How to Find MTG Sets in Chronological Order
A step-by-step guide to help you find mtg sets in chronological order quickly and accurately.
Knowing where a set falls in Magic's release timeline tells you far more than just when it came out. It tells you the card frame to expect, roughly how old the physical stock is, which formats the cards can legally be played in, and often gives you a quick sanity check on whether a price you are seeing is realistic. This page lists every major Magic: The Gathering set in chronological order, grouped by era, from Alpha in 1993 through the newest 2026 releases, so you can place any card without digging through Wizards' archives.
Step-by-Step Guide
Why set order matters when identifying a card
A card's set tells you its rarity symbol style, border color, card frame, and legal formats - all of which affect its value. Two copies of the same card from different sets can be worth wildly different amounts because of foiling, frame treatment, or how many other copies exist. Before you can price a card accurately, you need to know exactly which set it came from, not just its name.
How to find the set on your card
Every card printed since 1993 has a set symbol in the middle-right of the text box (older cards from Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited are the exception - they have no set symbol at all, which is itself a useful identifier). Match that symbol and its color against a set symbol reference, or just scan the card with Lotus Scan and let it identify the exact printing automatically.
Tip: If a card has no set symbol whatsoever, it is almost certainly from Alpha, Beta, or Unlimited (1993) - among the most valuable printings in the game.
Use set order to estimate a card's frame and age
Magic has had three major frame overhauls: the original border used through 2003, the "modern" black-bordered frame introduced with Eighth Edition in 2003, and the current templated frame introduced with Magic 2015 in 2014. Knowing roughly where a set falls in the timeline below tells you which frame to expect before you even look at the card.
Check format legality quickly from set order
Standard only includes roughly the last two to three years of sets (see our Standard rotation guide for the current cutoff). Pioneer starts at Return to Ravnica (2012). Modern starts at Eighth Edition (2003). If you know where a set sits on this list, you can immediately rule formats in or out without looking anything up.
Coming up next
Reality Fracture releases on October 2, 2026 and Star Trek on November 13, 2026. See the release dates and the most expensive cards in each.
Reality Fracture: release date and most expensive cards →A note on scope
This list covers the main numbered expansions and core sets that define Magic's timeline and format legality. It intentionally leaves out most Masters sets, Commander-only products, and Secret Lair drops, which are reprint or supplemental products rather than new Standard-legal sets. For exact release days on anything from the last two years, cross-check Scryfall before making a pricing decision.
The Reserved List Era (1993-1999)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Alpha | 1993 |
| Beta | 1993 |
| Unlimited | 1993 |
| Arabian Nights | 1993 |
| Antiquities | 1994 |
| Revised | 1994 |
| Legends | 1994 |
| The Dark | 1994 |
| Fallen Empires | 1994 |
| Ice Age | 1995 |
| Chronicles | 1995 |
| Homelands | 1995 |
| Alliances | 1996 |
| Mirage | 1996 |
| Visions | 1997 |
| Weatherlight | 1997 |
| Tempest | 1997 |
| Stronghold | 1998 |
| Exodus | 1998 |
| Urza's Saga | 1998 |
| Urza's Legacy | 1999 |
| Urza's Destiny | 1999 |
Masques Through Onslaught (1999-2003)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Mercadian Masques | 1999 |
| Nemesis | 2000 |
| Prophecy | 2000 |
| Invasion | 2000 |
| Planeshift | 2001 |
| Apocalypse | 2001 |
| Odyssey | 2001 |
| Torment | 2002 |
| Judgment | 2002 |
| Onslaught | 2002 |
| Legions | 2003 |
| Scourge | 2003 |
Mirrodin Through Time Spiral (2003-2007)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Mirrodin | 2003 |
| Eighth Edition (new card frame begins) | 2003 |
| Darksteel | 2004 |
| Fifth Dawn | 2004 |
| Champions of Kamigawa | 2004 |
| Betrayers of Kamigawa | 2005 |
| Saviors of Kamigawa | 2005 |
| Ravnica: City of Guilds | 2005 |
| Guildpact | 2006 |
| Dissension | 2006 |
| Coldsnap | 2006 |
| Time Spiral | 2006 |
| Planar Chaos | 2007 |
| Future Sight | 2007 |
Lorwyn Through Zendikar (2007-2011)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Lorwyn | 2007 |
| Morningtide | 2008 |
| Shadowmoor | 2008 |
| Eventide | 2008 |
| Shards of Alara | 2008 |
| Conflux | 2009 |
| Alara Reborn | 2009 |
| Zendikar | 2009 |
| Worldwake | 2010 |
| Rise of the Eldrazi | 2010 |
| Scars of Mirrodin | 2010 |
| Mirrodin Besieged | 2011 |
| New Phyrexia | 2011 |
Innistrad Through Kaladesh (2011-2016)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Innistrad | 2011 |
| Dark Ascension | 2012 |
| Avacyn Restored | 2012 |
| Return to Ravnica (Pioneer begins) | 2012 |
| Gatecrash | 2013 |
| Dragon's Maze | 2013 |
| Theros | 2013 |
| Born of the Gods | 2014 |
| Journey into Nyx | 2014 |
| Khans of Tarkir | 2014 |
| Fate Reforged | 2015 |
| Dragons of Tarkir | 2015 |
| Magic Origins (current card frame begins) | 2015 |
| Battle for Zendikar | 2015 |
| Oath of the Gatewatch | 2016 |
| Shadows over Innistrad | 2016 |
| Eldritch Moon | 2016 |
| Kaladesh | 2016 |
Aether Revolt Through Throne of Eldraine (2017-2019)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Aether Revolt | 2017 |
| Amonkhet | 2017 |
| Hour of Devastation | 2017 |
| Ixalan | 2017 |
| Rivals of Ixalan | 2018 |
| Dominaria | 2018 |
| Guilds of Ravnica | 2018 |
| Ravnica Allegiance | 2019 |
| War of the Spark | 2019 |
| Core Set 2020 | 2019 |
| Throne of Eldraine | 2019 |
Theros Beyond Death Through New Capenna (2020-2022)
| Set | Year |
|---|---|
| Theros Beyond Death | 2020 |
| Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | 2020 |
| Core Set 2021 | 2020 |
| Zendikar Rising | 2020 |
| Kaldheim | 2021 |
| Strixhaven | 2021 |
| Adventures in the Forgotten Realms | 2021 |
| Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | 2021 |
| Innistrad: Crimson Vow | 2021 |
| Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | 2022 |
| Streets of New Capenna | 2022 |
Current Standard Era (2022-2026)
| Set | Release |
|---|---|
| Dominaria United | September 2022 |
| The Brothers' War | November 2022 |
| Phyrexia: All Will Be One | February 2023 |
| March of the Machine | April 2023 |
| Wilds of Eldraine | September 2023 |
| The Lost Caverns of Ixalan | November 2023 |
| Murders at Karlov Manor | February 2024 |
| Outlaws of Thunder Junction | April 2024 |
| Bloomburrow | August 2024 |
| Duskmourn: House of Horror | September 2024 |
| Foundations | November 2024 |
| Aetherdrift | February 2025 |
| Tarkir: Dragonstorm | April 2025 |
| FINAL FANTASY | June 2025 |
| Edge of Eternities | August 2025 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man | September 2025 |
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | November 2025 |
| Lorwyn Eclipsed | January 2026 |
| The Hobbit | August 2026 |
| Reality Fracture | October 2026 (upcoming) |
Want to know what this means for Standard right now?
See the full breakdown of the 2026/2027 rotation schedule change and exactly which sets are affected.
MTG Standard Rotation 2026 Explained →Make It Easier with Lotus Scan
Lotus Scan for iPhone simplifies this entire process with AI-powered card recognition, real-time price tracking, and intuitive collection management. Just point your camera and scan.
Pro Tips
- Use Ctrl+F / Cmd+F on this page and search the set name if you already know it - the eras below are ordered oldest to newest.
- Sets from 2022 onward are the ones that matter for current Standard and current market prices; everything before that is Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, or Commander territory.
- Release dates for the most recent sets can shift by a few days before official announcement - treat 2026 dates for unreleased sets as approximate until Wizards confirms them.
- Bookmark this page and cross-check it before you buy a card described only by "old border" or "new frame" in a listing - those terms are not exact without knowing the actual set.
