Digital (Arena)
Magic built for the screen. The Alchemy sets and other Arena-only releases introduce digitally-designed cards — and digital rebalancing — that exist entirely outside the paper game.
Era Overview
The Digital category covers Alchemy and other releases designed exclusively for MTG Arena, the game’s digital client. These sets introduce cards built around mechanics that only work in a digital environment — seeking cards from your library, conjuring brand-new cards, and applying perpetual effects that persist across zones. Digital releases also enable rebalancing, letting Wizards buff or nerf cards without a new printing. Because these cards are made for Arena, most have no paper counterpart at all: they exist only as digital objects, which is a defining distinction from every other era of the game.
History & Highlights
Alchemy launched in late 2021 as a digital-first format layered on top of Standard, with its own supplemental sets released alongside each premier expansion. The Historic format and Historic Anthology releases gave Arena players access to cards from across Magic’s history in a digital context, and Alchemy sets continued to introduce Arena-exclusive designs and rebalanced versions of paper cards. This era represents Magic’s ongoing expansion into digital play, where the ability to update cards quickly and to design around digital-only mechanics has created a distinct branch of the game.
Sets that defined the era
Alchemy: Innistrad
An early Alchemy set paired with a paper expansion.
Alchemy: Kamigawa
Digital-only cards designed alongside Neon Dynasty.
Historic Anthology 1
Added older cards to Arena’s Historic format.
Alchemy: Phyrexia
Continued the Alchemy line with rebalanced and new cards.
Arena New Player Experience
Arena-only cards from the onboarding experience.
Every set in this era
All 57 sets released during the Digital (Arena).
Alchemy: Secrets of Strixhaven
30 cards
Alchemy: Lorwyn Eclipsed
30 cards
Arena Anthology 4
28 cards
Through the Omenpaths Bonus Sheet
40 cards
Arena Anthology 3
25 cards
Through the Omenpaths
189 cards
Arena Anthology 2
25 cards
Alchemy: Edge of Eternities
40 cards
Arena Anthology 1
26 cards
Pioneer Anthology 1
11 cards
Alchemy: Tarkir
30 cards
Alchemy: Aetherdrift
30 cards
Pioneer Masters
398 cards
Alchemy: Duskmourn
30 cards
Alchemy: Bloomburrow
30 cards
Alchemy: Outlaws of Thunder Junction
30 cards
Alchemy: Murders at Karlov Manor
30 cards
Alchemy: Ixalan
30 cards
Alchemy: Wilds of Eldraine
30 cards
Historic Anthology 7
25 cards
Explorer Anthology 3
25 cards
Shadows of the Past
76 cards
Shadows over Innistrad Remastered
294 cards
Alchemy: Phyrexia
30 cards
Alchemy: The Brothers' War
31 cards
Explorer Anthology 2
25 cards
Alchemy: Dominaria
39 cards
Historic Anthology 6
20 cards
Explorer Anthology 1
20 cards
Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate
436 cards
Alchemy: New Capenna
30 cards
Alchemy: Kamigawa
30 cards
Alchemy: Innistrad
63 cards
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
389 cards
Historic Anthology 5
25 cards
Historic Anthology 4
25 cards
Kaladesh Remastered
302 cards
Arena Beginner Set
120 cards
Amonkhet Remastered
339 cards
Jumpstart Arena Exclusives
18 cards
Historic Anthology 3
27 cards
Historic Anthology 2
25 cards
Historic Anthology 1
20 cards
Arena New Player Experience
46 cards
MTG Arena Promos
83 cards
Arena New Player Experience Cards
14 cards
Tempest Remastered
269 cards
Vintage Masters
325 cards
Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia
88 cards
Masters Edition IV
269 cards
Magic Online Theme Decks
197 cards
Masters Edition III
230 cards
Masters Edition II
245 cards
Masters Edition
195 cards
Magic Online Promos
3094 cards
Sega Dreamcast Cards
10 cards
Astral Cards
12 cards
Format Context
Digital sets are legal in Arena-based formats like Alchemy and Historic, not in paper Standard, Modern, or Commander. Alchemy-exclusive cards carry an “A-” prefix and have no physical printing, so they cannot be scanned. For collectors, that is a useful boundary: if a card exists only in a digital set, there is no paper version to own. Tappr scans physical cards and shows their Alchemy and Historic legality via Scryfall data, but purely digital cards fall outside the collectible paper game entirely.
Common questions
01 What are digital MTG sets?
Digital sets, mainly the Alchemy releases, are designed exclusively for MTG Arena. They include cards with digital-only mechanics and rebalanced versions of paper cards that exist only in the online game.
02 Can I get Alchemy cards in paper?
No. Alchemy-exclusive cards carry an “A-” prefix and have no paper printing. They exist only on MTG Arena and cannot be scanned or collected physically.
03 What formats can digital cards be played in?
Digital cards are legal in Arena-based formats like Alchemy and Historic, not in paper formats such as Standard, Modern, or Commander.
04 Does Tappr show Alchemy legality for my paper cards?
Yes. When you scan a physical card, Tappr’s Scryfall-sourced legality table includes Alchemy and Historic alongside every other format, so you can see whether your paper card is legal in those digital formats.
Scan Digital (Arena) Cards
Get Tappr free. Identify any Magic: The Gathering card and see what it is worth in seconds.
No credit card. No signup. Just scan.
Scan to download
Point your phone camera at a code
