2024 will almost certainly go down in MTG history as one of the most significant years of all time. The complete overturn of Commander would likely be enough to ensure that alone, but there were plenty of other big developments too. Every format saw multiple shake-ups, and many of the game’s core principles were challenged. The sheer number of new sets and products released was eye-watering to boot. This makes picking the best MTG sets of 2024 a serious challenge indeed.
Despite the difficulty, it’s a challenge we’re willing to accept. We’ve already had a look at the worst MTG sets of 2024, so it seems only fair to examine the other, shinier side of the coin. For all of its lows, 2024 was also a year of stratospheric highs. These were the six sets that took us there.
6 | Pioneer Masters
Kicking off our list we have an interesting anomaly from this year: the Arena-exclusive Pioneer Masters. While it wasn’t fully alone, having the year’s Alchemy releases for company, this set was a bit of a different beast. Intended to usher in the age of Pioneer on MTG Arena, the set was packed to the gills with staples for the format.
Bring to Light, Hidden Strings, Urborg: almost everything you could want for a full-blown Pioneer experience was here. I say almost; there were some notable omissions. That said the digital Pioneer experience is very close to the physical one now, which is quite a feat for a single set.
Pioneer Masters is certainly exciting, and more than succeeds in its stated purpose. The reason it’s so low down this list is because that purpose is relatively narrow. Only Arena players, specifically those interested in playing Pioneer, really benefitted from this release. When compared to the other far-reaching products of this year, it’s easy to see why this one is number six. Excellent though it may be.
5 | Universes Beyond: Fallout
Next on our tour of the best MTG sets of 2024 we have Fallout: a much-anticipated Universes Beyond release. While not a ‘set’ in the traditional booster pack sense, instead being a set of four Commander precons, Fallout did bring over 150 new cards to the game, so I think it deserves a slot.
This was yet another instance of a Universes Beyond product turning out much better than anyone expected. The ’50s dystopian hellscape of Fallout doesn’t sound like a natural fit for Magic, but the Designers at Wizards did a cracking job of translating the series’ extensive lore over into cardboard.
This wasn’t just on the new cards, either. The majority of reprints in the set got brand-new art and flavor to bring them into the world. There are plenty of gems in here, but recasting Panharmonicon as a harmonica is a personal favorite.
The new cards had some real impact, too. Lumbering Megasloth saw real play in Legacy, while countless other cards saw heavy use in Commander. One of the set’s new legends even topped our list of the most popular Commanders from 2024. Fallout was a roaring success on multiple axes, to the point where it makes you wish Wizards went for a full release rather than just precons.
4 | Mystery Booster 2
Next up we have probably the most unique MTG product of the year: Mystery Booster 2. Released exclusively through a Secret Lair drop and events at conventions, it was much harder to get a hold of than your average booster product. That was a crying shame, too, since what Wizards cooked up here was nothing short of genius.
Resurrecting both white borders and Future Sight frames, Mystery Booster 2 was absolutely drenched in 2000s-era nostalgia. Plenty of classic cards were reprinted with one of these treatments, giving them a whole new look. Many got new artwork, too, some of which was previously reserved for MTGO products. The set’s crown jewels took this idea to the extreme: foil Future Sight versions of classic Magic characters, using artwork from the forgotten 1997 Vanguard product.
On top of this, the set also continued the Mystery Booster tradition of including Playtest Cards. These showcase bizarre mechanics and broken abilities, and some even foreshadowed future sets in the year. Honestly, the only knock against Mystery Booster 2 I can think of is its distribution method. If it was released in stores as a standard set, this would be in this list’s top two for sure.
3 | MTG Foundations
The biggest MTG game-changer of 2024 was also one of its very best sets. Foundations certainly had a lot to live up to going in. It represented a new approach to the core set concept, spanning five years rather than the usual three. Given this extended lifespan, the cards within really had to stick the landing.
Thankfully, they did and then some. Across its main set, Beginner Box, and Starter Collection Foundations featured a whopping 730 cards. With a good mix of new cards and reprints, this huge influx greatly expanded the deckbuilding options in Standard. While few of the new cards have had much constructed impact so far, the sheer volume of cards here means at least some are likely to eventually.
On top of that, Foundations also brought a brand-new Jumpstart product with it, packed with new anime art cards and excellent Commander additions. This gave experienced players something to sink their teeth into, as newcomers enjoyed the onboarding tools Foundations had to offer.
Foundations is, without a doubt, the best entry point to Magic for new players there’s ever been. The cards are simple yet effective, and the different products give plenty of options for exploring them.
2 | Ravnica Remastered
We’re going all the way back to January to award this year’s silver medal. Ravnica Remastered followed the same formula as its Time Spiral and Dominaria counterparts from past years, bringing all of the most iconic cards from the titular plane back with a bang. Turns out there are an awful lot of excellent cards in Ravnica sets, too.
Dark Confidant, Cyclonic Rift, Teferi, Time Raveler, the Shocklands: all here, all just as good as you remember. Most of these cards got the Retro Frame treatment, too, which is an excellent bonus. While it’s not everyone’s up of tea, I personally love this frame’s nostalgic energy. Adding a huge number of new cards to the Retro Frame lineup is great for those who want to play like it’s 1993.
On top of the great reprints and Retro Frames, Ravnica Remastered also got a whopping 64 new serialized cards. Many of the best reprints in the set got one, all in that lovely Retro Frame. This is one of the biggest serialized lineups we’ve ever seen in a set, losing out to March of the Machine by just a few cards.
Overall, with its balance of great reprints and excellent collectability, Ravnica Remastered was the best iteration of the Remastered set model we’ve seen yet. Hopefully next year’s Innistrad Remastered can keep the hot streak alive.
1 | Bloomburrow
You probably saw this one coming. You can’t talk about the best MTG sets of 2024 without talking about Bloomburrow, and for my money it belongs at the top of the list. No other set this year had the same kind of cultural impact, or did more for Magic as a brand.
After two tropey, ropey sets in Murders at Karlov Manor and Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Bloomburrow’s world of cozy fantasy was a breath of fresh air. The original characters and mythos reminded many of why they fell in love with Magic to begin with. The cute factor also served as a powerful draw for new players, arguably doing just as much as Foundations for player acquisition this year.
The set didn’t just excel on an aesthetic level, however. Many of the cards here have had multi-format impact too. Heartfire Hero and Emberheart Challenger have come to define Aggro decks in Standard and Pioneer. Most of the set’s Talent cards, Innkeeper’s Talent, in particular, have risen to prominence in one deck or another. Ygra, Eater of All has even become a mainstay in sacrifice combo decks in Pioneer.
When you weight it all up, Bloomburrow is an easy pick for the 2024 top spot. It was a success on every axis (except for the drafting, perhaps), and a long-term talking point in a way no other set this year was. If 2025 can deliver a set on the same level as this, we’ll be very lucky indeed.
