Alchemy

Alchemy
DCI Sanctioned
Paper
Magic Online
Magic Arena
Rules
Type	Constructed
Multiplayer
Add. rules	Best-of-one and Best-of-three

Alchemy is a digital-only rotating format and play mode for Magic: The Gathering Arena that was introduced in December 2021 as a fast and ever-evolving experience.^[1][2] It intentionally diverges from the metagame of Standard and other formats to provide an alternative experience to play.^[3]

Description[ | ]

Alchemy was built for digital-first players, who consume content more quickly but also want a metagame that stays fresh and evolves. As a digital-only format, Alchemy lets Wizards of the Coast add new cards after a set release, offer new mechanics that can only work in a digital game, and rebalance cards to keep the environment interesting.

Alchemy begins with all the cards in the Standard card pool and adds in new features:

• Rebalanced cards.^[5]
• Cards with digital-only mechanics, as released in supplemental digital sets.

The format can be played in Best-of-One and Best-of-Three matches, both ranked and unranked, and is also featured in special events. Alchemy cards, recognizable by the holofoil A stamp, are also used in other digital-only formats like Historic and Historic Brawl.

Alchemy was inducted as a tournament format starting with the Neon Dynasty Championship in 2022.^[6]

In 2023, the first major divergence to Standard occurred when The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, a straight-to-Modern product, was made legal in Alchemy. The format further diverged upon the release of Wilds of Eldraine as Standard transitioned to a three-year rotation while Alchemy kept the two year rotation.^[7]

Alchemy expansions[ | ]

Starting with Innistrad: Crimson Vow, each Premier set features an adjacent Alchemy set of around 30 cards that is available about a month after the main set releases. These cards all rotate out of Alchemy with the set they are based on, though after rotation, they will continue to be playable in Historic. Additionally, some summer supplemental sets will have an associated full designed-to-draft set. These sets may contain reprints outside of Standard.

Set legality[ | ]

Cards from the following sets are currently legal in Alchemy:^[8]

^* Not released yet.

Banned list[ | ]

Previously banned cards[ | ]

See also: Banned and restricted cards/Timeline.

• Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki^[10]
• Grinning Ignus is the only other card to have been banned in Alchemy.^[11] It was half of a two-card combo with the original Alchemy: New Capenna printing of Racketeer Boss that could generate an infinite storm count, an infinite number of cast and enters the battlefield triggers for creatures and an infinite number of enters the battlfield triggers for artifacts.^[12][13] Due to Grinning Ignus having a mana ability that returned it to its owners hand, the combo was extremely difficult to disrupt and subsequently warped the Alchemy format. Digital play design assessed rebalancing Grinning Ignus but found that any such rebalance would eliminate the combo in the same way as banning Grinning Ignus and thus banning was the correct option.^[14] Racketeer Boss was subsequently rebalanced itself to remove the repeateable treasure creation.^[15]

Flavor text[ | ]

Many Alchemy cards feature flavor text that is not visible on the cards themselves, but rather in a separate pop-up box. This text is not recorded on Scryfall.

References[ | ]