Ravnica Remastered Review: A Set With Potential Falls Short of Expectations

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John Monsen

By John Monsen

Jan 1, 2026
5 min read

TLDR

  • Ravnica Remastered landed on January 12, 2024 with a solid “guilds greatest hits” draft experience and a lot of shiny variants.

  • It is also remembered for the AI-generated marketing image controversy that kicked things off with exactly the kind of energy you want in January: public arguing, then an apology.

  • The set’s biggest long-term problem was value perception: premium price vibes, but not enough “wow” reprints outside of Shock lands and a handful of staples.

  • If you want the play experience, a Ravnica cube (including a proxy cube) is still the best repeatable way to enjoy it without paying “sealed product tax.”

A look back at the set that started with a facepalm

If you ever want proof that first impressions matter, here’s your MTG Ravnica Remastered look back in one sentence: it should have been a love letter to Magic’s best city-plane, but it introduced itself by arguing with players about whether an obviously weird image was AI… and then admitting it was.

The frustrating part is that Ravnica Remastered itself was not a disaster. It was often fun. It just arrived under a cloud it did not need, and it carried a “premium product” price posture without consistently delivering “premium product” reprint excitement.

What Ravnica Remastered was trying to be

At its best, Ravnica Remastered was a curated nostalgia set: ten guilds, ten two-color identities, and a draft format built around the things people actually associate with Ravnica. Wizards positioned it as a plane-spanning compilation that pulled from many years of Ravnica sets, then wrapped it in “Booster Fun” treatments like retro frames and borderless anime cards.

That framing mattered. A remastered set is not supposed to feel like “some leftovers and a land cycle.” It’s supposed to feel like “yes, we know what you want, and we put it in here.”

The AI image controversy that became the headline

Let’s rewind to the part everyone remembers even if they never opened a pack.

In early January 2024, Wizards’ social accounts used a promotional image tied to Ravnica Remastered Shock lands that players immediately suspected was AI-generated. Wizards initially pushed back. Then they reversed course, removed the post, and acknowledged that generative AI elements had been used, blaming the issue on a vendor and saying they needed stronger processes for marketing creative.

That sequence is why the story stuck. Not because Magic players are uniquely dramatic (they are, but that’s not the point). It stuck because “deny, then admit” is the exact pattern that makes people feel like they’re being managed instead of respected. It also sparked wider fallout, including public criticism from creatives who took the incident as a sign that promises around AI were not being enforced consistently.

None of this changed the Limited format. It did change the emotional temperature around the product, and that is the kind of thing pricing debates love to feed on.

The “Mythic Rare Problem” in hindsight

When we complained about a “Mythic Rare Problem,” we were really describing a mismatch between expectation and payoff.

In a set marketed as premium, the mythic slot functions like the set’s handshake. It says, “Welcome, we brought the good stuff.” Ravnica Remastered did have real hits, but it also had a lot of mythics that were either narrow, dated, or simply not the kind of pull that makes you forgive pack prices.

Cards like Master of Cruelties are memorable and occasionally terrifying, but they are also role-players. Gideon Blackblade is fine, but “fine” is not the emotion you want when you open the top rarity in an expensive product. A premium-priced remaster can include quirky mythics, but it cannot be mostly quirky mythics.

And the argument got louder because of what was missing.

Missing chase reprints, and why players cared

Ravnica as a setting has an embarrassment of reprint riches. Commander staples, Modern staples, cube staples, casual all-stars. So when major audience-pleasers like Doubling Season and Smothering Tithe were not in the set, it reinforced the feeling that the “reprint equity” was being rationed.

Now, to be fair, both of those cards had recent reprints around that era, so you can make a rational case for leaving them out. Magic is very good at rational cases. Players are very good at opening packs and feeling feelings anyway.

The long-term takeaway is simple: Ravnica Remastered became known as “the Shock land remaster,” even though it contained plenty of other desirable cards. That is not an insult, it’s just what happens when the narrative becomes clearer than the contents.

Drafting Ravnica Remastered then and now

Here’s the nicest thing I can say about the set: as a draft environment, it did the job.

Ravnica is naturally structured around two-color guild identities, and Ravnica Remastered leaned into that. You got signposts, gold cards, fixing, and archetypes that were familiar enough to feel nostalgic while still letting newer drafters understand what their deck was supposed to be doing.

The downside, especially in retrospect, is also obvious: it was a museum set. There were no new mechanics to learn, no new puzzles to solve, and fewer “wait, that interaction works?” moments compared to a Standard set release. If you drafted it a few times, you probably felt like you had “seen it,” and that makes repeat engagement harder when packs are not cheap.

So the best way to enjoy it was never “buy boxes forever.” It was “draft it as an event,” then keep the experience alive some other way.

So should you buy Ravnica Remastered in 2026?

If you are making a decision today, here’s the simplest framework that still respects your wallet.

Buy singles if you want cards

If your goal is Shock lands or specific reprints, buying singles is still the cleanest answer. Sealed product is entertainment first, and budgeting second.

Draft sealed if you want a one-time experience

If you have eight friends, a night blocked off, and you want to relive guild gameplay, a box draft night can be great. Treat it like paying for an experience, not an “investment.”

Build a cube if you want repeat value

If you want “Ravnica draft” as a recurring thing, build a Ravnica cube. This is where the set ages well, because the best part of it was always gameplay.

The proxy cube option, for people who like their fun affordable

An MTG proxy cube is just a cube where the cards are play pieces, not collectibles. The point is accessibility and repeat drafts, not fooling anyone and definitely not sanctioned play. (If you want the formal version of that boundary, read our proxy policy.)

A simple, low-friction approach:

  • Pick your vibe: full guild balance, or “best of Ravnica” with a little chaos.

  • Prioritize fixing so drafts do not become color-trainwreck therapy sessions.

  • Keep proxies readable and consistent in sleeves, because nobody enjoys squinting at a card that looks like it was printed during a power outage.

  • Make expectations explicit before the draft. People are relaxed when surprises are not involved.

This is not legal advice. Event rules and store policies vary, and sanctioned events generally require authentic cards.

FAQs

Was the Ravnica Remastered promo image actually AI-generated?

Yes, Wizards ultimately acknowledged generative AI elements were used in a marketing image and said the issue came from vendor-provided creative, then removed the post and apologized.

When did Ravnica Remastered release?

January 12, 2024.

Was Ravnica Remastered “bad”?

Not really. It was often fun to draft, and the guild structure is naturally satisfying. The bigger issue was value perception: premium product energy without enough “premium pull” moments for many players.

PrintMTG proxies are intended for casual play and playtesting. They are not legal for sanctioned Magic tournaments, except for limited judge-issued proxy situations handled by event staff.