Expansion symbol

For the acorn creature type, see Expansion-Symbol.

The expansion symbol or set symbol is a small icon found on the right side of the middle line or type line on a Magic: The Gathering card. It identifies what set a card was printed in, and its color identifies its rarity in that set, except for the oldest expansions. The oldest core sets did not use expansion symbols at all.

The symbol on a card is only considered a characteristic of that card for acorn gameplay; it otherwise has no in-game relevance. Set symbols do not determine a card's legality in any official format either - if a set is "in a format", then any card with the same name as a card in that set is functionally identical to it and legal in that format.

Description

Evolution of the Core Set Expansion symbol.

An expansion symbol indicates which set a card belongs to, and are based on meaningful objects, symbols or text for that set. Cards reprinted in a new set use the new set's symbol, not the original, except for compilation sets and some special throwback printings or booster pack arrangements. The name is a mild misnomer which dates back to core sets prior to Sixth Edition not using any symbol; expansion sets have always used them. Various special symbols are used for promotional cards, Secret Lair editions, and similar printings. A number of special card frames may not use a symbol.

Until the Stronghold expansion, expansion symbols were monochrome, generally black. Since the subsequent Exodus set, a black symbol (or white, in the case of Dominaria) has indicated a common card, silver (or sometimes black-fading-to-white) indicates uncommon, and gold indicates rare. Mythic rarity was introduced in Shards of Alara with a golden orange hue - technically a red-orange gradient. Time Spiral and its remaster used a purple symbol for special "timeshifted" cards.

If a card is copied, the copy will keep its original expansion symbol. Only acorn/silver-bordered cards reference this characteristic in gameplay. The few eternal-legal "expansion-hoser" cards instead refer to cards "originally printed" in an expansion, and therefore do not check the expansion symbol of the object in the game, only its name.

List of symbols

The expansion symbol for every set can generally be found alongside set information on this wiki. In addition, symbols not actually printed on cards are sometimes used for applicable sets, such as core sets Alpha through Fifth Edition, compilation sets like Chronicles, and bonus sheet sets like Through the Ages.

Some groups of sets using recurring motifs for their symbols. Core sets mainly use numbers for the edition number or year. Commander-specific sets usually have symbols based on shields, a tradition started with Commander 2013. Alchemy sets have an A and the year. Planechase sets have a double-arc motif. A number of sets featuring Nicol Bolas use his horns in their symbols. Jumpstart set symbols always have a pair of cards overlapping.

The Duels of the Planeswalkers symbol has a general Magic theme, so it is used as a placeholder for other sets in addition to its own. The shooting star has long been used on many unique or limited-print cards not part of official sets, such as holiday cards, and is now used on Secret Lair cards as well.

The symbol designed for Mirrodin Pure is only printed on one card, the promotional card version of Pristine Talisman, since that set was never actually designed and printed.

History

The first edition of Magic: The Gathering did not use any set symbol, leaving empty space in that part of the card frame. This pattern would be followed for the first few core sets. The first expansion printed, Arabian Nights, brought with it the first expansion symbol, a scimitar. The first compilation set, Chronicles, consisted entirely of white-bordered reprints and reused the symbols of its cards' home expansions rather than bringing a new one.

Starting with Exodus in 1998, improvements in printing allowed expansion symbols to have colors, which have been used to identify the rarity of each card ever since. Starting with Sixth Edition in 1999, every core set also used an expansion symbol, making them set symbols for any print run.

The 2006 set Time Spiral had a unique purple symbol to represent the 121 bonus timeshifted cards in the set. This color scheme was reused in Time Spiral Remastered in 2020 for their modern-to-old frame timeshifted sheet.

Shards of Alara added mythic rares and their red-orange symbol color in 2008.

The last set of the Scars of Mirrodin block was initially kept a mystery between one of two possibilities, Mirrodin Pure or New Phyrexia, depending on the outcome of the story. Although New Phyrexia won and Mirrodin Pure was never produced, it did receive an expansion symbol which was used on the promotional card version of Pristine Talisman. This does count as "another set's" expansion symbol for the purpose of "symbols matter" effects like Symbol Status.

Numerous special art treatments on Secret Lair cards do not include an expansion symbol. Similarly, cards from the Final Fantasy Through the Ages and Edge of Eternities Stellar Sights bonus sheets use neither the symbol from their "main sets" nor the ones created for the "bonus sets", the latter of which are not actually printed on any cards at all. The main symbols are still displayed in MTG Arena while sorting through a collection. Mark Rosewater has stated that expansion symbols on bonus sheets can imply false ideas about format legality, but the main reason for this decision is aesthetic. Wizards of the Coast continues to experiment with these options.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (July 25, 2025—Edge of Eternities)

Expansion Symbol

A card’s expansion symbol is a small icon normally printed below the right edge of the illustration that has no effect on game play. See rule 206, “Expansion Symbol.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (July 25, 2025—Edge of Eternities)

• 206. Expansion Symbol
  • 206.1. The expansion symbol indicates which Magic set a card is from. It’s a small icon normally printed below the right edge of the illustration. It has no effect on game play.
  • 206.2. The color of the expansion symbol indicates the rarity of the card within its set. A red-orange symbol indicates the card is mythic rare. A gold symbol indicates the card is rare. A silver symbol indicates the card is uncommon. A black or white symbol indicates the card is common or is a basic land. A purple symbol signifies a special rarity; to date, only the Time Spiral™ “timeshifted” cards, which were rarer than that set’s rare cards, have had purple expansion symbols. (Prior to the Exodus™ set, all expansion symbols were black, regardless of rarity. Also, prior to the Sixth Edition core set, with the exception of the Simplified Chinese Fifth Edition core set, Magic core sets didn’t have expansion symbols at all.)
  • 206.3. Previously, a spell or ability that affected cards from a particular set checked for that set’s expansion symbol. These cards have received errata in the Oracle card reference to say they affect cards “with a name originally printed” in a particular set.
    • 206.3a One card (City in a Bottle) refers to permanents and cards with a name originally printed in the Arabian Nights™ expansion. Those names are Abu Ja’far, Aladdin, Aladdin’s Lamp, Aladdin’s Ring, Ali Baba, Ali from Cairo, Army of Allah, Bazaar of Baghdad, Bird Maiden, Bottle of Suleiman, Brass Man, Camel, City in a Bottle, City of Brass, Cuombajj Witches, Cyclone, Dancing Scimitar, Dandân, Desert, Desert Nomads, Desert Twister, Diamond Valley, Drop of Honey, Ebony Horse, Elephant Graveyard, El-Hajjâj, Erg Raiders, Erhnam Djinn, Eye for an Eye, Fishliver Oil, Flying Carpet, Flying Men, Ghazbán Ogre, Giant Tortoise, Guardian Beast, Hasran Ogress, Hurr Jackal, Ifh-Biff Efreet, Island Fish Jasconius, Island of Wak-Wak, Jandor’s Ring, Jandor’s Saddlebags, Jeweled Bird, Jihad, Junún Efreet, Juzám Djinn, Khabál Ghoul, King Suleiman, Kird Ape, Library of Alexandria, Magnetic Mountain, Merchant Ship, Metamorphosis, Mijae Djinn, Moorish Cavalry, Nafs Asp, Oasis, Old Man of the Sea, Oubliette, Piety, Pyramids, Repentant Blacksmith, Ring of Ma’rûf, Rukh Egg, Sandals of Abdallah, Sandstorm, Serendib Djinn, Serendib Efreet, Shahrazad, Sindbad, Singing Tree, Sorceress Queen, Stone-Throwing Devils, Unstable Mutation, War Elephant, Wyluli Wolf, and Ydwen Efreet.
    • 206.3b One card (Golgothian Sylex) refers to permanents with a name originally printed in the Antiquities™ expansion. Those names are Amulet of Kroog, Argivian Archaeologist, Argivian Blacksmith, Argothian Pixies, Argothian Treefolk, Armageddon Clock, Artifact Blast, Artifact Possession, Artifact Ward, Ashnod’s Altar, Ashnod’s Battle Gear, Ashnod’s Transmogrant, Atog, Battering Ram, Bronze Tablet, Candelabra of Tawnos, Circle of Protection: Artifacts, Citanul Druid, Clay Statue, Clockwork Avian, Colossus of Sardia, Coral Helm, Crumble, Cursed Rack, Damping Field, Detonate, Drafna’s Restoration, Dragon Engine, Dwarven Weaponsmith, Energy Flux, Feldon’s Cane, Gaea’s Avenger, Gate to Phyrexia, Goblin Artisans, Golgothian Sylex, Grapeshot Catapult, Haunting Wind, Hurkyl’s Recall, Ivory Tower, Jalum Tome, Martyrs of Korlis, Mightstone, Millstone, Mishra’s Factory, Mishra’s War Machine, Mishra’s Workshop, Obelisk of Undoing, Onulet, Orcish Mechanics, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Gremlins, Power Artifact, Powerleech, Priest of Yawgmoth, Primal Clay, The Rack, Rakalite, Reconstruction, Reverse Polarity, Rocket Launcher, Sage of Lat-Nam, Shapeshifter, Shatterstorm, Staff of Zegon, Strip Mine, Su-Chi, Tablet of Epityr, Tawnos’s Coffin, Tawnos’s Wand, Tawnos’s Weaponry, Tetravus, Titania’s Song, Transmute Artifact, Triskelion, Urza’s Avenger, Urza’s Chalice, Urza’s Mine, Urza’s Miter, Urza’s Power Plant, Urza’s Tower, Wall of Spears, Weakstone, Xenic Poltergeist, Yawgmoth Demon, and Yotian Soldier.
    • 206.3c One card (Apocalypse Chime) refers to permanents with a name originally printed in the Homelands™ expansion. Those names are Abbey Gargoyles; Abbey Matron; Aether Storm; Aliban’s Tower; Ambush; Ambush Party; Anaba Ancestor; Anaba Bodyguard; Anaba Shaman; Anaba Spirit Crafter; An-Havva Constable; An-Havva Inn; An-Havva Township; An-Zerrin Ruins; Apocalypse Chime; Autumn Willow; Aysen Abbey; Aysen Bureaucrats; Aysen Crusader; Aysen Highway; Baki’s Curse; Baron Sengir; Beast Walkers; Black Carriage; Broken Visage; Carapace; Castle Sengir; Cemetery Gate; Chain Stasis; Chandler; Clockwork Gnomes; Clockwork Steed; Clockwork Swarm; Coral Reef; Dark Maze; Daughter of Autumn; Death Speakers; Didgeridoo; Drudge Spell; Dry Spell; Dwarven Pony; Dwarven Sea Clan; Dwarven Trader; Ebony Rhino; Eron the Relentless; Evaporate; Faerie Noble; Feast of the Unicorn; Feroz’s Ban; Folk of An-Havva; Forget; Funeral March; Ghost Hounds; Giant Albatross; Giant Oyster; Grandmother Sengir; Greater Werewolf; Hazduhr the Abbot; Headstone; Heart Wolf; Hungry Mist; Ihsan’s Shade; Irini Sengir; Ironclaw Curse; Jinx; Joven; Joven’s Ferrets; Joven’s Tools; Koskun Falls; Koskun Keep; Labyrinth Minotaur; Leaping Lizard; Leeches; Mammoth Harness; Marjhan; Memory Lapse; Merchant Scroll; Mesa Falcon; Mystic Decree; Narwhal; Orcish Mine; Primal Order; Prophecy; Rashka the Slayer; Reef Pirates; Renewal; Retribution; Reveka, Wizard Savant; Root Spider; Roots; Roterothopter; Rysorian Badger; Samite Alchemist; Sea Sprite; Sea Troll; Sengir Autocrat; Sengir Bats; Serra Aviary; Serra Bestiary; Serra Inquisitors; Serra Paladin; Serrated Arrows; Shrink; Soraya the Falconer; Spectral Bears; Timmerian Fiends; Torture; Trade Caravan; Truce; Veldrane of Sengir; Wall of Kelp; Willow Faerie; Willow Priestess; Winter Sky; and Wizards’ School.
  • 206.4. Players may include cards from any printing in their constructed decks if those cards appear in sets allowed in that format (or those cards are specifically allowed by the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules). See the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules for the current definitions of the constructed formats (WPN.Wizards.com/en/rules-documents).
  • 206.5. The full list of expansions and expansion symbols can be found in the Card Set Archive section of the Magic website (Magic.Wizards.com/en/products/card-set-archive).

Requirements

A designer must infuse recognizable fantasy flavor into an expansion symbol while also fulfilling these tough requirements:

• Hold up at about 4 millimeters high and 8 millimeters wide.
• Can't look too much like any other expansion or game symbol.
• Has to work in solid black, as well as in silver, gold, and orange-red.
• Has to be a scalable, vector-based design (because sometimes it will also be seen big).

Expansion symbols matter

Because reprints have different expansion symbols and cards with the same name are identical, black-bordered cards can no longer care about expansion symbols. Caring about expansion symbols has been featured on acorn and test cards.

• Greater Morphling can change its expansion symbol until the end of turn.
• Symbol Status creates a 1/1 colorless Expansion-Symbol creature token for each different expansion symbol of its controller's permanents.
• World-Bottling Kit exiles all permanents with an expansion of the controller's choice except for basic lands.
• Meet and Greet "Sisay" can create a Treasure token when casting a spell that does not share an expansion symbol with its controller's permanents or cards in their graveyard.
• Lutri, Pauper Otter's companion ability requires a starting deck with no cards with a silver, gold, orange, or purple expansion symbol.

Black-bordered expansion hosers

Three "expansion hosers" are designed to stop or destroy all cards from a specific expansion. They originally used the simple but unclear description "from [some expansion]", but at some point after expansion cards began being reprinted, the hosers received errata to determine which permanents they would actually affect by checking their expansion symbols. This makes them the only non-acorn cards for which set symbols have ever been relevant to gameplay. Rules changes for Magic 2014 removed set symbols as a referable characteristic of cards, and the hosers received errata to check the expansion each permanent "was originally printed in" rather than checking the symbol.

• City in a Bottle hoses cards originally printed in Arabian Nights.
• Golgothian Sylex hoses cards originally printed in Antiquities.
• Apocalypse Chime hoses cards originally printed in Homelands.

External links

• Brady Dommermuth (October 2, 2006). "Have you ever listed anywhere what all the different expansion symbols represent/mean?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
• Mark Rosewater and Daniel Holt (November 24, 2023). "Drive to Work 1089: Expansions Symbols with Daniel Holt". Transistor.