Zendikar Rising launches today and there's a lot going on so let's break it down!

  • Zendikar Rising releases on MTG Arena today, September 17.
  • The tabletop pre-release of Zendikar Rising is September 18-24.
  • The tabletop release of Zendikar Rising is September 25.

Maintenance begins at 8 AM Pacific (11 AM Eastern, 5 PM CEST) and is should last 3 hours. No downtime is expected so once you patch your game you should be able to login and play!

  • Once maintenance starts, the pre-orders will no longer be available in the shop. Last chance to buy!
  • Daily Quests and Wins usually reset after these patches, so clear them out this morning if you can.
  • Login before the patch to be eligible for Renewal Rewards.

Set Rotation 2021 & Renewal

The launch of Zendikar rising brings us a new set rotation which means we're losing access to some of the older Standard sets. The following sets are no longer going to be available for Standard play.

  • Guilds of Ravnica
  • Ravnica Allegiance
  • War of the Spark
  • Core 2020

Due to the rotation of cards, Wizards of the Coast is giving us renewal rewards (more information on renewal here)! Logging in today, and for a short period afterward, you'll receive 10 Individual Card Rewards containing cards that are Rare or higher rarity.

Zendikar Rising Mastery Pass

Full details on the Mastery Pass can be found here. Let's break down the important parts though!

  • All players can unlock 57 Zendikar Rising Boosters by playing for free.
  • Playing for free also unlocks 5 Mastery Orbs.
  • For paid players, there are 20 additional packs, from non-Zendikar expansions sprinkled throughout the pass.
  • There are 5 Elemental-Themed Swappable Pets available to unlock in the paid pass - super cool!
  • The paid pass introduces special, custom emotes into the game.

Zendikar Rising Set Mechanics

There are four mechanics that are a focus of Zendikar Rising.

Modal Dual-Faced Cards

You'll see these referred to as Modal DFCs online, or simply (M)DFCs. These are similar to other dual-faced cards in that they have two different faces, but unlike them, you must choose which face you are playing with the card - no transforms!

Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway Card ImageBrightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway Card ImageFlip Card Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway Card ImageClearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway Card ImageFlip Card Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs Card ImageKazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs Card ImageFlip Card Umara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls Card ImageUmara Wizard // Umara Skyfalls Card ImageFlip Card

Parties

Highlights four specific creature types: Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard. These form a party and change how cards work based on how large your party is.

Archpriest of Iona Card Image Acquisitions Expert Card Image Cascade Seer Card Image Grotag Bug-Catcher Card Image

Kicker

An optional additional cost that appears on all kinds of cards. Simply put, you pay more, you get more.

Dauntless Unity Card Image Bloodchief's Thirst Card Image Inscription of Abundance Card Image Skyclave Relic Card Image

Landfall

If a land enters the battlefield under your control, all your landfall abilities will trigger. If more than one landfall ability triggers at the same time, you can put those abilities on the stack in any order.

Fearless Fledgling Card Image Moraug, Fury of Akoum Card Image Nissa of Shadowed Boughs Card Image Omnath, Locus of Creation Card Image

Zendikar Rising Trailer