[4][5] The Zendikar Rising set marks the return to a wilderness adventure storyline;[6] the plane is "a place of danger and excitement.

[7] While "most of Magic: the Gathering's main characters have been missing in action" since the War of the Spark (2019), a few Planeswalkers mark their return in Zendikar Rising.

[8] This includes Nissa Revane and Nahiri, both natives of Zendikar,[8][9] and Jace, who is from Vryn[10] and who once was the Living Guildpact of Ravnica.

A full party consists of a Cleric, a Rogue, a Warrior and a Wizard, which provides a little bit of everything a balanced adventuring squad needs".

[13] In a separate article comparing it to the Battle for Zendikar (2015) set, Kemner highlighted that the Zendikar Rising set had memorable mechanics such as the returning Landfall mechanic, "along with the innovative Party concept, creating in-game groups of Wizards, Clerics, Rogues and Warriors in all five colors for various benefits; it was almost like a built-in Dungeons & Dragons game.

Kemner commented that "the Zendikar Rising set is truly a return to the wild world of adventure and peril, and that's how it was marketed from the very start.

Magic fans were thrilled, and sure enough, this standalone set's mechanical identity and lore perfectly fit what made the original Zendikar block so special.

Sowa wrote that many Magic novels "were widely panned, with Greg Weissman's War of the Spark: Ravnica being infamous among fans for its misrepresentation of existing characters.

[...] In the Heart of the Skyclave sets up a clear conflict between Nahiri and Nissa, each a representative of a different philosophy when it comes to Zendikar's Roil.

Nissa stands in contrast as a representative of a new-world idea that would see the citizens of the plane act in harmony with the world around them.

[...] Set Booster packs are aimed squarely at collectors, and command a premium price tag to match.