2024 was a wild year for MTG. Tons of extremely strong cards were printed that completely shook up a variety of formats. Obviously, Modern Horizons 3 takes the cake when it comes to overall power level, but this was far from the only set to have a major impact on Constructed and Commander.
As we near the end of 2024, we thought it would be a nice idea to highlight the best cards printed over the last year. For the purposes of this list, we will be choosing one card from each set that we believe to be the best. Many sets have a handful of strong cards in them, so we will make sure to bring up any that were in close contention.
Our goal is to showcase the most important designs that played a role in shaping Magic’s development across the entirety of last year. With this in mind, while we will only be discussing sets with new cards in them (so no reprint-only sets like Ravnica Remastered), we felt it was only fair to feature every major release. So, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, here are the best new MTG cards of 2024.
Murders at Karlov Manor: Vein Ripper
The first premier set to release in 2024 was Murders at Karlov Manor. Murders at Karlov Manor received a lot of criticism overall, but one thing that was not controversial was the sheer power level of some of the set’s top cards. At the top of the list, we have Vein Ripper.
Vein Ripper singlehandedly resurrected the Vampires archetype in Pioneer. With Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord in the mix, Vein Ripper served as the perfect Vampire to cheat into play. Its Ward ability is absolutely devastating. If the opponent doesn’t control any creatures, they can’t even kill Vein Ripper with typical removal spells.
Vein Ripper also proved to be easily castable out of Rakdos Vampires, especially when factoring in Treasure production from Fable of the Mirror-Breaker tokens. This deck emerged at Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor and quickly surged to historic heights. Sorin finally earned a much-deserved ban back in August.
Vein Ripper was far from the only card to make noise in Constructed from the set. For example, Leyline of the Guildpact remains a staple of Modern Domain Zoo and Pioneer mono-green Devotion decklists, while the Surveil lands pair nicely with Fetchlands in Modern in a variety of archetypes. Nonetheless, we felt Vein Ripper earns the title of best card due to how dominant and format-defining the Vampires deck was.
MTG Fallout: Pre-War Formalwear
Next, we move to MTG Fallout. MTG Fallout was a Universes Beyond crossover largely designed for Commander. There are a number of sweet legends that we could have given the best card honor to, such as The Wise Mothman. However, we decided to give the edge to Pre-War Formalwear.
Pre-War Formalwear does a lot for three mana. Right away, you get to Unearth a small creature of your choice. This alone wouldn’t be stellar. Luckily, the stat boost from the equipment goes a long way towards making your puny creature a legitimate threat. From there, you’re free to move around the equipment as you wish.
Pre-War Formalwear has made its presence felt even in Eternal formats. Many Death and Taxes decks in Legacy have adopted Pre-War Formalwear as a tutor target for Stoneforge Mystic. Fans of Vintage Cube know this card has earned its keep there, too. With these credentials, we felt Pre-War Formalwear deserved the top spot for this set.
Outlaws of Thunder Junction: Slickshot Show-Off
Outlaws of Thunder Junction was the second premier set of the year. It suffered from some of the same flaws as Murders at Karlov Manor, including overused tropes, but once again delivered a plethora of noteworthy cards to Constructed and Commander alike.
For this set, the best of the bunch was Slickshot Show-Off. This time around, it didn’t feel particularly close. Slickshot Show-Off is a multi-format staple. In Pioneer, Rakdos Prowess and mono-red Wizards shells effectively pair Slickshot Show-Off with a flurry of cheap spells to push damage. Prior to the release of MH3, Slickshot Show-Off made waves in Modern Prowess decks all the same.
Sure, the card has been a bit overshadowed in Standard by Valiant creatures like Emberheart Challenger (which we will talk about later). However, that doesn’t mean the card isn’t a force to be reckoned with. If left unchecked, it will end the game in short order. Thanks to its Plot ability, you often have the luxury to delay casting it until you can protect it in some fashion. Bird is the word, and this Bird is incredible.
Modern Horizons 3: Nadu, Winged Wisdom
This brings us to the infamous Modern Horizons 3. This set brought forth a ludicrous number of potent bombs to Modern and beyond. It should come as no surprise that leading the pack is Nadu, Winged Wisdom.
Simply put, Nadu is a problematic card. The fact that it grants the card advantage ability to all of your creatures means that you can pair Nadu with any free, repeatable way to target your creatures and go absolutely ballistic.
In Modern, Shuko was the go-to option. In Legacy, Nomads en-Kor is a premier inclusion in Nadu decks. Lightning Greaves is yet another decent choice for Commander. Going off with Nadu is easy, and Nadu naturally provides some resilience versus general removal.
This card got banned in Modern and Commander and still runs rampant in Legacy. MH3 has a wealth of amazing cards, including Psychic Frog, Vexing Bauble, and numerous Boros Energy staples. Regardless, it’s hard to argue any of these cards over Nadu given Nadu’s track record.
MTG Assassin’s Creed: Basim Ibn Ishaq
MTG Fallout wasn’t the only Universes Beyond set released in 2024. Assassin’s Creed arrived about halfway through the year, too. This set was relatively weak all things considered, but there were a couple standout cards.
Basim Ibn Ishaq is one of them. This card is good enough to show up in Vintage from time to time. It’s a bit narrow since you need a high density of cheap historic spells to maximize it, though this isn’t a big ask.
So long as you can follow up Basim Ibn Ishaq with a historic spell right out of the gate (free spells like Moxen work perfectly alongside the legend), you can generate some value guaranteed before it gets answered.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze did warrant consideration for the best Assassin’s Creed card for its role in Duel Commander. We ended up giving the nod to Basim Ibn Ishaq, but we wouldn’t fault anyone for having Ezio ranked higher.
Bloomburrow: Emberheart Challenger
Bloomburrow, on the other hand, was a very powerful set with a lot of contenders for best card. Beza, the Bounding Spring, Artist’s Talent, Stormchaser’s Talent, and more all have merit to be top dog. We decided to go with what we thought warped the Standard and Pioneer metagames the most: Emberheart Challenger.
Emberheart Challenger, Heartfire Hero, and friends paved the way for a unique style of red aggro deck to climb the ranks in both formats. As a 2/2 with Haste and Prowess, Emberheart Challenger hits hard. On top of that, Emberheart Challenger can generate lots of card advantage in conjunction with cards like Rockface Village turn after turn.
These Valiant threats seem like they will be the most memorable package from Bloomburrow as we look back in the future. So, it only seems fitting to give Emberheart Challenger its flowers.
Duskmourn: House of Horror: Overlord Cycle
For Duskmourn, the Overlords are biggest, baddest group of creatures in the set. While some are more prevalent than others, the whole cycle has played a major role in shaping various formats.
Overlord of the Hauntwoods does a great job enabling Leyline Binding and ramping towards your other payoffs. Overlord of the Mistmoors helps buy you time as a four-mana play, while acting as a top-tier win condition later in the game.
The Overlords work nicely in conjunction with Up the Beanstalk, since you can play them for their Impending costs and still get your card out of the deal. Zur, Eternal Schemer can then “animate” them if they aren’t creatures and swing the game heavily in your favor. There are just so many synergies available that make the Overlords stronger than they may appear at first glance.
Notably, the Enduring cycle of Glimmer creatures does deserve a shout as well. Enduring Innocence is amazing in the Selesnya Company deck in Pioneer, and some players would argue Enduring Curiosity is the best card in Standard. It’s not often that we see two cycles of cards see this much play.
MTG Foundations: Soulstone Sanctuary
Finally, we have MTG Foundations. Foundations is pretty strong for a “core set.” However, no one card stands out as the best.
Sire of Seven Deaths has popped up here and there in Modern and Legacy as a solid creature to ramp to. There are plenty of cool and amusing additions like Hare Apparent that are better than they appear.
We ended up ranking Soulstone Sanctuary at the top based on how many archetypes the card sees play in. It’s a Standard staple, showing up in all sorts of decks like Dimir midrange and even red Prowess shells. The fact that it stays a creature forever once you animate it is a huge deal.
Once it’s a creature, it counts as every creature type, which makes it a solid inclusion in Demon decks built around Unholy Annex/Ritual Chamber. It may not be as efficient as Mutavault in this department, but it gets the job done. As such, Soulstone Sanctuary concludes our list of the best new MTG cards of 2024.
