Quick Link to the List of Reserved Cards
Click here to jump to the full Reserved List.
Not sure what that is? Read on!
What Is the Magic: The Gathering Reserved List?
The Reserved List is a list of Magic: The Gathering cards that Wizards of the Coast (WotC), publisher of the game, has promised publicly not to reprint. WotC describes these as “Reserved Cards” in the Official Reprint Policy.
How Many Cards Are on the Reserved List?
There are a total of 571 cards on the Reserved List. The Official Reprint Policy has 572 entries, but this includes two versions of the card Plateau with different art.
Will WotC Change or Abolish the Reserved List?
It is highly unlikely that WotC changes or abolishes the Reserved List. The Reserved List last changed over a decade ago. Magic Head Designer Mark Rosewater has stated publicly about the Reserved List and those who would like to see it abolished, “I can’t go into details, but I think you all will be mentally happier if you accept that it’s not going to change.”
What Types of Cards Are on the Reserved List?
The Reserved List consists of some (but not all) rare cards printed in the 1990s, from Magic’s first set Limited Edition (1993) through Urza’s Destiny (1999). No cards printed in sets from Mercadian Masques (1999) forward are on the Reserved List. The Reserved List used to include common and uncommon cards from Limited Edition, but they were removed from the Reserved List in 2002.
Are All Cards on the Reserved List Powerful?
While many of the cards on the Reserved List are among Magic’s most powerful, such as Black Lotus, others have narrow uses or seem ordinary by current Magic standards. For example, Didgeridoo works only with Minotaurs, and Thunder Spirit is simply a 2/2 creature with flying and first strike for three mana, which would not look out of place in a draft at Friday Night Magic.
Reserved List Cards Can’t Be Reprinted. What Counts as a Reprint?
The “Functionally Identical” Rule
From WotC’s Official Reprint Policy:
This policy avoids the possibility of simply reprinting a card under another name, but it does allow for closely related cards as long as something substantial changes. For example, Drop of Honey is on the Reserved List. Merely renaming Drop of Honey would count as a reprint, because the card name is not a listed part of being “functionally identical.” Changing its mana cost from one green mana to one white mana, however, allowed the printing of Porphyry Nodes, as mana cost is on the list of attributes.
Physical Cards Only
The Reserved List only applies to physical, printed cards. Digital cards, such as on Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) or Magic: The Gathering Arena, are exempt. A card may also create a copy of a card on the Reserved List, such as Garth One-Eye creating a copy of Braingeyser or Black Lotus.
Tournament-Legal Cards Only
The Reserved List applies to only tournament-legal cards. Oversized promotional cards, for example, are not affected by the Reserved List.
Still Covered by the Reserved List
Factors not affecting Reserved List status:
- Language. English and non-English printings are both bound by the Reserved List.
- Premium treatment. Premium (often called “foil”) cards have been bound by the Reserved List since 2011. Other special treatments have the same restriction.
- Manner of distribution. Commander preconstructed decks, Secret Lair releases, and others are under the same restrictions as Booster Pack products.
What’s the Full List of Reserved List Cards?
Here are two ways to see the full Reserved List: sorted by set and then alphabetically, followed by purely alphabetically.
