The Return of Magic's Most Iconic Cards: Innistrad Remastered Revealed!

Summary

2025’s first MTG set, Innistrad Remastered, brings back Vampires, Zombies, and Eldrazi, offering exciting reprints for diverse playstyles.
Slow Lands from Innistrad sets are great for mana bases, useful for multicolored decks in various formats like Commander and Pioneer.
Innistrad Remastered features iconic cards like Snapcaster Mage, Avacyn, Craterhoof Behemoth, and Liliana of the Veil, each valuable across different MTG formats.

2025 will see the introduction of the first “Magic: The Gathering” set titled “The Gathering,” which takes players back to the mysterious world of Innistrad through Innistrad Remastered. For the past few years, Wizards of the Coast has traditionally launched a new year with a remastered set containing cards that revolve around one of “Magic: The Gathering’s” planes, such as Dominaria Remastered in 2023 and Ravnica Remastered in 2024.

2025 marks the commencement of Magic: The Gathering, offering a thrilling array of Vampires, Zombies, and significant Eldrazi for enthusiasts to engage with. Many beloved and emblematic cards from Innistrad sets have contributed to its popularity, and there are numerous enticing reprints for cards that are utilized across various game formats, along with some cards that have never been reproduced before.

8. Innistrad: Midnight Hunt And Crimson Vow Slow Lands

Great Options For The Mana Base

First Printed: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt & Innistrad: Crimson Vow (2021)

When constructing a Magic: The Gathering deck, regardless of the format, it’s crucial to create a mana system that allows for consistent casting of spells according to their cost (or curve). Failing to play a powerful spell on your turn because you lack the necessary mana is detrimental. For decks with multiple colors, utilizing dual lands whenever appropriate can be very beneficial.

Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, often called “Slow Lands” because they only become active when a player controls more than two other lands, are excellent picks for fine-tuning your mana setup. With these sets leaving Standard play in 2024, their prices have decreased slightly, but they’re still worth around $11. These lands work well in Commander games and are also used in certain Pioneer strategies.

7. Snapcaster Mage

An Iconic Creature For Blue Mages

First Printed: Innistrad (2011)

Among the most recognized Blue cards in Magic: The Gathering, the Snapcaster Mage is a two-person creature with a 2/1 stat, possessing flash ability. This card offers a potent feature that allows the controlling player to retrieve an instant or sorcery card from their graveyard and cast it again until the end of the turn, at its original mana cost, thanks to the flashback ability. Snapcaster Mage reappears in Innistrad Remastered with Volkan Baǧa’s original artwork, including professional Magic player Tiago Chan, who was involved in the card’s design.

The enchanting card, Snapcaster Mage, has been reproduced multiple times since its debut in the initial Innistrad set, yet maintains a value around $15. This is due to its high demand across various formats such as Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander. In the forthcoming Innistrad remastered, players will have the chance to obtain Snapcaster Mage in a vintage frame style; however, it will be printed as a Mythic Rare, making it scarce in packs.

6. Avacyn, Angel Of Hope

Here To Save All The Permanents

First Printed: Avacyn Restored (2012)

In the Innistrad block of 2011 and 2012, the face of the final set, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, is recognized as one of the most potent Angel creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This powerful figure boasts an impressive stat line of 8/8, along with the abilities Flight, Vigilance, and Indestructibility. Not only does Avacyn make other permanents indestructible for the player in control, but this angel also proves to be a significant threat and protector in white decks within Commander format, or can serve as a powerful commander for deck themes centered around angels.

Avacyn typically costs between $30 and $40 due to being reprinted in master sets like Double Masters and Commander Masters. However, with Innistrad remastered, Avacyn can now be obtained with a vintage border and an eye-catching Showcase Movie Poster design, making it highly desirable among collectors.

5. Craterhoof Behemoth

Here To End The Game

First Printed: Avacyn Restored (2012)

In the Commander format of Magic: The Gathering, the Craterhoof Behemoth stands out as the top finisher for green decks. This formidable creature requires a total of 8 mana to summon and boasts a 5/5 stat line with haste. However, its true strength lies in its unique ability: when it enters the battlefield, all creatures under your control gain trample and an increase in both their attack and defense values equal to the number of creatures you control, until the end of the turn. If a player controls approximately 10 creatures and deploys a Craterhoof Behemoth, they could potentially eliminate multiple opponents in a single turn.

Similar to Avacyn, Craterhoof Behemoth has scarcely been reprinted in Master sets, yet remains a high-value card at $30 or more. For those eager to incorporate the Behemoth into their green-centric Commander decks, the only available option is the retro border frame edition found within Innistrad Remastered. While still a rare find, this version should slightly decrease its price due to increased availability.

4. The Meathook Massacre

One Of The Best Black Enchantments

First Printing: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (2021)

Enthusiasts of Duskmourn’s The Meathook Massacre II can look forward to the reappearance of the initial installment, The Meathook Massacre. Black cards in Magic: The Gathering are particularly proficient at two main abilities: clearing the board with board wipes and gaining life when an opponent loses life. The Meathook Massacre brings these talents together in a single enchantment, offering a versatile casting cost that can clear the battlefield if more mana is invested, or provide the following effects for only two mana: “Whenever one of your creatures dies, each opponent suffers a loss of 1 life,” and “Whenever an opponent’s creature dies, you receive 1 life.

The Meathook Massacre is an excellent choice for enhancing any Black commander deck, particularly those with sacrifice-related mechanics. This card remains highly sought after in both Modern and Pioneer formats. Due to limited reprints, the price of Meathook Massacre has climbed to approximately $40, but this value is expected to decrease. There are currently three distinct versions available: a standard frame reprint, a retro frame reprint, and a unique Movie Poster reprint.

3. Emrakul, The Promised End

Take Control Of Your Opponent

First Printed: Eldritch Moon (2016)

Among the three Eldrazi Titans, Emrakul stands out as the bane of Innistrad, striking terror into the hearts of its residents and players alike. Known as Emrakul, the Promised End, this creature was introduced in 2016. It’s a colossal 13/13 with a mana cost of 13, but for each card type in the graveyard, its price drops by 1 mana, reflecting Innistrad’s madness mechanic. What makes it even more fearsome is that when cast, the player controlling Emrakul gains control of their opponent during their next turn. The targeted player, however, will find themselves with an extra turn, but they are likely to have few cards left in their hand to use.

In a game like Commander or Modern Eldrazi, Emrakul poses a significant challenge once enough mana is accumulated to summon it, since it’s impervious to instant counterspells. This legendary entity effectively eliminates a player in the game and often serves as a final blow. Since its last reprint in 2016, Emrakul has retained its value, typically costing $40 or more. Collectors can find this sought-after card in Innistrad Remastered, available with standard and vintage borders, as well as an eye-catching Movie Poster showcase design.

2. Edgar Markov

Innistrad’s First Vampire Is Finally Back

First Printed: Commander 2017

For those seeking a skilled commander for their Vampire: Commander deck, Edgar Markov, the inaugural Vampire of Innistrad, stands out as an exceptional choice. This original character offers Vampire Kindred players the advantage of utilizing White, Black, and Red mana sources to access some of the most potent Vampires available. Additionally, his eminence ability enables players to generate a 1/1 black Vampire creature token every time they cast a spell for a new Vampire creature, even if he is stationed in the command zone.

It’s surprising that Edgar Markov made his initial appearance in a $34.99 commander deck back in 2017, given that the card had maintained a value over $100 for quite some time beforehand. With only one exception – a Judge’s Gift card in 2021 – Edgar Markov has not been reprinted. As such, fans of vampires can look forward to Edgar Markov taking center stage in the Innistrad Remastered set, which features four distinct treatments: regular frame, retro frame, showcase fang treatment, and an exclusive run of 500 serialized showcase movie poster versions of the card. Players will be quite fortunate indeed if they manage to open one of these rare cards!

1. Liliana Of The Veil

The Best Planeswalker And Multi-Format Staple

First Printed: Innistrad (2011)

Liliana Vess is renowned among the characters in “Magic: The Gathering”. Her debut as a Planeswalker was in 2007 with the introduction of the card type in Lorwyn. Currently, she boasts 11 Planeswalker cards, but her standout card was first released in the original Innistrad set, known as Liliana of the Veil. This card costs three mana to play and starts with three loyalty counters. Her ‘plus-one’ ability makes each player discard a card, and her ‘minus-two’ ability compels one player to sacrifice a permanent. Her ultimate ability allows the controlling player to divide their opponent’s permanents into two groups, saving only one of them.

Liliana of the Veil is an exceptional card boasting both mutual (symmetrical) and individual (asymmetrical) abilities, which can be cast at a relatively low cost, but necessitates some setup or protection to utilize effectively. This card is a mainstay across formats such as Standard, Commander, Modern, and Pioneer. Although it may not hold the same high price point as Edgar Markov or Emrakul, its widespread popularity in multiple formats maintains its value above $10, making it consistently sought-after.

2025-01-21 02:45

The Return of Magic’s Most Iconic Cards: Innistrad Remastered Revealed!