Box Sets

Pursuit of Knowledge card art

Continuing (and perhaps concluding) this month's focus on types of Magic products, today I look at some box sets. A box set differs from a typical Magic release in that you know all the cards beforehand; there is no randomization or 'blind buy' element. Wizards has produced many different kinds of box sets, broadly binned into preconstructed decks and a select list of cards. I will focus on the former; specifically:

- Duel Decks

- Premium Deck Series

- Challenger Decks

- Commander Decks

Duel Decks

Duel decks started way back in 2007. They ran through 2018 and had 21 releases. Each release had two 60-card thematic decks designed to face off against each other. I think they were casual, meaning they were never standard-legal. The theme was based on some rivalry in the Magic universe, and could be tribal (Elves vs. Goblins, Divine vs. Demonic, Knights vs. Dragons), planeswalker (Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas, Sorin vs. Tibalt), archetype (Speed vs. Cunning, Mind vs. Might), or feature other approaches. See example below and the complete list here.  

Duel decks were okay but of limited financial value. The first few had a lot of powerful cards, but that tapered off in subsequent releases (for the most part). 

Premium Deck Series

Premium decks had only three releases, from 2009-2011. As the name implies, these were top-notch. They were 60-card decks, entirely foil, with some powerful cards, updated frames, and potentially alternate art. 

- Slivers (2009)

- Fire & Lightning (2010)

- Graveborn (2011)

Their limited run suggests that they were not good for business . . . still, I enjoy my Graveborn deck and have left it largely unaltered.

Challenger Decks

Challenger decks started in 2018. They are considered a successor to duel decks, but with some important differences. They are standard- or pioneer-legal (upon their release) and immediately competitive, featuring popular archetypes and powerful cards prevalent at the time. Most releases feature four different 75-card decks (60-card main deck + 15-card sideboard). There have been seven such releases to date; five focused on standard and two on pioneer. Links are to deck lists.

Decks released as Pioneer Challenge decks in 2022

- Challenger Decks (2018)

- Challenger Decks 2019

- Challenger Decks 2020

- Challenger Decks 2021

- Pioneer Challenger Decks 2021

- Challenger Decks 2022 

- Pioneer Challenger Decks 2022

Apparently challenger decks were not well-received. Though powerful, being standard-legal meant they became obsolete as soon as standard rotated (less than a year after release). Wizards stopped them in 2022.

Commander Decks

Commander is perhaps the most popular format in Magic. This 100-card singleton (one copy max of each card) format, started by players, took Magic by storm. In 2011, Wizards embraced the format officially and released five preconstructed Commander decks, featuring ~50% new cards. They continued almost annually, generally releasing five decks (one year had four) and appending the year to the product (Commander 2013 through Commander 2019). These were 'independent' releases, meaning they were not tied to any expansions/etc. That all changed in 2020.

Starting with Commander 2020, preconstructed Commander decks were tied to a specific set. They varied in number, from 2–5 decks released per set, and skyrocketed in frequency: after three releases in 2020 (for nine decks total), every year since has had five releases (15–17 decks total). See example below or the complete list here.

I enjoy these preconstructed Commander decks. I own a number of them, and they are a great introductory product (for newbies) and suitable for veterans. I'm spending a lot less money on Magic this year, but these preconstructed decks are still high on my list for both fun and value.

Final Thoughts

Preconstructed decks are a personal favorite. If you want to experience Magic, this is a great way to do it.

Remastered Sets

Incite Insight card art

Continuing the month's focus on types of Magic products, today I look at Remastered sets.

Remastered sets take existing Magic blocks/releases and 'condense' them down to a new draft experience, updating wording as required and presenting a cohesive experience. Think of them as a 'greatest hits'; a chance to re-experience a favorite time in Magic's history. Designer Mark Rosewater explains: 

Our story begins back in 2014. Magic Online was looking for more content, but they were trying to do so without making new cards. Was there a way to make new content out of existing cards? That's when the idea of a remastered set was first thought up.

The focus here is the limited environment (draft and sealed). Originally, per the Rosewater article, Magic was not designed with limited in mind. As the game evolved, designers wanted to give players a chance to re-live some earlier iconic cards and mechanics without necessarily introducing new sets. Since Magic sets used to be produced in blocks, they were an obvious target for this remastering: condense three or more sets down to one, based on modern Magic design principles, and release it as an 'essence' of a block. They also base them on a plane (like Dominaria) well-known (and well-loved) by players.

Magic Online released one digital-only remastered set (Tempest Remastered in 2015). Magic Arena saw two such releases in 2020 (Amonkhet and Kaladesh Remastered). And then paper Magic released four, all since 2021:

• Time Spiral Remastered (2021)
• Based in Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, and Future Sight (2006-7)
• Innistrad: Double Feature (2022)
• A combination of Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow (2021)
• Not a curated experience; it was two sets mashed together and not well received
• Dominaria Remastered (2023)
• Cards from 27 different Dominaria-based sets (from 1994-2018)
• Ravnica Remastered (2024)
• Cards from 13 different Ravnica-based sets (from 2005-2020)

MTGWiki has nice articles for each, explaining any rarity shifts, art changes, or other factors of relevance (see their pages on Time Spiral Remastered, Innistrad, Dominaria, and Ravnica). 

I mentioned updated wording: sometimes Wizards tweaks the wording on cards for a smoother flow, so reprints in Masters sets may feature different words (or art), but the card is the same mechanically. Consider Simian Spirit Guide:

Remastered sets have proved to be popular. The next is due out in early 2025. They are great for drafting or filling holes in your collection, but as with other reprint sets, they can also flood the market, confuse players, or overwhelm.

Some Supplemental Sets

Catalog card art

Last time, I looked at Masterpiece Series and Bonus Sheets. This time, I wanted to cover a few supplemental sets increasingly common in Magic: Masters sets, Modern Horizons sets, and Commander sets. Note: sets with mostly (or entirely) reprints are more properly called compilation sets, but I prefer to preserve alliteration.

Masters Sets

Per MTG Wiki, these are "draftable reprint sets, used to increase availability of staple cards in non-rotating formats." In other words, these are both 1) for fun drafting and 2) picking up cards you missed the first time they were released (generally in 'regular' expansions). There are no new cards in these releases (except Commander Masters, which had 40 new cards in its preconstructed decks).

Ignoring online-only sets, Masters Sets started in 2013 with the release of Modern Masters. Two years later, the releases sped up, even featuring two sets per year in 2017 and 2018. It has since cooled and focused on variants; Double Masters (and its successor) has two rares/mythics per pack instead of one, and Commander Masters, which (intuitively) is for the Commander format.The releases so far:

• Modern Masters (2013)
• Modern Masters 2015 (2015)
• Eternal Masters (2016)
• Modern Masters 2017 (March 2017)
• Iconic Masters (November 2017)
• Masters 25 (March 2018)
• Ultimate Masters (December 2018)
• Double Masters (2020)
  
• Double Masters 2022 (2022)
• Commander Masters (2023)

Modern Horizons Sets

Also from MTG Wiki, these are "sets designed to add new cards into a non-rotating format without adding them to Standard." Both (paper) releases to date have been for the Modern format. 

Wizards pays attention to the meta in its most popular formats, and tries to keep it diverse (meaning many different archetypes have a shot at competitiveness). It is easy to inject new cards into Standard to shake up that meta, but Modern is harder (since the card pool has sets spanning 21 years at this point). Instead of using standard releases to inject modern-intended cards, they instead came up with this Horizons concept, and it has been well received. The releases so far:

• Modern Horizons (2019)
• Modern Horizons II (2021)

Commander Sets

Again, from MTG Wiki, these are an "intersection of draft and Commander, using 60-card drafted decks." The first release, Commander Legends, had about half new cards in it. The Second, Baldur's Gate, was almost entirely new cards.

• Commander Legends (2020)
• Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (2022)

Final Thoughts

Supplemental sets like the aforementioned have their place . . . but can also make things overwhelming for new players (or collectors). Of the above, I like the sets that offer new cards the best, so the Modern Horizons and Baldur's Gate releases. But it is nice to see reprints, mainly because they drive cost down. (Which is also a lesson: many cards not on the reserved list will be printed again.)

Masterpiece Series and Bonus Sheets

Fblthp the Lost card art

As I pondered what theme(s) to cover this month, I came across one of my first posts, on core sets and expansions. Perusing that made me realize how much the releases have changed since then. One concept increasingly common since that time has been Bonus Sheets, a 'sibling' of Masterpiece Series. Both are supplemental cards included as part of another set's release (though they generally relate to the theme of the main set in some way), but with some important distinctions.

Masterpiece Series

First released in the Battle for Zendikar block, these premium cards were foil reprints. They had alternate card frames, set symbols, and art. They were available only in boosters and very hard to get (Reddit claims you had a 1/432 chance for a Zendikar Expeditions card). (I never got one . . . not that I'm bitter.) Their scarcity can make them expensive. I don't know if Wizards stopped doing these, but it has been a few years since we saw them.

• Zendikar Expeditions (2015); 45 cards, all lands
• Kaladesh Inventions (2016); 54 cards, all artifacts
• Amonkhet Invocations (2017); 54 cards
• Zendikar Rising Expeditions (2020); 30 cards, all lands, similar look to Zendika Expeditions

Bonus Sheets

Bonus sheets are similar to Masterpiece Series, but the cards are much more available. They are reprints (not necessarily foil) with either retro frames (Magic's frame before 2003) or alternate card frames. They might come one or more to a booster pack. After a taste in 2006, they took off in 2021.

• Time Spiral Timeshifted (2006); 121 cards
• Time Spiral Remastered Timeshifted (2021); 121 cards (starting with card 290)
• Mystical Archive (2021); 63 cards
• Retro Frame Artifacts (2022); 63 cards
• Multiverse Legends (2022); 65 cards
• Enchanting Tales (2023); 63 cards

Points to Note

Bonus sheets are different than the showcase, extended art, or borderless cards that have become prevalent since Throne of Eldraine (original article explaining it all). In those cases, the cards are alternate versions of the 'normal'-framed cards in that set. Bonus sheets, on the other hand, offer cards unavailable in the normal set.

Since they come in packs, bonus sheet cards (and I assume Masterpiece Series as well) are legal in a limited enivornment: in other words, if you play draft or sealed, you could include them in a deck you make for that event. But in constructed, they are legal only in the format(s) the original card would be.

Final Thoughts

Bonus sheets are a nice way to access reprints of cards you missed the first time around, and they add a little flair in offering alternate treatments. On their own, they are cool. That said, when you combine these frames with others across Magic's history, it can make for an aesthetic mess (color/style clashing normally doesn't bother me, but in games, I guess I like a uniform look). And it can be potentially confusing for new players. So it is for some, but not all.