For the first time in the history of Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast has included three new card styles within the Throne of Eldraine set.
Variant cards were first introduced by MTG head designer Mark Rosewater during San Diego Comic-Con as a means to give players a better experience when opening booster packs. There are three variant styles being introduced in the Throne of Eldraine (ELD) set: Showcase cards, borderless planeswalkers, and extended art-frames.
Showcase cards are similar to Split, yet function differently by using the Adventure mechanic within ELD. Showcase cards will capture the spirit of each set that they’re in, according to Rosewater. Within the Throne of Eldraine set, they have the essence of a storybook to fit in with the theme of fairy tales and Camelot adventures.
Borderless planeswalkers have art that fully extends to the ends of the card. The difference between borderless and normal planeswalkers cards isn’t the text, but rather the artwork.
Extended art-frame cards, however, are identical to the normal ones. The only difference is the artwork has no borders on either side. Extended art-frames are only found in collector boosters if it’s a Mythic Rare or Rare card. You can learn more about the variant cards and what booster packs they’ll be located in here.
Each of the following variant cards is broken down by color, with the exception of planeswalker cards. Within each color are cards with one of the three above options.
Planeswalker
White
Blue
Black
Red
Green
Multicolored
Artifact
Lands
The three variant card styles within the Throne of Eldraine set will be released on Oct. 4. MTG Arena specifics haven’t been revealed at this time.
