The Reprint Ratio: Magic designed more new cards in the last decade than in its first two combined
“How much of Magic is actually new?” has three answers, and we counted all three. New designs: 16,322 in 2015-2025, more than the first two decades combined (14,467). Reprints: usually the majority, and since 2015 never below 53% of printings. And every new design now ships in ~2 versions on day one. No prices in this study — just the printing record.
New designs per year, 1993-2025
Bar = distinct new card designs. Right columns: total printings that year and the reprint share.
The rhythm changed, not just the volume
For two decades Magic’s design output was remarkably flat — roughly 658 new cards a year through booms, busts and block structures — and the reprint share whipsawed with the core-set calendar: 7.9% in 2004 (no core set), 71.6% in 2005 (9th Edition). The modern era broke both patterns at once. Design output crossed 1,000/year in 2016 and 2,000/year by 2022; the reprint machine stopped taking years off (never under 53% since 2015, with an all-time record 7,347 reprint printings in 2024); and launch-day variant printings doubled every new design’s footprint. This is the inside view of what Set Bloat measured from outside: Magic’s ~5 product lines a year becoming ~26.
| Era | New designs | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-2003 | 6,595 | ~600 |
| 2004-2014 | 7,872 | ~716 |
| 2015-2025 | 16,322 | ~1,484 |
Method & sources
- Counting only, via the open Scryfall search API: per year, distinct new designs (unique cards that are not reprints), printings of new designs, and reprint printings. English paper; tokens and memorabilia excluded.
- A “printing” counts each frame/art variant separately, which is exactly what the day-one-variant finding measures; a “new design” counts once regardless of variants.
- Known facts reproduce: 1993 is majority-reprint (Beta and Unlimited reprint Alpha), 1995’s 71.6% is Fourth Edition + Chronicles, and the 2004/2005 whipsaw matches the core-set calendar. No prices are used. Valued 2026-07-07; reproducible from the open API.
FAQ
How many new Magic cards are designed each year?
For Magic's first two decades the answer was remarkably stable: ~658 new designs a year on average (1993-2014). Since 2015 it has more than doubled — 1,927 new designs in 2025, peaking at 2,116 in 2022. In total, 2015-2025 produced 16,322 new designs versus 14,467 for 1993-2014.
What share of Magic's printings are reprints?
Usually more than half, and that is not new: even 1993 was majority-reprint once Beta and Unlimited reprinted Alpha. The share used to whipsaw with core-set cadence — 7.9% in 2004 (no core set) then 71.6% in 2005 (9th Edition). What changed is the rhythm: since 2015 the reprint share has never dipped below 53%, and 2024 set the all-time record with 7,347 reprint printings in a single year. The reprint machine no longer takes years off.
Why are there so many versions of the same new card?
Because launch-day variants became standard. Through 2018, a new design shipped as ~1 printing. By 2023 it averaged ~2 printings at launch — showcase frames, borderless art, extended art — before any actual reprint. What those variants cost is its own study: see the Borderless Premium and Extended Art Premium.
How was this measured, and where does the data come from?
Pure counting via the open Scryfall search API (printing counts via the open Scryfall search API (English paper; tokens and memorabilia excluded), valued 2026-07-07): per year, distinct new designs (unique cards that are not reprints), printings of new designs, and reprint printings. No prices are used. Known facts reproduce: Beta/Unlimited make 1993 majority-reprint, 1995's spike is Fourth Edition + Chronicles, and the 2004/2005 whipsaw matches the core-set calendar exactly.
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Related research
The Reprint Cliff
What all those reprints do to prices: the median staple loses 70% from original to cheapest reprint.
4.8×Set Bloat: the print firehose
The cross-game view: Magic went from ~5 product lines a year to ~26.
1.78×The Borderless Premium
What the day-one variants cost: the borderless frame's bimodal premium, measured.
Cite or embed this study
Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Paste the embed on your site for the chart card + a link back, or grab the plain citation.
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Source: <a href="https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-reprint-ratio?utm_source=share&utm_medium=study_embed&utm_campaign=viral">The Reprint Ratio: Magic designed more new cards in the last decade than in its first two combined, Foilio</a> · data CC BY 4.0
</p>Foilio (2026-07-07). The Reprint Ratio: Magic designed more new cards in the last decade than in its first two combined. Retrieved from https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-reprint-ratioThe big picture, across every game we measure: The Chase Multiple · The Price Census · The Promo Premium · The Foil Premium