Ravnica Remastered Set List Release

Magic: The Gathering is full of memorable worlds. The high-tech cyberpunk world of Kamigawa was a big hit on its return in 2022’s Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. We’ve just had a trip to the lost caverns of Ixalan, full of Dinosaurs, hidden Gods, and conquistador Vampires worshipping a giant bat. I’ll also plant my flag in the ground and shout of New Capenna, a glittering, art-deco tower of crime and corruption.

Everybody has a favourite plane in Magic, but none of them can hold a candle to Ravnica. The worldwide cityscape has been one of Magic’s most iconic worlds ever since its 2006 debut. Its ten two-colour guilds permanently changed how we talk about the game, and it even made its way over to Dungeons & Dragons, where it’s just as beloved. With Ravnica such a big hit, it’s no wonder we’re getting Ravnica Remastered in early 2024 to celebrate it.

Ravnica Remastered is launching on January 16, and fills a slot in the year that has previously been filled by things like Time Spiral Remastered and last year’s exquisite Dominaria Remastered. A reprint set that pulls together cards from Ravnica, Guildpact, Dissension, Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash, Dragon’s Maze, Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Allegiance, and War of the Spark for one, big, Ravnica-themed limited environment, this set is as just as all-encompassing as Ravnica itself.

Keep in mind that this set won’t include cards from our next trip to Ravnica, February’s Murders at Karlov Manor.

At the heart of Ravnica are its ten guilds. Each represents a pair of the five colours of Magic, and also play a different role not just in Ravnica’s society, but also in how you play the game:

• The white/blue Azorius Senate are the lawmakers of Ravnica. They’re the bureaucrats, judges, and lawyers, aiming to keep control on the city from their ivory towers. Their playstyle revolves around control, with plenty of counterspells, bouncing things to hands, and giving you bonuses for playing things on your own turn.
• The blue/black House Dimir are one of Ravnica’s most elusive guilds. Spies and assassins alike, they hide in the shadows, bartering in information. If you like being sneaky and hunting through your deck for the spells you need, this is the colour pair to play.
• The Cult of Rakdos supply the entertainment and grunt work of Ravnica, but don’t let that fool you. This black/red cult are vicious, with their entertainment often ending in more than a few deaths. Sacrificing and playing aggressively are core to Rakdos decks.
• It’s hard to call the Gruul Clans a guild. They’re more the absence of a guild, with this loose collection of red/green groups being focused on reclaiming the wilds and tearing down the city any way they can. Stompy creatures and hitting hard and fast are its style.
• Love, nature, and harmony are the ideals of the green/white Selesnya Conclave. On the surface a peace-loving group looking to unite Ravnica, their token-generating and counters strategies reward you for going wide and giving everything you have in pursuit of the Selesnya’s goals.
• The Orzhov Syndicate are easily the most stylish of the Ravnican Guilds. Ostensibly the church of Ravnica, behind the scenes this white/black guild are ruthless criminals, extorting for gold and even keeping the ghosts of long-debt debtors in their service. Impose taxes and play with spirits in one of Ravnica’s coolest playstyles.
• Though the blue and red Izzet League are meant to be maintaining the municipal structures of Ravnica, they’re much more interested in the pursuit of knowledge. They’re not evil, but they’re just as likely to blow up a whole street in an experiment as they are to provide it with clean water. Spellslinging is Izzet’s most iconic style, rewarding you for casting instant and sorcery spells.
• Though the status of the black and green Golgari Swarm is still up in the air after the March of the Machine, the Golgari provided the food for the whole of Ravnica with its great underground farms. More importantly, they also tended to its dead, often turning citizens into compost or zombie thrulls to work the fields. Graveyard strategies abound in these colours, with lots of creature animation.
• Though the Azorius set the laws, it’s the red and white Boros Legion who enforce it. Cops and soldiers, their brutal idea of justice keeps Ravnica in check. It’s easily the most combat-focused colour, with equipment artifacts and combat tricks being its staples.
• Finally, the Simic Combine. They’re meant to be the doctors and health workers of Ravnica, finding ways to keep people healthy in a city growing ever-denser. In practice, that means becoming mutants, with the Simic exploring forced evolution to fit every niche of Ravnica. Counters, big creatures and land ramp all help fuel the Simic’s outright bizarre strategies.

The cool thing about learning the Guilds is that it helps you talk to your fellow Magic player. Most people use the Guilds as shorthand for talking about the colours of their deck – for instance, if someone says they’re running a Simic deck, you’ll know they’re playing blue and green!

That means you can expect Ravnica Remastered to push you into loyalty to one of the ten guilds. Do you want to control the board and make the rules? Azorius. Sacrifice everything and cause some pain? The black/red Cult of Rakdos will be more up your street. Or perhaps you just like big creatures getting bigger? For that, check out the blue/green Simic Combine.

If you want to pick your guild and take to the streets, you won’t have to wait long. Ravnica Remastered is the first set of 2024, launching on January 12, 2024. It’s also noteworthy for being the final appearance of one of Magic: The Gathering’s mainstay products, the Draft booster.

Starting with Murders at Karlov Manor in February, Draft and Set boosters are being combined into the one-pack-does-all Play booster. Combining the draftability of a Draft booster with the fancy art treatments of a Set booster, if you want a nostalgic farewell to a pack we’ve had since 2020, Ravnica Remastered will be your final chance. Of course, Collector’s boosters aren’t going anywhere, and for Ravnica Remastered they’ll include all the foils and alternate art you love.

As Ravnica Remastered isn’t one of the main major sets of the year, it’s one of the few that won’t have any Commander deck tie-ins. The set’s still fully legal in Commander, of course, but you’ll have to go digging yourself and see what kind of deck you can pull together from the packs!

Finally, as hinted at, Ravnica Remastered will include all kinds of alternate art treatments to give you a unique look into life on Ravnica. It wouldn’t be a remastered set without an old favourite, and so retro frames that evoke the original 1990s card style are making a comeback here. Most excitingly, we’ll be seeing Shock lands get the treatment for the first time, so if you want to get your hands on a retro Stomping Ground or Steam Vents, Ravnica Remastered is the way to get it.

It's not just shock lands, though! A whole loads of classic cards are being given the treatment, like Blind Obedience, Cyclonic Rift, Massacre Girl, Krenko Mob Boss, Guardian Project, and all of the legendary guild leaders of Ravnica. They look especially incredible in foil, with the foiling really making the retro frame pop.

In Collector boosters, 64 of the retro frame cards will have serialised versions, with exclusive number stamps on them singling them out as unique. Serialised cards are by far the biggest pulls in any set, and with this one offering serialised, retro frame shock lands, you could be in with the chance to get some massive hits when cracking your packs.

Maybe retro frames aren’t for you. That’s fine, because Ravnica Remastered is also including borderless manga art. 40 cards from the set will have this style, with great Japanese artists offering the iconic manga style to cards like Bruvac the Grandiloquent and Lord of the Void. While manga art can sometimes be a bit hit-of-miss, these ones look simply stunning, and will be perfect for blinging out your Commander deck.

Ravnica Remastered is a set for everyone. If you’re a veteran and love limited, it’s a way to revisit cards and decks you’ve not played in years. If you’re newer and like playing Commander instead, it’s a way to get your hands on classic staples like Cylconic Rift. If you like cracking packs, there’s tons of art styles to enjoy, and if you prefer buying singles, the influx of cards this set’s reprinting will help you finish off your decks quickly and easily.

If there was any world that deserved a remastered set, it was Ravnica. And with us now spending a few months in the city thanks to Murders at Karlov Manor, this is an excellent way to kick off the year and celebrate a plane we all love so, so much.

Ravnica Remastered launches on January 12. Make sure to preorder your packs and singles through Magic Madhouse today!