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.