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The core set that changed the rules
What this set is
Magic 2010 is the core set that replaced the numbered editions. Tenth Edition had been all reprints, and M10 was the first core set named for a year and the first to include new cards: 111 of its card names had never been printed before.
It is also the set the Magic 2010 rules update shipped with, and that is the part people still meet. Combat damage stopped using the stack, mana burn was removed, "in play" became "the battlefield" and "removed from the game" became "exile". Every card printed since uses that wording.
The new cards were aimed at players who were just starting, but several became staples. The checklands started here: Glacial Fortress, Dragonskull Summit and the other three allied-color dual lands that enter untapped if you control the right basic type. Sign in Blood and Silence are M10 originals too.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Magic 2010 shipped under a single code. It predates Pioneer, so the set is legal in Modern and the eternal formats. Some of its cards were reprinted later and are Pioneer-legal through those printings.
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
A core set built for new players, with no set mechanic and a lot of evergreen keywords, so the format runs on fundamentals.
Two colors and a curve
Fundamentals
Flying, removal and a sensible curve decide most games. With no mechanic to build around, picking a color pair and taking the best removal is the whole plan.
Boosters, precons and singles from Magic 2010 are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
What changed with the Magic 2010 rules update?
Combat damage no longer uses the stack, mana burn was removed, "in play" became "the battlefield", and "removed from the game" became "exile". Those changes took effect with Magic 2010's release in July 2009.
Was Magic 2010 the first core set with new cards?
Yes. Earlier core sets were reprint collections. Magic 2010 had 111 new card names among its 249 cards, and every core set after it followed that model.
Is Magic 2010 legal in Pioneer?
Not from this printing. Pioneer starts at Return to Ravnica in October 2012. Some M10 cards were reprinted in later core sets and are Pioneer-legal that way, but the set itself is Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander legal.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Magic 2010 released on Jul 17, 2009; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Magic 2010 in Commander?
TurnZero HQ keeps deck records, MMR, and moments for every Commander night, so you can see which new cards are actually earning their slot.
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