Shadows over Innistrad Remastered Spoilers and Set Information

Last updated on June 6, 2023

Imprisoned in the Moon | Illustration by Ryan Alexander Lee

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One of the most asked questions from MTG Arena players is, “When will more sets be available to play on Explorer?” There’s a bunch of MTG blocks that haven’t been released on the digital platform like Theros, Khans of Tarkir, and Shadows over Innistrad.

SOI was a great block with the Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon sets, and it had a lot of great cards and mechanics. Now it’s going to be remastered and released on MTG Arena.

Shadows over Innistrad Remastered is already almost here. Let’s have a look at that block to see what to expect for its Arena remaster!

Shadows over Innistrad Remastered Basic Information

Angel (Shadows over Innistrad) | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

Set Details

Set Symbol
Set Code	SIR
Number of Cards	302 cards + 81 callbacks
Mechanics	TDFCs, delirium, investigate, madness, meld, skulk, emerge, escalate

Important Dates

About the Set: The Story

Nevermore (Innistrad) | Illustration by Jason A. Engle

Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon follow the story of the Gatewatch post-Battle for Zendikar block, the formation of the Oath of the Gatewatch, and the battle against Kozilek and Ulamog. Weird things are happening in Innistrad and the Gatewatch must resort to seeking aid from Sorin Markov and Liliana Vess.

Nahiri has a vendetta against Sorin and makes her move to bring Emrakul, the Promised End to destroy the plane of Innistrad. Liliana joins the Gatewatch and they fight a horde of Eldrazi-like horrors and monsters thanks to Emrakul’s influence on the plane.

Sorin fights Nahiri. Emrakul is then Imprisoned on the Moon and the day is saved.

Set Mechanics

Transforming Double-Faced Cards

As an Innistrad-related block there’s bound to be transforming double-faced cards. After all Innistrad was the set that introduced the mechanic. TDFCs have two sides: one is normal and the other is “transformed.” Transform has a trigger to allow you to change between the two sides of a card.

In some cases you only transform once after reaching a threshold or paying some mana, like with Hinterland Logger or Archangel Avacyn. Other cards, like most of the werewolves, transform based on the number of spells cast in a turn (zero spells transform a werewolf into human and two spells transform a human into werewolf). In this case the transformation happens between turns.

Delirium

Delirium is a graveyard mechanic that cares about having four or more types of cards in your graveyard. Important cards with this mechanic are Grim Flayer and Ishkanah, Grafwidow.

Investigate

Investigate is a mechanic found on all sorts of cards. Whenever you investigate you create a Clue token. A Clue is an artifact that you can pay two to sacrifice and draw a card, also known as to “crack a Clue.” In other words, you can pay two mana later and draw a card when you investigate.

Tireless Tracker is a staple in various formats and lets you investigate whenever a land comes into play under your control. Tamiyo's Journal and Confirm Suspicions are other fine examples of investigate cards.

Madness

Madness was brought back to this block for two reasons: flavor (the world’s going crazy thanks to Emrakul’s presence) and mechanical (the set has a heavy graveyard and discard component). While discarding a madness card you can cast it for its madness cost, which can reduce the cost of the spell and allow it to be cast with flash or at instant speed.

Meld

Meld is an ability that was introduced in 2016's Eldritch Moon. It's a bit like transform where the card flips when certain criteria is met, except instead of flipping all on its lonesome, it actually combines with the backside of another card to create one big card between the two of them.

Notable examples from meld's original run include Bruna, the Fading Light and Gisela, the Broken Blade, which meld into Brisela, Voice of Nightmares. Truly horrific.

Skulk

A creature with skulk can’t be blocked by creatures of greater power. As a “more Limited than Constructed mechanic” and without a lot of powerful cards, I don't think there will be that many skulk cards in this remaster. Startled Awake and Wharf Infiltrator are examples of this mechanic.

Emerge

Emerge is a mechanic that lets you sacrifice another creature when you cast a spell with it. If you do that you pay less mana to cast the spell equal to the sacrificed creature’s mana value. Good cards with emerge include Distended Mindbender and Elder Deep-Fiend.

Although those cards cost 7+ mana, they can be cast for cheaper than that by sacrificing a 3- or 4-drop.

Escalate

Escalate is a mechanic on modal sorceries and instants that allows you to pay more than the mana cost to have more options. It’s similar to mechanics like entwine where you can choose one mode or both.

Escalate spells usually have three modes and you can choose one, two, or three depending on the mana spent. Powerful cards with escalate are Collective Brutality and Collective Defiance.

Shadows over Innistrad Remastered Full Card List

White

Blue

Black

Red

Green

Multicolored

Colorless

Transforming Double-Faced Cards

Meld Cards

Land

Notable Cards

The lists below are all cards that are staples from Constructed formats and could be played in the Explorer, Historic, and Pioneer formats from each set.  These cards are very likely to make the cut in the remaster based on Constructed needs. There are other relevant cards from these sets that are already available on MTG Arena thanks to other releases like Jumpstart: Historic Horizons.

Shadows over Innistrad

• Archangel Avacyn / Avacyn the Purifier
• Arlinn Kord / Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon
• Anguished Unmaking
• Cryptolith Rite
• Nahiri, the Harbinger
• Open the Armory
• Pieces of the Puzzle
• Pore Over the Pages
• Prized Amalgam
• Relentless Dead
• Rise From the Tides
• Tamiyo's Journal
• Thing in the Ice / Awoken Horror[/card
• [card]Traverse the Ulvenwald
• Westvale Abbey / Ormendahl, Profane Prince

Eldritch Moon

• Bedlam Reveler
• Collective Brutality
• Collective Defiance
• Distended Mindbender
• Elder Deep-Fiend
• Emrakul, the Promised End
• Gisa and Geralf
• Gnarlwood Dryad
• Grim Flayer
• Imprisoned in the Moon
• Ishkanah, Grafwidow
• Liliana, the Last Hope
• Oath of Liliana
• Selfless Spirit
• Sigarda's Aid
• Spell Queller
• Tamiyo, Field Researcher

Shadows of the Past Cards

Shadows of the Past cards aren't technically part of the set, at least not directly. Instead these are sort of an add-on collection of cards from the originally Innistrad block (Innistrad, Dark Ascension, and Avacyn Restored). Every Store-bought SIR pack will contain one card of any rarity from the Shadows of the Past card list.

Here's the full list of Shadows of the Past cards:

• Angel of Flight Alabaster
• Avacyn's Collar
• Avacyn's Pilgrim
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• Balefire Dragon
• Barter in Blood
• Battleground Geist
• Blazing Torch
• Bloodflow Connoisseur
• Bloodline Keeper
• Bonds of Faith
• Brimstone Volley
• Bump in the Night
• Butcher's Cleaver
• Cackling Counterpart
• Demonmail Hauberk
• Devil's Play
• Diregraf Captain
• Divine Reckoning
• Doomed Traveler
• Drogskol Captain
• Elder Cathar
• Evolving Wilds
• Faithless Looting
• Falkenrath Aristocrat
• Falkenrath Noble
• Feeling of Dread
• Fiend Hunter
• Forbidden Alchemy
• Forge Devil
• Galvanic Juggernaut
• Garruk Relentless
• Geist of Saint Traft
• Ghoulraiser
• Gnaw to the Bone
• Griselbrand
• Gutter Grime
• Haunted Fengraf
• Havengul Lich
• Havengul Runebinder
• Hollowhenge Scavenger
• Huntmaster of the Fells
• Immerwolf
• Increasing Ambition
• Invisible Stalker
• Kruin Outlaw
• Lingering Souls
• Mayor of Avabruck
• Mist Raven
• Moonmist
• Murder of Crows
• Mystic Retrieval
• Past in Flames
• Rally the Peasants
• Requiem Angel
• Selhoff Occultist
• Sever the Bloodline
• Sigarda, Host of Herons
• Silent Departure
• Skirsdag Cultist
• Skirsdag High Priest
• Snapcaster Mage
• Somberwald Sage
• Spider Spawning
• Stitcher's Apprentice
• Stromkirk Captain
• Séance
• Tragic Slip
• Traitorous Blood
• Travel Preparations
• Traveler's Amulet
• Unburial Rites
• Vampiric Fury
• Vessel of Endless Rest
• Young Wolf

Shadows of the Past Draft Sheet

There will also be themed subsets of the Shadows of the Past cards on a sort of “Draft sheet.” The cards on this “Draft sheet” will work on a weekly rotation, adding the cards on that week's sheet to Draft and Sealed packs so that each week's Draft will be a bit different. These cards will be Historic-legal, but not Explorer/Pioneer-legal.

There are four different sets of Shadows of the Past “Draft sheet” cards, each following their own theme. Let's go over the full list of cards in each theme along with their schedule:

Creature Type Terror!

Draft week: March 21 to 28, 2023

• Angel of Flight Alabaster
• Avacyn's Collar
• Battleground Geist
• Bloodline Keeper
• Butcher's Cleaver
• Diregraf Captain
• Drogskol Captain
• Elder Cathar
• Ghoulraiser
• Haunted Fengraf
• Havengul Runebinder
• Immerwolf
• Kruin Outlaw
• Mayor of Avabruck
• Moonmist
• Stromkirk Captain
• Traveler's Amulet
• Vampiric Fury

Fatal Flashback!

Draft week: March 28 to April 4, 2023

• Bump in the Night
• Cackling Counterpart
• Devil's Play
• Divine Reckoning
• Faithless Looting
• Feeling of Dread
• Forbidden Alchemy
• Gnaw to the Bone
• Increasing Ambition
• Lingering Souls
• Mystic Retrieval
• Past in Flames
• Rally the Peasants
• Sever the Bloodline
• Silent Departure
• Spider Spawning
• Travel Preparations
• Unburial Rites

Morbid and Macabre!

Draft week: April 4 to 11, 2023

• Bloodflow Connoisseur
• Demonmail Hauberk
• Doomed Traveler
• Falkenrath Aristocrat
• Falkenrath Noble
• Galvanic Juggernaut
• Gutter Grime
• Hollowhenge Scavenger
• Murder of Crows
• Requiem Angel
• Séance
• Selhoff Occultist
• Skirsdag Cultist
• Skirsdag High Priest
• Stitcher's Apprentice
• Traitorous Blood
• Young Wolf
• Zealous Conscripts

Abominable All Stars!

Draft week: April 11 to 18, 2023

• Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• Avacyn's Pilgrim
• Balefire Dragon
• Barter in Blood
• Blazing Torch
• Bonds of Faith
• Brimstone Volley
• Evolving Wilds
• Fiend Hunter
• Forge Devil
• Garruk Relentless
• Geist of Saint Traft
• Griselbrand
• Havengul Lich
• Huntmaster of the Fells
• Invisible Stalker
• Mist Raven
• Sigarda, Host of Herons
• Snapcaster Mage
• Somberwald Sage
• Tragic Slip
• Vessel of Endless Rest

Available Products

The boosters from Shadows over Innistrad Remastered will be available on MTG Arena since it’s an exclusive for the platform and won’t be released in physical boosters or be available on MTGO.

You’ll be able to get them in the MTG Arena Store, and they will contribute to your Golden pack progress. You can also get SIR boosters from Draft events including Sealed, Traditional, and Premier, which will be live when the set drops on Arena.

Preorder Bundle

Along with regular packs that you can buy or earn in Draft events, you can also buy a Shadows over Innistrad Remastered preorder bundle! You can get this for $29.99 as of March 7, and it contains:

• 10 SIR boosters
• 1 Golden booster
• 3 Draft tokens
• 1 Bruna, the Fading Light card
• 1 Bruna, the Fading Light card style
• 1 Gisela, the Broken Blade card
• 1 Gisela, the Broken Blade card style
• 1 Brisela, Voice of Nightmares card sleeve

Wrap Up

Apothecary Geist (Shadows over Innistrad) | Illustration by Franz Vohwinkel

I’m very excited for this release! It contains iconic cards for a lot of formats like Brawl (Gisa and Geralf Historic Brawl decks?), and cards for Constructed formats like Historic and Explorer which will enable new builds and strengthen already existing archetypes.

What do you think about this set? Do you agree with my speculations? Let me know in the comments below or in the Draftsim Discord. And if you’re an MTG Arena player like me you should definitely have Arena Tutor by your side.

Thanks for reading, stay safe folks. Until the next time!