Magic: The Gathering Lunar New Year Promos 2021–2024
Between 2021 and 2024, Magic: The Gathering released several special promotional cards to celebrate Lunar New Year. These cards are especially interesting for collectors of Asian-language Magic cards, because many of them were distributed in Asian markets and exist in Chinese versions.
The Lunar New Year promos are not traditional Magic sets. They are small groups of promotional cards, released for a limited time and often connected to special events or purchases at local game stores. Each year has its own theme, usually inspired by the animal of the Chinese zodiac.
For collectors, the Chinese editions are particularly attractive. The language, the cultural theme, the special artwork and the limited distribution make these cards very different from regular set releases.
2021 – Year of the Ox
The 2021 Lunar New Year promos celebrated the Year of the Ox.
The cards were selected around themes of strength, work and cattle. They received special artwork connected to Chinese culture and Lunar New Year celebrations.
The Chinese versions are particularly interesting because the theme has a direct cultural connection with the language and the market where the cards were distributed. The combination of Chinese characters and exclusive Asian-inspired artwork gives these cards a strong visual identity.
Unlike a normal expansion, this promo series was not sold as a complete set in booster packs. Collectors had to obtain the cards through specific promotions, which can make assembling a complete matching set more difficult.
The 2021 Lunar New Year promo cards were released in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
2022 – Year of the Tiger
The 2022 promos celebrated the Year of the Tiger.
This edition has a natural connection with Magic because several popular cards feature cats, tigers or creatures associated with strength and aggression. The special illustrations use visual elements inspired by Lunar New Year traditions and Asian art.
For Chinese-language collectors, this is one of the most visually coherent Lunar New Year promo groups. The Chinese text feels naturally connected to the artwork and the theme of the cards. Some individual cards are relatively easy to find, but finding all the promos in the same Chinese language and in similar condition can be much more difficult.
The 2022 Lunar New Year promo cards were released in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
2023 – Year of the Rabbit
The 2023 Lunar New Year promos celebrated the Year of the Rabbit.
This group has a lighter and more playful visual identity. Rabbits and rabbit-related characters are naturally less common in Magic than dragons, tigers or other fantasy creatures, which gives this release a distinctive personality.
The Chinese versions are particularly attractive because the cards combine Chinese text, zodiac symbolism and special artwork created for the celebration.
As with the previous years, the main difficulty is not always finding one card. The real challenge is finding every card from the promotion in the same Chinese version.
The 2023 Lunar New Year promo cards were released in Simplified Chinese only.
2024 – Year of the Dragon
The 2024 Lunar New Year release celebrated the Year of the Dragon, probably the most iconic zodiac animal for Magic: The Gathering.
Dragons have always been among the most popular creatures in Magic, but the Chinese dragon has a very different cultural meaning from the traditional Western dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon is associated with power, prosperity, good fortune and imperial authority.
This makes the Chinese editions especially appropriate for this release. The combination of dragon imagery, Lunar New Year artwork and Chinese characters gives the cards a strong cultural coherence.
For many collectors, the Year of the Dragon promos are among the most desirable Lunar New Year cards of the 2021–2024 period.
The 2024 Lunar New Year promo cards were released in Simplified Chinese only.
After 2024: The Lunar New Year Promos continue, but without chinese versions
The Lunar New Year promo series continued after the 2024 Year of the Dragon edition. However, the later cards were no longer printed in Chinese.
In 2025, Wizards of the Coast released new promos for the Year of the Snake. Players who participated in selected Lunar New Year events could receive a traditional foil version of Xyris, the Writhing Storm and a matching Snake token. These promos were distributed in several Asia-Pacific countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. However, the cards used English text rather than Chinese text.
The Lunar New Year promotion continued with the Year of the Horse in 2026, but again without a Chinese-language edition. Therefore, the 2021–2024 Chinese promos form a specific and closed group for language collectors. The promotion itself did not end in 2024, but the production of Chinese-text versions did.
This distinction is important. Later Lunar New Year promos may still use Chinese cultural symbols, zodiac animals and artwork created for Asian markets. However, they cannot be included in a complete Chinese-language collection in the same way as the earlier cards.
The particularity of the chinese versions
The most important characteristic of these promos is the relationship between language and theme.
A Chinese-language Magic card is normally simply a translated version of an international product. But Lunar New Year promos are different. Their visual design and cultural references are directly connected to Chinese traditions.
For this reason, the Chinese versions can be considered the most thematically authentic versions of these cards.
Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese versions should also be distinguished when both exist. For specialized collectors, this difference is important. Traditional Chinese Magic cards have a long and complex printing history, and some recent promotional products can be particularly difficult to identify and locate in this language.
Collectors should always check the exact language, collector number, foil treatment and promotional symbol before buying a card.
Five key cards to look for
Among the Lunar New Year promos released between 2021 and 2024, several cards stand out because of their artwork, popularity, or special importance for Chinese-language collectors.
- Sethron, Hurloon General (2021) is one of the most distinctive cards from the Year of the Ox series. Its exclusive full-art illustration by Fiona Hsieh gives the card a strong visual identity directly connected to the celebration. It is also one of the first cards in this modern series of Lunar New Year promos.
- Huntmaster of the Fells (2022) is one of the highlights of the Year of the Tiger release. This popular double-faced card received special artwork for the occasion, making it particularly attractive to collectors. The Chinese version is also a good example of the unusual cards that can be found in these small regional promo sets.
- Rabbit Battery (2023) is probably the most iconic card of the Year of the Rabbit series. The choice of the card is directly connected to the zodiac animal of the year, and its colorful exclusive artwork makes it immediately recognizable as a Lunar New Year promo.
- Dragonlord’s Servant (2024) is one of the most thematic cards from the Year of the Dragon series. Dragons have a special place both in Magic and in Chinese culture, and this promo combines these two worlds particularly well.
- Goldspan Dragon (2024) is another major card to look for. Already popular among Magic players, it received a special Lunar New Year treatment for the Year of the Dragon. Its combination of playability, exclusive artwork and strong connection to the zodiac theme makes it one of the most desirable cards from the 2021–2024 Lunar New Year promo series.
These five cards do not necessarily represent the five most expensive promos. However, they illustrate what makes the collection special: exclusive artwork, a direct connection to the Chinese zodiac, limited regional distribution, and Chinese-language versions that are increasingly difficult to find.
Why is a complete chinese collection difficult to assemble?
The main difficulty comes from distribution.
Lunar New Year promos were not released like normal expansion cards. They were often distributed through specific stores, regional promotions or limited-time events. Some cards appeared in different markets, while others were easier to find in one country or language than another.
The secondary market is also fragmented. A collector may find one card in Europe, another in Taiwan, another in Hong Kong, and another from a seller in mainland China or Japan.
Language identification creates another difficulty. Online sellers do not always clearly distinguish Traditional Chinese from Simplified Chinese. Some listings simply describe a card as “Chinese”, which is not precise enough for a specialized collection.
Finally, complete sets rarely appear for sale. Most collectors must build them card by card.
This means that the rarity of a complete Chinese Lunar New Year collection is not necessarily based only on the individual price of each card. It comes from the difficulty of finding every correct card, in the correct language, with the correct treatment and in acceptable condition.
A small but unique part of Magic: The Gathering’s History
The Lunar New Year promos occupy a special place in Magic: The Gathering collecting.
They are not large sets, and they are not always among the most expensive cards in the game. But they combine several elements that make them unique: limited distribution, exclusive artwork, Chinese cultural references and unusual language variants.
For collectors of Chinese Magic cards, the 2021–2024 Lunar New Year promos offer a small but fascinating collecting challenge.
And as is often the case with specialized Magic collections, finding one card is easy. Finding every card in the right Chinese version is a completely different story.