Looking Back at Magic: The Gathering in 2024

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Introduction

With Foundations out, 2024 is winding down. In the festive spirit of year’s end, Guildmages’ Forum wants to look back at 2024 with you and see what new toys Magic: The Gathering gave players.

This article was written by casual Commander player ZHAN. Besides material gathered from the official Magic: The Gathering website and Guildmages’ Forum articles from this year, it contains plenty of the author’s own reflections and gripes about the year. I hope every reader finishes it with a good picture of how Magic evolved this year, and looks forward to what comes next year!

Major Changes

Booster Changes

Starting in 2024, with the release of Murders at Karlov Manor, we officially said goodbye to Set Boosters and Draft Boosters. Magic now brings players the Play Booster, a combination of the two. Play Boosters combine the best elements of Draft Boosters and Set Boosters, aiming to deliver an excellent pack-opening experience and to be a great product for Limited (quoted from the Magic: The Gathering website). Of course all sorts of other products are still around; I am only pointing out the booster change here, and you can find the full product lineup on the Magic website. Guildmages’ Forum also wrote an article about this change.

Combat Phase Adjustments

At the very end of 2024, Wizards announced the biggest news of the year: an adjustment to the combat rules (the rules change is covered in the last section, and you can also see the official community’s post). In the official words: combat should be simple.
The author thinks this is a considerable change that both the attacker and the defender can use effectively. For details, see the official information, or the turn structure explainer.

Standard Sets

Murders at Karlov Manor

On February 9, 2024, Murders at Karlov Manor was released and we followed the story to Ravnica. Besides the return of older mechanics like investigate, this set added new mechanics such as Disguise and Collect evidence. For the details, you can revisit Guildmages’ Forum’s Murders at Karlov Manor mechanics breakdown from back then!

After a full year of new set releases, we now know that Standard contains Disguise, Cloak, and Manifest Dread all at once, and these three abilities put many face-down cards on the table (the author is quite puzzled why two different face-down effects appear in the same Standard environment). Besides using tokens to help tell that the face-down cards on the board have ward 2, players also need to keep cards that entered face down through different abilities in two separate zones without overlapping them, and remember to turn the face-down cards up and show them to the opponent after the game ends.

++New Mechanics++
Disguise & Cloak
As extensions of Morph and Manifest, the trouble caused by Disguise & Cloak, which add ward 2, is surely something their predecessors could not compare with.

Collect evidence
A brand-new keyword action that raises the importance of the graveyard in the game, and a major reason to consider graveyard hate when building a deck. The author thinks it is an excellent ability that adds variables to a battlefield already full of possibilities.

Case
The author thinks that as Magic has developed, the difference between enchantments and artifacts keeps shrinking (some planeswalkers with built-in static abilities are arguably a kind of enchantment too). But the fun of Magic lies in different possibilities under a limited set of rules: the 25th-anniversary set Dominaria brought us a brand-new enchantment subtype, the Saga, and later Adventures in the Forgotten Realms brought the Class, opening new possibilities for the role of enchantments and artifacts. Now Murders at Karlov Manor brings a new subtype, the Case, which the author considers a variant of the Class that adds more variety to the game. A very interesting new mechanic.

Suspect & Suspected
A variant of menace. The author feels nothing about it.

++Returning Mechanics++
Clue & Investigate
Frequently seen abilities, though not in every set. Worth mentioning: Clue appearing as a card subtype rather than a token subtype is a recent development (the first time was in “Modern Horizons 2”, and the first time in Standard was Innistrad: Crimson Vow), which shows card design is trying more things. The author approves.

Split card
They show up occasionally. Being able to choose between multiple effects on one card is definitely good. The author thinks it is a hard type to balance, but as long as they are willing to print it, the author fully supports it.

++Summary++

Overall, the author thinks Murders at Karlov Manor has not many eye-catching cards, but the arrival of the surveil lands truly brought fresh blood to every format, and to some extent may be the biggest surprise of the year (after all, excellent lands get played in every format). That said, the new mechanics, Collect evidence and Case, really did expand the design space for cards, and we can look forward to more uses in the future.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction

On April 19, 2024, Outlaws of Thunder Junction was released. That wicked man Oko brought the Gang of outlaws to the brand-new plane of Thunder Junction, ready to “saddle up and rule the wild west”. Speaking of outlaws and saddles, this set’s new mechanics are Outlaw, Saddle, and Commit a crime. For detailed mechanic introductions, you can revisit the Outlaws of Thunder Junction mechanics breakdown.

++New Mechanics++
Outlaw
Made up of five creature types, Assassin, Mercenary, Pirate, Rogue, and Warlock. It is similar to the Party keyword introduced with Zendikar Rising (made up of the creature types Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard). The author relatively dislikes keywords made of several creature types, but the Outlaw implementation is clearly more mature than the earlier Party (special mention to Shoot the Sheriff, simple and useful).

Saddle
The creature version of Crew, an ability that encourages attacking and gives extra benefits after being saddled. The author has no particular feelings about it.

Commit a crime
A meme ability. Commander players now have one more line of trash talk: “You committed a crime against me earlier and you still want me to spare you?”
Simple and effective, a very good ability that increases the interaction between cards. Looking forward to seeing more of it.

Spree
Arguably the author’s favorite mechanic in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. I think we can all agree that a good card should be cheap and do as many things as possible. Spree not only lets you choose what to do depending on the situation, it also lets you allocate the cost yourself. Since this is a Standard set, the cards so far are relatively conservative, and we look forward to the day it causes an uproar in other formats.

Plot
Similar to Kaldheim’s Foretell: pay the cost first, then use the card on a later turn. Used well, it can definitely threaten the board, but the turn in which you pay first is almost like doing nothing, which is quite dangerous. Fortunately there are other cards that give spells plot. We look forward to a wonderful deck that plots Omniscience using Make Your Own Luck.

++Summary++

In recent years we have seen more and more mechanics dug up and remade. In the author’s view, Outlaw and Plot from Outlaws of Thunder Junction are both more mature than the earlier Party and Foretell. The author is very happy about this, and we can look forward to more new or refreshed mechanics in the future.

Bloomburrow

On August 2, 2024, Magic welcomed a group of cute little animals with the release of Bloomburrow, which I trust left all you beast-lovers unable to control yourselves and shook up the Standard environment. Naturally, Bloomburrow’s mechanics are designed around these cute animals. The new mechanics Offspring and Valiant strengthen creature-focused decks. For detailed mechanic introductions, you can revisit the Bloomburrow mechanics breakdown.

++New Mechanics++
Offspring
In addition to paying the spell’s own mana cost, you can pay the Offspring cost to create a 1/1 copy of the creature when the spell resolves and enters the battlefield. A 1/1 may not look helpful, but more often than not we just need the other powerful effects on the main body. The author thinks this ability can effectively help all kinds of decks and is a very good ability.

Gift
When casting the spell, you may choose an opponent to give an additional benefit. If you do, the spell’s own effect gets stronger. Giving the opponent a benefit is usually not something players want to do, but given the flexibility that the caster can freely choose whether to give it, the author thinks it is a very interesting ability (especially its diplomacy in casual Commander).

Valiant
There have always been cards with “Whenever ~ becomes the target of a spell or ability you control ~”. This time it is more like turning that whole sentence into a keyword. It may become a common keyword in the future.

Forage
A brand-new keyword action, completed by exiling three cards from your graveyard or sacrificing a Food. Any mechanic like this has a chance to break the game if the effects are done well, and anything new is welcome.

Expend
Same as above, new stuff is good (though this time it looks a bit conservative).

Pawprints Season
A classic rewrite of the choose-one-or-more effect. Being able to choose among multiple effects makes it a good card.

++Returning Mechanics++
Threshold
The condition is met when your graveyard has seven or more cards. A key mechanic when deciding in deck building whether to fill the graveyard or bring graveyard hate.

Class
Readers must have felt how much the author loves the three mechanics Saga, Class, and Case when reading the earlier Murders at Karlov Manor section (though the author may never have actually used any card related to Class or Case), so there is nothing more to say. Great!

++Summary++

This set brought players many brand-new mechanics and successfully brought fresh blood to Standard. Beyond Standard, every format got new cards to play, so the author considers it an excellent set (especially as a Commander player, who really likes the Gift mechanic). Still, Bloomburrow is not the best set of the year in the author’s mind, because the next two sets are even better.

Duskmourn: House of Horror

On September 27, 2024, Duskmourn: House of Horror, themed on “horror and Cthulhu elements”, was released. Besides the various “homages” you can spot in the card art, the new mechanics Impending and Manifest Dread fit the theme, and their powerful effects shook up every format. For detailed mechanic introductions, you can revisit the Duskmourn mechanics breakdown.

++New Mechanics++
Room
The first time the concept of split cards was brought to permanents. One card can offer two choices, and there is not much to say besides that it is great.

Eerie
Can be seen as a variant of Constellation from Journey into Nyx, giving enchantment players a new option.

Impending
The ability itself is ordinary, but the Overlord cycle that goes with it is simply too strong.

Manifest Dread
Can be seen as a variant of Manifest from Fate Reforged. Look at the top two cards, put one onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature and the other into the graveyard. One effect does two things (holds the board and fills the graveyard), which is super good, not to mention that if the card put onto the battlefield is a creature, you can pay its cost to turn it face up.

Survival
An ability whose name fits its trigger very well, and there are also off-beat plays that meet the condition through abilities like Convoke or Crew.

Delirium
The condition is met when your graveyard has four or more card types. A key mechanic when deciding in deck building whether to fill the graveyard or bring graveyard hate.

++Summary++

Although this set is also mainly refreshed old mechanics, the effects of many individual cards are excellent, and the mechanic design fits the “horror and Cthulhu elements” theme very well. The author considers it a set with plenty of “visual impact”.

Foundations

On November 15, 2024, the most shocking set of the year came out, and also the author’s favorite set of the year: Foundations.
Unlike previous Standard sets, the cards in this set can be used in Standard for the next five years, and there are as many as 512 of them. Besides classic cards from Magic’s history, there are also new cards. For details, please read The Impact of Foundations on Standard.

++Summary++

So far we have reviewed the five Standard sets of 2024. If you want to know how each of this year’s five Standard sets changed Standard, please be sure to read each set’s Standard preliminary article:
Murders at Karlov Manor Standard Preliminary
Outlaws of Thunder Junction Standard Preliminary
Bloomburrow Standard Preliminary
Duskmourn Standard Preliminary
Foundations Standard Preliminary
Or use the [CATEGORIES] menu at the top of Guildmages’ Forum and choose [Construct] to read about the formats’ environments and decks. New players are recommended to read the articles written for them under [Beginner], and beginners or veterans who want to improve at Limited are recommended to read the Limited-specific content under [Limited].

Non-Standard Sets

This year’s non-Standard releases were four sets in total: “Ravnica Remastered”, “Fallout”, “Modern Horizons 3”, and “Magic: The Gathering - Assassin’s Creed” (so many!). Ravnica Remastered brought back the shock lands. Magic: The Gathering - Assassin’s Creed brought new cards to Modern and below, and many of its equipment shine in Commander. Fallout is a rare set that brought new cards to Legacy and below, including many reprints of staple cards, offering players a new way to obtain them. And our absolute star, Modern Horizons 3, directly affected the Modern environment. Not to mention the slaughter by Nadu, Winged Wisdom, which people who do not even play Modern have heard of. Besides the rise of new decks, many old decks were strengthened too, a real hundred schools of thought contending. Guildmages’ Forum also has Modern-related articles:
Why Nadu Must Die: Aug 26th BnR Predictions
New Tech for Dimir Murktide: Echo of Eons
Modern Mardu Energy: When the Ocelot Pride Meets The Lord of the Rings
Why (I Think) The One Ring Must Die: Dec 16th BnR Prediction

Conclusion

All in all, besides Standard becoming richer, Modern also saw new changes in 2024, not to mention the Commander cards that came along with each set release.

Besides the new sets, the products moved from the former “Set Boosters and Draft Boosters” to unified “Play Boosters”. After a year of experience, the author thinks the Limited and pack-opening experience has gotten better. Of course, the improvement comes not just from the product consolidation but even more from the effect of the card designs, though it may also be seen as the official side considering product and card design together.

As for the combat phase adjustment, it makes combat more flexible, and the mind games before and after damage assignment are quite interesting. Of course the change has not been around long, and perhaps next year we can look back and reconsider how we feel about it.

Taking all of the above together, the author thinks 2024 was a year with very rich content.