Masters 25

Masters 25 is a booster-based compilation set that was released on March 16, 2018. It is designed to be drafted and celebrates twenty-five years of Magic: The Gathering.

Set details
25 Years in the Making!

Masters 25 contains 249 cards and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. The product contains cards from across Magic 's entire history, a concept earlier seen in Eighth Edition. Cards from un-sets and the Reserved List are excluded. The expansion symbol for this set is the planeswalker symbol with a 25 in front of it, slightly different from the symbol used for the 25th anniversary. Nearly every card in Masters 25 features a watermark, representing its original expansion symbol. This treatment is even used for cards first printed in Limited Edition (Alpha), using a Magic M as the watermark. Un-watermarkable cards like planeswalkers are excluded from this treatment. The set features over 30 pieces of new Magic art and many pieces of new flavor text.

Marketing
Like Iconic Masters, the release of this set forms part of the celebration of Magic's 25th anniversary. Like for earlier Masters series sets, the MSRP of one booster was set to $9.99. Unlike Modern Masters or Eternal Masters, this product is not geared to any specific format. Every booster box of Masters 25 contains 24 booster packs — each with fifteen randomly inserted game cards, including one premium card in every pack. The 16-card boosters (the sixteenth card is a marketing card) feature artwork from Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Sundering Titan.

Magic Online
Masters 25 will be available on Magic Online starting December 7 for $6.99 per pack. It will not be redeemable.

Themes and mechanics
Masters 25 covers all of Magic's 25 years, with at least one card from all black bordered releases in those 25 years. Rather than focus on mechanics or archetypes as most Masters series products do, the set is focused on famous combos and iconic cards from the past to make the gameplay as high on nostalgia as possible.

Reprints
The table below organizes every card from Masters 25 according to the black border set in which they were originally printed. While each set got at least one reprint, some sets (and blocks) were clearly prioritized over others in card selection due to a variety of factors (limited concerns, raising availability for non-rotating formats, overall financial value).

The most represented sets/block are Onslaught block (with 20 reprints), Time Spiral block (with 14 reprints), then Alpha (with 12 reprints). Check the "N° of cards" column for the full detail.

Common to Uncommon
• Exclude

• Freed from the Real

• Mesmeric Fiend

• Street Wraith

• Simian Spirit Guide

• Spikeshot Goblin</c>

• Ancient Stirrings</c>

• Fierce Empath</c>

• Krosan Tusker</c>

• Utopia Sprawl</c>

• Blightning</c>

• Quicksilver Dagger</c>

• Perilous Myr</c>

• Ash Barrens</c>

Uncommon to Common
• Fencing Ace</c>

• Geist of the Moors</c>

• Renewed Faith</c>

• Borrowing 100,000 Arrows</c>

• Court Hussar</c>

• Dragon's Eye Savants</c>

• Ghost Ship</c>

• <c>Relentless Rats</c>

• <c>Ruthless Ripper</c>

• <c>Cinder Storm</c>

• <c>Crimson Mage</c>

• <c>Frenzied Goblin</c>

• <c>Hordeling Outburst</c>

• <c>Jackal Pup</c>

• <c>Pillage</c>

• <c>Skeletonize</c>

• <c>Ainok Survivalist</c>

• <c>Assembly-Worker</c>

• <c>Primal Clay</c>

Uncommon to Rare

 * <c>Pendelhaven</c>

Uncommon to Mythic Rare

 * <c>Imperial Recruiter</c>

Rare to Common

 * <c>Loyal Sentry</c>
 * <c>Savannah Lions</c>
 * <c>Balduvian Horde</c>

Rare to Uncommon
• <c>Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon"</c>

• <c>Promise of Bunrei</c>

• <c>Jalira, Master Polymorphist</c>

• <c>Ancient Craving</c>

• <c>Fallen Angel</c>

• <c>Undead Gladiator</c>

• <c>Will-o'-the-Wisp</c>

• <c>Ire Shaman</c>

• <c>Zada, Hedron Grinder</c>

• <c>Iwamori of the Open Fist</c>

• <c>Krosan Colossus</c>

• <c>Shadowmage Infiltrator</c>

• <c>Stangg</c>

Rare to Mythic Rare

 * <c>Armageddon</c>
 * <c>Akroma, Angel of Wrath</c>
 * <c>Akroma, Angel of Fury</c>
 * <c>Chalice of the Void</c>
 * <c>Ensnaring Bridge</c>

Mythic Rare to Rare

 * <c>Conflux</c>
 * <c>Pernicious Deed</c>

Cycles
Masters 25 has five horizontal cycles.

Pairs
Masters 25 has one mirrored pair.

Token cards
The set comes with fourteen tokens and one overlay card.
 * 1)  1/1 Spirit for <c>Promise of Bunrei</c>
 * 2)  4/4 Angel with Flying for <c>Luminarch Ascension</c> and <c>Decree of Justice</c>
 * 3)  1/1 Soldier for <c>Decree of Justice</c> and <c>Darien. King of Kjeldor</c>
 * 4)  1/1 Spirit with Flying for <c>Dauntless Cathar</c>
 * 5)  3/3 Fish for <c>Reef Worm</c>
 * 6)  9/9 Kraken for <c>Reef Worm</c>
 * 7)  6/6 Whale for <c>Reef Worm</c>
 * 8)  1/1 Skeleton with ": Regenerate this creature." for <c>Skeletonize</c>
 * 9)  1/1 Goblin for <c>Hordeling Outburst</c>
 * 10)  0/1 Kobold named  for <c>Prossh, Skyraider of Kher</c>
 * 11)  1/1 Elf Warrior for <c>Presence of Gond</c>
 * 12)  1/1 Insect for <c>Broodhatch Nantuko</c>
 * 13)  2/2 Wolf for <c>Master of the Wild Hunt</c>
 * 14)  3/4 Human Warrior named <c>Stangg Twin</c> for <c>Stangg</c>
 * 15)  overlay card

Notable cards

 * <c>Jace, the Mind Sculptor</c> Considered to be the best planeswalker ever printed. Unbanned in the Modern format right before release of the set.
 * <c>Azusa, Lost but Seeking</c> While not highly prized during Kamigawa block itself, her popularity soared alongside that of the Commander format, where she fueled powerful mana-ramping strategies (art from Judge Gift card)
 * <c>Imperial Recruiter</c> from Portal Three Kingdoms, highly valued on the secondary market due to its scarcity.

Cards with new art
• <c>Angelic Page</c>

• <c>Arcane Denial</c>

• <c>Balduvian Horde</c>

• <c>Blue Elemental Blast</c>

• <c>Broodhatch Nantuko</c>

• <c>Coalition Relic</c>

• <c>Dirge of Dread</c>

• <c>Doomsday</c>

• <c>Elvish Aberration</c>

• <c>Ensnaring Bridge</c>

• <c>Erg Raiders</c>

• <c>Exclude</c>

• <c>Fierce Empath</c>

• <c>Flash</c>

• <c>Frenzied Goblin</c>

• <c>Ghost Ship</c>

• <c>Goblin War Drums</c>

• <c>Imperial Recruiter</c>

• <c>Kavu Climber</c>

• <c>Ihsan's Shade</c>

• <c>Loyal Sentry</c>

• <c>Path of Peace</c>

• <c>Pillage</c>

• <c>Red Elemental Blast</c>

• <c>Relentless Rats</c>

• <c>Renewed Faith</c>

• <c>Rishadan Port</c>

• <c>Savannah Lions</c>

• <c>Shoreline Ranger</c>

• <c>Skirk Commando</c>

• <c>Spikeshot Goblin</c>

• <c>Stangg</c>

• <c>Sundering Titan</c>

• <c>Undead Gladiator</c>

• <c>Unearth</c>

• <c>Valor in Akros</c>

• <c>Willbender</c>

• <c>Zombify</c>

Cards with new flavor text
• <c>Balduvian Horde</c>

• <c>Ball Lightning</c>

• <c>Blue Elemental Blast</c>

• <c>Caustic Tar</c>

• <c>Cinder Storm</c> (variant of original)

• <c>Ensnaring Bridge</c>

• <c>Erg Raiders</c>

• <c>Exclude</c>

• <c>Flash</c>

• <c>Ghost Ship</c>

• <c>Giant Growth</c>

• <c>Goblin War Drums</c>

• <c>Hell's Caretaker</c> (variant of original)

• <c>Ihsan's Shade</c>

• <c>Imperial Recruiter</c>

• <c>Living Wish</c>

• <c>Loyal Sentry</c>

• <c>Lull</c>

• <c>Murder</c>

• <c>Nezumi Cutthroat</c> (shortened)

• <c>Path of Peace</c>

• <c>Pillage</c>

• <c>Red Elemental Blast</c>

• <c>Renewed Faith</c>

• <c>Savannah Lions</c>

• <c>Shoreline Ranger</c>

• <c>Simian Spirit Guide</c>

• <c>Spikeshot Goblin</c>

• <c>Sundering Titan</c>

• <c>Undead Gladiator</c>

• <c>Unearth</c>

• <c>Valor in Akros</c>

• <c>Will-o’-the-Wisp</c>

Cards with centered rules text
• <c>Arbor Elf</c>

• <c>Armageddon</c>

• <c>Blood Moon</c>

• <c>Brainstorm</c>

• <c>Counterspell</c>

• <c>Dark Ritual</c>

• <c>Diabolic Edict</c>

• <c>Pyroclasm</c>

• <c>Regrowth</c>

• <c>Swords to Plowshares</c>

• <c>Vindicate</c>

Reception
After the disappointed reactions to Iconic Masters, Gavin Verhey had promised that Masters 25 would be Masters set that people had been waiting for. But again, people were disappointed about the lack of several much needed, high profile, reprints. Verhey later acknowledged that some mistakes had been made in design.