Magic: The Gathering - Standard Rotation Guide

Magic: The Gathering has dozens of ways to play, known as formats. However, there’s only one that has the honour of being considered the game’s primary, premiere format, and that’s Standard.

Competitive and always-changing, Standard is best known for its unique set rotation that lets cards always remain fresh. But how does rotation work, and when will cards from your favourite set finally leave Standard?

What Is Standard?

Standard is a format (a set of rules and way of playing) for Magic: The Gathering. More importantly, it is often described as Magic’s premiere format, and is the one most of the game’s releases are built to cater to.

Standard comprises the previous few years' major premiere releases. These are the six main releases of the year, but don’t include supplementary sets like Commander Masters or Jumpstart.

Standard is a competitive, one-on-one format. Both players start at 20 life, and, using decks of at least 60 cards, try and either knock their opponent down or win through an alternate win condition.

Unlike a singleton format, such as Commander, Standard decks can have up to four copies of the same card in them.

Standard differs from most other formats in that it rotates. Sets only have a span of a few years in Standard, before they rotate out to make room for other cards. Through this, Magic can balance Standard more easily, and ensure each set has the biggest impact on the format possible.

When Does Standard Rotate?

Traditionally, Standard rotates each year with the release of the fall set. In 2024, this was Bloomburrow, and in 2023 it was Wilds of Eldraine. This remained true in 2025, with Standard rotating out with the launch of Edge of Eternities on August 1.

However, rotation will be changing from 2027. Instead of following the Magic year, which runs from fall set to fall set, it will follow calendar years, and will instead rotate with the first set of 2027. This means there will be no Standard rotation in 2026.

Sets remain in Standard for around three years, lasting through two rotations after their release. With the third rotation, they leave the format and are no longer legal. This does mean that some sets remain legal for longer than others, but it also means you only need to update Standard decks once a year.

Which Sets Are Standard-Legal?

These are every known set that is either currently legal in Standard, or will be legal in Standard when they launch.

Set	Rotates Out
Dominaria United	Fall 2025, with the launch of Edge Of Eternities.
The Brothers War
Phyrexia: All Will Be One
March Of The Machine
March Of The Machine: The Aftermath
Wilds Of Eldraine	Q1 2027
The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan
Murders At Karlov Manor
Outlaws Of Thunder Junction
Outlaws Of Thunder Junction: The Big Score
Bloomburrow
Duskmourn: House Of Horror
Aetherdrift	Q1 2028
Tarkir: Dragonstorm
Final Fantasy
Spider-man
Edge Of Eternities
Avatar: The Last Airbender
"Return To Lorwyn" (Name TBA)	Q1 2029
"Return To Arcavios" (Name TBA)
Foundations	Q1 2029, likely to be extended beyond that.

2026's changes to rotation mean that, unfortunately, Bloomburrow and Duskmourn: House Of Horror have a shorter time in Standard than other sets. They will rotate approximately seven months earlier than they would have under the previous system.

What Happens To Cards When They Rotate Out Of Standard?

While you can’t play rotated-out cards in Standard, Standard is only one way of playing Magic: The Gathering. Other formats, such as Pioneer, Modern, Vintage, and Legacy, do not rotate, and so cards from your old Standard sets could be used in them.

There is also, of course, Commander, which only allows you to use one of any card, but allows you to use any legal card printed. Commander does not follow Standard rotation either, and is casual enough to allow for even lower-powered Standard cards to be playable.

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