Dating systems

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For other uses, see Calendar.

This is a list of calendars, dating systems, chronologies, etc. used in Magic: The Gathering. The infinite planes of the multiverse do not necessarily carry the same lengths of day, month, or year. However, years seem to pass between planes concurrently in-storyline, so a Ravnican year can be presumed to be the same length as a Dominarian year. Below is a conversion table of the known dates of some of the planes:

Plane Year length Most recent date
China 280 AD at the end of Portal Three Kingdoms[1]
Dominaria 420 days 4562 AR as of Dominaria United[2][3]
Innistrad 355+ days[4] 120th of Hunter's Moon, Ava. 719 during Innistrad[4]
Kamigawa 1004.1053 during the Era of Enlightenment[5]
Ixalan 5 Dawn Era as of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan[6]
Mirrodin

New Phyrexia

100-23-229723.3 during late Scars of Mirrodin block[7]
Ravnica 365 days[8] 10,076 ZC as of D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica[8]
Theros ~364 days[9]

Cridhe

In Cridhe the years are given as they relate to the Parting. The only other known date is that of the Mending of the Clan Tree, in 520.[10]

Dominaria

Dominarian years are 420 days long and are organized by most developed cultures into twelve months, each of 35-days.[11]

Argivian Reckoning

Argivian Reckoning (AR) is the primary calendar used on Dominaria (notably excepting the continent of Corondor). It sets year 0 as the year in which both Urza and Mishra were born. It only came into use many years after the time of the Brothers and was used informally for several thousand years before an attempt was made to clarify historical facts. It is named after New Argive, a country famed for its scholars. The last time the date was explicitly mentioned, it was 4562 AR.[2]

Common Era

Common Era (CE) is a dating system established by New Sumifans in Almaaz. It starts around 3035 AR.[12]

Penregon Founding

Penregon Founding, or PF for short, is the only calendar system known to be in use at the time of The Brothers' War. It sets Year 0 as the year Penregon, the capital of Argive, was founded. When Urza and Mishra were born (0 AR), the year was 912 PF.

Reckoning of the Sages of Minorad

The Reckoning of the Sages of Minorad is a calendar primarily used in Corondor. Year 1 in this reckoning begins on the anniversary of the gathering of the Sages of Minorad. It corresponds with the year 3000 of the Argivian Reckoning.

Others

The various empires of Sarpadia had their own systems of dating.[13] During the four months over which Fallen Empires took place, these included:

  • Dwarves of the Crimson Peaks: Second Day of the Moon of Snow's End
  • Elves of Havenwood: Flowerfeast Eve
  • Vodalian merfolk: Twelfth Tide of the Fifth Moon
  • Icatia: Fifth Day of Gothwinstide
  • Icatia: Seventh Day of Gothwinstide
  • Order of the Ebon Hand: Time of the Seventh Sacrifice
  • Icatia: Two days past Allfest
  • Crimson Peaks: Fourteenth Day of the Moon of Cloudless Skies

Innistrad

Dates on Innistrad are measured using the stages of the moon and the years since Avacyn's creation, commonly shortened to "Ava." There are three seasons on Innistrad: Harvest Moon (autumn), Hunter's Moon (winter), and New Moon (spring). It is unclear how long a season or a year on Innistrad lasts, although Hunter's Moon is said to be the longest and New Moon the shortest.[14] The latest dates known for each season in-lore are the 118th of Harvest Moon in the years of Avacyn 699 and 711, the 121st of Hunter's Moon, Ava. 718, and the 116th of New Moon, Ava. 714. If the seasons are consistent each year, this would make an Innistrad year roughly as long as an Earth year.[4]

Ixalan

Years in the Legion of Dusk are marked by their distance from the Legion's arrival on the continent of Ixalan in 4558 AR, with years beforehand labeled "Before Dawn" (BD) and years after labeled "Dawn Era."[6]

Years in Ixalan's Core are known as "turnings."[15] A "full count" is twenty, making it equivalent to a k'atun in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which the Oltec's thousand-year calendar resembles.

The Sun Empire records three seasons on the continent of Ixalan: rainy season, cool season, and hot season.[16]

Kamigawa

Kamigawa uses numbered years, although they are not given a name and their start is unknown.[5] As the year 1053 occurred during the Age of Enlightenment, it is possible years are marked following the Kami War. Kamigawan months are numbered, and there are at least ten of them. The eighth and ninth months have at least 29 days. Dates are recorded as a string with the two-digit month followed by a two-digit day, a period, and the year (e.g. the first day of the eighth month of 1053 was 0801.1053). Time is recorded in 24-hour notation.

Kephalai

The months of Kephalai are numbered, up to at least Eighthmonth.[17]

Mirrodin-New Phyrexia

Mirrodin

On Mirrodin, time is recorded by the cycles of the five suns, although it is not clear how much time passes within each cycle. In the novel The Moons of Mirrodin, it is stated that the levelers attack every 100 cycles, while the flavor text of the card itself states that this event occurs every century, possibly demonstrating that a cycle is simply another term for a year. Every 100 cycles, at a time called "the convergence," the four suns either aligned above their lands[18] or came into alignment with each other.[19]

Kiryk's field reports just before his capture and compleation range from 3rd cycle of the Blue sun, 10th periodic, 5th locus to 6th cycle, 5th periodic, 15th locus. There are at least 16 periodics and 15 loci in a cycle.[7]

New Phyrexia

After the plane's Phyrexianization, Jin-Gitaxias's Progress Engine recorded dates in numeric sequences, although it is unclear what they denote. Unctus's field reports from after his compleation range from 100-23-200239.6 to 100-23-229723.3.[7]

Phyrexia

In Planeswalker, Xantcha states that Phyrexians use days, seasons, and years, but she does not understand "months." Overall, she states that Phyrexia was a place where time "went unmeasured."[20]

Ravnica

Ravnica uses the measure of Al Concordant and Zal Concordant. Al Concordant is used to measure the time before the signing of the Guildpact, while Zal Concordant is used afterward. The events of Return to Ravnica block take place in 10,075 ZC, and the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica depicts Ravnica before Guilds of Ravnica block in the year 10,076 ZC, commonly referred to as ’76.

Ravnica’s calendar contains 365 24-hour days divided into twelve months, with the same number of days as the Gregorian calendar.[8][21] The year begins with 1 Seleszeni (March 1). The annual celebration of the Guildpact begins on 28 Zuun and extends into 1 Seleszeni.

  1. Seleszeni or Orzabin[22] (March)
  2. Dhazo[23] (April)
  3. Prahz[23] or Prazh[22] (May)
  4. Mokosh[23] (June)
  5. Paujal (July)
  6. Cizarm (August)
  7. Tevnember (September)
  8. Golgar (October)
  9. Quaegar (November)
  10. Xivaskir (December)
  11. Griev (January)
  12. Zuun (February)

Theros

Meletian Calendar

Although the method of marking years on Theros is unknown, Meletis has developed a calendar that has been at least partially adopted in the poleis of Akros and Setessa. The calendar is composed of 12 months, each beginning with the new moon, alternating between 30 and 29 days, and named after a festival celebrated during that month. Roughly every three years, an extra 30-day month is added to the end of the year, giving Theros a 364-day year, meaning its years are likely the same length as on Earth.[9]

  1. Lyokymion
  2. Protokynion
  3. Astrapion
  4. Polidrysion
  5. Thriambion (Meletis) and Iroagonion (Akros)
  6. Megasphagion
  7. Chalcanapsion
  8. Necrologion
  9. Therimakarion
  10. Katabasion
  11. Cheimazion
  12. Agrypnion
  13. Anagrypnion (occurs every three years)

References

  1. Wizards of the Coast (May, 1999). "The Portal Three Kingdoms Storybook". Wizards.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2000.
  2. a b Building Worlds – Dominaria United (Video). YouTube.
  3. Miguel Lopez and Jeff Grubb (October 26, 2022). "The Brothers' War - Episode 5: As Cruel, As Necessary". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. a b c Ryan Miller, Jenna Helland, Matt Tabak, Bruce Cordell, and Josh Brauer (October 24, 2011). "The Cursed Blade". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. a b Miyuki Jane Pinckard (2022). Selected Field Reports on Kami. Beadle & Grimm's Platinum Edition Set.
  6. a b Miguel Lopez (November 10, 2023). "Planeswalker's Guide to the Lost Caverns of Ixalan". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. a b c Wizards of the Coast (May 27, 2011). "On the Mirrodin Site: Unctus of the Synod". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. a b c James Wyatt and Jeremy Crawford (November 2018). "D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica", Wizards of the Coast.
  9. a b Wizards RPG Team (2020), D&D Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Wizards of the Coast
  10. Teri McLaren (1996). The Cursed Land. Harper Prism
  11. Pete Venters, Kij Johnson, and Scott Hungerford (April 1997). "Dominian Chronicles". The Duelist #16, p.63-65
  12. Date of 3000 BCE (Before Common Era) corresponds to the times of the Brothers, soon after Almaaz joined Mishra's forces.
  13. (Fall 1994) Fallen Empires. The Duelist, 8-11
  14. Magic Creative Team (August 24, 2011). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Introduction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. Valerie Valdes (October 20, 2023). "The Lost Caverns of Ixalan - Episode 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. R&D Narrative Team (November 1, 2017). "Planeswalker's Guide to Ixalan, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. Wizards of the Coast (November 5, 2008). "Fuel for the Fire Part I". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. Will McDermott. (2003.) The Moons of Mirrodin, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2995-2.
  19. Jess Lebow. (2004.) The Darksteel Eye, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-3140-X.
  20. Lynn Abbey. (1998.) Planeswalker, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1182-4.
  21. Seanan McGuire (January 12, 2024). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 6: Explosions of Genius". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. a b Rei Nakazawa (2006), "Life is Beautiful", Wizards of the Coast
  23. a b c Nicky Drayden (February 20, 2019). "The Ledger of Hidden Fortunes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.