It’s been an incredible year for Magic: The Gathering, with tons of new sets and cards hitting the scene. We’ve seen everything from The Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who crossovers to a slew of Secret Lairs and format shifts, making MTG bigger and better than ever.
However, the major change to the Standard rotation back in May was perhaps the most impactful shift for MTG in 2023. Now, key Standard sets play a crucial role in the major format for much longer, ensuring that those super-powerful cards released this year will continue to leave their mark well into 2024.
Let’s take a look at the cards that have defined MTG’s Standard format the most in 2023.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Dominaria United) 
Hope you’ve got removal straight away. Image via WotC
All right folks, the party’s over. It comes as no surprise that this card has made the list. Since its arrival with Dominaria United, Sheoldred has been a must-have in any deck that runs Black.
While I’ve only been playing MTG for a year, I haven’t seen a single card dominate the meta as much as Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. With a well-costed body, five health to withstand Red burn, Deathtouch to control your opponents, and lifegain-and-drain, this card does it all.
Bring on September 2024 so we can finally be rid of this beast once and for all.
Wedding Announcement (Innistrad: Crimson Vow) 
Card draw, token generation, board-wide buffs—what more do you want it to do? Image via WotC
Wedding Announcement has been a staple in the MTG Standard rotation for two years and remains an essential piece in various decks today. Need card advantage? Enjoy card draws. Need to build your board? Here’s a 1/1 Human token. Reached three turns with the enchantment on the board? Here’s a board-wide buff. It’s a high-value card that fits into many decks.
It’s only become better with all the enhancements to Human decks over the years, especially with Wilds of Eldraine not too long ago. Those Selesnya Enchantment decks from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty still haunt me to this day, and this card is one of the reasons why.
Make Disappear (Streets of New Capenna) 
You have to love a full spell counter for two mana. Image via WotC
From the get-go, Make Disappear found its place in multi-colored decks upon its introduction with Streets of New Capenna. While I personally loved the set, it was Make Disappear that quickly rose to the top of SNC.
All in all, these are the cards that have made the biggest impact on Magic: The Gathering in 2023. To read more about the top cards of the year, you can find the full article here.
