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Gothic horror, and the first double-faced cards
What this set is
Innistrad is Magic's gothic horror set: a plane of humans holding out against vampires, werewolves, zombies and spirits. It was built top-down from horror tropes, and the mechanics follow from them.
It introduced double-faced cards. A card like a werewolf has a front face and a back face, and it transforms between them. In Innistrad, a werewolf transforms if no spells were cast during the previous turn and transforms back if a player casts two or more spells in a turn. Packs included a double-faced card in place of a common, and checklist cards stood in for them in decks with opaque sleeves.
Flashback returned for the graveyard theme and morbid was new. The set also gave Commander the enemy-color checklands, such as Sulfur Falls, plus Blasphemous Act, Parallel Lives and Laboratory Maniac.
Themes
Every mechanic in Innistrad
Transform (double-faced cards)
Cards with a front face and a back face. A transforming card stays the same object, so counters and Auras stay on it when it flips. The werewolves flip based on how many spells were cast in a turn.
Flashback
Cast the card from your graveyard for its flashback cost, then exile it. Back from Odyssey on twenty-seven cards, and it is how Innistrad made the graveyard feel haunted.
Morbid
An ability word: the card gets an extra effect if a creature died this turn. It rewards trading creatures in combat or sacrificing one before casting the spell.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Innistrad shipped under a single code. It predates Pioneer, so the set is legal in Modern and the eternal formats.
Not Standard-legal. Standard only ever holds the last few years of sets, so everything this old has long since left it. These cards are still playable in Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Limited
The draft format
One of the most celebrated draft formats Magic has made. Each tribe has a color pair, and the graveyard ties several of them together.
Spirits
Fliers
Evasive Spirits and tempo spells. A steady way to win in the air while the ground stalls.
Zombies and self-mill
Graveyard
Milling yourself feeds flashback and graveyard payoffs, with Zombies to block early.
Vampires
Aggro
Aggressive fliers and removal, with morbid rewards for trading.
Werewolves
Aggro
Cheap werewolves that flip into bigger creatures if the opponent stumbles on spells.
Humans
Go wide
Human tokens and anthems, the townsfolk defending themselves.
Commanders
The most played commanders from Innistrad
The legends this set is best known for. Tap one for its printings and what it costs.
Boosters, precons and singles from Innistrad are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
What was the first set with double-faced cards?
Innistrad, in September 2011. Its werewolves and several other cards have a front face and a back face and transform between them.
How do Innistrad werewolves transform?
At the beginning of each upkeep, if no spells were cast last turn, a werewolf transforms to its back face. If a player cast two or more spells last turn, it transforms back. Innistrad: Midnight Hunt later replaced that wording with daybound and nightbound.
Is Innistrad legal in Pioneer?
No. Pioneer starts at Return to Ravnica (October 2012), a year after Innistrad. Innistrad cards are legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander.
Is Snapcaster Mage from Innistrad?
Yes. Snapcaster Mage was first printed in Innistrad. It gives an instant or sorcery in your graveyard flashback until end of turn.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Innistrad released on Sep 30, 2011; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
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