Set Symbols

Expansion Symbol Rules

They don't. The card has to have an expansion symbol on it to mechanically matter in a silver border/acorn game.So lack of a symbol isn’t itself considered a symbol?

As I love to say, barefoot is not a type of shoe.

Rules Set Symbols Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Old Cards in Gameplay

With cards that care about expansion symbols, how do they count cards from before expansion symbols (like with alpha/beta/unlimited)?

They don’t. The card has to have an expansion symbol on it to mechanically matter in a silver border/acorn game.

Game Play Set Symbols Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Set Symbol Confusion

Was there ever the option of change the set symbol of BIG to match OTJ since it was no longer its own release? Seeing some confusion by many newer players of just what is standard legal from a pack and was wondering if that may have helped.

I have gotten the note of too many different expansion symbols in the same booster pack a few times. We did need some way to differentiate The Big Score as the cards show up through a different means, but maybe there were better options.

Big Score Boosters Outlaws of Thunder Junction Set Symbols Standard The Big Score

Expansion Symbol Role

Is the expansion symbol part of the card, the frame or the bonus sheet?That is, could you print cards with the mythic orange symbol but that are actually commons, that being just cosmetic?

The expansions symbols, especially in randomized boosters represent information, so we wouldn’t want to misrepresent anything.

Bonus Sheets Boosters Card Frames Card Printing Commons Set Symbols

Pre-release Kit Legality

For me personally it's fine to get bonus card in my prerelease kit. Happened with MOM as well. What I don't understand this time is the legality in general since they have the same set symbol. The MOM-cards namely didn't have the same set symbol. Could you elaborate?

I’m in agreement, the messaging could and should have been much clearer. I don’t know why the expansion symbol was the same.

Prerelease Sealed Format Set Symbols

Expansion Symbol Design

Did Daniel Holt not design The Brothers' War's expansion symbol? I was really looking forward to hearing about that one specifically, on the expansion-symbols podcast!

He did design it and he says it was one of his favorites. We just didn’t get to it in the podcast.

Drive to Work Set Symbols

Standard Set Symbols Idea

Any chance we could start seeing reminder cards in boosters listing what set symbols are in Standard as of that set (and ideally, maybe have an expiration date where that reminder card is outdated on rotation)? A lot of newer players are confused what cards actually go into standard from the packs they open

I can pass along the suggestion.

Boosters Premier Sets Set Symbols Standard

Set Symbols Podcast

Hi Mark! Have you ever wrote an article or recorded a podcast about set symbols? How they are made, what kind of considerations goes into their design, how they have evolved throughout the history of the game? If not, do you think you can write/record one? If a podcast, maybe an interview with the person in charge of set symbols?

I can add that to the “short” list.

Drive to Work Set Symbols

Set Symbol Visibility

Can you tell the people who deal with this that a lot of people, myself included, have a lot of difficulty telling apart the common, uncommon and rare set symbols for Lost Caverns of Ixalan? Maybe it'll be easier in paper, but digitally, they really blend together.

Will do.

Ixalan Rares Set Symbols Uncommons

Expansion Symbol Position

I generally like the layout of Magic cards, but one thing that's never made sense to me is the position of the expansion symbol. This is information that's only relevant to collectors, but instead of living on the bottom of the card with the other collector information, it eats up valuable space on the type line, right in the middle of the card. Has there ever been any impetus to move it?

It’s very relevant to players that play formats that only use certain expansions.

Set Symbols

Acorn and Black Border

Can black border magic still have affects that target which magic set a creature is from in MOM for example?

No, that’s an acorn thing, as the same card can be oriented with different expansion symbols.

Black Border Creatures Set Symbols Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Un-rules Meeting Sisay

un-rules question! If I'm playing "Meet and Greet "Sisay"" (Another card not on gatherer currently), and I play cards from alpha any of those pre-expansion symbol sets, but I have another on the field/grave, can I still trigger "History"?

As long as it doesn’t share an expansion symbol, it will trigger. Note it has to be the actual versions without the expansion symbol.

Meet and Greet "Sisay" Set Symbols Sisay Un-sets

Favorite Set Symbols

What is your favorite set symbol? I think mine is Ikoria.

I really like Unstable’s.

Mark's Favorites Mark's Favorites Set Symbols

Praise for Expansion Symbol

Probably not many people appreciate expansion symbols very much, but: I just want to say that The Brothers' War has a top-quality expansion symbol. It's cool-looking, it's meaningful, it references older stuff... It's very evocative... Whoever did the graphic design for that, well, I noticed. Most sets' expansion symbols are unremarkable to me, but, this one...!

I’ll pass along the kind words.

Set Symbols The Brothers' War

Rarity in Combined Creatures

Do combined Host/Augment creatures have the rarity of both halves for cards that care about rarity like Lila, Hospitality Hostess and Rare-B-Gone?

As both expansion symbols are revealed when augmented, it has both rarities.

Creatures Lila, Hospitality Hostess Rare-B-Gone Rarity Rarity Set Symbols

Expansion Symbol Confusion

The Unfinity release notes state that cards before Exodus don't have expansion symbols, which came as quite a surprise to me! I think it's supposed to mean they don't have their rarity reflected in their expansion symbols...

I think it was supposed to reference rarity.

Exodus Rarity Rarity Set Symbols

Rare-B-Gone Mechanics

Regarding Rare-B-Gone, City in a Bottle and company only work in black border because the comprehensive rules contain a list of which cards were originally printed in Arabian Nights, Antiquities and Homelands (rules 206.3a-c). Hopefully it's obvious why that wouldn't work for Rare-B-Gone's purposes

And City in a Bottle cares about expansion symbols not rarity, so it’s a different variable.

Black Border City in a Bottle Mechanics Rare-B-Gone Rarity Rules Set Symbols

Jumpstart's Standard Legality

Are Dominaria United Jumpstart cards going to be standard legal?

They will be Standard legal. They even have the DMU expansion symbol.

Dominaria United Set Symbols Standard

Set Preview Confusion

I agree with the critique about DMU and DMC being previewed together. The fact that they have somewhat similar aesthetics, and their set symbols look extremely similar, makes it very difficult to figure out which set a card is being previewed for. There’s been several times I thought a card was in the main set when it was actually a Commander card, or vice versa.

Is the note, don’t preview them together or make it easier to tell them apart?

Commander Dominaria United Set Symbols Spoilers

Expansion Symbol Release

Hi Mark…very selfishly I’m printing binder labels and have one more spot on the sheet. Do we know when the expansion symbol for Brothers’ War will be released?

Usually with the prebeat (aka the first revealing of information designed to let distributors/stores preorder).

Card Printing Set Symbols