Wilds of Eldraine seems like a super cool set so far. There are lots of unique themes, cards, and designs sure to get players excited. One of the interesting features in Wilds of Eldraine is the return of the bonus sheet. Many bonus sheets focus on specific card types that, in part, resemble the theme of the set. For example, the Brother’s War showcased retro Artifacts, while March of the Machine showed off Multiverse Legends.
Wilds of Eldraine is continuing this pattern, this time focusing on Enchantments. There are set to be 63 Enchantments featured in the bonus sheet, with one Enchantment taking up a slot in every set or draft booster pack. Of these 63 Enchantment slots from the Enchanting Tales bonus sheet, 20 of them are even getting an additional unique treatment! These select 20 cards will also be available showcasing anime artwork, so let’s take a look at what you can expect.
Borderless Anime Treatment
Of the 20 cards that can be obtained with this borderless anime treatment, six of them have been spoiled thus far. All six of them are elite Commander cards as well with decently high price tags. Doubling Season and Smothering Tithe, two expensive cards featured in Commander Masters, are among the cards that are getting borderless anime treatment. Each of these cards receive Booster Fun treatment, and their artworks are designed by Japanese artists.
These cards are found in the same slot in packs as the normal Enchanting Tales bonus sheet cards. Notably, Japanese booster packs will feature Japanese-language versions of these cards. All other booster packs will feature English-language versions of these cards. The question is, how much are these borderless anime cards going to go for in relation to their traditional Enchanting Tales counterparts? To get a better idea, it’s important to look at another set that featured anime versions of cards as well.
Read More: New MTG Wilds of Eldraine Mythic Resembles Game-Breaking Commander Card!
Jumpstart 2022 Anime Cards
Unlike Wilds of Eldraine, Jumpstart 2022 booster packs all contained one anime inspired card. Interestingly, some of these cards went for a decent chunk of money, spiking in price thanks to the collective interest in the anime versions of these cards. This even includes cards that would otherwise be bulk or worth very little. For example, Coldsteel Heart is a card that has been reprinted tons of times thanks to its prevalence in Commander. Normal versions of the card went for a dollar or less. Yet, the anime version of Coldsteel Heart spiked to roughly $20 soon after release!
Cards that weren’t bulk, such as Balan, Wandering Knight, could hold even more absurd price tags. Anime versions of Balan, Wandering Knight went for roughly 10 times the price of normal versions of the card, spiking to $50! Even now, over six months later, the Jumpstart 2022 anime version of Balan is still worth over $10 more than the Commander 2017 version of the card. All of this goes to show just how much demand there can be for anime artwork and unique card treatments.
This goes to show that, while immediate spikes for anime treatments may be pretty significant, prices may drop as time passes. As a result, don’t be surprised if there’s a ton of hype around these cards during release that fades over time.
Read More: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Reveal Debuts Hollow MTG Plane
Price Speculation
Given this precedent, there’s reason to believe that some of the borderless anime Enchantments could go for a ton of money right out of the gate. A card like Doubling Season is currently over $60 and is receiving anime artwork of its own. The card is, however, also being printed in Commander Masters much to the dismay of players.
It should be noted that bonus sheet reprints tend to plummet in price a reasonable amount. After all, one of these Enchantments appears in every pack, which increases the supply available of these cards. Still, as Jumpstart 2022 showed, anime cards could still be worth a lot even if the price of the traditional Enchanting Tales Enchantments go down in price.
Not only that, but given that Wilds of Eldraine Enchanting Tales anime cards only appear in 20 of the 63 Enchantments, and any of those 20 Enchantments could receive the normal Enchanting Tales treatment rather than the borderless anime treatment, the anime cards could theoretically be worth a lot more. There isn’t much of an indication yet regarding how rare the anime versions will be by comparison, but if they are opened significantly less frequently, they could go for a lot of money. Not to mention, this is only considering the borderless anime versions in draft and set booster packs. Collector booster packs have even more going for them.
Read More: MTG Barcelona Reveals Absurdly Expensive Doctor Who Cards!
Collector Booster Confetti
These packs utilize unique, specific distributions of cards with Booster Fun treatments, including cards on the bonus sheet. In March of the Machine, while draft and set booster packs featured one slot dedicated to the Multiverse Legends, collector booster packs featured at least three Multiverse Legends each. In Wilds of Eldraine, collector booster packs even give you a special opportunity to open confetti foil versions of the anime borderless Enchantments!
Not only does this mean that the Enchanting Tales cards can receive a multitude of treatments, but that the confetti foil borderless anime cards are likely to be rarer than the traditional borderless anime cards. This may even drive the price of specifically collector booster packs up as players try to open the confetti foil borderless anime versions of these Enchantments. It’s hard to know exactly how rare the confetti foils will be, just like how it’s hard to tell how rare the non-foil borderless anime cards will be compared to traditional Enchanting Tales cards. However, there does appear to be a lot of hype around these anime cards.
Read More: Wilds of Eldraine First Look Reveals Insane Spoilers and $60 Reprints!
Player Hype
Even if the borderless anime cards end up not being super rare, prices are likely to rise initially due to demand. Many players who want these cards and are willing to pay extra for them. If Jumpstart 2022 was any indication, the “Waifu tax” on cards can be high, but many players are willing to pay it. For anyone looking to make their decks look as flashy as possible, this artwork is for you.
Of course, as mentioned, this only heightens the overall disappointment for Commander Masters as a whole. Players aren’t super happy that some of the premier cards from Commander Masters are not only getting traditional treatment in the Enchanting Tales bonus sheet but also getting borderless anime treatments. Only time will tell, but these anime cards appear highly sought-after and could definitely end up on the pricier side, especially the foils.
