Summary
With January now halfway through, it is almost time forMagic: The Gathering’s first release of 2025, which is going to be another visit to the beloved Innistrad plane, this time in the form of Innistrad Remastered. This set is not legal in Standard, and instead is meant to be a collection of the best cards, characters, locations, and themes of the various Innistrad expansions over the years. Innistrad cards first introduced some iconicMagic: The Gatheringmechanics, such as the Morbid ability or double-faced cards without the classicMTGback that also have the keyword “transform” associated with them. One of these mechanics from Innistrad sets is not coming back in Innistrad Remastered, however.
There are multiple sets that comprise the overall Innistrad block, including Innistrad, Dark Ascension, Avacyn Restored, Shadows Over Innistrad, Eldritch Moon,Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, and Innistrad: Crimson Vow.
It’s not uncommon forMagic: The Gatheringexpansions to cut previous mechanics or keywords because they no longer benefit the game, or the game itself has evolved past them. Likewise, mechanics like the beloved Rad Counters from FalloutMTGproducts may return due to popular demand, even if they were designed as one-off additions to the game. In the case of the Innistrad sets, the Day and Night cycle, associated with Daybound and Nightbound cards, was poorly received at launch, and it’s being cut entirely from Innistrad Remastered.
One of the main reasons for the Day and Night cycle’s poor reception is that this creates a game state where players have to constantly keep track of how many spells are cast by each player on each given turn. The problem is that this doesn’t necessarily apply only to those who haveDaybound and NightboundMTGpermanentson the battlefield, nor is it limited to those who play these cards in their decks, but rather, it’s something that occurs every time someone is playing at least one of these cards at the table.
There are variousunwritten rules forMagic: The Gatheringthat may vary depending on who is asked or what the game’s purpose is—be it casual or competitive matches, time with friends and loved ones, or something else. One rule that often applies is that players should always keep track of their cards, mechanics, and board state. This makes it easier for them to intervene if needed and ensures everyone at the table is informed about what a given deck does. Doing this for the Day and Night cycle was arguably too much.
Not only that, but Wizards of the Coast’s R&D (an abbreviation for Research & Design, which was formerly Research & Development) deemed the mechanic to be a mistake, in retrospect. Similarly, when asked about it, Wizards of the Coast’s Head Designer forMagic: The Gathering, Mark Rosewater, said he’d rather have werewolves as designed in old sets as opposed to the Daybound/Nightbound mechanic. Prevalent especially in the lastInnistrad sets inMTG, Daybound and Nightbound not coming back for Innistrad Remastered means there is likely no future for them as a whole.
This is likely not to be bad news for players who prefer a simpler approach to tracking mechanics and card abilities inMagic: The Gathering, though it may be sad for some Innistrad fans who hoped to see the many shades of the plane within Innistrad Remastered. Still, Innistrad Remastered will also be a way to make something new for the plane, however, as it will be the first set to includeMagic: The Gathering’s Headliner cards, this time in the form of a special edition of Edgar Markov. The new set is only less than a week away, and only time will tell whether WotC was right about cutting Daybound and Nightbound entirely.
