Best Magic MtG Sets Ever Released

I first considered writing about the best Magic The Gathering sets of all time, I knew this would be subjective. Let's face it—if I asked ten people what they thought, I'd get ten different answers for ten different reasons.Magic has produced many great sets, making it easy to choose a few as the best. I'm not trying to persuade everyone.

I love the Golden Age of Magic, so I could pick five or six late 1990s sets for the list. To be fair, I thought I would try to pull at least two sets from each of Magic's "eras" to appeal to my readers, who are of various ages and interests.

Magic: The Gathering Eras?

I'll briefly explain how I divide Magic into eras, another subjective opinion.

GOLDEN AGE

The Magic The Gathering Golden Era includes all major sets from Limited Edition ALPHA to Mercadian Masques in 1999. I counted 33 Wizards of the Coast Magic sets during this time. I know some people extended this era to Eighth Edition or Mirrodin in 2003, but I think the Golden Era ended around 2000 because Magic's popularity was at its lowest.

Silver Age

The Magic The Gathering Silver Era includes all sets from Nemesis in 2000 to Magic 2013 in July 2012. Magic had many great sets during this long period of uncertainty. Magic 2013 marked the end of the Silver Age, but I would include the From The Vault Realms box set and the Izzet v. Golgari duel decks from 2012.

Bronze Age

The Magic The Gathering Bronze Era includes all sets from Return to Ravnica in 2012 to War of the Spark in May 2019. The lottery card was introduced, new mechanics like Mentor, Devotion, Heroic, Extort, and Surveil were added, and card designs were updated.

THE PRESENT

Magic Current Era

The Magic Modern Times All sets from Modern Horizons in 2019 to the present.

After War of the Spark, Magic introduced Eldraine, a new plane that head designer Mark Rosewater had been working on for years.

With the release of that plane and the Throne of Eldraine set in October 2019, many argue that the Current Era began. Modern Horizons, released in June 2019, marked the beginning of the current set era.

Is this about the set or the best booster boxes?

I'll focus on the set in this post because I'll need a separate post to discuss the best booster boxes. So I'll avoid Booster Boxes and focus on the best Magic The Gathering sets of each era.

Thus, my favorite Magic: Gathering sets from all eras. It was difficult to choose one or two sets from these long eras, but I think you'll agree that these are great sets.

Last thing...

I avoided ALPHA, BETA, etc. It seemed too obvious and boring. I chose sets that I think are great now and could be great long-term investments.

I avoided Compilation, Supplemental, Box, and Commemorative sets. Because "Modern" and "Masters" sets are always good, they were set aside. I wanted to give normal sets, little guys, mainstream core and expansion sets a chance!

Let's begin!

Best Golden Age Magic The Gathering

#1: URZA’S SAGA (October 1998)

Urza's Saga

Urza's Saga is one of my favorite sets and will likely increase in value. Some iconic cards from Urza's Saga are worth a lot of money today.

Six cards in this 350-card set cost over $100, three over $200, and one (Gaea's Cradle) nearly $1000! If I could only have one set other than A/B/U, it would be this one. Serra's Sanctum, Gilded Drake, Time Spiral, Yawgmoth's Will, and one of my favorites, Tolarian Academy, have something for every collector or player.

#2: TEMPEST (October 1997)

Magic Storm

I'll bet most didn't think Tempest would be my number two set, but I think it's one of the best late 90s Magic sets and often overlooked by the other strong sets from the same era.

Tempest, like Urza’s Saga, was a 350-card set. It was very popular after Mirage, Visions, and Weatherlight.

The set introduced "shadow" on black, blue, and white cards and "buyback" on green and red cards. Eladamri Lord of Leaves, Time Warp, Intuition, and Earthcraft are also popular spells and creatures from Tempest.

The number of Land and Artifact cards that have influenced the game stands out. Players and collectors still want Ancient Tomb, Wasteland, Medallions (Emerald, Jet, Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl), Grindstone, Scroll Rack, and Lotus Petal.

Many Magic historians consider Tempest one of the most powerful and influential sets. Is it #2? For me.

Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited are essential to discussing the Golden Age. All three of these sets changed Magic The Gathering in the early 1990s and are among the best ever.

Stronghold and Exodus are two more sets. A coin flip prevented me from ranking these sets #1 and #2. You can't go wrong with either of Magic's most influential sets.

The Golden Age of Magic had many great sets. Throw a dart at Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Weatherlight, Urza's Legacy, and Urza's Destiny and you'll win!