Pioneer Masters is set to launch on MTG Arena on Tuesday, December 10, delivering many of the cards missing on the platform to convert Explorer into a functional copy of Pioneer on the client. While not every card legal in Pioneer will be on MTG Arena, roughly 99 percent of the played cards at a competitive level will now be on the client, finally offering players another way to play Pioneer in addition to tabletop and on Magic Online. Pioneer Masters will be a full, draftable set of 398 digital reprints, many of which will be new to the program.
A handful of decks have been playable in Explorer as full replicas of their Pioneer counterparts, but other decks are missing role players or even archetype staples to be functional. Here are 25 cards coming in Pioneer Masters that will help MTG Arena finish the transformation of Explorer to Pioneer.
Bring to Light enables the entire BTL archetype to exist, similar to Soulflayer and its partner in crime, Chromanticore. Gladecover Scout gives the Hexproof or Auras deck another key piece to carry those powerful enchantments. Hidden Strings powers up the Lotus Field deck while Chained to the Rocks is an important removal spell for the Enigmatic Incarnation decks.
Combo cards like Dark Petition, Day’s Undoing, and Enter the Infinite give niche decks that missing peice they have been missing.
Oath of Nissa and Temporal Trespass are cards the Mono-Green Devotion and Izzet Phoenix decks have been missing that can allow the decks to function at their highest level. Sylvan Caryatid is a strong mana fixer for many decks and a fan-favorite since its debut in Theros.
Like Temporal Trespass above, delve cards like Gurmag Angler and Tasigur, the Golden Fang are nice cards to have in the format. Dreadbore gives the Rakdos decks an iconic removal spell the midrange decks often want.
While The Chain Veil is no longer at its strongest following the banning of Karn, the Great Creator — the Legendary Artifact is finally on MTG Arena for lovers of planeswalkers. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a fantastic mana fixer for multicolor decks heavily reliant on black mana and Reckless Bushwhacker joins Goblin Bushwhacker to enable the beloved “8-Whack” deck.
All five flip planeswalkers from Magic Origins are in Pioneer Masters, but Jace, Kytheon, and Nissa are the cards with Pioneer pedigrees.
Silence is a card many combo decks have wanted access to while Rakdos’s Return is a card that offers midrange decks a tool to combat control decks.
Finally, Experiment One is a nice creature for Zoo decks and Jace, Architect of Thought is a storied planeswalker that could potentially find a home in Pioneer.
The full card list for Pioneer Masters can be found here. Prepare for Explorer to finally become Pioneer on MTG Arena on Tuesday!
