Core Sets of the 2010's (104)

In the 2000's, Magic core sets played the dual roles of introducing newer players to Magic and providing reprinted evergreen cards to the company's most-profitable segment, Standard-legal expansion sets. With the Magic 2010 core set (also known as M10), WOTC started leaning more towards the advanced player:

• Core set card reprints fell from 100% in 10E to 55% (138/249) in M10;
• Planeswalkers, a new card type introduced in the Lorwyn block;
• Largest rules changes since Classic Sixth Edition;
• Mythic rares, also a Lorwyn innovation;
• More expansion-relevant cards;
• Annual publishing of core sets.

Magic 2011 through Magic Origins became vehicles for publishing new varieties of the single-color planeswalkers (Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, Chandra Nalaar and Nissa Revane).
Magic has always been rich in background storytelling, but in accordance with the 2009 vision of Brian Goldner, CEO of Hasbro, WOTC's parent company, these characters and their colorful interactions began to play a central role in building the brand. All of this culminating in a grand alliance (Oath of the Gatewatch) of all five of these powerful, yet flawed, heroes to defend the multiverse from not one, but two evil, world-destroying entities.
By the end of this six-year saga, WOTC decided to stop producing core sets after Magic Origins (ORI), only to restart them up again in 2018 as (gasp!) introductory sets, releasing Core Set 2019 right before the 25th anniversary of Magic.