Wizards of the Coast has been successfully remastering sets for a while now. Since 2020’s Amonkhet Remastered, these MTG sets have almost been a yearly occurrence. Following 2023’s Dominaria Remastered, it appears they’ve become exactly that with a new plane being chosen each year.
For 2025, Wizards will give Innistrad the remastered treatment, technically for the second time. Following last year’s Shadows over Innistrad Remastered, this paper-playable set will utilize all the plane’s defining features. Like the remastered sets before it, players can expect plenty of exciting reprints and an exciting Draft environment too.
While Innistrad Remastered should be a thoroughly entertaining time, the question of what comes next is surprisingly unclear.
An Obvious Option
Following the 2025 MTG release calendar doing the rounds of Reddit, some MTG players got to wondering. While Dominaria, Ravnica, and Innistrad were all great planes for a remaster, 2026 is a mystery. Not only is it unclear if we’ll even get more remastered MTG sets, but the remaining options aren’t as obvious.
In a Reddit post all about this topic, one plane did stand out as the next most obvious choice. Having played host to 6 sets, Zendikar appears to be the next most obvious option. Not only is it seeped in history, but it’s certainly got plenty of exciting and diverse reprints too. Between the fantastic lands and the Eldrazi titans, there’s certainly a lot to love.
While Wizards would have a fair few sets to pull from, as CopperRadiance notes, this hypothetical remastered set may have a problem. Between the two blocks, and the 2020 solo set, there’s not a great deal of mechanical overlap on Zendikar. Between Allies, Eldrazi, Kicker, and Landfall, the mechanics are kind of all over the place.
In theory, the range of mechanics on Zendikar is the opposite of a problem. After all, it gives Wizards plenty of freedom to craft a unique and exciting Draft environment. For example, Wizards could lean into themes of Zendikar vs Eldrazi once again but turned up to 11 this time. As Chainsawinsect points out, this could give some of Zendikar’s weaker cards time to shine.
“That’s the whole point of a Remaster, though, you print the cool cards and not the ones that were ass. Having weaksauce cards you can ignore and not reprint is a bug, not a feature.”
Chainsawinsect
A Range of Remasters
Ultimately, while Zendikar may be a sensible choice for a Remastered set, it’s hardly the only option. Mirrodin Remastered, for example, was another popular suggestion that has plenty to pull from. Not only have five sets taken place on this plane but there’s a huge amount of history to tap into.
Admittedly, some of this history is rather recent, but Mirrodin is nonetheless a beloved plane that many players can’t wait to go back to. The same is true for Theros, which was another fairly popular suggestion on Reddit. With only four sets taking place on this plane, it’s hardly the most expansive, but we’re long overdue for a return.
While players are keen to see Mirrodin and Theros again, it’s worth noting that Remastered MTG sets are exactly that. Unless Wizards mixes up the formula, they won’t contain any new cards or information about the plane. While this reality of remasters may be somewhat disappointing, we’re sure these sets would still be thoroughly entertaining.
This entertainment should be found in basically any remastered plane, especially those released prior to 2015. With the majority of blocks taking place on the same plane, they’re easy targets for a remaster. Just roll all the best bets if Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block together into a new set and you’re golden. Even sets that have basically been forgotten, like Alara, could benefit from this treatment.
Coming Soon: The Future
At the moment, we don’t even know if we’re getting a remastered set in 2026. While we have been told some details about one of the 2026 sets, much of the release calendar is a mystery. Unless the upcoming reveal at MagicCon: Las Vegas is much bigger than expected, we may be waiting until 2025 for more information.
Ultimately, the writing may be on the wall for remastered sets thanks to Universes Beyond. With two major sets planned to be released each year from 2025 onward, remastered sets may lose their spot. If Wizards has to decide between another Modern Horizons or remastered set there wouldn’t be much of a choice.
Hopefully, Wizards can find a suitable place for everything in the content calendar without dropping sets completely. While they’re arguably not the most exciting releases, Remastered sets are still great fun. Not only do they have that hit of nostalgic appeal, but new players also get to experience Magic’s past.
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