MTG Standard Rotation Guide 2023

What Is Standard?

Standard is one of the formats for competitive Magic: The Gathering. Because Standard only uses cards from specific sets in the past one to two years, it has enjoyed decades of popularity with collectors, and it is a common format for events such as Friday Night Magic.

What Sets Are Legal in Standard?

After the release of Phyrexia: All Will Be One, the following sets are legal in Standard:

Are Any Cards Banned in Standard?

Currently, there are no cards banned in Standard.

What Is the Newest Standard Set? What Is the Next Standard Set?

The newest Standard set is Phyrexia: All Will Be One, released on February 3, 2023. The next Standard set will be March of the Machine, with a scheduled release date of April 21, 2023.

What Is Standard Rotation?

Once a year, Wizards of the Coast (WotC), makers of Magic: The Gathering, change the Standard format by taking out older sets. This is called “Standard rotation,” and it helps keep Standard exciting by giving players a new pool of cards to use.

Standard rotation affects both in-person play with physical cards (“paper” / “tabletop”) and online play through Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) and Magic: The Gathering Arena. On Arena, this process is also called “renewal.”

Official WotC graphic of rotation/renewal, September 2022. Black-background sets are in Standard for in-person and online play; light-background sets are Alchemy sets for use on MTG Arena only.

What Happens During Standard Rotation?

During a Standard rotation, the oldest year’s worth of sets, usually a total of four sets, leave Standard. At the same time, a new set enters Standard, taking the total number of sets legal in Standard from eight to five.

When Did the Most Recent Standard Rotation Take Place?

The most recent Standard rotation took place on September 9, 2022. This was the same day the Dominaria United set had its worldwide release and entered Standard.

Which Sets Left Standard with the Most Recent Rotation?

The following sets left Standard with the September 9, 2022 rotation:

Which Sets Are in Standard After the Most Recent Rotation?

The following sets make up the new Standard after the rotation, as of the February 3, 2023 release of Phyrexia: All Will Be One:

Can I Use Older Versions of Cards in Standard-Legal Sets?

Yes! Any tournament-legal version or printing of a card in a Standard-legal set is okay to use when playing Standard. For example, a player may use a copy of Broken Wings printed in Zendikar Rising or Kaldheim after those sets rotate out of Standard because Broken Wings was also printed in Streets of New Capenna.

Broken Wings cards from *Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim,* and *Streets of New Capenna.* All three versions will remain legal in Standard even after the September 2022 rotation.

Are Any Cards Banned in Standard After the Rotation?

All cards previously on the Standard Banned List were in sets that rotated out. There will be no cards on the Standard Banned List unless WotC bans one or more cards.

How Can I Use Cards That Rotated out of Standard?

While Standard rotates, most Magic: The Gathering formats let you keep using your favorite cards. Examples of non-rotating formats include Pioneer, Modern, and Commander.