With the release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt coming, it will trigger a much-needed Standard rotation. Every two years, MTG‘s Standard format will go through rotation to keep the format fresh for new players.
In mid-September, Throne of Eldraine, Theros Beyond Death, Ikoria Lair of Behemoths, and Core Set 2021 will rotate out. There’s been plenty of discourse about the health of Standard, and how players are excited to see powerful cards leave the entry-level format.
What is Rotating Out of Standard in 2021?
There will be four MTG sets rotating out in Standard on September 16, which are the following:
- Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
- Theros Beyond Death (THB)
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
- Core Set 2021 (M21)
With rotation imminent, it would clear most of the Standard banned list since it consists of cards from the last year, with the exception being Omanth, Locus of Creation. The current Standard is as follows:
- Oko, Thief of Crowns
- Once Upon a Time
- Fires of Invention
- Cauldron’s Familiar
- Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath
- Omnath, Locus of Creation
- Lucky Clover
- Escape to the Wilds
It will be a welcome relief to see these cards leave Standard for good, taking us into a new age of hopefully less obnoxious power. Not to mention, we saw the errata on Companions from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths too since that warped Standard for a brief time.
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What is Rotating Out of Standard in 2022?
Like this year, there will be four MTG sets rotating out of Standard next September, which are the following:
- Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
- Kaldheim (KHM)
- Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)
- Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
Until then, you will have Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty and Streets of New Capenna likely added with the above sets until rotation. Although not confirmed, it looks like Dominaira United will trigger the next rotation cycle in September next year.
Read More: Everything We Know About MTG’s Innistrad: Midnight Hunt – Release Date, Previews & More
What to do with the Rotated Cards?
Losing out on playable cards in Standard can feel bad. However, there are various ways to give those cards a new lease of life on MTG Arena, Magic Online, or on tabletop play. With MTG Arena, there may be scheduled events post-rotation to help players fill out their collections, so they can use these cards for Historic. Historic is MTG Arena’s exclusive format which injects older cards through Historic Anthologies or Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, which includes upcoming Standard sets. As such, we have a guide to get you started into Historic if your collection is tied to MTG Arena.
If you prefer to play in the paper, there are formats such as Modern and Pioneer which can give you an excellent footing by using those old Standard cards. If you want to learn more about Modern and Pioneer, we have guides on both to give a head start.
Coming out in October, there will be a set of Pioneer Challenger decks that allow you to get a footing into the format on the cheap. Combing with cards in your collection, this could be all you need to play this exciting and unique format.
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