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{{About|the format|the game term|Historic}}
 
{{Infobox format
  
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| rules = Best-of-one and Best-of-three
  
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'''Historic''' is a [[constructed]] non-rotating [[format]] for ''[[Magic: The Gathering Arena]]'' that was officially announced by [[Wizards of the Coast]] on June 27, 2019.<ref name="June 2019">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-beta-june-27-2019|MTG Arena: State of the Beta — June 2019|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://devtrackers.gg/magic-arena/p/f58e256e-rotation-guide-intro-to-rotation-upcoming-changes-and-historic-play Rotation Guide - Intro to Rotation, Upcoming Changes, and Historic Play (MTG Arena Admin) June 27, 2019, MTGarena.com]</ref>
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{{About|the format|the game term|Historic}}
  
⚫
'''Historic''' is a [[constructed]] non-rotating [[format]] for ''[[Magic: The Gathering Arena]]'' that was officially announced by [[Wizards of the Coast]] on June 27, 2019.<ref name="June 2019">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-beta-june-27-2019|MTG Arena: State of the Beta — June 2019|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://forums.mtgarena.com/forums/threads/57075|title=Rotation Guide - Intro to Rotation, Upcoming Changes, and Historic Play|author=MTG Arena Admin|date=June 27, 2019|publisher=Mtgarena.com}}</ref>
 
   
 
==Description==
  
==Description==
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Historic was implemented in November 2019, as a format that allows ''Arena'' players to make use of cards that are no longer [[legal]] in [[Standard]] after [[rotation]].<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/mtg-arena-update-introducing-the-historic-format/|title=MTG Arena update: Introducing the Historic format|author=Brett Teran|date=June 27, 2019|publisher=[[Magic Esports]]}}</ref> The format is exclusive to ''Arena'', and is intended "to be a fun and casual way [that players] can continue to play with all the cards in [their] collection".<ref name="June 2019"/> On the other hand, paper ''Magic'' and [[Magic Online]] use the [[Pioneer]], [[Modern]], [[Legacy]], and [[Vintage]] non-rotating formats. Unusually, Historic has some quirks that prevent it from being a subset of larger formats, such as [[Jumpstart]], [[Historic Anthology]] and the Arena New Player Experience cards. Historic-legal sets are those from Ixalan onward. Cards from earlier sets are added at Wizard of the Coast's discretion.
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Historic was implemented in November 2019, as a format that allows ''Arena'' players to make use of cards that are no longer [[legal]] in [[Standard]] after their [[rotation]].<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/mtg-arena-update-introducing-the-historic-format/|title=MTG Arena update: Introducing the Historic format|author=Brett Teran|date=June 27, 2019|publisher=[[Magic Esports]]}}</ref> The format is exclusive to ''Arena'', and is intended "to be a fun and casual way [that players] can continue to play with all the cards in [their] collection".<ref name="June 2019"/> Initially Historic was to be the platform's eternal format, on par with paper ''Magic'' and [[Magic Online]]'s [[Pioneer]], [[Modern]], [[Legacy]], and [[Vintage]] non-rotating formats. Historic-legal paper sets are those from ''[[Ixalan]]'' onward, with many cards from earlier sets added at Wizards of the Coast's discretion through [[Anthology|digital anthologies]] and [[bonus sheet]]s.
   
  +
As of December 2021, Historic uses [[Rebalanced card|rebalanced]] [[Alchemy card]]s instead of original similar-to-paper versions of cards.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-alchemy-2021-12-02|MTG Arena: State - Alchemy|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 2, 2021}}</ref> The change meant the format is now considered a "living format" that can have balance changes applied when Wizards of the Coast sees fit.
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Before [[R&D]] settled on Historic the name used for the rumored format was "'''Standard Plus'''".<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://screenrant.com/magic-arena-standard-plus-format/|title=Magic Arena Will Eventually Have A "Standard Plus" Format|author=Cody Gravelle|date=December 06, 2018|publisher=Screenrant.com}}</ref> The format includes a Historic Play queue (both [[best-of-one]] and [[Bo3|best-of-three]]), Direct Challenge, practice matches with [[Sparky]], as well as some rotating events that are not beholden to Standard (such as [[Pauper]], [[Singleton]], etc.).<ref name="June 2019"/>
 
   
  ⚫
The format includes a Historic Play queue (both [[best-of-one]] and [[Bo3|best-of-three]]), Direct Challenge, practice matches with [[Sparky]], as well as some rotating events that are not beholden to Standard (such as [[Pauper]], [[Singleton]], etc.).<ref name="June 2019" />
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The introduction of Historic coincided with the first [[rotation]] for MTG Arena, and the release of the fall set of that year, ''[[Throne of Eldraine]]''.<ref name="June 2019"/> The format is intended to be inducted as tournament-sanctioned in [[Mythic Invitational 2020]].
  
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===History===
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The introduction of Historic coincided with the first [[rotation]] for MTG Arena, and the release of the fall set of that year, ''[[Throne of Eldraine]]''.<ref name="June 2019"/> Before [[R&D]] settled on Historic the name used for the rumored format was "'''Standard Plus'''".<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://screenrant.com/magic-arena-standard-plus-format/|title=Magic Arena Will Eventually Have A "Standard Plus" Format|author=Cody Gravelle|date=December 06, 2018|publisher=Screenrant.com}}</ref> The format was inducted as tournament-sanctioned in [[Mythic Invitational 2020]], and Historic replaced Draft as the second format for major competitive events for 2020-2021. Initially, Historic was merely another time-partitioned format that started at ''Ixalan'', but as time went on a large selection of powerful other cards were added through supplemental sets, such as ''[[Jumpstart]]'', [[Historic Anthology|''Historic Anthology'']] and the [[Strixhaven: School of Mages/Mystical Archive|''Strixhaven: Mystical Archive'']] cards.
  +
  +
In December 2021, the release of ''[[Alchemy: Innistrad]]'' paired Historic with it in terms of card changes. While the extra set itself was treated as another influx of cards, the ten cards [[Rebalanced card|rebalanced]] for the [[Alchemy]] [[format]] carried over their changes into Historic. This had the side effect of unbanning <c>Omnath, Locus of Creation</c>.
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Although Alchemy as a digital-only format was received favorably by players, the inclusion of its [[Designed-for-digital|exclusive cards]] in Historic was less popular. Their inclusion meant Arena lost its only "true to tabletop" non-rotating format, as the introduction of [[Pioneer]] had been put on hold with no long-term format plan made public. The negative feedback forced Wizards of the Coast to quickly announce that they would be searching for an alternative.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-kamigawa-neon-dynasty-2022-02-09|MTG Arena: State of the Game - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty|[[Wizards of the Coast]]| February 8, 2022}}</ref> This came to be the [[Explorer]] format.
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With the continuing expansion of [[bonus sheet]]s, the list of programmed but generally unplayable cards on Arena slowly grew. With the release of ''[[Khans of Tarkir]]'' and its prebanned [[fetch land]]s, the Arena team opened a new format that corresponded to [[Vintage]]: [[Timeless]].
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===Set Legality===
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The following paper releases were captured in Arena and are hence legal in Historic. Further supplemental sets are listed below.
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{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
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*''[[Ixalan]]''
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*''[[Rivals of Ixalan]]''
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*''[[Dominaria]]''
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*''[[Core Set 2019]]''
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*''[[Guilds of Ravnica]]''
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*''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]''
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*''[[War of the Spark]]''
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*''[[Core Set 2020]]''
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*''[[Throne of Eldraine]]''
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*''[[Theros Beyond Death]]''
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*''[[Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths]]''
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*''[[Core Set 2021]]''
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*''[[Jumpstart]]''
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*''[[Zendikar Rising]]''
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*''[[Kaldheim]]''
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*''[[Strixhaven: School of Mages]]''
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**''[[Mystical Archive]]''
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*''[[Adventures in the Forgotten Realms]]''
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*''[[Innistrad: Midnight Hunt]]''
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*''[[Innistrad: Crimson Vow]]''
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*''[[Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty]]''
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*''[[Streets of New Capenna]]''
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*''[[Dominaria United]]''
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*''[[The Brothers' War]]''
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**''[[Retro Artifacts]]''
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*''[[Phyrexia: All Will Be One]]''
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*''[[March of the Machine]]''
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**''[[Multiverse Legends]]''
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*''[[March of the Machine: The Aftermath]]''
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*''[[The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth]]''
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*''[[Wilds of Eldraine]]''
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**''[[Enchanting Tales]]''
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*''[[The Lost Caverns of Ixalan]]''
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*''[[Khans of Tarkir]]''
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*''[[Murders at Karlov Manor]]''
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}}
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The following [[digital-only]] releases are legal in Historic.
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{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
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*''[[Historic Anthology]]''
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*''[[Amonkhet Remastered]]''
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*''[[Kaladesh Remastered]]''
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*''[[Jumpstart: Historic Horizons]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: Innistrad]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: New Capenna]]''
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*''[[Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate]]''
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*''[[Explorer Anthology]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: Dominaria]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: The Brothers' War]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: Phyrexia]]''
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*''[[Shadows over Innistrad Remastered]]''
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**''[[Shadows of the Past]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: Eldraine]]''
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*''[[Alchemy: Ixalan]]''
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}}
   
 
==Historic Anthologies==
  
==Historic Anthologies==
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{{Main|Historic Anthology}}
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[[Historic Anthology|Historic Anthologies]] are added to the game to supplement the Historic format. Wizards added "new" old cards to MTG Arena "from across Magic's history" for use in the format. 15-20 new cards were added in November for the beginning of the new format ("Historic Anthology 1"), with the goal of adding more cards every quarter of the year.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/08/historic-comes-to-mtg-arena-in-november-with-new-old-cards-from-magics-history/|title=Historic Comes to MTG Arena in November with "New" Old Cards From Magic's History|author=David McCoy|date=August 29, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref>
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[[Historic Anthology|Historic Anthologies]] are added to the game to supplement the Historic format. WotC adds "new" old cards to MTG Arena "from across Magic's history" for use in the format. 15-20 new cards were added in November for the beginning of the new format ("Historic Anthology 1"), and adding more cards every quarter of the year.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/08/historic-comes-to-mtg-arena-in-november-with-new-old-cards-from-magics-history/|title=Historic Comes to MTG Arena in November with "New" Old Cards From Magic's History|author=David McCoy|date=August 29, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref> While the rate was slower than expected for the first few years, combining them with the [[Explorer Anthology]] repositioned the average rate higher.
   
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Upon announcement of the format, both the "new" cards and the cards rotating out of Standard (thus becoming Historic cards themselves) were announced to require two [[Wildcard]]s each to craft—rather than the usual one.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-beta-august-29-2019|MTG Arena: State of the Beta – August 2019|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/08/historic-cards-will-cost-2-wildcards-to-craft-on-mtg-arena-for-the-health-of-the-game/|title=Historic Cards Will Cost 2 Wildcards to Craft on MTG Arena for the "Health of the Game"|author=David McCoy|date=August 29, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref> After feedback from the player's base, the decision to change Wildcard redemption rates for rotated cards was revoked. It was decided that redemption for all rotated cards would remain 1:1.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-update-historic-2019-09-12|MTG Arena Update on Historic|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September 13, 2019}}</ref>
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Upon announcement of the format, both the "new" cards and the cards rotating out of Standard (thus becoming Historic cards themselves) were announced to require two [[Wildcard]]s each to craft—rather than the usual one.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-beta-august-29-2019|MTG Arena: State of the Beta – August 2019|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/08/historic-cards-will-cost-2-wildcards-to-craft-on-mtg-arena-for-the-health-of-the-game/|title=Historic Cards Will Cost 2 Wildcards to Craft on MTG Arena for the "Health of the Game"|author=David McCoy|date=August 29, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref> After feedback from the player's base, the decision to change Wildcard redemption rates for rotated cards were revoked. It was decided that redemption for all rotated cards would remain 1:1.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-update-historic-2019-09-12|MTG Arena Update on Historic|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September 13, 2019}}</ref>
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==Bonus sheets==
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Debuting in [[Time Spiral block]], bonus sheets are all-reprint collections of themed cards that appear with a frequency of one in every pack. While a one-off for many years, the second iteration was ''[[Strixhaven: School of Mages]]'', which put the newer sheets on Arena and Historic. As the sets are several dozen cards but with half of them being on Arena already, the small selection of high-impact reprints that remain puts it in a similar vein to Anthologies.
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===Mystical Archive===
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{{Main|Strixhaven: School of Mages/Mystical Archive}}
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The ''Mystical Archive'' brings in reprints of famous [[instant]]s and [[sorcery|sorceries]] from across time and the history of ''Magic'' and was not legal in Standard. These 63 cards range from common reprints from that year to cards restricted in Vintage. It was released on April 23, 2021. Seven cards from this set were preemptively banned.
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===Retro Artifacts===
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{{Main|The Brothers' War/Retro Artifacts}}
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In the same vein as the Archives, 63 famous Artifacts from across Magic were printed in ''[[The Brothers' War]]''. Fewer Standard or Historic reprints were made, but in exchange, only one artifact selected was deemed blatantly unsafe for Historic, being {{Card|Mishra's Bauble}}, which received a preemptive ban. {{Card|Phyrexian Revoker}} was considered unfun for [[Brawl|Historic Brawl]] and was preemptively banned there.
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===Shadows of the Past===
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{{Main|Shadows over Innistrad Remastered#Shadows of the Past}}
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A first for Arena sets, ''Shadows over Innistrad Remastered'' also had a bonus sheet, comprising 81 cards from the original [[Innistrad block]].
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===Multiverse Legends===
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{{Main|March of the Machine/Multiverse Legends}}
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This bonus sheet brought 65 Legendary creatures representing the multiversal war caused by [[New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse]]. Only 16 cards were not already in Historic but <c>Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer</c> was deemed to be at high risk of warping the format and preemptively banned.<ref name="MOM20230412">{{YouTubeRef|aFNtSCpXiSQ|Multiverse Legends Are Back In #MTGMachine|channel=Magic: The Gathering Arena|date=April 12, 2023}}</ref>
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===Enchanting Tales===
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{{Main|Wilds of Eldraine/Enchanting Tales}}
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This bonus sheet consists of 63 enchantments, 38 of which were new to Arena. <c>Blood Moon</c>, <c>Intruder Alarm</c>, <c>Land Tax</c>, <c>Necropotence</c>, <c>Sneak Attack</c> and <c>Spreading Seas</c> were preemptively banned from Historic but are legal in Historic Brawl.<ref name="WOEpreban">{{TwitterRef|MTG_Arena|1691515167111000064|author=[[MTG Arena]]|title=Due to the nightmares they may cause...|date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
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===The List and Special Guests===
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{{Main|The List}}
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{{Main|Special Guests}}
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With ''[[Murders at Karlov Manor]]'' and the shift to [[Play Booster]]s, the fundamental structure of booster packs was overhauled. One of these changes was the addition of [[The List]] to MTG Arena, as one slot had a 12.5% chance of becoming one. This resulted in a curated addition of various reprints to MTG Arena, some of which were not present before. While not guaranteed as true bonus sheets, the thematic collation of The List puts it in a similar space. <c>Show and Tell</c> was the only card from this cycle to be preemptively banned.
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===Breaking News===
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{{Main|Outlaws of Thunder Junction/Breaking News}}
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The bonus sheet for ''[[Outlaws of Thunder Junction]]'' contains 65 cards which build on the set's theme of [[committing a crime]]. From this, there are 29 new-to-Arena cards. <c>Force of Vigor</c>, <c>Commandeer</c>, <c>Reanimate</c> and <c>Mana Drain</c> were preemptively banned to keep the format distinct from [[Timeless]] and prevent it from getting to quick or too powerful.<ref>{{DailyRef|mtg-arena/mtg-arena-announcements-april-8-2024|MTG Arena Announcements – April 8, 2024|[[Clayton Kroh]]|April 7, 2024}}</ref>
   
 
==Remastered sets==
  
==Remastered sets==
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In [[2020]], Wizards of the Coast plan to begin adding "remastered" versions of older sets to ''Magic: The Gathering Arena''.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-november-2019-11-13|State of the Beta - November 2019|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|November 13, 2019}}</ref> The MTG Arena team, in conjunction with ''Magic'' [[R&D]], will be looking at multiple sets and condensing them into a single larger set that only includes the most relevant cards and adding that to the game. This will allow them to focus on what made these sets fun and exciting for players while delivering on the content much more quickly.
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In [[2020]], Wizards of the Coast planned to add "remastered" versions of older sets to ''Magic: The Gathering Arena''.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-november-2019-11-13|State of the Beta - November 2019|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|November 13, 2019}}</ref> The MTG Arena team, in conjunction with ''Magic'' [[R&D]], looked at blocks and condensed them into a single larger set that only includes the most relevant cards. This was to allow them to focus on what made these sets fun and exciting for players while delivering the content much more quickly.
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The long-term commitment would eventually lead to additional support to formats beyond Standard and Historic and are supposed to be working towards [[Pioneer]]. However, only the two blocks that were already digitalized in the closed beta were remastered, whereas a large number of non-Pioneer cards in [[Strixhaven: School of Mages/Mystical Archive|''Strixhaven: Mystical Archive'']] and [[Modern Horizons 2|''Modern Horizons 2'']] were implemented instead of cards from sets legal in Pioneer. As such, Historic developed its own identity with digital designs, while the expansion of [[Explorer]] into Pioneer will be done through Anthology drops rather than curated blocks.
   
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''[[Shadows over Innistrad Remastered]]'' was announced in October 2022 as the first Arena remastered set since the revival of Pioneer, the debut of Explorer, and the return of the Pro Tour. It was released on March 21st, 2023.
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This is a long-term commitment that will eventually lead to additional format support beyond Standard and Historic working towards [[Pioneer]].
  
   
 
===Amonkhet Remastered===
  
===Amonkhet Remastered===
 
{{Main|Amonkhet Remastered}}
  
{{Main|Amonkhet Remastered}}
−
Contains cards from ''[[Amonkhet]]'' and ''[[Hour of Devastation]]'', alongside some extra Rares and Mythics to shape Historic. Released on 13th August 2020,<ref name="April 2020">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-august-2020-04|MTG Arena: State of the Game – August 2020|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 4, 2020}}</ref> putting into the format for [[Mythic Invitational 2020]].<ref name="July update">{{WebRef|url=https://magic.gg/news/esports-update-2020-mythic-invitational-upcoming-announcements-and-more|title=Esports Update:2020 Mythic Invitational, Upcoming Announcements and More|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=July 13, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref>
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Contains cards from ''[[Amonkhet]]'' and ''[[Hour of Devastation]]'', alongside some extra Rares and Mythics to shape Historic. It was released on 13th August 2020,<ref name="April 2020">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-august-2020-04|MTG Arena: State of the Game – August 2020|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 4, 2020}}</ref> putting into the format for [[Mythic Invitational 2020]].<ref name="July update">{{WebRef|url=https://magic.gg/news/esports-update-2020-mythic-invitational-upcoming-announcements-and-more|title=Esports Update:2020 Mythic Invitational, Upcoming Announcements and More|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=July 13, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref>
   
 
===Kaladesh Remastered===
  
===Kaladesh Remastered===
 
{{Main|Kaladesh Remastered}}
  
{{Main|Kaladesh Remastered}}
  ⚫
Contains cards from ''[[Kaladesh]]'' and ''[[Aether Revolt]]''. It was released on November 12th, 2020.
   
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===Shadows over Innistrad Remastered===
⚫
Contains cards from ''[[Kaladesh]]'' and ''[[Aether Revolt]]'', Released on November 12th, 2020.
  
  +
{{Main|Shadows over Innistrad Remastered}}
  +
Contains cards from ''[[Shadows over Innistrad]]'' and ''[[Eldritch Moon]]''. It was released on March 21st, 2023. It contains some additional cards from the original ''[[Innistrad block]]'' in the form of the ''Shadows of the Past'' bonus sheet.
   
  +
==Supplemental full sets==
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==Suspensions==
  
  +
===Jumpstart: Historic Horizons===
⚫
To support the Historic format, Wizards introduced ''suspensions'' to control the balance that works well with Magic's history of using bans and restrictions while allowing more flexibility to adjust as Historic changes.<ref name="Suspension Announcement">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/historic-suspension-announcement-2019-12-10|Historic Suspension Announcement|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 10, 2019}}</ref> For gameplay purposes, a suspension works like a ban, in that the card will not be legal to use in the format while it is suspended. But unlike how banning cards are handled, R&D plans to use the flexibility that the digital format provides to move cards onto and off of the suspension list more commonly. Suspension isn't a final verdict, it's an indication that R&D thinks a card may be causing issues and likes to see what the meta looks like without that influence.
  
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''Jumpstart: Historic Horizons'' is an MTG Arena exclusive card set, released in August 2021. It contains hundreds of cards from ''[[Modern Horizons]]'', ''[[Modern Horizons 2]]'', and more — it includes 31 new-to-Magic cards that utilize digital-only mechanics.
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{{Main|Jumpstart: Historic Horizons}}
   
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===Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate===
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Suspension is also a temporary measure. All the cards that are suspended will be removed from the suspension list by or before the next event. Some may be returned to the playable pool (likely because R&D believes the new environment provides the appropriate answers or countermeasures), and the rest will move to be fully banned.
  
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''Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate'' is a reimagining of ''[[Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate]]'', a supplemental paper set designed for multiplayer Commander. As such, the MTG Arena version modifies the cards less suitable for one-on-one play into digital-only variations. Notably, these produce cards with identical arts but functionally different rules texts.
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{{main|Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate}}
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===The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth===
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The [[Universes Beyond]] set ''The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth'' is a straight-to-[[Modern]] product and was ported directly into Arena as a draftable set.
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{{main|The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth}}
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  +
===Khans of Tarkir===
  +
As part of the mission to port Pioneer into Arena, and the upcoming ''[[Murders at Karlov Manor]]'' using a morph derivative mechanic, Khans of Tarkir skipped ahead of ''[[Battle for Zendikar]]'' in coming to Arena. Being a well-regarded draft format with many popular cards, the set was not remastered and uploaded as is.
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{{main|Khans of Tarkir}}
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==Subformats==
  +
===Historic Brawl===
  +
Historic Brawl is a variant of [[Brawl]] format that is played with a deck of 60 cards. Historic Brawl is just what you would expect; the Brawl format (which otherwise uses only Standard-legal sets) with the added Historic card pool. It was introduced to MTG Arena in December 2020.<ref name="December 2020">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/historic-brawl-2020-12-21|Historic Brawl|[[Blake Rasmussen]]|December 20, 2020}}</ref>
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====100-card Historic Brawl====
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100-card Historic Brawl was introduced in June 2021.<ref name=June 2021">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-announcements-june-16-2021|MTG Arena Announcements, June 16, 2021|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 16, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-jumpstart-historic-horizons-2021-07-29|MTG Arena: State of the Game — Jumpstart: Historic Horizons|[[Jay Parker]]|July 29, 2021}}</ref> This is the closest to the [[Commander (format)|Commander format]] that can be played on MTG Arena.
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  +
===Alchemy===
  +
'''Alchemy''' is a [[digital-only]] play mode that was introduced in December 2021 as a fast and ever-evolving experience.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/introducing-alchemy-new-way-play-mtg-arena-2021-12-02|Introducing Alchemy: A New Way To Play MTG Arena|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-alchemy-2021-12-02|MTG Arena: State - Alchemy|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 2, 2021}}</ref> It intentionally diverges from the [[metagame]] of [[Standard]] and other formats to provide an alternative experience to play.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/designing-alchemy-2021-12-08|Designing for Alchemy|[[David Humpherys]]|December 8, 2021}}</ref> Alchemy cards are legal in Historic, and Alchemy-focused rebalances are upheld. However, Alchemy rebalances may be reverted after rotation.
  +
{{Main|Alchemy}}
  +
  ⚫
==Suspensions==
  ⚫
To support the Historic format, Wizards introduced ''suspensions'' to control the balance that works well with Magic's history of using bans and restrictions while allowing more flexibility to adjust as the Historic format changes.<ref name="Suspension Announcement">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/historic-suspension-announcement-2019-12-10|Historic Suspension Announcement|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 10, 2019}}</ref> For gameplay purposes, a suspension works like a ban, in that the card will not be legal to use in the format while it is suspended. However, the wildcard refund that occurs with bans will only happen on the full announcement. The suspension policy only lasted up until 2022, coinciding with the end of the MPL era, the return to tabletop Magic, and the introduction of Explorer. Balancing for Historic from then on was done through [[rebalanced card]]s, which also did not refund wildcards.
   
 
===Suspended cards===
  
===Suspended cards===
  +
Currently none.
⚫
*<c>Omnath, Locus of Creation</c><ref name="BR20201012">{{DailyRef|news/october-12-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|October 12, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Ian Duke|October 12, 2020}}</ref>
  
   
 
==Banned list==
  
==Banned list==
−
The following cards are banned in Historic:
 +
As of February 6, 2024, the following cards are banned in Historic.
  +
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
−
*<c>Agent of Treachery</c><ref name="BR2020713">{{DailyRef|news/july-13-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2020-07-13|July 13, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Ian Duke]]|July 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BR20200601">{{DailyRef|news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|June 1, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Ian Duke|June 1, 2020}}</ref>
  
−
*<c>Field of the Dead</c><ref>{{DailyRef|news/august-24-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|August 24, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Jay Parker|August 24, 2020}}</ref>
 +
*<c>Agent of Treachery</c><ref name="BR2020713">{{DailyRef|news/july-13-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2020-07-13|July 13, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Ian Duke]]|July 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BR20200601">{{DailyRef|news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|June 1, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Ian Duke|June 1, 2020}}</ref><ref name="December 2021">{{DailyRef|mmagic-digital/mtg-arena-announcements-december-08-2021|MTG Arena Announcements, December 8, 2021|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 8, 2021}}</ref>{{ref|excluding|†}}
  ⚫
*<c>Brainstorm</c><ref name="BR2021013">{{DailyRef|news/october-13-2021-banned-and-restricted-announcement|October 13, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|October 13, 2021}}</ref>
−
*<c>Fires of Invention</c><ref name="BR2020713"/><ref name="BR20200601"/>
  
  +
*<c>Field of the Dead</c><ref>{{DailyRef|news/august-24-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|August 24, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Jay Parker|August 24, 2020}}</ref><ref name="December 2021"/>
  +
*<c>Memory Lapse</c><ref>{{DailyRef|news/january-20-2022-banned-and-restricted-announcement|January 20, 2022 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Gavin Verhey]]|January 20, 2022}}</ref>
 
*<c>Nexus of Fate</c><ref name="BR2020713"/><ref name="BR20200214">{{DailyRef|news/mtg-arena-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2019-02-14|MTG Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February 14, 2020}}</ref>
  
*<c>Nexus of Fate</c><ref name="BR2020713"/><ref name="BR20200214">{{DailyRef|news/mtg-arena-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2019-02-14|MTG Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February 14, 2020}}</ref>
 
*<c>Oko, Thief of Crowns</c><ref name="BR20200310">{{DailyRef|news/march-9-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|March 9, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Ian Duke]]|March 9, 2020}}</ref>
  
*<c>Oko, Thief of Crowns</c><ref name="BR20200310">{{DailyRef|news/march-9-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|March 9, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Ian Duke]]|March 9, 2020}}</ref>
 
*<c>Once Upon a Time</c><ref name="BR20200310"/>
  
*<c>Once Upon a Time</c><ref name="BR20200310"/>
−
*<c>Teferi, Time Raveler</c><ref name="BR20200808">{{DailyRef|news/august-8-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|August 3, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Ian Duke|August 3, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BR20201012"/>
 +
*<c>Thassa's Oracle</c><ref name="May 2021">{{DailyRef|news/may-19-2021-banned-and-restricted-announcement|May 19, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Jay Parker]]|May 19, 2021}}</ref>
  ⚫
*<c>Tibalt's Trickery</c><ref name="BR2021013"/>
  +
*<c>Time Warp</c><ref name="June 2021">{{DailyRef|news/June-9-2021-banned-and-restricted-announcement|June 9, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Jay Parker]]|June 9, 2021}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath</c><ref name="February 2021">{{DailyRef|news/february-15-2021-banned-and-restricted-announcement|February 15, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Ian Duke]]|February 15, 2021}}</ref>
 
*<c>Veil of Summer</c><ref name="BR20200310"/>
  
*<c>Veil of Summer</c><ref name="BR20200310"/>
−
*<c>Wilderness Reclamation</c><ref name="BR20200808"/><ref name="BR20201012"/>
 +
*<c>Wilderness Reclamation</c><ref name="BR20200808">{{DailyRef|news/august-8-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|August 3, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Ian Duke|August 3, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BR20201012">{{DailyRef|news/october-12-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement|October 12, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement|Ian Duke|October 12, 2020}}</ref>
  +
}}
−
*<c>Winota, Joiner of Forces</c><ref name="BR2020713"/><ref name="BR20200608">{{DailyRef|news/suspension-update-historic-digital-format-2020-06-08|June 8, 2020 Suspension Update for Historic Digital Format|Wizards of the Coast|June 8, 2020}}</ref>
  
  +
  +
===Preemptively banned===
  +
The following ''[[Mystical Archive]]'', ''[[Retro Artifacts]]'', ''[[Multiverse Legends]]'', ''[[Enchanting Tales]]'', ''[[Khans of Tarkir]]'', ''[[Special Guests|Special Guest]]'' and ''[[Breaking News]]'' cards were preemptively banned and thus never entered the format.
  +
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
  +
*<c>Channel</c><ref name="BR20210326">{{TwitterRef|mtg_lee|1375511892492312584|author=[[Lee Sharpe]]|date=March 26, 2021}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Counterspell</c><ref name="BR20210326"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Dark Ritual</c><ref name="BR20210326"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Demonic Tutor</c><ref name="BR20210326"/>
  +
*<c>Lightning Bolt</c><ref name="BR20210326"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Natural Order</c><ref name="BR20210326"/>
  +
*{{card|Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer||MUL}}<ref name="MOM20230412"/>
  +
*<c>Swords to Plowshares</c><ref name="BR20210326"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  ⚫
*<c>Mishra's Bauble</c><ref name="November 2022">{{WebRef|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/mtg-arena/mtg-arena-state-game-the-brothers-war|title=MTG Arena: State of the Game - The Brothers' War|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=November 9, 2022|publisher=Magicthegathering.com}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Blood Moon</c><ref name="WOEpreban"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Intruder Alarm</c><ref name="WOEpreban"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Land Tax</c><ref name="WOEpreban"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Necropotence</c><ref name="WOEpreban"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Sneak Attack</c><ref name="WOEpreban"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Spreading Seas</c><ref name="WOEpreban"/> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
*<c>Flooded Strand</c><ref name="KTKpreban">{{DailyRef|mtg-arena/introducing-timeless-a-new-mtg-arena-format|Introducing Timeless, a new MTG Arena format|Dave Finseth|December 4, 2023}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Polluted Delta</c><ref name="KTKpreban"/>
  +
*<c>Bloodstained Mire</c><ref name="KTKpreban"/>
  +
*<c>Wooded Foothills</c><ref name="KTKpreban"/>
  +
*<c>Windswept Heath</c><ref name="KTKpreban"/>
  +
*{{card|Show and Tell||SPG}}<ref name="BR20240205">{{DailyRef|mtg-arena/mtg-arena-announcements-february-5-2024|MTG Arena Announcements – February 5, 2024|[[Clayton Kroh]]|February 5, 2024}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Force of Vigor</c>
  +
*<c>Commandeer</c>
  +
*<c>Reanimate</c>
  +
*<c>Mana Drain</c> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
}}
  +
:{{note|excluding|†}} Excluding Historic Brawl
   
 
===Historic Brawl===
  
===Historic Brawl===
−
As of August 4th, 2020, the following cards are banned in Historic Brawl.
 +
As of August 4, 2022, the following cards are additionally banned in Historic Brawl.
  +
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
⚫
*<c>Runed Halo</c><ref name="Aug Arena">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-august-2020-04|MTG Arena State of the Game August 2020|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 4th, 2020}}</ref>
  
  +
*<c>Chalice of the Void</c><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://mtgarena-support.wizards.com/hc/en-us/articles/8325233855892-Patch-Notes-2022-18-10|title=Patch Notes - 2022.18.10|author=[[MTG Arena]]|date=August 4, 2022|publisher=Wizards.com}}</ref>
⚫
*<c>Gideon's Intervention</c><ref name="Aug Arena"/>
  
  +
*<c>Gideon's Intervention</c><ref name="Aug Arena">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-state-game-august-2020-04|MTG Arena State of the Game August 2020|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 4th, 2020}}</ref>
−
*<c>Meddling Mage</c>
 +
*<c>Meddling Mage</c><ref name="December 2020"/>
  +
*<c>Pithing Needle</c><ref name="Pithing">{{TwitterRef|Wizards_Help|1443994094200623122|author=Wizards Customer Support|title=With the release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, the card Pithing Needle is banned in both Brawl and Historic Brawl.|date=October 1, 2021}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Runed Halo</c><ref name="Aug Arena"/>
  +
*<c>Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</c><ref name=December 2021">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-announcements-december-08-2021|MTG Arena Announcements, December 8, 2021|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|December 8,2021}}</ref>
  +
}}
  +
  +
===Preemptively banned===
  +
The following ''[[Mystical Archive]]'' and ''[[Retro Artifacts]]'' cards were preemptively banned and thus never entered the format.
  +
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
  +
*<c>Channel</c><ref name="BR20210326_Brawl">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-announcements-april-14-2021|MTG Arena Announcements, April 14, 2021|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|April 14, 2021}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Demonic Tutor</c><ref name="BR20210326_Brawl"/>
  +
*<c>Natural Order</c><ref name="BR20210326_Brawl"/>
  +
*<c>Tainted Pact</c><ref name="BR20210326_Brawl"/>
  +
*<c>Phyrexian Revoker</c><ref name="November 2022"/>
  +
}}
  +
  +
===Previously banned cards===
  +
{{See also|Banned and restricted cards/Timeline}}
  +
The following is a list of cards that have been banned at one point during their stay in the Historic or Historic Brawl environment.
  +
  +
====Historic====
  +
*<c>Teferi, Time Raveler</c> (rebalanced into <c>A-Teferi, Time Raveler</c>)<ref name="BR20220125">{{DailyRef|news/january-25-2022-banned-and-restricted-announcement|January 25, 2022 Banned and Restricted Announcement|[[Ian Duke]] and [[Jay Parker]]|January 25, 2022}}</ref>
  +
*<c>Fires of Invention</c> (rebalanced into <c>A-Fires of Invention</c>)<ref name="BR2020713"/><ref name="BR20200601"/><ref name="BR20220224">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/alchemy-rebalancing-february-24-2022|Alchemy Rebalancing for February 24, 2022|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February 23, 2022}}</ref>
  +
*{{Card|Omnath, Locus of Creation}} (rebalanced into {{Card|A-Omnath, Locus of Creation}})
  +
*{{Card|Winota, Joiner of Forces}} (rebalanced into {{Card|A-Winota, Joiner of Forces}})<ref name="BR20200608">{{DailyRef|magic-digital/alchemy-rebalancing-july-7-2022-2022-07-01|ALCHEMY REBALANCING FOR JULY 7, 2022|Wizards of the Coast|July 7, 2022}}</ref> {{ref|excluding|†}}
  +
  +
====Historic Brawl====
  +
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
  +
*<c>Golos, Tireless Pilgrim</c><ref name=June 2021"/>
  +
*<c>Winota, Joiner of Forces</c>
  +
}}
  +
  +
==Special events==
  +
===Historic Shakeup===
  +
Historic Shakeup is an [[MTG Arena]] event with a changing [[banned]] card list, you'll have to stay on your toes and think fast to find the right deck each week. Week 1 of Historic Shakeup started on March 19, 2021.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/mtg-arena-announcements-march-17-2021|MTG Arena Announcements, March 17, 2021|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|March 17, 2021}}</ref>
  +
  +
===Mirror, Mirror===
  +
[[Mirror, Mirror]] was a short MTG Arena event in July 2021 featuring [[rebalanced]] versions of some of Historic's iconic [[banned]] cards.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/welcome-summer-legend-2021-05-06|Welcome to the Summer of Legend|[[Adam Styborski]]|May 6, 2021}}</ref> The twelve cards banned before the release of ''Strixhaven'' all received "[[errata]]" that weakened them to a potentially balanced form.
   
 
==References==
  
==References==
Line 66: Line 272:
   
 
==External links==
  
==External links==
−
*{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/what-is-the-historic-format|title=What is the Historic Format?|author=Corbin Hosler|date=September 1, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}
 +
*{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/what-is-the-historic-format|title=What is the Historic Format?|author=[[Corbin Hosler]]|date=September 1, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}
 
*{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/the-pillars-of-historic|title=The Pillars of Historic.|author=Mani Davoudi|date=September 3, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}
  
*{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/the-pillars-of-historic|title=The Pillars of Historic.|author=Mani Davoudi|date=September 3, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}
   

Latest revision as of 22:04, 8 April 2024

This page is about the format. For the game term, see Historic.

Historic
DCI Sanctioned
Paper {Cross}
Magic Online {Cross}
Magic Arena {Tick}
Rules
Type Constructed
Multiplayer {Cross}
Add. rules Best-of-one and Best-of-three

Historic is a constructed non-rotating format for Magic: The Gathering Arena that was officially announced by Wizards of the Coast on June 27, 2019.[1][2]

Description[ | ]

Historic was implemented in November 2019, as a format that allows Arena players to make use of cards that are no longer legal in Standard after their rotation.[3] The format is exclusive to Arena, and is intended "to be a fun and casual way [that players] can continue to play with all the cards in [their] collection".[1] Initially Historic was to be the platform's eternal format, on par with paper Magic and Magic Online's Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, and Vintage non-rotating formats. Historic-legal paper sets are those from Ixalan onward, with many cards from earlier sets added at Wizards of the Coast's discretion through digital anthologies and bonus sheets.

As of December 2021, Historic uses rebalanced Alchemy cards instead of original similar-to-paper versions of cards.[4] The change meant the format is now considered a "living format" that can have balance changes applied when Wizards of the Coast sees fit.

The format includes a Historic Play queue (both best-of-one and best-of-three), Direct Challenge, practice matches with Sparky, as well as some rotating events that are not beholden to Standard (such as Pauper, Singleton, etc.).[1]

History[ | ]

The introduction of Historic coincided with the first rotation for MTG Arena, and the release of the fall set of that year, Throne of Eldraine.[1] Before R&D settled on Historic the name used for the rumored format was "Standard Plus".[5] The format was inducted as tournament-sanctioned in Mythic Invitational 2020, and Historic replaced Draft as the second format for major competitive events for 2020-2021. Initially, Historic was merely another time-partitioned format that started at Ixalan, but as time went on a large selection of powerful other cards were added through supplemental sets, such as Jumpstart, Historic Anthology and the Strixhaven: Mystical Archive cards.

In December 2021, the release of Alchemy: Innistrad paired Historic with it in terms of card changes. While the extra set itself was treated as another influx of cards, the ten cards rebalanced for the Alchemy format carried over their changes into Historic. This had the side effect of unbanning Omnath, Locus of Creation.

Although Alchemy as a digital-only format was received favorably by players, the inclusion of its exclusive cards in Historic was less popular. Their inclusion meant Arena lost its only "true to tabletop" non-rotating format, as the introduction of Pioneer had been put on hold with no long-term format plan made public. The negative feedback forced Wizards of the Coast to quickly announce that they would be searching for an alternative.[6] This came to be the Explorer format.

With the continuing expansion of bonus sheets, the list of programmed but generally unplayable cards on Arena slowly grew. With the release of Khans of Tarkir and its prebanned fetch lands, the Arena team opened a new format that corresponded to Vintage: Timeless.

Set Legality[ | ]

The following paper releases were captured in Arena and are hence legal in Historic. Further supplemental sets are listed below.

The following digital-only releases are legal in Historic.

Historic Anthologies[ | ]

Main article: Historic Anthology

Historic Anthologies are added to the game to supplement the Historic format. WotC adds "new" old cards to MTG Arena "from across Magic's history" for use in the format. 15-20 new cards were added in November for the beginning of the new format ("Historic Anthology 1"), and adding more cards every quarter of the year.[7] While the rate was slower than expected for the first few years, combining them with the Explorer Anthology repositioned the average rate higher.

Upon announcement of the format, both the "new" cards and the cards rotating out of Standard (thus becoming Historic cards themselves) were announced to require two Wildcards each to craft—rather than the usual one.[8][9] After feedback from the player's base, the decision to change Wildcard redemption rates for rotated cards were revoked. It was decided that redemption for all rotated cards would remain 1:1.[10]

Bonus sheets[ | ]

Debuting in Time Spiral block, bonus sheets are all-reprint collections of themed cards that appear with a frequency of one in every pack. While a one-off for many years, the second iteration was Strixhaven: School of Mages, which put the newer sheets on Arena and Historic. As the sets are several dozen cards but with half of them being on Arena already, the small selection of high-impact reprints that remain puts it in a similar vein to Anthologies.

Mystical Archive[ | ]

Main article: Strixhaven: School of Mages/Mystical Archive

The Mystical Archive brings in reprints of famous instants and sorceries from across time and the history of Magic and was not legal in Standard. These 63 cards range from common reprints from that year to cards restricted in Vintage. It was released on April 23, 2021. Seven cards from this set were preemptively banned.

Retro Artifacts[ | ]

Main article: The Brothers' War/Retro Artifacts

In the same vein as the Archives, 63 famous Artifacts from across Magic were printed in The Brothers' War. Fewer Standard or Historic reprints were made, but in exchange, only one artifact selected was deemed blatantly unsafe for Historic, being Mishra's Bauble, which received a preemptive ban. Phyrexian Revoker was considered unfun for Historic Brawl and was preemptively banned there.

Shadows of the Past[ | ]

Main article: Shadows over Innistrad Remastered#Shadows of the Past

A first for Arena sets, Shadows over Innistrad Remastered also had a bonus sheet, comprising 81 cards from the original Innistrad block.

Multiverse Legends[ | ]

Main article: March of the Machine/Multiverse Legends

This bonus sheet brought 65 Legendary creatures representing the multiversal war caused by New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse. Only 16 cards were not already in Historic but Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer was deemed to be at high risk of warping the format and preemptively banned.[11]

Enchanting Tales[ | ]

Main article: Wilds of Eldraine/Enchanting Tales

This bonus sheet consists of 63 enchantments, 38 of which were new to Arena. Blood Moon, Intruder Alarm, Land Tax, Necropotence, Sneak Attack and Spreading Seas were preemptively banned from Historic but are legal in Historic Brawl.[12]

The List and Special Guests[ | ]

Main article: The List
Main article: Special Guests

With Murders at Karlov Manor and the shift to Play Boosters, the fundamental structure of booster packs was overhauled. One of these changes was the addition of The List to MTG Arena, as one slot had a 12.5% chance of becoming one. This resulted in a curated addition of various reprints to MTG Arena, some of which were not present before. While not guaranteed as true bonus sheets, the thematic collation of The List puts it in a similar space. Show and Tell was the only card from this cycle to be preemptively banned.

Breaking News[ | ]

Main article: Outlaws of Thunder Junction/Breaking News

The bonus sheet for Outlaws of Thunder Junction contains 65 cards which build on the set's theme of committing a crime. From this, there are 29 new-to-Arena cards. Force of Vigor, Commandeer, Reanimate and Mana Drain were preemptively banned to keep the format distinct from Timeless and prevent it from getting to quick or too powerful.[13]

Remastered sets[ | ]

In 2020, Wizards of the Coast planned to add "remastered" versions of older sets to Magic: The Gathering Arena.[14] The MTG Arena team, in conjunction with Magic R&D, looked at blocks and condensed them into a single larger set that only includes the most relevant cards. This was to allow them to focus on what made these sets fun and exciting for players while delivering the content much more quickly.

The long-term commitment would eventually lead to additional support to formats beyond Standard and Historic and are supposed to be working towards Pioneer. However, only the two blocks that were already digitalized in the closed beta were remastered, whereas a large number of non-Pioneer cards in Strixhaven: Mystical Archive and Modern Horizons 2 were implemented instead of cards from sets legal in Pioneer. As such, Historic developed its own identity with digital designs, while the expansion of Explorer into Pioneer will be done through Anthology drops rather than curated blocks.

Shadows over Innistrad Remastered was announced in October 2022 as the first Arena remastered set since the revival of Pioneer, the debut of Explorer, and the return of the Pro Tour. It was released on March 21st, 2023.

Amonkhet Remastered[ | ]

Main article: Amonkhet Remastered

Contains cards from Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation, alongside some extra Rares and Mythics to shape Historic. It was released on 13th August 2020,[15] putting into the format for Mythic Invitational 2020.[16]

Kaladesh Remastered[ | ]

Main article: Kaladesh Remastered

Contains cards from Kaladesh and Aether Revolt. It was released on November 12th, 2020.

Shadows over Innistrad Remastered[ | ]

Main article: Shadows over Innistrad Remastered

Contains cards from Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon. It was released on March 21st, 2023. It contains some additional cards from the original Innistrad block in the form of the Shadows of the Past bonus sheet.

Supplemental full sets[ | ]

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons[ | ]

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons is an MTG Arena exclusive card set, released in August 2021. It contains hundreds of cards from Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2, and more — it includes 31 new-to-Magic cards that utilize digital-only mechanics.

Main article: Jumpstart: Historic Horizons

Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate[ | ]

Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate is a reimagining of Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, a supplemental paper set designed for multiplayer Commander. As such, the MTG Arena version modifies the cards less suitable for one-on-one play into digital-only variations. Notably, these produce cards with identical arts but functionally different rules texts.

Main article: Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth[ | ]

The Universes Beyond set The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth is a straight-to-Modern product and was ported directly into Arena as a draftable set.

Main article: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth

Khans of Tarkir[ | ]

As part of the mission to port Pioneer into Arena, and the upcoming Murders at Karlov Manor using a morph derivative mechanic, Khans of Tarkir skipped ahead of Battle for Zendikar in coming to Arena. Being a well-regarded draft format with many popular cards, the set was not remastered and uploaded as is.

Main article: Khans of Tarkir

Subformats[ | ]

Historic Brawl[ | ]

Historic Brawl is a variant of Brawl format that is played with a deck of 60 cards. Historic Brawl is just what you would expect; the Brawl format (which otherwise uses only Standard-legal sets) with the added Historic card pool. It was introduced to MTG Arena in December 2020.[17]

100-card Historic Brawl[ | ]

100-card Historic Brawl was introduced in June 2021.[18][19] This is the closest to the Commander format that can be played on MTG Arena.

Alchemy[ | ]

Alchemy is a digital-only play mode that was introduced in December 2021 as a fast and ever-evolving experience.[20][21] It intentionally diverges from the metagame of Standard and other formats to provide an alternative experience to play.[22] Alchemy cards are legal in Historic, and Alchemy-focused rebalances are upheld. However, Alchemy rebalances may be reverted after rotation.

Main article: Alchemy

Suspensions[ | ]

To support the Historic format, Wizards introduced suspensions to control the balance that works well with Magic's history of using bans and restrictions while allowing more flexibility to adjust as the Historic format changes.[23] For gameplay purposes, a suspension works like a ban, in that the card will not be legal to use in the format while it is suspended. However, the wildcard refund that occurs with bans will only happen on the full announcement. The suspension policy only lasted up until 2022, coinciding with the end of the MPL era, the return to tabletop Magic, and the introduction of Explorer. Balancing for Historic from then on was done through rebalanced cards, which also did not refund wildcards.

Suspended cards[ | ]

Currently none.

Banned list[ | ]

As of February 6, 2024, the following cards are banned in Historic.

Preemptively banned[ | ]

The following Mystical Archive, Retro Artifacts, Multiverse Legends, Enchanting Tales, Khans of Tarkir, Special Guest and Breaking News cards were preemptively banned and thus never entered the format.

^† Excluding Historic Brawl

Historic Brawl[ | ]

As of August 4, 2022, the following cards are additionally banned in Historic Brawl.

Preemptively banned[ | ]

The following Mystical Archive and Retro Artifacts cards were preemptively banned and thus never entered the format.

Previously banned cards[ | ]

See also: Banned and restricted cards/Timeline.

The following is a list of cards that have been banned at one point during their stay in the Historic or Historic Brawl environment.

Historic[ | ]

Historic Brawl[ | ]

Special events[ | ]

Historic Shakeup[ | ]

Historic Shakeup is an MTG Arena event with a changing banned card list, you'll have to stay on your toes and think fast to find the right deck each week. Week 1 of Historic Shakeup started on March 19, 2021.[49]

Mirror, Mirror[ | ]

Mirror, Mirror was a short MTG Arena event in July 2021 featuring rebalanced versions of some of Historic's iconic banned cards.[50] The twelve cards banned before the release of Strixhaven all received "errata" that weakened them to a potentially balanced form.

References[ | ]

  1. ↑ a b c d Wizards of the Coast (June 27, 2019). "MTG Arena: State of the Beta — June 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Rotation Guide - Intro to Rotation, Upcoming Changes, and Historic Play (MTG Arena Admin) June 27, 2019, MTGarena.com
  3. ↑ Brett Teran (June 27, 2019). "MTG Arena update: Introducing the Historic format". Magic Esports.
  4. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 2, 2021). "MTG Arena: State - Alchemy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Cody Gravelle (December 06, 2018). "Magic Arena Will Eventually Have A "Standard Plus" Format". Screenrant.com.
  6. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 8, 2022). "MTG Arena: State of the Game - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ David McCoy (August 29, 2019). "Historic Comes to MTG Arena in November with "New" Old Cards From Magic's History". Hipsters of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 29, 2019). "MTG Arena: State of the Beta – August 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ David McCoy (August 29, 2019). "Historic Cards Will Cost 2 Wildcards to Craft on MTG Arena for the "Health of the Game"". Hipsters of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 13, 2019). "MTG Arena Update on Historic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ a b Multiverse Legends Are Back In #MTGMachine (Video). Magic: The Gathering Arena. YouTube (April 12, 2023).
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g MTG Arena (August 16, 2023). "Due to the nightmares they may cause...". Twitter.
  13. ↑ Clayton Kroh (April 7, 2024). "MTG Arena Announcements – April 8, 2024". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 13, 2019). "State of the Beta - November 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 4, 2020). "MTG Arena: State of the Game – August 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (July 13, 2020). "Esports Update:2020 Mythic Invitational, Upcoming Announcements and More". Magic.gg.
  17. ↑ a b Blake Rasmussen (December 20, 2020). "Historic Brawl". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (June 16, 2021). "MTG Arena Announcements, June 16, 2021". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Jay Parker (July 29, 2021). "MTG Arena: State of the Game — Jumpstart: Historic Horizons". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 2, 2021). "Introducing Alchemy: A New Way To Play MTG Arena". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 2, 2021). "MTG Arena: State - Alchemy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ David Humpherys (December 8, 2021). "Designing for Alchemy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 10, 2019). "Historic Suspension Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. ↑ a b c Ian Duke (July 13, 2020). "July 13, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. ↑ a b Ian Duke (June 1, 2020). "June 1, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (December 8, 2021). "MTG Arena Announcements, December 8, 2021". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  27. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (October 13, 2021). "October 13, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  28. ↑ Jay Parker (August 24, 2020). "August 24, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  29. ↑ Gavin Verhey (January 20, 2022). "January 20, 2022 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  30. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 14, 2020). "MTG Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  31. ↑ a b c Ian Duke (March 9, 2020). "March 9, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  32. ↑ Jay Parker (May 19, 2021). "May 19, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  33. ↑ Jay Parker (June 9, 2021). "June 9, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  34. ↑ Ian Duke (February 15, 2021). "February 15, 2021 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  35. ↑ Ian Duke (August 3, 2020). "August 3, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  36. ↑ Ian Duke (October 12, 2020). "October 12, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  37. ↑ a b c d e f g Lee Sharpe (March 26, 2021). "mtg_lee". Twitter.
  38. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (November 9, 2022). "MTG Arena: State of the Game - The Brothers' War". Magicthegathering.com.
  39. ↑ a b c d e Dave Finseth (December 4, 2023). "Introducing Timeless, a new MTG Arena format". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  40. ↑ Clayton Kroh (February 5, 2024). "MTG Arena Announcements – February 5, 2024". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  41. ↑ MTG Arena (August 4, 2022). "Patch Notes - 2022.18.10". Wizards.com.
  42. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (August 4th, 2020). "MTG Arena State of the Game August 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  43. ↑ Wizards Customer Support (October 1, 2021). "With the release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, the card Pithing Needle is banned in both Brawl and Historic Brawl.". Twitter.
  44. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 8,2021). "MTG Arena Announcements, December 8, 2021". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  45. ↑ a b c d Wizards of the Coast (April 14, 2021). "MTG Arena Announcements, April 14, 2021". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  46. ↑ Ian Duke and Jay Parker (January 25, 2022). "January 25, 2022 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  47. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 23, 2022). "Alchemy Rebalancing for February 24, 2022". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  48. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (July 7, 2022). "ALCHEMY REBALANCING FOR JULY 7, 2022". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  49. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 17, 2021). "MTG Arena Announcements, March 17, 2021". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  50. ↑ Adam Styborski (May 6, 2021). "Welcome to the Summer of Legend". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

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