The year 2024 is now nearing its end. As we look toward 2025 and all the changes that are in store for our beloved game, it’s important to look back on what Magic: The Gathering brought to the table in 2024.
There was a boatload of major set releases over the last twelve months. From premier sets to Universes Beyond crossovers to unique supplemental products, players had a lot to look forward to.
Still, while there were certainly some highlights in 2024, not every set released this year was well-received. Of course, any set’s appeal varies from person to person, but some in particular fell short of expectations.
Today, we set out to rank the worst sets of the year. Lots of factors, such as lore and gameplay, helped us determine what sets would appear on this list. So, without further ado, here are the worst MTG sets of 2024.
5 | Duskmourn: House of Horror
Coming in at number five, we have Duskmourn: House of Horror. Duskmourn really felt like a bit of a toss-up on whether to include it on this list or not. After all, there are plenty of redeeming qualities to the set.
First, the set produced a strong Limited environment. The archetypes were very synergistic, especially Rakdos sacrifice. This created some fun dynamics while Drafting, as cards like Final Vengeance had the potential to be excellent, but only if you had enough support.
Beyond that, Duskmourn was decent for Constructed. This set struck a pretty good balance between introducing a bunch of format staples to Standard, Pioneer, and beyond without going too far to the point where cards need to be banned.
The main issue with Duskmourn, however, came from storytelling and art. Many players were not fans of the 80s horror theme. Some complained that the cards didn’t even feel like Magic cards anymore.
With regards to art, there were tons of complaints that Survivor creatures in the set showcased no ounce of struggle in their illustrations. This alone created a disconnect from the idea that they’re in massive danger in the haunted house. With all this in mind, we decided to put Duskmourn at number five on the list.
4 | Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Outlaws of Thunder Junction has a lot in common with Duskmourn. The Draft experience was solid, and there was very little to complain about from a Constructed perspective.
However, players were not hesitant to voice their complaints about the overused tropes that took away from the set overall. Prior to spoiler season, it seemed like a lot of players were excited to see an actual Western-style MTG set.
Unfortunately, that’s not what we received. Instead, it felt like a generic “villain set” with mediocre world-building. This set was jam-packed with content, including The Big Score and Breaking News bonus sheets, but none of that mattered in the face of what many would call a disappointingly designed premier set.
3 | MTG Assassin’s Creed
While the last two sets still had major redeeming qualities to them, the final three sets in our rankings fall off considerably. MTG Assassin’s Creed, for instance, was not a very well-received set from the beginning.
Right off the bat, the concept of Beyond Boosters is quite poor. Just like the small boosters from March of the Machine: The Aftermath, these beyond boosters come with way fewer cards than a normal pack. On top of that, they’re un-draftable, and yet still cost more money than a typical Play Booster.
This alone was a rather large barrier to overcome for the set to succeed. Yet, things got even worse when the cards were spoiled. Despite being a direct-to-Modern set, almost every card in the tiny set was unplayable in any competitive setting. This further tanked player interest in MTG Assassin’s Creed.
2 | Modern Horizons 3
Modern Horizons sets are naturally polarizing. Some players enjoy these turbocharged sets that give a power boost to Modern and Eternal formats. Other players meanwhile, dislike how much change they bring to Modern all at once.
Modern Horizons 3 took the ladder problem to a whole new level. From Nadu combo to Boros Energy all the way to Eldrazi ramp, Modern Horizons 3 completely changed the landscape of Modern. This forced players to pay the price with their wallets in order to keep up.
Above all else, this set’s extreme power level also resulted in a number of bans. Nadu, Winged Wisdom was deemed a complete design mistake and got banned in August. This, unfortunately, didn’t do enough to solve Modern’s issues, as Boros Energy simply took Nadu combo’s place atop the throne.
This forced another series of bans to take place, which included a nerf to Energy with Amped Raptor biting the dust. Overall, Modern Horizons 3 was a huge net negative for the format it was specifically designed for. Therefore, it deserves a spot high on the list.
1 | Murders at Karlov Manor
That brings us to the number one spot in our rankings. Murders at Karlov Manor was a poor set by nearly all metrics. It wasn’t a fun Limited environment. It didn’t bring a lot of enjoyable elements to Standard and it was even worse for Pioneer. Murders at Karlov Manor is infamous for bringing Vein Ripper to the forefront of the format. Rakdos Vampires terrorized the Pioneer metagame until Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord was finally banned.
As far as storytelling is concerned, Murder at Karlov Manor was the pinnacle of overused trope. For many, the set thematically felt like a meme. Having Murders at Karlov Manor and Outlaws of Thunder Junction back-to-back did not help the cause, either.
Obviously, this list is subjective. Still, Murders at Karlov Manor was definitively disliked by a large portion of the MTG community. So, it’s only fitting that it earns the spot as the worst MTG set of 2024.
