Today we’re talking about everything you need to know about the MTG Reserved list. We’ll take a look at what Reserved List is, why it was made, and why it matters. At the end of the article, you’ll find all cards currently on the Reserved List.
What is the MTG Reserved List?
The MTG Reserved List is a list of cards that will never be reprinted.
Well, that’s the short definition. Here’s one that goes in more detail:
- Reserved cards will never be printed again in a functionally identical form.
- Two cards are considered functionally identical to one another if they have the same card type, subtypes, abilities, mana cost, power, and toughness.
- If a card isn’t on the reserved list, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be reprinted.
- This applies to all cards regardless of language. So to both English and non-English cards.
- The policy applies only to tournament-legal Magic cards in printed form. Wizards may still print cards that are not the usual size, such as oversized cards. This also means that cards from Reserved List can be added to MTG Arena or Magic Online.
Here’s an example of an oversized Black Lotus, next to a regular-sized Magic card:

If you’re interested in all the nitty-gritty detail, you can also check the official Reprint Policy.
Why Was Reserved List Created?
Magic the Gathering was three years old in 1996. It was on the brink of disaster.
Wizards of the Coast had made two crucial mistakes with the release of Fourth Edition and Chronicles:
- They reprinted a bunch of rare, valuable cards.
- They printed too much product in a short time.
One or the other, it would probably be okay. But both at the same time proved to be too much for players and collectors. Collectability was a big selling point of Magic. With so many reprints, players felt like the collectible part didn’t matter.
As an answer, Wizards created The Reserved List on March 4th, 1996. Wizards made a promise to never reprint the cards on this list.
It worked! Today, Magic is stronger than ever. The reason for this is the Reserved List.
Which Cards are on the MTG Reserved List?
The original (yes, it has changed since then) Reserved List included the following cards:
- All cards from Alpha and Beta that weren’t printed in Fourth Edition or Ice Age.
- All uncommons and rares from Arabian Nights and Antiquities that weren’t printed in Revised, Fourth Edition or Chronicles.
- Finally, all rares from Legends and The Dark that weren’t printed in Revised, Fourth Edition or Chronicles.
How Many Cards are on the Reserved List?
There are 572 cards on the Reserved List. It’s quite long, so it’s listed at the bottom of the article, sorted by edition.
The most known cards from these are the original dual lands and the Power Nine.
Original Dual Lands
The first dual lands are also the strongest. They always enter the battlefield untapped without any downsides. Each of them has two of the five land types (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest). You can search for them with fetch lands, such as Flooded Strand.
There are 10 of them, one for each color pair:
Power Nine
The Power Nine are 9 rare cards printed in Alpha, Beta and Unlimited. They are considered the most powerful cards in Magic the Gathering. All of them are on the Reserved List.

Black Lotus is also the most expensive MTG card. It will cost you more than a very good sports car. It also helps if the card is form Alpha and in a mint condition. An unknown collector bought a Black Lotus for over $166,000 in March 2019.
The Power Nine also includes powerful Moxes, the most insane draw spell Ancestral Recall, the cheapest extra turn Time Walk and the ugly child Timetwister. Some people argue that the Power Nine should be called Power Eight — with Timetwister being significantly weaker than the other cards.
Reserved No More
Something unusual happened in March 2010. Wizards removed some cards from the Reserved List. They declared that cards from Mercadian Masques and later editions won’t be on the list. As a result, commons and uncommons from Limited Edition were removed from the list. There were 22 such cards:
- Basalt Monolith
- Camouflage
- Clone
- Consecrate Land
- Copper Tablet
- Demonic Tutor
- Dwarven Demolition Team
- Earthbind
- False Orders
- Guardian Angel
- Ice Storm
- Invisibility
- Jade Statue
- Juggernaut
- Lance
- Living Wall
- Nettling Imp
- Psionic Blast
- Regrowth
- Resurrection
- Sacrifice
- Sinkhole
One card actually shouldn’t be on the list in the first place. That was Feroz’s Ban. It was already reprinted in Fifth Edition, which means it was mistakenly on the Reserved List. It was removed as well.
Players were happy about the changes, but the same thing didn’t happen again. Wizards stated that this cards will be the only ones removed from the Reserved List. This was technically true, but in 2010 some cards were still reprinted.
Reserved List Breaks
As always with all the contracts, there was a loophole. The policy only applied to non-premium cards. Wizards could theoretically reprint cards on the Reserved List in foil versions.
Wizards used this loophole when they printed foil Phyrexian Negator in Phyrexia vs The Coalition Duel Deck in March, 2010.
They also printed four cards from the Reserved List in From the Vault: Relics in August 2010:
The player base was mostly disappointed with the decision. Therefore, Wizards closed the loophole in 2011. They stated that no cards on the Reserved List will ever be printed — in foil or non-foil.

MTG Reserved List 2022
Finally, here’s a full list of all cards currently on the Reserved list:
Limited Edition
- Ancestral Recall
- Badlands
- Bayou
- Black Lotus
- Blaze of Glory
- Braingeyser
- Chaos Orb
- Contract from Below
- Copy Artifact
- Cyclopean Tomb
- Darkpact
- Demonic Attorney
- Demonic Hordes
- Farmstead
- Fastbond
- Forcefield
- Fork
- Gauntlet of Might
- Granite Gargoyle
- Illusionary Mask
- Kudzu
- Lich
- Mox Emerald
- Mox Jet
- Mox Pearl
- Mox Ruby
- Mox Sapphire
- Natural Selection
- Plateau (Brudi)
- Plateau (Tucker)
- Raging River
- Roc of Kher Ridges
- Rock Hydra
- Savannah
- Scrubland
- Sedge Troll
- Taiga
- Time Vault
- Time Walk
- Timetwister
- Tropical Island
- Tundra
- Two-Headed Giant of Foriys
- Underground Sea
- Vesuvan Doppelganger
- Veteran Bodyguard
- Volcanic Island
- Wheel of Fortune
- Word of Command
Arabian Nights
- Ali from Cairo
- Bazaar of Baghdad
- City in a Bottle
- Diamond Valley
- Drop of Honey
- Elephant Graveyard
- Guardian Beast
- Ifh-Biff Efreet
- Island of Wak-Wak
- Jihad
- Juzam Djinn
- Khabal Ghoul
- King Suleiman
- Library of Alexandria
- Merchant Ship
- Old Man of the Sea
- Pyramids
- Ring of Ma’ruf
- Sandals of Abdallah
- Serendib Djinn
- Shahrazad
- Singing Tree
Antiquities
- Argivian Archaeologist
- Candelabra of Tawnos
- Citanul Druid
- Damping Field
- Gaea’s Avenger
- Gate to Phyrexia
- Golgothian Sylex
- Haunting Wind
- Martyrs of Korlis
- Mightstone
- Mishra’s Workshop
- Power Artifact
- Powerleech
- Su-Chi
- Tawnos’s Coffin
- Transmute Artifact
- Urza’s Miter
- Weakstone
Legends
- The Abyss
- Acid Rain
- Adun Oakenshield
- Al-abara’s Carpet
- Alchor’s Tomb
- All Hallow’s Eve
- Angus Mackenzie
- Bartel Runeaxe
- Boris Devilboon
- Caverns of Despair
- Chains of Mephistopheles
- Cleanse
- Disharmony
- Divine Intervention
- Elder Spawn
- Eureka
- Falling Star
- Field of Dreams
- Firestorm Phoenix
- Forethought Amulet
- Gosta Dirk
- Gravity Sphere
- Gwendlyn Di Corci
- Halfdane
- Hazezon Tamar
- Hellfire
- Imprison
- In the Eye of Chaos
- Infinite Authority
- Invoke Prejudice
- Jacques le Vert
- Jovial Evil
- Knowledge Vault
- Kobold Overlord
- Lady Caleria
- Lady Evangela
- Land Equilibrium
- Life Matrix
- Lifeblood
- Living Plane
- Livonya Silone
- Mana Matrix
- Master of the Hunt
- Mirror Universe
- Moat
- Mold Demon
- Nether Void
- North Star
- Nova Pentacle
- Pixie Queen
- Planar Gate
- Quarum Trench Gnomes
- Ragnar
- Ramses Overdark
- Rapid Fire
- Rasputin Dreamweaver
- Reverberation
- Ring of Immortals
- Rohgahh of Kher Keep
- Spinal Villain
- Spiritual Sanctuary
- Storm World
- Sword of the Ages
- The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
- Telekinesis
- Tetsuo Umezawa
- Thunder Spirit
- Tuknir Deathlock
- Typhoon
- Ur-Drago
- Willow Satyr
- Wood Elemental
The Dark
- City of Shadows
- Cleansing
- Eternal Flame
- Exorcist
- Frankenstein’s Monster
- Goblin Wizard
- Grave Robbers
- Hidden Path
- Knights of Thorn
- Lurker
- Mana Vortex
- Martyr’s Cry
- Nameless Race
- Niall Silvain
- Preacher
- Psychic Allergy
- Scarwood Bandits
- Season of the Witch
- Sorrow’s Path
- Stone Calendar
- Tracker
- Worms of the Earth
- Wormwood Treefolk
Fallen Empires
- Aeolipile
- Balm of Restoration
- Conch Horn
- Delif’s Cube
- Draconian Cylix
- Dwarven Armorer
- Ebon Praetor
- Elven Lyre
- Elvish Farmer
- Fungal Bloom
- Goblin Flotilla
- Hand of Justice
- Homarid Shaman
- Icatian Lieutenant
- Icatian Skirmishers
- Implements of Sacrifice
- Rainbow Vale
- Ring of Renewal
- River Merfolk
- Spirit Shield
- Thelon’s Curse
- Thelonite Monk
- Thrull Champion
- Tourach’s Gate
- Vodalian Knights
- Vodalian War Machine
- Zelyon Sword
Ice Age
- Aegis of the Meek
- Altar of Bone
- Amulet of Quoz
- Balduvian Hydra
- Blizzard
- Brand of Ill Omen
- Call to Arms
- Chromatic Armor
- Earthlink
- Energy Storm
- Flow of Maggots
- Formation
- Fyndhorn Pollen
- General Jarkeld
- Glacial Crevasses
- Gravebind
- Halls of Mist
- Hot Springs
- Ice Cauldron
- Illusionary Presence
- Illusions of Grandeur
- Infernal Denizen
- Jester’s Mask
- Kjeldoran Knight
- Kjeldoran Phalanx
- Land Cap
- Lava Tubes
- Lightning Blow
- Marton Stromgald
- Mercenaries
- Mesmeric Trance
- Minion of Tevesh Szat
- Mountain Titan
- Mudslide
- Musician
- Mystic Might
- Polar Kraken
- Reality Twist
- River Delta
- Ritual of Subdual
- Skeleton Ship
- Snowblind
- Soldevi Golem
- Spoils of Evil
- Spoils of War
- Storm Spirit
- Timberline Ridge
- Trailblazer
- Veldt
- Winter’s Chill
Homelands
- An-Zerrin Ruins
- Anaba Ancestor
- Anaba Spirit Crafter
- Apocalypse Chime
- Autumn Willow
- Aysen Crusader
- Aysen Highway
- Baki’s Curse
- Baron Sengir
- Beast Walkers
- Black Carriage
- Chain Stasis
- Daughter of Autumn
- Didgeridoo
- Dwarven Pony
- Dwarven Sea Clan
- Faerie Noble
- Grandmother Sengir
- Hazduhr the Abbot
- Heart Wolf
- Koskun Falls
- Leeches
- Mammoth Harness
- Marjhan
- Mystic Decree
- Narwhal
- Reveka, Wizard Savant
- Rysorian Badger
- Serra Aviary
- Soraya the Falconer
- Timmerian Fiends
- Veldrane of Sengir
- Wall of Kelp
- Willow Priestess
- Winter Sky
Allianaces
- Ashnod’s Cylix
- Balduvian Trading Post
- Chaos Harlequin
- Dystopia
- Fatal Lore
- Floodwater Dam
- Gargantuan Gorilla
- Gustha’s Scepter
- Heart of Yavimaya
- Helm of Obedience
- Ivory Gargoyle
- Kaysa
- Keeper of Tresserhorn
- Kjeldoran Outpost
- Krovikan Horror
- Lake of the Dead
- Lodestone Bauble
- Lord of Tresserhorn
- Misfortune
- Nature’s Wrath
- Omen of Fire
- Phantasmal Sphere
- Phelddagrif
- Phyrexian Devourer
- Phyrexian Portal
- Ritual of the Machine
- Rogue Skycaptain
- Royal Decree
- Sheltered Valley
- Soldevi Digger
- Soldevi Excavations
- Splintering Wind
- Sustaining Spirit
- Sworn Defender
- Thawing Glaciers
- Thought Lash
- Tidal Control
- Tornado
- Varchild’s War-Riders
- Wandering Mage
- Winter’s Night
Mirage
- Acidic Dagger
- Afiya Grove
- Amulet of Unmaking
- Asmira, Holy Avenger
- Auspicious Ancestor
- Barreling Attack
- Bazaar of Wonders
- Benthic Djinn
- Bone Mask
- Brushwagg
- Cadaverous Bloom
- Canopy Dragon
- Carrion
- Catacomb Dragon
- Chaosphere
- Circle of Despair
- Cycle of Life
- Discordant Spirit
- Divine Retribution
- Emberwilde Caliph
- Emberwilde Djinn
- Energy Bolt
- Energy Vortex
- Forsaken Wastes
- Frenetic Efreet
- Grim Feast
- Hakim, Loreweaver
- Hall of Gemstone
- Harbinger of Night
- Hivis of the Scale
- Jabari’s Influence
- Jungle Patrol
- Kukemssa Pirates
- Leering Gargoyle
- Lion’s Eye Diamond
- Lure of Prey
- Malignant Growth
- Mangara’s Tome
- Mindbender Spores
- Misers’ Cage
- Mist Dragon
- Natural Balance
- Null Chamber
- Paupers’ Cage
- Phyrexian Dreadnought
- Phyrexian Purge
- Phyrexian Tribute
- Political Trickery
- Preferred Selection
- Prismatic Lace
- Purgatory
- Purraj of Urborg
- Rashida Scalebane
- Razor Pendulum
- Reflect Damage
- Reparations
- Rock Basilisk
- Sawback Manticore
- Seeds of Innocence
- Shallow Grave
- Shauku, Endbringer
- Shimmer
- Sidar Jabari
- Soul Echo
- Spectral Guardian
- Spirit of the Night
- Subterranean Spirit
- Tainted Specter
- Taniwha
- Teeka’s Dragon
- Teferi’s Imp
- Teferi’s Isle
- Telim’Tor
- Telim’Tor’s Edict
- Tombstone Stairwell
- Torrent of Lava
- Unfulfilled Desires
- Ventifact Bottle
- Warping Wurm
- Wellspring
- Yare
- Zirilan of the Claw
- Zuberi, Golden Feather
Visions
- Aku Djinn
- Anvil of Bogardan
- Bogardan Phoenix
- Breathstealer’s Crypt
- Chronatog
- City of Solitude
- Corrosion
- Diamond Kaleidoscope
- Elkin Lair
- Equipoise
- Eye of Singularity
- Femeref Enchantress
- Firestorm Hellkite
- Flooded Shoreline
- Forbidden Ritual
- Griffin Canyon
- Guiding Spirit
- Kaervek’s Spite
- Katabatic Winds
- Kookus
- Lichenthrope
- Lightning Cloud
- Ogre Enforcer
- Phyrexian Marauder
- Pillar Tombs of Aku
- Pygmy Hippo
- Quirion Druid
- Rainbow Efreet
- Retribution of the Meek
- Righteous War
- Sands of Time
- Squandered Resources
- Suleiman’s Legacy
- Teferi’s Realm
- Three Wishes
- Tithe
- Triangle of War
- Undiscovered Paradise
- Viashivan Dragon
- Zhalfirin Crusader
Weatherlight
- Abeyance
- Aboroth
- Ancestral Knowledge
- Avizoa
- Bone Dancer
- Bosium Strip
- Bubble Matrix
- Debt of Loyalty
- Dwarven Thaumaturgist
- Ertai’s Familiar
- Firestorm
- Fungus Elemental
- Gallowbraid
- Goblin Bomb
- Heart of Bogardan
- Heat Stroke
- Infernal Tribute
- Inner Sanctum
- Liege of the Hollows
- Lotus Vale
- Mana Web
- Maraxus of Keld
- Morinfen
- Mwonvuli Ooze
- Null Rod
- Paradigm Shift
- Peacekeeper
- Pendrell Mists
- Psychic Vortex
- Scorched Ruins
- Thran Tome
- Tolarian Entrancer
- Tolarian Serpent
- Urborg Justice
- Urborg Stalker
- Wave of Terror
- Well of Knowledge
- Winding Canyons
- Xanthic Statue
Tempest
- Aluren
- Apocalypse
- Avenging Angel
- Commander Greven il-Vec
- Corpse Dance
- Cursed Scroll
- Earthcraft
- Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
- Escaped Shapeshifter
- Humility
- Intuition
- Meditate
- Orim, Samite Healer
- Recycle
- Sarcomancy
- Selenia, Dark Angel
Stronghold
- Crovax the Cursed
- Dream Halls
- Mox Diamond
- Silver Wyvern
- Sliver Queen
- Volrath’s Shapeshifter
- Volrath’s Stronghold
Exodus
- City of Traitors
- Dominating Licid
- Ertai, Wizard Adept
- Exalted Dragon
- Hatred
- Mind Over Matter
- Oath of Ghouls
- Recurring Nightmare
- Survival of the Fittest
Urza’s Sage
- Argothian Wurm
- Barrin, Master Wizard
- Citanul Centaurs
- Gaea’s Cradle
- Gilded Drake
- Great Whale
- Herald of Serra
- Karn, Silver Golem
- Lifeline
- Lightning Dragon
- Morphling
- Opal Archangel
- Serra’s Sanctum
- Tolarian Academy
- Temporal Aperture
- Time Spiral
- Yawgmoth’s Will
- Zephid
Urza’s Legacy
- Deranged Hermit
- Grim Monolith
- Memory Jar
- Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
- Palinchron
- Radiant, Archangel
- Ring of Gix
- Second Chance
- Weatherseed Treefolk
Urza’s Destiny
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, the Reserved List had done some serious work for the well-being of Magic. It’s here to stay. With its upsides and downsides. Nevertheless, if you ever invent time travel, don’t forget to pick up some Black Lotuses.
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