Wizards of the Coast releases three to four expansion sets per year for Magic: The Gathering, and these sets are more than a simple collection of cards. Each set must have a clear mechanical identity during gameplay and take place in a fascinating and immersive setting within the lore. There is more than one way to go about designing one of these.

For most of the game's history, sets were organized into blocks, but even now that all sets stand alone, there are basic design philosophies that go into the game. Some sets put the flavor and lore first, while others start with an idea for gameplay and build the lore around that. Top-bottom and bottom-up are the two main design paradigms for Magic sets.

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Bottom-Up Magic Design: When Gameplay Comes First

khans of tarkir block dragon

The bottom-up design model takes place when Wizards decides on a mechanical theme for the set (usually a broad one) and designs an in-universe setting with that gameplay theme in mind. For that reason, there will be relatively few cards with outstanding flavor in the set, or at least flavorful cards won't be the norm. This is not detrimental to set design, though; in fact, having a clear mechanical identity from the start can make the set more cohesive.

It allows dedicated players to easily grasp how to handle the set during games of booster draft Limited and sealed pool. What's more, bottom-up design allows Wizards to rotate between several major themes that sets or blocks can have. This ensures that no mechanical theme is overused or underused and that two blocks in a row don't have the same theme. It generally keeps the game nicely balanced.

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Both blocks based on the metal world of Mirrodin are bottom-up designs with a clear theme: artifacts matter. In 2003-4, Wizards created the notorious Mirrodin block, which ended up with many overpowered cards such as Skullclamp and Arcbound Ravager. Years later, the Scars of Mirrodin block came along, which concluded with a Phyrexian victory. These sets contained a variety of artifacts of all kinds, and many other cards cared about artifacts, such as having affinity for them or granting them bonuses. The Kaladesh block had a similar theme, expanding on it with Vehicles and energy counters.

The Shards of Alara block, Khans of Tarkir block, all Ravnica blocks and the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths set are all bottom-up products with a flexible and popular theme: multicolor matters. In the sets based on Ravnica, this mechanical theme was expressed via ten guilds of two colors each, from the insidious House Dimir to the mad-science Izzet and the mafia/church guild called the Orzhov Syndicate.

Shards of Alara had more three-color cards in it than any set that came before it, and it featured a dazzling variety of exciting card cycles such as the Herald mythic rare creatures and some legendary creatures like Sedris, the Traitor King and Rafiq of the Many. Khans of Tarkir had a similar mechanical identity, except it focused on the "wedges," or a color and its two enemies, all taking place in a pan-Asian setting named Tarkir. Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths also focused on wedges, but in the lore, this was a world of giant mutant monsters, not feuding clans.

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Top-Bottom Magic Design, When Flavorful Inspiration Comes First

innistrad werewolves

By contrast, top-bottom sets and blocks are centered around a distinct flavorful theme, as though they were a movie or a comic book with a card game tie-in. When designing sets like these, Wizards will develop the world's lord first, often making use of real-world inspirations. Then, it will design cards that express this world through gameplay mechanics. These sets aren't necessarily stronger or weaker than bottom-up sets, but they might not have quite as much mechanical cohesion. Instead, such sets feature unique and notable cards based on their flavor, while bottom-up sets tend to be more uniform in design.

One of the first top-bottom blocks was the Kamigawa block of 2004-5, based on the idea of fantasy feudal Japan, including spirits, samurai warriors, monks, Japanese-style castles, katanas, ninjas and more. The set was underwhelming in gameplay, but it did set an example for how flavorful blocks can be done, and Wizards learned many vital lessons from creating Kamigawa.

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Another popular top-bottom setting is Innistrad, a world of gothic horror, monsters and angels. Wizards borrowed generously from Gerrman and Dutch folklore and myths for both Innistrad blocks, as well as many horror stories ranging from Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to The Fly and even The Exorcist. Cards set on Innistrad have their names, abilities, power/toughness and more dictated by the rich world of horror and gothic Europe.

The world of Theros is another top-bottom design, with ideas of ancient Greece dictating how the original Theros block and the subsequent Theros: Beyond Death set were designed. Spartans, gorgons, hydras, satyrs, seaside temples, sirens and more populate these sets, with an enchantment-based theme to represent the omnipresent power of the gods.

There's also, the charming world of Eldraine, which is based on Arthurian legends and storybook fantasy, such as Goldilocks and Hansel & Gretel. In gameplay terms, this inspired the concept of some creatures going on a storybook adventure and returning later with extra effects. Finally, the desert world of Amonkhet took clear inspiration from ancient Egypt, another fine example of top-bottom design.

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