The Road to Renewal

It's that time of year again: MTG Arena's Renewal season is just around the corner! As we approach this time of change and new beginnings, we'll be rolling out celebratory gifts for all our players, as well as some guidance for the coming year. It will all culminate with the release of Bloomburrow this August.

Unlike last year, Alchemy and Standard will both feel the impacts of rotation. Standard says goodbye to the sets that left Alchemy last year, and Alchemy will continue to stay a year ahead.

To help break down rotation and Renewal, we've assembled everything you need to know about each, and how they will affect MTG Arena. Let's take a look!

What Is Rotation?

2024 rotation graphic showing set symbols for current Standard, next Standard and what rotates in, and Alchemy's rotation for 2024

Rotation is the scheduled move of older Magic sets out of rotating formats, such as Standard and Alchemy. This makes room for cards from new set releases in these formats, keeping them fresh and exciting.

On July 30, 2024, in MTG Arena the sets from the 2022 Magic year will rotate out of Standard and the sets from the 2023 Magic year will be rotating out of Alchemy. Cards rotating out of Alchemy will still be legal in Standard, and all rotating cards will remain legal in MTG Arena's nonrotating formats: Historic, Explorer, and Timeless. Any formats that utilize the same card pools as those formats, like Historic Brawl, will also still have access to those cards.

Everything else remains legal in their current formats, and as the Magic year progresses, new sets will be added to formats, starting with Bloomburrow, then Duskmourn: House of Horror, and then other future releases.

We know change can be tough, especially for newer players, so to ease the burden, we've got a few things coming to help you along.

Live Now with Bloomburrow Preorder Bundles

Color Challenge Deck Rewards

With the release of the Bloomburrow preorder bundles, we updated the ten multicolor decks that are used for rewards for the Color Challenge. The decks are now refreshed and ready for the new, post-rotation Standard format.

New players will receive these new decks from the Color Challenge and the onboarding quest line. As always, when a new player unlocks one of these decks for the first time, they will also receive all cards from that deck in their collection.

For existing players, these decks will simply appear in the Starting Decks folder in the Decks tab. Players who collected previous new player starter decks will receive any cards from the new decks that they haven't already collected to make sure they can take these decks out for a spin.

Transaction Warnings

When you attempt to buy packs, craft a card, or purchase a card style for cards that are rotating out, you will get a reminder that these cards will soon rotate, and you'll be prompted if you still want to complete the transaction. You're still welcome to, of course—this is just to make sure that you're getting what you want.

Renewal Egg

At this point, players will see the Renewal Egg when they open their inbox. This is both a reminder that rotation is coming up and that there will be a package containing some special rewards to help you kick off the new Magic year. Rotation happens in MTG Arena on July 30, which is when the egg will open and you can claim the rewards!

Log in before rotation to make sure you get your Renewal Egg!

Coming July 30: Bloomburrow Release and Rotation

Alchemy

With the release of Bloomburrow, these sets will rotate out of the Alchemy format:

  • Dominaria United
  • Alchemy: Dominaria
  • The Brothers' War
  • Alchemy: The Brothers' War
  • Phyrexia: All Will Be One
  • Alchemy: Phyrexia
  • March of the Machine
  • March of the Machine: The Aftermath
  • The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™

Cards from these sets will no longer be playable in Alchemy unless they are reprinted as part of a future release. They will still be allowed in Standard, Explorer, Historic, and Timeless as they are currently allowed.

At Bloomburrow's release, Alchemy will include the past Magic year of sets, plus Bloomburrow, the first set of the coming Magic year:

  • Wilds of Eldraine
  • Alchemy: Eldraine
  • The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
  • Alchemy: Ixalan
  • Murders at Karlov Manor
  • Alchemy: Karlov Manor
  • Outlaws of Thunder Junction
  • Alchemy: Thunder Junction
  • Bloomburrow

Standard

With the release of Bloomburrow, these sets will rotate out of the Standard format:

  • Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
  • Innistrad: Crimson Vow
  • Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
  • Streets of New Capenna

Cards from these sets will no longer be playable in Standard unless they are reprinted as part of a future release. They will still be allowed in Explorer, Historic, and Timeless formats.

At Bloomburrow's release, the Standard format will include the past two Magic years of sets, plus Bloomburrow, the first set of the coming Magic year:

  • Dominaria United
  • The Brothers' War
  • Phyrexia: All Will Be One
  • March of the Machine
  • March of the Machine: The Aftermath
  • Wilds of Eldraine
  • The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
  • Murders at Karlov Manor
  • Outlaws of Thunder Junction
  • Bloomburrow

Renewal Rewards

The Renewal Egg that players received before rotation will open in early August with the release of Bloomburrow. First, you'll receive ten individual card rewards to get your post-rotation collection off to a strong start. This will include five rares from nonrotating sets, and another four rares plus one mythic rare from Bloomburrow.

In addition, you'll get more Bloomburrow cards and packs added to your Set Mastery track. As you earn Mastery XP during the Bloomburrow set period, you'll unlock these extra rewards.

Quick Drafts

Starting with the Bloomburrow release, Quick Draft events will feature sets that are remaining in Standard following next year's rotation, so there's no need to avoid drafting for fear your cards will rotate out soon.

Jump In!

The packets in the Jump In! event will also be rehauled for the new Magic year. Packets using themes from the rotating Standard sets will be retired, while remaining packets will be revised to contain only cards that won't be rotating out of Standard.

Individual Card Rewards

Individual card rewards (ICRs) for daily win bonuses, and Standard-focused events will also be updated to remove cards rotating out. These cards will instead be included in ICRs for Historic-focused events.

A New Year of Magic Is Coming

Rotation is always an exciting time for Magic. Every rotation brings new and invigorating changes, and this year will be no different. The face of Magic will shift with new cards and decks to experience. We hope this has helped you get ready for this year's Renewal season and all the excitement that comes with it.

Have fun in the new Magic year!