Special Guests
| Special Guests | |
|---|---|
| Set Information | |
| Set symbol | |
| Symbol description | A star within a quintant |
| Set size | ~10 per set |
| Expansion code | SPG[1] |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
|
128 cards  17.2%  10.2%  14.1%  14.8%  14.1%  15.6%  14.1% | |
Special Guests are a class of reprints found as part of The List in Set Boosters (later Play Boosters), and also in Collector Boosters. They were introduced with the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.[2]
Description
Special Guests are highly desirable, Masters release–level reprints, originally with art and flavor text matched to the flavor of the plane or set they are included in.[2][3] They have their own set code (SPG) and expansion symbol, identifying them separately from The List cards.[4] The information below the text box indicates their set of origin next to the collector number. Cards found in set boosters / play boosters are non-foil while those in collector's boosters are foil.
Special Guests are represented through the art style of the set they are included in but they are non-canon representations and are not intended to actually be on that plane.[5]
Much like The List or bonus sheet sets, Special Guests do not change their existing format legality.[5] They are only legal in formats they were already legal in and are not added to Standard legality. As part of a Play Booster's contents, any Special Guests opened during a limited event are playable in that event.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
At launch in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Special Guests were given either a rare or mythic rare rarity but following the switch to Play Boosters in Murders at Karlov Manor all Special Guests were marked as mythic rare. This change caused some complaints from Magic: The Gathering Arena players as it meant mythic rare wildcards had to be spent in order to craft the cards.[6] For cards that were already on Arena in other sets, players could craft the alternative versions using lower rarity wildcards. For cards that were new to the client, only the mythic rare wildcards could be used to obtain them.[7] This disadvantaged players who did not have a high number of mythic rare wildcards as they were the hardest to accumulate.
In response, starting with Magic: The Gathering Foundations, Special Guests were given the rarity of their most recent previous printing, regardless of whether that printing was on Arena or not. This didn't change how often they appear in Limited packs, it only changed what wildcards were needed to craft them.[8] The rarity symbol of each Special Guest was changed to match its crafting rarity.
History
Prior to their full introduction, Wizards of the Coast included a non-foil Rafiq of the Many featuring new art and the Streets of New Capenna golden age showcase frame as part of the list for Streets of New Capenna.[9] Unlike future Special Guest cards, this version of Rafiq was only available in The List slot of set boosters and not in collector boosters.
Special Guest cards were officially introduced with the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. With the introduction of Play Boosters for Murders at Karlov Manor, Special Guests became part of the List.[10] From that moment on, they all had the Mythic rarity. From Bloomburrow onwards, the de-archived cards that normally formed The List were removed, leaving only Special Guests.[11]
Starting with Aetherdrift, Wizards of the Coast began trying out “Secret Lair”-style Special Guests, with unconventional art and / or frames, which were not necessarily set on the world(s) of the set anymore.[12]
When Universes Beyond sets were added to Standard, it was revealed that they didn't feature Special Guests.
Starting with Edge of Eternities, the Mythic expansion symbol is omitted. The rarity can only be deduced from the M in the Information below the text box.
Sets with Special Guests
| Set (Variant) | # | Scryfall search |
|---|---|---|
| The Lost Caverns of Ixalan | 0001 - 0018 | cards |
| The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (neon ink foil) | 0017 (a-f) | cards |
| Murders at Karlov Manor | 0019 - 0028 | cards |
| Outlaws of Thunder Junction | 0029 - 0038 | cards |
| Modern Horizons 3 | 0039 - 0048 | cards |
| Modern Horizons 3 (textured foil) | 0049 - 0053 | cards |
| Bloomburrow | 0054 - 0063 | cards |
| Duskmourn: House of Horror | 0064 - 0073 | cards |
| Magic: The Gathering Foundations | 0074 - 0083 | cards |
| Aetherdrift | 0084 - 0093 | cards |
| Aetherdrift (first-place foil) | 0094 - 0103 | cards |
| Tarkir: Dragonstorm | 0104 - 0113 | cards |
| Tarkir: Dragonstorm (alternate art dragonscale foil) | 0114 - 0118 | cards |
| Edge of Eternities | 0119 - 0128 | cards |
| Lorwyn Eclipsed | 0129 - 0148 | cards |
References
- ↑ Information below the text box
- ↑ a b 30th Anniversary Panel at GenCon – A Recap of MTG's Past, Present & Future (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (August 5, 2023).
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 5, 2023). "Can you explain the "Special Guests" Magic thing?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Adam Styborski (September 22, 2023). "A First Look at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan®". magicthegathering.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023.
- ↑ a b The Preview Panel at MagicCon: Las Vegas 2023 (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 22, 2023).
- ↑ u/TimmyTheBrave (June 15, 2024). "If some of you wonder why the "Special Guests" cards are mythic rare...". Reddit.
- ↑ u/rntaboy (June 30, 2024). "Upgraded rarities for Special Guests is unacceptable". Reddit.
- ↑ Clayton Kroh, Jubilee Finnegan (November 4, 2024). "MTG Arena Announcements – November 4, 2024". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ What's New on The List for Streets of New Capenna. magicthegathering.com (April 14, 2022). Archived from the original on August 21, 2023.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 18, 2023). "What are Play Boosters?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Zakeel Gordon and Blake Rasmussen (July 9, 2024). "Collecting Bloomburrow: The 4 Most Important Thing to Know". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 29, 2025). "Has the ethos behind Special Guest cards changed?". Blogatog. Tumblr.