Boseiju, Who EnduresBoseiju, Who Endures | Art by Chris Ostrowski

In media, sequels are typically greeted with better commercial success than their forbearers. From Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest to Spider-Man 2, sequels have flooded the film market. A similar statement can be made about the second-season premieres of various television shows. And, visual media isn't all that the magic of the sequel affects.

As it turns out, this often happens with Magic sets as well. This article will explore the five best Magic sets to return to a planar setting within the Magic Multiverse.

Rules for Our List

Overall, there are a ton of these returns at this point. We had to set a couple of ground rules in order to make sense of this list:

1. Original Magic properties only. The Universes Beyond initiative, while fun, is decidedly outside of the planar cosmology of the game. Besides, at this time, there are no sets that have returned to a setting within Universes Beyond.
2. No Magic sets that returned to multiple planes at one time. These feel like a copout and undermine the idea of this list. As such, we are ignoring March of the Machine, Aetherdrift, and even Future Sight.
3. We aren't counting consecutive visits as "returns." As such, we're ignoring sets like Odyssey or Onslaught despite following Invasion. Furthermore, sets like Invasion, Alliances, and Coldsnap that continue older storylines are excluded.
4. We are strictly ranking Magic sets, not entire blocks. Each set is out there vouching for itself.

With that, let's take a good look at the five best sets to return to a Magic plane!

#5. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

Kamigawa is historically a setting that doesn't mesh perfectly with the older Magic canon. In Champions of Kamigawa's entire block, the story is set many, many centuries before the canon of the story of the time. Furthermore, while many of the cards were iconic, it turns out that the parasitic and dualistic natures of the block weren't well-received for gameplay.

As such, it took Wizards of the Coast's Creative team a long time to figure out a worthwhile return for Kamigawa. However, they hugely achieved this with Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.

With so many return sets in Magic, #5 is in a great standing overall. The themes of tradition versus innovation were very well received, and the integration of the plane with the main story was seamless. Plus, with a ton of well-loved callbacks, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was a set that players really appreciated.

Plenty of cards in Neon Dynasty matter to players in all sorts of formats, including Legacy and Commander.

But why is Neon Dynasty only #5, some of you might be asking? Well, four other important return sets outclass it, but it also carries the burden of the older Kamigawa block squarely on its back. This isn't a terrible thing, per se, but the lack of commercial success that its forbearer had is a blow against it, in essence.

#4. Time Spiral

An Island from Time Spiral. Illustrated by Richard Wright, Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Time Spiral is at our #4 spot. After the calamitous existence that the plane of Dominaria endured over millennia, it stands to reason that Time Spiral was the plane finally having its much-needed breakdown. Self-care is important, even for planes of existence, it seems.

There's not much necessary to say about Time Spiral-era Dominaria. As a setting, it was the culmination of a lifetime of constant planar trauma and multiple apocalypses in the loosest sense of the term. Characters from the entire history of Dominaria thus far were forcibly transported to the modern-day plane via temporal rifts, which caused all sorts of chaos in the timeline.

The story also defined the troubles for the previous two blocks, although it's implied that the entire Multiverse was affected. Kamigawa's veil to the spirit world was weakened as a result of the temporal crisis. Ravnica's spirits couldn't leave the plane for the afterlife. It was a tumultuous time for the residents of the Multiverse, but none more so than those living in Dominaria at literally any point in time.

In terms of the gameplay of the set, put simply, nostalgia abounded. Many players relished the ability to use older characters in their decks, even long before Commander truly took off. Older riffs on the Power 9, like Lotus BloomLotus Bloom or Ancestral VisionAncestral Vision, were especially popular with competitive players in Standard and Extended.

What's more, various cards from the set are still highly effective and used in a ton of decks across the Magic format scene (for two examples, Living EndLiving End and HypergenesisHypergenesis). The setting that could at any moment fail the test of time passed with flying colors, it seems!

As to why this set isn't higher on this list, it suffered from a bit of an identity crisis in terms of the sheer mass of mechanics within. Magic Head Designer Mark Rosewater still cites Time Spiral as one of the most complex sets of all time. As such, we can only afford Time Spiral fourth place.

#3. Wilds of Eldraine

A Forest from Wilds of Eldraine. Illustrated by Adam Paquette, Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

The first and so far only solitary return to the plane of Eldraine, Wilds of Eldraine marks our #3 spot on this list. Many players really like Eldraine and its Arthurian feel, mixed with the fairy tale sensibilities it also possesses.

Throne of Eldraine took a good, serious look at the Arthurian rigidity of Eldraine's castles and kingdoms. Wilds takes that to a much more chaotic degree, seeking to delve further into the Brothers Grimm and Grimm-inspired fairy tales.

As a result, Wilds of Eldraine is a fantastic bookend to the Throne of Eldraine set and its lore. As far as Magic sets go, it's clear that these two would have been so remarkably complementary as a two-set block. This is perhaps more true of this setting than any actual two-set block that exists.

By Wilds, Wizards of the Coast nailed the one-set story structure, which may explain this phenomenon. And, all this while the plane recovers from the multiversal Phyrexian invasion. Plus, where else could you envision an animated cookie with a literal knight's title?

As far as gameplay and longevity go, Wilds is the first of the next group of sets to rotate out, once the sets up to March of the Machine rotate later this week. Players still use plenty of cards from Wilds all over Standard and other sets across the board. Even Pauper is making use of things like Troublemaker OupheTroublemaker Ouphe, which is an all-star for the format.

But Commander is where the set shines most brightly. With more than the lion's share of legendary creatures and impactful spells, Wilds is a fantastic setting for cards that will continue to see play as the years go by.

#2. Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Scalding Tarn, from Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Illustrated by Marco Gorlei. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

Our #2 best Magic set for this list goes to Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Within the canon of this game, there aren't a ton of settings that are quite as reverent or faithful to the historical mythologies of the culture they're based on as that of Tarkir.

That isn't a condemnation, though, as Tarkir's reverence is probably the most ambitious effort Wizards has made, and it shows with utter clarity and love. And, at the same time, the fantasy elements of Tarkir framed by the mythological aspects shine as well. This setting is a love letter to the draconic while still being respectful to various Asian cultures.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm was a big deal to players in addition to lore buffs. There are so many facets to Dragonstorm's Limited format, and its impact on Standard can't be overstated - not to mention non-rotating formats like Modern, Legacy, or Commander!

There are a ton of cool cards within Dragonstorm. Unfortunately, we have to dock a little bit of credibility from the set for not including DragonstormDragonstorm the card anywhere within it, but it's still such a big deal for so many players.

And that leaves us with the #1 best Magic set to return to a plane. Ready?

Our #1 Pick for Best "Return" Magic Set Is...

A Plains from the Dominaria Magic set. Illustrated by Jonas De Ro. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

It's Dominaria!

Dominaria, our first look at its titular plane since Future Sight's culmination, is another love letter to the players who have been with Magic: The Gathering from the beginning of the game's existence. Dominaria of today is a plane desperately looking for its identity, but is almost there from a lore perspective. And that's actually good in this case!

With the plane virtually recovered in its entirety, Dominaria is a world looking to the past for the answers to where its future lies. The majority of the plane is charted at this point. Furthermore, Dominaria is larger than probably any other planar setting we've visited so far.

History is the answer to Dominaria's salvation, and it appears that that approach is effective. The plane is in a relative state of peace at this time, with only a few issues present. In a way, it feels like the retirement of the plane from the turmoil of interplanar calamities at long last.

Gameplay-wise, Dominaria provided us with many really cool cards. One that stands out in the minds of many players is Teferi, Hero of DominariaTeferi, Hero of Dominaria, one of the most important protagonists in the game today.

Helm of the HostHelm of the Host revolutionized Godo, Bandit WarlordGodo, Bandit Warlord decks in Commander, by this point an established and popular format compared to the Time Spiral era. And, speaking of Commander, strong commanders like Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide and Lyra DawnbringerLyra Dawnbringer graced all echelons of the format.

Beyond this, the historic mechanic paved the way for a great many other strategies, both already released and likely due to release in the future.

This, paired with the acclaim that the nostalgic setting brought to the game, cements it as the #1 best Magic set returning to a plane.

Conclusion

We look forward to the next batch of returning settings in Magic. Lorwyn and Arcavios are settings that players yearn for in many ways, and it'll be great to return to those planes. Time will tell whether they're as great as the hype would suggest!

With that, let's open the floor to you, dear readers. Are there settings Magic has returned to that you think are superior to these five? Alternatively, what is your favorite fresh Magic set and setting? Do you want to see Magic return to that setting? Sound off below!

Read More: