The 42 Best Cards in Innistrad Remastered Ranked

Edgar Markov | Illustrated by Betty Jiang

Innistrad MTG sets are near and dear to many MTG players’ hearts. Especially the original Innistrad, which was mind-blowing at the time. 2011’s Innistrad is still considered one of MTG’s best sets, with many powerful cards, amazing flavor, and an excellent Limited and Constructed environment.

Flash forward to 2025, after many incursions to the plane of Innistrad. Innistrad Remastered gives us a full remastered set with cards originating from the Innistrad plane or matching its flavor, mostly released in 2011, 2016, and 2021. I’ve managed to select the best of 289 total cards, considering aspects like Constructed playability, Commander playability, and financial value.

Without further ado, let’s begin the ritual!

#42. Spider Spawning

Few cards scream more Innistrad than Spider Spawning. Self-mill is a huge part of this plane’s theme, and when you have a full graveyard, you get to make an army of 1/2 reach Spider tokens. Suffice it to say, this card sees a lot of play in spider-themed EDH decks. It’s a huge payoff for a self-mill deck.

#41. Cackling Counterpart

Cackling Counterpart is a Clone spell when you cast it, and another one when you flash it back. It’s one of the few versions of this effect that makes tokens, and that has many synergies with populate or commanders like Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer.

#40. Lingering Souls

Lingering Souls is the only card from this list to be banned in its own block-Constructed format. Making two 1/1 flying tokens by paying 2 mana on the flashback is very good, and it gets around edict effects like a boss. Of course, the full extent of this card is to produce four 1/1 flying tokens, which gets a lot better with Intangible Virtue or other lords.

#39. Rooftop Storm

I’ll return to this card later in the Gravecrawler section, but look. Six mana for Rooftop Storm, and you get to Omniscience out your zombies. It even fixes colors. It’s not a particularly expensive card because it goes into a specific kind of deck, but still, it’s the first reprint of the card.

#38. Grimgrin, Corpse-Born

Grimgrin, Corpse-Born is a nostalgic Dimir commander () for many MTG players. You have to do a little work, but getting to destroy a creature whenever you attack with a massive zombie feels right.

#37. Hermit Druid

Speaking of first reprints, this card wasn’t reprinted since the ‘90’s in Stronghold. Hermit Druid is a mill staple, and it’s easy to dump your whole deck into the yard since it references basic lands.

#36. Gisela, the Broken Blade

Gisela, the Broken Blade can be considered a 4-mana Baneslayer Angel. It’s also a card that needed a reprint, seeing as it’s very popular in Commander decks, even as a white commander. The fact that it can meld with Bruna, the Fading Light later in the game is a plus, so you can have this little combo in your deck.

#35. Bloodline Keeper / Lord of Lineage

Hey, first reprint for this guy as well, and it’s about time! I don’t know about you, but tapping a creature to make a 2/2 Vampire token is a pretty powerful ability. In vampire typal EDH decks filled with lords, Bloodline Keeper is even better, and when it transforms into Lord of Lineage, it gives your other vamps a freaking +2/+2 bonus.

#34. Hullbreaker Horror

Hullbreaker Horror is one of those finishers for control decks that doesn’t die. It’s a massive creature as a 7/8 flash that dodges removal and board sweepers like a champ.

#33. Archangel Avacyn / Avacyn, the Purifier

This card has two sides to it (literally and figuratively). Archangel Avacyn is the protector, the good Serra Angel. It’s an excellent surprise blocker that protects your guys at instant speed. If you lose someone, Avacyn, the Purifier is pure rage, and dealing 3 damage to everything upon transforming is a powerful ability.

#32. Wedding Announcement

There’s a 3-mana Glorious Anthem. And then there’s Wedding Announcement, a card that gives you creatures to buff. While you have to wait a little longer for Wedding Festivity, this white enchantment is good enough to see play in many Magic formats, and it was a mainstay of its Standard format due to the sheer value it provides.

#31. Infernal Grasp

Never before has MTG seen a cleaner black instant speed removal spell than Infernal Grasp. Destroy target creature, no questions asked, no restrictions? Sure, you’ll lose 2 life, but in EDH that’s negligible, and in most 1v1 matches it’s a fair price to pay.

#30. Temporal Mastery

Temporal Mastery is okay-to-good as a time walk effect that costs 7 mana. Seriously, you can do worse. And it’s god-like when drawn from the top of your deck. It’s heavily played in Commander decks that have a lot of scry or surveil effects to improve your miracle chances.

#29. Laboratory Maniac

Before Thassa's Oracle, there was Laboratory Maniac. Old Lab maniac is still relevant as an alternate win condition, in case you draw infinite cards, and technically wins in a way that Thoracle can’t. You can also win by having this card and play, milling your library, and drawing a card.

#28. Restoration Angel

Restoration Angel is one of the most elegant MTG card designs, for a more civilized MTG age. It’s powerful and flexible without having a ton of text or being unfair and broken. You can use this card in blink decks, or in combo decks involving cards like Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. It’s also fairly good against attacking 2/2 and 3/3 creatures.

#27. Thalia, Heretic Cathar

The “second best” version of Thalia, a main character from Innistrad sets, Thalia, Heretic Cathar sees a lot of play in Prison/Stax EDH decks. You can slow things down quite a bit with this creature around, and it has nice stats as a 3/2 first strike. As for commander options, Thalia and The Gitrog Monster is a more solid option overall, doing exactly what you’d expect from this card but better.

#26. Gravecrawler

Casting Gravecrawler if it’s in your graveyard in a zombie deck is what makes this card great. The zombie that keeps on giving, this card works in sacrifice decks as fodder and in zombie typal decks, and it can be an infinite combo with cards like Rooftop Storm.

#25. The Gitrog Monster

The Gitrog Monster is one of the funniest land-based commanders to play. When you mill or sacrifice lands, you’ll draw extra cards, and you’ll do that every turn, at least once. It’s also a fairly large creature as a 6/6 deathtouch for 5 mana. It even has a competitive EDH side to it, looping cards like Dakmor Salvage over and over.

#24. Wrenn and Seven

Wrenn and Seven is awesome as a midrange planeswalker. Its signature ability is to make a giant token with reach and stats based on the number of lands you control. You can also tick it up to search for more lands, which of course grows your token. It can also provide a lot of ramp with the 0 ability.

#23. Vanquish the Horde

Vanquish the Horde has that Blasphemous Act pedigree, being a wrath that’s often cast for cheap. In Standard, it was often used to fight go-wide and convoke decks, and in EDH, it’s often cast for 2 or 3 mana. 

#22. Conjurer’s Closet

Conjurer's Closet is a free blink effect every turn, and it’s awesome in blink Commander decks or with powerful enters commanders like Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Be'lakor, the Dark Master. It’s one of those cards that shouldn’t be that expensive if it were to be reprinted more often, so it’s very welcome in INR.

#21. Necroduality

Zombies are very popular as an EDH creature, and those decks are usually in Dimir () colors. Just having Necroduality in play means double the zombies, double the enter the battlefield triggers, double the fun. It doesn’t work for the classic 2/2 tokens, but still. It’s nice to have double Fleshbag Marauder or double Gray Merchant of Asphodel.

#20. Tireless Tracker

Would you like to turn your land drops into Clues that draw you more cards? Tireless Tracker does exactly that, and following this guy with a fetch land means business. This card is good enough to be higher on the list, but it’s been regularly reprinted and it’s a staple of many green EDH decks.

#19. Blood Artist

The only downside of Blood Artist in the EDH era is that it targets a single opponent on each trigger. Blood Artist is still one of the best creatures that trigger when opposing creatures die, and it has been an aristocrats staple card ever since its printing.

#18. Delver of Secrets / Insectile Aberration

Some say it’s a relic of MTG’s past, but look, few 1-drops are more dominant in a Constructed scene than Delver of Secrets. Casting a 1/1 and attacking the next turn as a 3/2 flying is back-breaking, especially on the “blind flip,” while you ride the flier to victory using counterspells and bounce spells.

#17. Deadeye Navigator

In its second reprint outside of a Modern Masters 2017 cameo, Deadeye Navigator has all the characteristics of a bulk rare. Except that EDH exists, and it's fairly easy to make an infinite ETB loop with this card around. It’s a blink staple, and cards that untap lands when they enter like Peregrine Drake are prime candidates to soulbond with this card.

#16. Heartless Summoning

If you’re playing big creatures, what’s better than paying 2 mana less for each one. You’re not going to be sad when your Eldrazi are mere 6/6s instead of 7/7 creatures. It also reduces the cost of your commander by 2, so definitely consider Heartless Summoning if you’re playing expensive black commanders. It’s nice to have a staple reprinted for the first time, too.

#15. Avacyn, Angel of Hope

Avacyn, Angel of Hope asks a hefty price, but don’t be fooled by this 8-mana card. It’s giant and indestructible, and it can win games on its own. But really, why does it have to give all permanents indestructible? Once Avacyn hits the board, it's really hard to stop what you’re doing, outside of exile removal. This massive angel allows you to do all sorts of unfair stuff like Armageddon while you keep all your lands.

#14. Metallic Mimic

Here's Metallic Mimic‘s second reprint, or the first reprint in a booster format, and it does so much for a flexible 2-drop. This card is a changeling lord of sorts, and most EDH typal decks should run one, especially creature types with little typal support or those that create a bunch of tokens.  

#13. Westvale Abbey / Ormendahl, Profane Prince

Another useful utility land on its first reprint, Westvale Abbey is very interesting as a token maker, and having late-game utility on lands is strong. However, the real power shows when this land turns into Ormendahl, Profane Prince. Just look at the stats: 9/7, haste, lifelink, and indestructible. This card shines in aristocrats decks where there’s plenty of fodder to offer to Ormendahl.

#12. Cathars’ Crusade

Although it’s always being reprinted in Commander supplemental sets, Cathars' Crusade never gets cheaper. It sees a lot of play in EDH tokens deck. Just making two tokens means you’ll put two +1/+1 counters on every creature you control, and that gets way more powerful with cards like Doubling Season, Anointed Procession, or +1/+1 counter commanders. Don’t sleep on this “do-nothing” 5-mana enchantment.

#11. Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord saw a lot of play in Pioneer as a way to cheat massive vampires into play, like Champion of Dusk and Vein Ripper, so much so that it ended up banned in the format. It’s still one of the best planeswalkers to play in vampire decks, buffing them and turning your vampire tokens into Lightning Helix.

#10. Through the Breach

One of the classic spells to cheat big creatures into play, mainly Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Through the Breach is here in INR thanks to the associated art. It’s nice as a reprint since it's a staple, and it’s being reprinted for the second time.

#9. The Slow Land Cycle

• Deserted Beach
• Overgrown Farmland
• Rockfall Vale
• Haunted Ridge
• Shipwreck Marsh
• Dreamroot Cascade
• Sundown Pass
• Shattered Sanctum
• Deathcap Glade
• Stormcarved Coast

These 10 slow dual lands see a lot of play, and entering tapped on the first two turns is a small price to pay in non-aggro deck. It’s one of the best dual land cycles for EDH and MTG Arena formats, not counting Standard, while being a little harder to see play in formats like Modern because they’re not fetchable.

#8. Craterhoof Behemoth

Few cards say “I win” more loudly than Craterhoof Behemoth. Just having two creatures in play means that you’ll give +3/+3 and trample to everybody, including of course the Behemoth. This green staple is often played in elfball decks that provide the bodies and the mana to cast it as soon as possible, and it’s not hard to see a 12/12 or larger “hoof” coming your way.

#7. Liliana of the Veil

Outside of Standard, Liliana of the Veil isn’t what it used to be – a staple in formats like Legacy and Modern. Still, it’s a very powerful card that packs a punch, and the reprint is welcome to make Standard decks cheaper. The combination of its +1 and -2 ability means that it’s hard to fight this card efficiently, and it gets better when you have graveyard synergies or discard incentives in play like Bandit's Talent.

#6. Faithless Looting

It’s deceptive how powerful drawing two cards and discarding two cards for a single mana can be. Yes, Faithless Looting can be card disadvantage, but it ticks all the boxes. So many mechanics interact well with this simple red instant. Prowess, dredge, flashback, madness, delve, reanimator, not to mention cards like Arclight Phoenix. The card also helps you dig for answers or combo pieces, and it’s always on the verge of being banned in multiple Constructed formats.   

#5. Snapcaster Mage

Snapcaster Mage has been a blue control staple ever since its printing, although its playability may come and go based on how powerful these decks are in the meta. Still, if there’s something better than casting a Lightning Bolt or a Counterspell, it’s being able to do that again when old Snappy hits the table.

#4. Griselbrand

Many creatures have tried, but Griselbrand is still the king of reanimator decks. It’s a massive demon that often allows you to draw 14 cards, or 25% of your deck, and it’s hard to lose from there. And of course, you can still attack and block with it.

#3. Emrakul, the Promised End

In its first reprint, this $50+ Eldrazi card packs a punch, and it’s one of the best expensive cards to actually see play, not only in EDH but in 60-card Constructed decks. Just casting Emrakul, the Promised End lets you Mindslaver an opponent, and it has a cost reduction ability so you’ll realistically pay 7-8 mana for this, sometimes less. It’s also a giant 13/13 flying creature, very capable of winning games on its own.

#2. The Meathook Massacre

In its first-ever reprint, The Meathook Massacre is one of black’s most effective sweepers. It gives you life while you’re killing their creatures, effectively blanking many aggro starts, and it stays in the game, solidifying whatever aristocrats engine you might have. It also adds black devotion. Geez, what a card!

#1. Edgar Markov

Edgar Markov’s been a vampire commander staple ever since its printing thanks to the eminence mechanic. The card does exactly what you expect from a typal commander, growing your armies when you cast vampires, and it doesn’t even need to be in play. Once you finally get to play it, it attacks with haste and buffs all your vampires permanently. I don’t know if it’s the best card overall, but considering the price tag of this card and that it wasn’t reprinted outside of a Commander set, people will certainly rejoice when seeing all the different versions of this card in booster packs.

Wrap Up

Avacyn, Angel of Hope | Illustration by Jason Chan

And that’s about it for Innistrad Remastered, folks. I tried to make the list a multiple of 13 to be more thematic, but there’s too many good cards to include. The set has hundreds of good cards at all rarities, but we have to narrow it down to the best ones. I hope you have a blast opening these packs, drafting INR, and more. And I have to hand it to WotC: The special cards with “horror themed movie posters” are real killers.

Which cards are you excited to open and play with? Let me know in the comments section below, or leave us a message at Draftsim Twitter/X.

Stay safe out there folks, and best of luck with INR.