Honestly, walking back into the gloom of Innistrad feels like coming home, even if the neighbors are mostly zombies or cultists trying to feed you to a moon god. The Innistrad Remastered card list has been out for a while now, and while some players are still obsessing over the "movie poster" variants, others are just trying to figure out why their favorite weird draft uncommon didn't make the cut. It’s a massive set. We're talking 567 cards in total if you count all the fancy treatments, but the core draftable experience is built on a tighter pool of 290 cards.
You've probably noticed that Wizards of the Coast didn't just stick to the original 2011 block. They pulled from every visit we’ve ever had to the plane—from the classic gothic horror of Dark Ascension to the cosmic eldritch mess of Eldritch Moon, and even the more recent Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow. It's basically a "Greatest Hits" album, but one of those double-disc sets where they included some B-sides that actually slap.
The Heavy Hitters You’re Actually Looking For
Let's get real about why most people are looking up the Innistrad Remastered card list in the first place: the money. And the power, I guess. If you’re cracking packs, you’re hunting for the big names that have defined Commander and Modern for a decade.
Edgar Markov is the elephant in the room. Or the vampire in the coffin. He’s the first-ever serialized card for a Remastered set, with only 500 copies of the "movie poster" version floating around. He’s arguably the most popular vampire commander in history, and his price tag reflects that. Seeing him in a pack, especially with that retro frame, is the equivalent of winning a mini-lottery.
Then there’s the "Oops, I Win" button: Craterhoof Behemoth.
It's funny.
For a card that technically debuted in Avacyn Restored, it feels weirdly at home here despite not being a zombie or a werewolf.
It just ends games.
If you have three creatures and enough mana, your opponent is basically just waiting for the math to finish them off.
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The Mythic Stars of the Show
- Avacyn, Angel of Hope: The literal face of the plane. Her indestructible anthem is still a nightmare to deal with in casual pods.
- The Meathook Massacre: A relatively recent addition from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. It was banned in Standard, but here, it’s a premier board wipe that also drains your opponents.
- Snapcaster Mage: The "Tiago Chan" card. It’s a bit of a relic from a different era of Modern, but in a curated draft environment, it’s still the best 2-drop blue has ever seen.
- Emrakul, the Promised End: Nothing says "gothic horror" like a giant flying spaghetti monster taking over your mind. She’s the top end of any delirium-focused deck.
Why the Retro Frames Matter More Than You Think
A lot of people think the retro frames are just a nostalgia bait gimmick. Kinda true. But with the Innistrad Remastered card list, it’s the first time we’ve seen double-faced cards (DFCs) get the old-school border treatment on both sides.
Think about Huntmaster of the Fells.
The original was a masterpiece of design.
Now, seeing that classic brown and gold frame on a werewolf that actually flips is a trip. It shouldn't work—the retro frame was retired long before DFCs existed—but somehow it looks cohesive. It makes the set feel like an alternate history of Magic where we never left the 90s.
The Draft Archetypes: What Most People Get Wrong
People assume that because this is a "Remastered" set, they can just draft "Vampires" or "Werewolves" and call it a day. Honestly? That's a trap. If you look at the Innistrad Remastered card list, the synergies are way more intertwined than they used to be.
You can't just pick every wolf you see.
You need to watch your day/night balance.
You need to care about your graveyard count.
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Basically, the "Remastered" experience combines mechanics that never actually existed together in a single draft environment. You have Flashback from the original block playing alongside Delirium from Shadows over Innistrad and Disturb from the newer sets. It creates this layered graveyard value that makes every game feel like a grindy chess match.
Common Misconceptions About the Card List
Some players were annoyed that certain cards like The Gitrog Monster or Thalia, Heretic Cathar were included over other "staples." But the reality is that a Remastered set has to function as a playable game, not just a list of expensive reprints.
If you put every high-value card in one set, the draft experience usually sucks. It becomes "whoever plays their $50 mythic first wins." By including cards like Hermit Druid (its first proper non-promo reprint!) and Deadeye Navigator, Wizards is catering to the Commander crowd while keeping the rare slot diverse.
The Movie Poster Treatment: Love it or Hate it?
The "Headliner" cards are probably the most divisive part of the Innistrad Remastered card list. These are the borderless cards that look like 1950s horror film advertisements. They features cards like:
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- Griselbrand
- Olivia Voldaren
- The Meathook Massacre
They’re rare. Like, really rare. You can only find them in Collector Boosters (mostly), and they have a very specific aesthetic that doesn't look like "Magic" cards at all. Some purists hate them. They think it ruins the immersion. Others (me included, honestly) think they are some of the coolest things Wizards has ever printed. It captures the "vibe" of Innistrad—the campy, terrifying, over-the-top horror—better than a standard frame ever could.
How to Actually Use This List
If you’re looking at the Innistrad Remastered card list to build a deck or make a purchase, stop looking for the "best" card and start looking for the "hidden" value.
The uncommons in this set are incredible. Lingering Souls is back. Blood Artist is here. Fatal Push? Yeah, it made the cut too. These are the cards that actually make your decks run, and because they're being reprinted at uncommon, the prices are going to crater. It's the best time in five years to pick up the "glue" cards for your black/white sacrifice or blue/black control decks.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your bulk: Before you buy singles, look through your old Shadows over Innistrad or Midnight Hunt boxes. You might already have 40% of the set.
- Focus on the Retro Rares: If you're a long-term collector, the retro-frame versions of cards like Snapcaster Mage and Avacyn are the ones most likely to hold value because they're unique to this printing.
- Draft at least once: You can't appreciate the way these cards interact just by reading a spreadsheet. The way Emerge creatures interact with Flashback tokens is something you have to see in play to "get."
The sun is setting over the Kessig woods, and the moon is looking a little too much like an eye for my comfort. Grab your silver bullets and your wooden stakes. Whether you're hunting for a serialized Edgar or just trying to win a Friday night draft with a bunch of spiders, this set has something for everyone who loves the dark side of the Multiverse.