, mere months after having a murder pinned on him in Karlov Manor?
The addition of two different bonus sheets – one of which being a cancelled epilogue set like last year’s Aftermath – felt crowded, and the crime-centric main sheet had a loose, uninspired theme compared to artifacts, legendary creatures, or enchantments of previous releases.
However, plot is a cool mechanic that’s given us treats like Slickshot Show-Off, and the limited environment was a blast with its huge amount of interaction and varied deck archetypes. This is a set that would really benefit from a Neon Dynasty-style follow up to flesh out the world a lot more.
7: Assassin’s Creed
I loved the Assassin’s Creed set. I could talk at length about almost every one of its cards with it being so packed with deep cuts, memorable faces, and gorgeous art. For an Assassin’s Creed megafan like me, it was wonderful… but it wasn’t particularly great as a Magic: The Gathering release.
Assassin’s Creeddidn’t know what it wanted to be. It felt like the scraps left over from cancelled Commander decks, with Assassins and Historic themes vying for attention. There aren’t enough cards here to build a dedicated Assassin’s Creed deck and have it be at all competent, and it had almost no impact on Modern, a format it was inexplicably also legal in.
I also hope the experiment of smaller packs sold for the same price has now fully died. Next year’s Final Fantasy and Spider-Man sets are regular boosters, at least.
This set is my guilty pleasure. I just wish it didn’t feel like an abandoned idea that was released just for the sake of having something to sell.
6: Modern Horizons 3
This is a tricky set to assess. On the one hand, this was a powerful set that gave us many cards that have since gone on to see regular play. The art treatments were stunning, the double-sided Planeswalkers made a triumphant return from Origins, and the cycle of free spells feels like some of the fairest we’ve ever had.
But, on balance,Modern Horizons 3feels like a big misstep. It’s easy to be wowed by the powerful cards, but it’s also the set that unleashed Nadu on multiple formats, ruining months of competitive and casual play. It’s the set that gave us Phlage, who is still a problem. Its limited format was warped by Basking Broodscale. It’s the made-for-Modern set that weirdly has Commander decks tacked on.
Nothing about MH3 makes sense. It’s either warping formats or still trying to make Energy work despite being a hopelessly boring mechanic. It’s a handful of great cards let down by a wonky, uneven set.
5: Fallout
Of the two big Universes Beyond crossovers this year,Falloutwas by far the more confident and competent release. Four complete Commander decks full of alternate art from across the Fallout world is infinitely better than a 110-card mini-set, and the new cards on offer were fantastic.
Nuka-Cola Vending Machine; Caesar, Legion’s Emperor; Power Fist; Silver Shroud Costume; Vexing Radgull; and, of course, the Bobbleheads have all made big splashes at my tables this year. Rad counters were also one of the slickest new mechanics of the year, giving you impressive amounts of mill without feeling too cheesy.
The Collector boosters are the big mark against Fallout, though. Doctor Who made the uncharacteristically consumer-friendly decision to make every single card available in the Commander decks, with only alternate art treatments in the Collector boosters. In Fallout, there are exclusive Fallout reprints like Wasteland, Farewell, and Crucible of Worlds that can only be found in the Collector boosters, making the decks less of a good deal.
4: Foundations Jumpstart
Jumpstart is one of the best new formats Magic has released in years, with both the original Jumpstart and Jumpstart 2022 offering hit after hit with a fun, easy-to-play way of getting in a quick game.
Foundations Jumpstart– not actually related to Foundations, despite the name, manages to offer the same ease of play as previous Jumpstarts, while also introducing new, exciting cards like Dionus and Generous Pup. The manga art is also a massive step up from the Scholastic How-To-Draw-Anime book-style art 2022 suffered from.
I could’ve done with less overlap in the reprints, as a lot of cards here were previously included in the other Jumpstart sets. 145 cards here were in Jumpstart 2022 (and 29 of those were in both 2022 and the original Jumpstart), giving it a slightly samey experience to open and play.
3: Duskmourn: House Of Horror
I wasn’t expecting to loveDuskmournas much as I did. While I’m not a complete stickler for fantasy aesthetic, the idea of an ‘80s-themed horror set felt like too far a departure. Fortunately, Duskmourn pulled it off almost perfectly, with an ode to modern horror that was also an absolute thrill to play.
Duskmourn’s story was easily the best we’ve had this year, and it was backed up by a masterfully crafted world of survivors and horrors all running around a nigh-on infinitely big house. Mechanically, it had survival which was such a smoothly designed payoff for tapping down your creatures, and eerie and rooms added new toys for enchantment decks.
The Commander decks are also stellar, with all four offering something inventive and powerful in equal measure.
The modern aspects of Duskmourn did stick out somewhat, with the odd cheerleader or jock feeling out of place. But Valgavoth and his domain are the coolest new villain Magic has had since the Eldrazi, and I really hope he becomes a bigger threat as he creeps out beyond the confines of his mansion.
2: Bloomburrow
Bloomburrowis what Magic: The Gathering should be. Its fantasy world inspired by Redwall and Mouse Guard is full of charm and character, and brought tons of new players in. Its comforting cottagecore aesthetic immediately cemented it as one of the great settings alongside Innistrad, Zendikar, or Ravnica, and a return is all but guaranteed.
Its light typal themes were a huge hit, with the various animal species of Bloomburrow fitting neatly into existing formats while maintaining its own identity. Who would’ve thought Lizard decks would be a thing this time last year, let alone that they’d be as powerful as they are?
Bloomburrow wasn’t a massively powerful set, but it didn’t need to be. Its synergies are fun to build around at any power level, and the strongest cards aren’t obnoxiously warping like many we’ve seen this year. With an incredibly detailed world underpinning it, if we don’t see a return to Bloomburrow in the next four years, I’ll eat my hat.
1: Foundations
And yet, Bloomburrow wasn’t the best set this year. No, it turned out to be the one we didn’t even know about back in January, and that I had no interest in until its reveals. Foundations could’ve easily been another boring Core set with nothing powerful to enjoy, but instead has managed to be a sweeping celebration of Magic itself.
Every bit ofFoundationsis impressive. The full art is gorgeous, the selection of reprints feels impactful without breaking the multiple formats it needs to cater for, and even the brand new cards all spark a drive to build new decks. There’s a vastness to Foundations that makes me eager to explore and play with everything in a way I haven’t felt since I first got into the game.
It’s also driving down the price of expensive cards like Doubling Season, which is great.
The side products are incredible, too. The Starter Collection is my favourite Magic product of all time, capturing the excitement of looking through a bulk box of cards and picking out long-lost treasures almost perfectly. The Beginner Box is also expertly designed, helping ease new players in without lecturing them on complex rules they simply don’t need to know yet.
Foundations might not have the sheer spice of Modern Horizons 3, or the worldbuilding of Duskmourn and Bloomburrow. But it makes me feel excited and enthusiastic about the game of Magic: The Gathering at its most fundamental level. I’m so glad we’re going to be opening packs of this for years, because I don’t feel like I’ve even begun to scratch the surface of what it has to offer.
Magic: The Gathering
Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.
