Magic: The Gathering Sets

Magic: The Gathering Sets

These are tables of Magic: The Gathering card sets. A trading card game published by Wizards of the Coast, Magic is primarily marketed in base/core sets and in expansion sets. Except for the game's original release (Alpha/Beta) core sets through Tenth Edition consisted entirely of reprints; from Magic 2010 forward, new cards have been printed in core sets, although reprints still comprise the majority of the set. The core sets have ranged in size from 249 cards (Magic 2010) to 449 cards (Fifth Edition). Expansion sets, which have ranged in size from 92 cards (Arabian Nights) to 422 cards (Time Spiral), are primarily composed of new cards, with few or no reprints. Compilations or reprint sets are distinguished by generally not being released in randomized boosters, instead containing a pre-selected card pool (possibly including new cards). Theme decks serve a similar function; however, they are always attached to a specific set or block, while compilations are free to pick and choose cards from any set.

All expansion sets, and all editions of the base set from Sixth Edition onward, are identified by an expansion symbol printed on the right side of cards, below the art and above the text box. From Exodus onward, the expansion symbols are also color-coded to denote rarity: black for common and basic land cards, silver for uncommon, and gold for rare. Beginning with the Shards of Alara set, a red-orange expansion symbol denotes a new rarity: "Mythic Rare"(the Time Spiral set featured an additional purple coloration for "timeshifted" cards). For the early expansion sets (from Arabian Nights to Alliances), the rarities of cards were often much more complicated than the breakdown into common, uncommon, and rare suggests. The actual distribution can be found in the respective set's article. Cards in compilations are assigned rarity by Wizards, however, they do not necessarily match within the set, with some singletons rare and some mythic rare in a given set.

Wizards of the Coast assigns an internal development codename and a three-character expansion code to each set.