ChronlinesOpen Chronlines

Magic: The Gathering Timeline

From Richard Garfield's first designs and the 1993 Alpha release through the Pro Tour, the stack, planeswalkers, Commander, MTG Arena and Universes Beyond crossovers, to the sets of 2026.

122 events · 1982 – 2026

Open interactive timeline Magic: The Gathering: a timeline on Chronlines

Key events

  1. Richard Garfield conceives "Five Magics," a card game inspired by Cosmic Encounter

  2. Commander (EDH) invented by players in Alaska as a casual 100-card singleton format (late 1990s)

    1990s

  3. Peter Adkison founds Wizards of the Coast in Seattle area

  4. Garfield pitches RoboRally to Adkison, who asks instead for a portable, quick game for conventions

  5. Garfield finishes first full version ("Mana Clash"); playtested with Penn grad students

  6. Magic sells out at Gen Con in Milwaukee

  7. Limited Edition Alpha released — Magic: The Gathering debuts

  8. Limited Edition Beta released (fixes Alpha errors)

  9. Arabian Nights — first expansion set

  10. Unlimited Edition released (first white-bordered set)

  11. Over 1 billion Magic cards printed

  12. Legends — introduces legendary creatures and multicolor gold cards

  13. First World Championship held at Gen Con (Zak Dolan wins)

  14. Fallen Empires — massively overprinted, glutting the market

  15. Ice Age — first set designed as part of a block

  16. Chronicles reprints rare cards, angering collectors

  17. Reserved List created — promise never to reprint certain old cards

  18. First Pro Tour held in New York City

    –

  19. Mirage — start of regular, planned block release schedule

  20. Wizards of the Coast acquires TSR, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons

  21. Weatherlight — launches the multi-year Weatherlight Saga storyline

  22. Urza's Saga — broken combo cards lead to "Combo Winter" and emergency bans

  23. Classic Sixth Edition — major rules overhaul introduces "the stack"

  24. Hasbro acquires Wizards of the Coast for $325 million

  25. Invasion — multicolor-themed block; Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria climaxes the Weatherlight Saga

  26. Magic: The Gathering Online launches

  27. Mark Rosewater becomes Head Designer

  28. Eighth Edition debuts the modern card frame redesign

  29. Mirrodin — artifact plane; Affinity deck later dominates and forces bans

  30. Pro Tour Hall of Fame launches (inaugural class incl. Jon Finkel)

  31. Ravnica: City of Guilds — introduces the 10 two-color guilds

  32. Time Spiral — nostalgia set full of callbacks to Magic's history

  33. Lorwyn — introduces the planeswalker card type

  34. Shards of Alara — introduces the mythic rare rarity

  35. Duels of the Planeswalkers video game released (Xbox Live)

  36. Magic 2010 — annual core sets begin; M10 rules remove mana burn and damage on the stack

  37. Zendikar — landfall; fetchland reprints spark a sales boom

  38. Wizards releases first official Commander preconstructed decks

  39. Modern format created (cards from Eighth Edition onward)

  40. Innistrad — gothic horror; debuts double-faced cards

  41. Modern Masters — first "Masters" reprint set

  42. Khans of Tarkir — record-setting sales

  43. Grand Prix Las Vegas sets record: 7,551 players (largest Magic tournament ever)

  44. Magic Origins — final core set before a 3-year pause

  45. Dominaria — 25th-anniversary return to Magic's original plane

  46. Magic: The Gathering Arena enters open beta

  47. Pro Tour rebranded; Magic Pro League (MPL) and Mythic Championships begin

  48. War of the Spark — 36 planeswalkers; climax of the Nicol Bolas saga

  49. MTG Arena officially launches out of beta

  50. Throne of Eldraine — debuts showcase alternate-art frames

  51. Pioneer format announced (cards from Return to Ravnica onward)

  52. Secret Lair direct-to-consumer drop series launches

  53. COVID-19 pandemic halts in-person organized play

  54. Wizards bans 7 cards with racist imagery (e.g., Invoke Prejudice)

  55. The Walking Dead Secret Lair — first non-Magic IP on cards, sparking backlash

  56. Magic becomes Hasbro's first billion-dollar brand

  57. Universes Beyond crossover brand announced (Warhammer 40,000, Lord of the Rings)

  58. Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — first Dungeons & Dragons crossover premier set

  59. Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks — first full Universes Beyond product

  60. 30th Anniversary Edition ($999 proxy-style packs) draws widespread criticism

  61. The Brothers' War — first serialized cards in booster packs

  62. Pro Tour returns (Pro Tour Phyrexia, Philadelphia) alongside MagicCon events

  63. March of the Machine — Phyrexian invasion of the Multiverse concludes a major story arc

  64. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth — one of Magic's best-selling sets

  65. Serialized 1-of-1 "The One Ring" card found, later sold to Post Malone for ~$2 million

  66. Murders at Karlov Manor — Play Boosters replace Draft and Set Boosters

  67. Commander Rules Committee bans Mana Crypt, Jeweled Lotus, Dockside Extortionist & Nadu, causing major backlash

  68. Wizards of the Coast takes over management of the Commander format

  69. Magic: The Gathering Foundations — evergreen core set, Standard-legal for 5 years

  70. Final Fantasy — first Universes Beyond premier set legal in Standard; Wizards' best-selling set to date

52 more in the interactive timeline.

Open interactive timeline