Which Is Best? War Of The Spark Mythic Edition VS Alternate Art Planeswalkers - Magic The Gathering 

These cards are like a house, because I will never own one.

The product I want to see is the stained-glass artwork from when War of the Spark was announced!

Having these special cards in regular booster packs should be a thing again. As you said prof, they become much less unique and special if you can just directly buy them. The Japanese alt art system should become mainstream. Makes opening your FNM pity pack a little more exciting.

Timmy edition VS. War of the Waifu boxes

They did the weeb Bolas dirty. But MY GOD I NEED THAT TIBALT

I just want more from these alt artists, especially if we go back to Kamigawa soon. Anime styled Kitsune and Nezumi, yes please.

That's not terrible foiling, that's straight up ruining the (amazing) artwork.

If I had to get one of the two I would completely give the Japanese alternate art. In fact this is probably the only premium product I'm actively going to be searching for for Magic the Gathering. It would have been really cool if they did something similar in the US with comic book artist or something like that.

That japanese Ashiok looks amazing, definitely want to try to pick one up. Also Vraska lookin like a waifu

The japanese Tibalt looks tremendous. He looks like an anime anti-hero. The Wanderer and Vivian both look awsome too. Thanks for the video.

I feel like there are some misinformations in this video. 1. The mythic edition is a limited print run (around 13k), regular master pieces in booster are unlimited, as standart sets are print to demand. 2. All stores will be offered japanese booster boxes globaly, to give access to the alternate art planeswalkers to everyone. Edit: I‘l definately get the mythic edition, because it will skyrocket in value, because of Jace and Ugin. I‘m not that interested in thr japanese walkers. I really like the art, but I want english and german cards in my deck only. Also the „anime planeswalkers“ will be pretty cheap in the long term, because they are available everywhere. Better to get the mythic edition on release and get the japanese planeswalkers later, after rotation, when they drop in value.

I watched this video at 1.75x speed and it was easily understandable. Love your channel.

Stores worldwide were given the option to purchase Japanese booster boxes. For some, though (can't say for all, I guess it depends on the distributor), the number they ordered was locked in way before the announcement of the alt-art planeswalkers. My friend, a store owner himself, was very upset about that.

I love the anime planewalkers and plan on collecting most of them, I feel they're a more unique and interesting collectable than full-art walkers.

I love the style of the japanese alt artworks. Also it'd be amazing if they'd do something like that with western comic and animation artists, just imagine cards by Fiona Staples, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl or Bryan Lee O'Malley (also some good old french BD style obvs!). (Also Tibalt by Olivia Jaimes...)

The Japanese alt art walkers are great aesthetically. But the issue with me then becomes aesthetic VS function. I try to keep my cards as accessible to new players in my community as possible, (A primarily English speaking community) and I don't want to expect them to commit every card to memory, and don't want to needlessly toy with phones to show translations for multiple cards. If that ability to teach was not a priority for me, I would love to get myself the planswalkers.

Turns out getting your hands on the WoTS Mythic Edition was WAY harder than getting all these alt art planeswalkers will be.

OMG, I want this Sarkhan. And Sorin and... actually I want all of them

Japanese, for the art. I love what they did with Sarkhan.

You are forgetting that they are printing 12k of the timmy boxes according to WOTC. That means (in theory) only 12k of each will be available.

(When asked "What is best in life?") To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!

War of the Spark Mythic Edition sold out in under 10 minutes.. sick.

I like the Japanese art editions, especially the ones that aren't overly done in manga style, but are more a mix of the old style with manga. Just look at that Karn art, so amazing!

That Yoshitaka Amano Liliana!

I really wish they made masterpieces again, and WHY AREN'T THERE CODES FOR ARENA IN PACKS?!

The original Masterpieces had their share of issues though. Notably, they had a strong impact on a set value. Whether you were winning / losing / breaking even while opening a box was really dependent on the very random presence of a Masterpiece instead of being evenly distributed among rares and Mythic rares like we had more recently. The price of each Masterpiece set also kept plummeting to the point where each looked like a failure compared to the previous one. At least with a fixed price tag there is less concern over backlash from the community and brand image because all Masterpieces can't be as valuable as the Zendikar Expeditions. Now, the new system also has issues, but at least it's cheaper for those who really want them (barring speculation, but there's a limit of two boxes per person, though I don't know how effective it really is). For $250 you get a full 24-boosters box with a copy of all 8 alternate-art Planeswalkers inside. Now that's still ridiculously expensive to some people like me who aren't interested enough in cosmetics, but I'm guessing it's better for the people who are interested and had no other choice but to pay the full $350 market price for a single Scalding Tarn if they wanted a copy with the old distribution system. TL;DR: The old distribution system disappeared for reasons (global impact on whole set price, unmeetable community expectations, unaffordable chase singles, etc.) we should consider before wishing it back.

I love those Japanese alternate art Planeswalkers so much, but the only Walker from the set I need for decks is Bolas, and coincidentally enough, his Japenese art is the only Japanese art that I'm not interested in.

Professor when/if you do the booster box game for war of the spark, will you also do one for the japanese one as well, since it will have the alternate art planeswalkers?

those anime planeswalkers are awesome!

Slightly off topic but..Been collecting/casually playing magic for a long time. I still have my revised demonic tutor from days gone. It's a bit rough around the edges, but I will never trade or sell it. I can still hear Faith no More's Angel Dust playing when I hold it. Started buying boxes when masterpieces were in packs. I had split boxes with friends a few times over 2 decades, with the very occasional box once every 5-6 years. I fully realized the odds and the psychology behind Masterpieces. I don't gamble in other aspects of my life. A box once a quarter was fun to open or to play sealed with my friends. This got us into brick and mortar stores a bit more often, which in turn had us picking up other cards, socializing a bit with staff and players. We even attended our first prerelease. Now that they aren't in regular packs, my playgroup mostly isn't interested in boxes. We play less often and we order singles online. (shoutout to CK, as a Canadian it's still my preferred store since Lorwyn). This might sound like "put masterpieces in packs if you want me to buy your product!" but it really isn't(well a little bit maybe :). The point being, I will always buy the singles I want and make the decks I want just not via boxes or via brick and mortar stores which is a shame. Feels like Hasbro wants profits to be up(fair enough, it is a business) with little regard to killing the spirit of the game (in various ways often discussed). Once (and I think it will) these insane limited promotions have run their course we can fully expect the redemption story line to begin with Hasbro, which is often the case on companies having milked an idea to far. I fully expect the reveal of masterpieces back in packs within 5 years and hopefully brick and mortar stores receiving product along with the online entities. If they can plan magic sets on a 7 year timeline, they can plan promotions in a similar way.

Amano Lily is my number 1 most wanted MtG card of all time.

Im glad that these are not in English booster packs. I realize that many mtg players are fans of these art styles, but I think it would take away from the fact that mtg art is fantastic western paintings instead of looking similar to Japanese card games

I Like masterpiece cards in boosters. I just collect a few cards to bling my commanders, cause they are way too expensive

Most of the alt arts don't excite me too much, but goddamn I really want that Japanese Vraska.

Value has a lot more to do with the mythic edition than you say. People don’t care about exclusivity as much as they care about the actual cards themselves. That’s why liliana of the veil commands a 70 dollar price tag while similar mythics from ultimate masters go as low as 5-10 dollars. People wanted teferi, karn, and liliana in the first mythic edition because they are good, playable cards. Jace and ugin are great cards that cost over 150 dollars non-promo combined. Print run on these boxes are also going down by 40% compared to mythic edition allegiance. I know how much mythic edition WAR costs. I don’t know how much people are going to be scalping the Japanese walkers, which were implemented in such a way that people are panicking to buy them before they even came out on top of only being available in a foreign language. People will be spending 100+ dollars on liliana due to a false sense of urgency entirely fabricated from wizards. Both sales methods are sketch, but at least the mythic edition has a baseline of value for players who crack the box, with some walkers in the 15-25 dollar range as well as the big boys

Amano did a Liliana? Must have!

Japanese alternative art all the way!!! I think the text being in Japanese actually adds additional flavor, and I’ll mention I’m not one for foreign language cards I typically don’t enjoy playing with them but the language on these cards with the awesome Japanese art style!! So much flavor!! So cool! Would love to see this same thing attempted with other cultures and their own stylistic elements of their culture! Also someone mind explain to me what it means by a Friday night magic promo pack? At FNMs I’ve only ever received like a promo card not a promo pack. How can I earn them this way?

0:48, Ok, c'mon now, Prof. That is the least favorable matchup for Mythic Edition; nothing beats Amano.

"Promo not like any other". Almost literally the Kaya alternate art foil from Conspiracy 2.

I want to go back to the good old days of being able to open the ultra rare cards in packs. It makes them more desirable and the everyday average people can open them. I remember back in the day opening a Future Enterprise Ultra Rare in Star Trek CCG from the Alternate Universe set and selling it for another box of cards. It was one of the best nights ever. Magic should bring this feeling back to the community. They are rare but they should be accessible to everyone.

Japanese CCGs of pretty much EVERYTHING that has a western counterpart is FAR BETTER than its western counterpart. It isn't even a contest, the foiling usually is 100x better and the cards almost never bend over time, even out of sleeves.

Having played various Japanese TCGs and growing fond of the artists (lack, fuzichoco, Yukie Tajima, DaisukeIzuka, etc.), these alternate art planeswalkers are more than a welcome surprise, and I'll definitely spend the extra bucks to get foil versions of the walkers done by my favorite artists.

I would pick japanese edition in a blink of an eye and never look back. Might still buy whole box rather than english version.

Professor! In terms of clothing choice, you are the Don Cherry of the MTG world. I mean this as a heartfelt compliment. Thanks for another great video!

The thing is WOTC is selling these japanese booster boxes to pretty much all retailer around the world making it globally accessible

The super art cards remind me of how Schedule would have artists that would alter your cards for a price, but those were mostly a one of a kind product.

Prof, i watch your video's in large part because i want to support this kind of content, and i like your attitude. However, i think Wizards, and you, are missing a big problem. The very same problem that is contributing to fewer and fewer people playing the paper version. Here is how this works. 1. I get a friend to try playing the game. They like it, so they ask about cost. 2. They learn that my very modest collection of cards is worth somewhere around $10k if you were to ebay all the cards now. 3. They learn they have to spend a lot of money to even be competitive at any format other than a booster draft. 4. They either decide to just play MTGA and not the paper version, or neither one. I'm 100% for any card releases that make cards easier to get for the average player. If Wizards wants more people to play, they need to start reprinting cards like crazy. If its not banned in Commander, reprint it.... Who cares if it lowers the secondary market value, this is a game that is meant to be PLAYED... Make the cards accessible to people who dont have a lot of cash. Do it NOW Wizards..... Or just accept the fact that your future is going to be 100% digital...

alternate art are amazing, i am a collector BECAUSE of the art that is shown by so many talented artists, there is not many ways of supporting an artist but when i see my favorite artist on a mtg card you bet i'm going to buy the heck of it. I would honestly LOVE more alternate art, even of the same card in the same set, it would allow me to show off by having my favorite artist's work.

Prof they said there would only be 12,000 units with no reprints. Period.

Opened the link expecting a vain video about opinion on art and style and direct comparisons of each one and such, I was happily wrong, great video.

Sorin is literally Dio Brando. Thx WIzards.....

Wow this was really a prelude to Secret lair haha woops, you even gave them some ideas like small window purchase availability

If the Japanese alt-arts were available in English, I'd prefer them. If the Mythic Edition were available in packs, I'd prefer them. As it is, I will likely buy neither.

If I have to sell everything else I own to get a Foil of that Liliana, I will. That is not only a beautiful artwork of a talented artist, but of such an amazing character, AND the fact that it will be so coveted and rare that I may have something so sacred, I'd do anything to hold such a prize.

I really, really dislike the look of most of the Manga-style alt-art cards. I would honestly be discouraged from buying WAR packs if I knew half the 'walkers were in such an unappealing style.

I still remember getting my Masterpiece Engineered Explosives. I was SO excited, but to hear that, as of right now, we'll probably never get Masterpieces again? It makes me sad.

I dig the anime art as a bit of a week so I likely may actually pick those up or crack japanese packs on occasion. (yes I know it kills draft value but I like the rush of gambling) I've always generally hated the mythic edition walkers. The art looks meh. I've heard bad things on the foiling the only one I've ever thought of wanting is the recent Nahiri but even then Im not gonna do back flips for it.

The Japanese booster boxes can be orders by your local game store, my local got in boxes and the article mentioned wizards are allowing stores to order them, so it's not really Japan only excluding the language barrier

Professor - When the title of this video popped up on my phone I thought you were making a "What is best in life?" Conan reference. As always, your videos are a pleasant surprise for many reasons. :D

I'm super happy with the anime art. Not only is it a unique style, but because there's two versions of the art it supports twice as many artists. One of the consistently great things about magic has been it's art. Having more options is a good thing.

Not gonna lie, not all the alternate arts look that good, there are a few that look a bit strange, but still look... Okish

Hey Prof - thanks for making this video. I like the fact that the Japanese Alt Art planeswalkers are only printed in Japanese. It gives the cards an additional anime/manga feel and celebrates the art form. English speaking players have nearly universal access to the game, more often than not at a lower cost considering the lower print run of foreign language cards, so these Japanese-exclusive cards just feel really special to me.

I may be in the minority here but i prefer the Mythic Edition ones, its not that i dislike the art of Yoshitaka Amano or Kaida Yuji (far from it) but for me the art of Eric Deschamps or Victor Adame Miguez is just irreplaceable. I also feel the manga ones are generally more flashy but... emptier? if that makes any sense? i mean, i get more sense of mistery in the OG wanderer art than in her japanese counterpart, OG Saheeli Sublime Artificer feels more wonderous in the Westley Burt art than in the japanese one where she is taking the whole frame and just casting a fireball, the best example i think would be Nahiri and Sorin, i feel the rage between them just boiling up and coming violently to the surface in their newest PW cards (in fact we have never seen Sorin quite like that before, so bloodthirsty and angry) while in the JP versions Sorin, while cool looking and intense is still just as composed as he always is and Nahiri looks like a disinterested 13yo girl with no stakes in the feud. I love magic having lots of alternate art with a variety of styles, and the japanese Nicol Bolas, Sorin, Ajani and Tibalt all look great!, but if given the choice i still feel the original ones are the most appealing to me from an artistic, technical and storytelling perspective. I guess i just love modern MTG art, even if a lot of people seem not to.

loving these new ads that just don't show themselves until all of a sudden a countdown is on the vid, definitely not annoyed.

The Japanese alt arts are better than the originals.. (Have you SEEN Karn/Davriel?! :O)

All the Japanese planeswalkers. Yoshitaka Amano has been my artistic inspiration for many many years. I was even lucky to meet him in person this last year. Also part of it could be that I am an anime fan and like the artwork more than the chase rares I tend to scoff at for thier prices. I am looking at you Jace.

WOW... They all sold out in under 10 min wtf

never been happier that my LGS carries booster packs in a variety of languages. now i know what im going to be buying with proze money from now on

I think I would honestly prefer they WOTS mythic edition, just hear me out. While the Japanese planeswalkers are really cool, anime is just not my style. This with the fact that the mythic edition comes with the Jace and the Ugin which both see play in other formats besides standard and have heavy pre-existing value. This does not mean that I agree with the mythic edition business practices and I would much prefer the mythic edition in a Japanese planeswalker template.

I love the japanese art, the volume of walkers, and the fact that I can actually acess them in ways other than Ebay and Hellsbro storefront.

Still waiting for that Akira Toriyama Gideon...

You bring a lot of joy to my life man, thanks.

Not a fan of the anime style or cards in a language I can't read, so the Japanese variants don't have much appeal to me. I can appreciate the art style, it's just not for me. The Alternate Jace and Ugin though...WOW! For me the choice is simple as I would really love to have those foils.

I really like the manga versions. I'd like to see more variety in art style. They should hire some popular comic book artist to do alternative art cards. Maybe Jim Lee, Mike Mignola, Jae Lee, Simon Bisley.

Honestly, I think I am just going to buy the two Sarkhans as singles.

Going to Japan this summer, need to pick up some alt art planes walkers while I'm there 😁

I like function over aesthetics. I can't read Japanese and I've survived and thrived thus far without holofoil reprinted planeswalkers, so no thanks in regard to both.

I want the Teferi, Karn, and Jace. I’m going to buy them later.

Definately those manga style cards! Return to Kamigawa confirmed?!

i remember the jace vs chandra japanese DD being like ten bucks on clearance at my LGS, glad I picked those up

JPN Alt art why is this a question?

This is actually a question that has been floating around my playgroup and honestly buying singles is still the best option, in my opinion. If I had to make a choice it would be the Japanese cards because they are so unique and different from what we have seen recently.

"Lottery cards are just money grabbing tactics from a greedy WotC..." ::WotC takes RNG out of getting these products and puts them into a collection product:: "WotC took away the opportunity for pleb... I mean many Magic: the Gathering players... to open these highly valuable cards in order to make more money" I know this isn't the main point, but I find it amusing how views of these cards and their market availability have changed over time.

Great video as always! I think what WoTC should do is to go back to the old method of having these chase cards in random packs, but only do Masterpieces once a year (at most). That would make their inclusion seem more like a special event, immediately elevating hype around whatever set they include them in (cough cough Core sets cough cough). They could put them in their annual supplemental set (i.e Battlebond, the now defunct Master Sets, or this new Modern Horizons set). That would at least help justify the increased pack price on most of these sets. Or, as I eluded to earlier, they could add them to the yearly Core set which would likely help improve the lukewarm reception they often receive.

EU gets shafted with these mythic editions yet again, as you end up having to pay a huge customs fee on top of the shipping to order direct from Hasbro store.

Another clear, neat, and super informative video, thank you prof

100 percent the Japanese version. Much more unique, and I love the style.

The Japanese alternate arts are the ones I prefer not just because you can get them in booster packs (it is a big factor of my decision though) but also I've always loved that style of art and I've been playing final fantasy games since I could remember

Can't beat Yoshitaka Amano.

The one complaint I have with the Japanese boxes was also around scarcity. It looks like they had to release announce it hastily because someone was about to blab about it; releasing the info at 6 on a Monday, not on pre-release? And then being sold out within a half an hour? Come-on, Hasboro! Give your local game stores a chance! But then, with the new changes and "premium stores" changes vs equal support to game shops based on player support should we have expected any less... Granted, I still want a full set of alternate art. Dang, that Lilli is amazing work.

Ever since I saw the original post and saw the artwork, I would say I would want the Japanese alternate arts all day long! No question. Being a Japanese Pokemon card collector, I may be biased, but the artwork is unique and stunning and shows so much more character and individuality from the artistic style of the creator. I understand Wizard's made it easier for LGS worldwide to obtain these, but it might have been before announcing these alternate arts, as the 2 game stores I approached about obtaining Japanese booster packs from stated they had missed the opportunity to order them.

As far as the Mythic Edition foiling process is concerned, why hasn't Wizards tried out a foil etched style similar to Pokémon's Full Art Ultra Rares? This style of card is just amazing to behold and feels absolutely special!

I am fortunate enough where I'm going to attempt to purchase both. But as someone who likes to collect stuff like this I vastly prefer a one stop shop approach on eBay. It keeps me from having to track down individual cards from all corners of the internet, and it's usually cheaper to complete the set when buying it in bulk.

My plan is to secure two sets of Mythic Edition on the Hasbro store. Sell one and store one. The money I get from selling one should cover the cost of both and anything extra will go towards securing a set of the Japanese alternate art because those are really cool and unique.

I love your book case. Dragon Lance nostalgia kicking in... :)

Magic should do what the Pokemon TCG does by offering full art version of cards in booster packs.

I dont even watch that much anime but from the second I saw the alter art Japanese art I knew I needed all 36. Jace vs Chandra alder art from the duel decks is some of my favorite. The mythic addition would be sweet to get but the expected value would need to be there so we'll see, but I must have all 36 of the anime art planeswalker and it looks like I'll just end up with a bunch of Japanese cards left over as a result.

I'm personally excited for the Japanese alternate art planeswalkers! They look super cool & might actually be obtainable for a lower-budget player such as myself

Of these two, I like the Japanese alternate art better. That said, I would have loved a set of the stained-glass walker artwork that they teased us with a while back. Based on the Dominaria stained glass art they would have looked stunning in foil.

I personally wish I could afford to buy boxes because I would grab atleast one japanese box in hopes of seeing the alt arts. They really do blow me away, and although it has been a very long time since I have gotten product, the more and more I have gotten back into magic and why I love magic after taking such a long break. the more and more I realized, buying product might be less efficient, but it supports WOTC in keeping on with the game as well as enjoying that feeling of cracking a pack even outside of sealed and draft. once I am able to afford more cards I am so ready to buy packs again just in moderation for that enjoyment of possibly opening something amazing like a masterpiece, I feel like having those high end cards is amazing for magic just because it keeps me feeling that feeling with every pack. The reason I want the alt arts though is that I LOVE expressive cards, for me the best art in magic are the ones where you can really feel the card in the art, but not just that it is unique enough to the artist that there is this feeling of expression to it. I had a big long discussion with my friends about our favorite art works and really what it boils down to is that, although there are ALOT of really good pieces in magic, the ones that get leaned towards and when the artist is aloud to really do what they feel is right with the card. looking back on magic cards, and this might just be me I felt as if the cards for khans and the likes seemed a little bit to industrial, like they didn't have the flare of an artist and more the impression of an illustrator. coming back during this ravnica block (being the plane that, it seems everytime we are on is my high point of playing magic), there are so many expressive and amazing cards that tell such a deep and great story.which is why I love the alternate arts, I don't think they leave the realm of believably for magic (although some might not agree with that) and convey the story of the card, while at the same time, having a twist relevant to the artist. That is why Eternal witness is one of my all time favorite arts, it is not distant enough to ruin the cohesion of the sets art over all, but has enough flare and twist on it that I feel like it was something lovingly crafted by the artist with intent and purpose. the masterpiece cards are amazing as they capture that same feeling of difference among st the stale sameness I sometimes face playing magic. I wish masterpiece cards were in every set if I am being honest, not the same pool of cards but if they picked the 5 most iconic cards each set and put masterpiece versions sparsely in. I think the scarcity is good as far as maintaining the allure of them, but just having them every set would create that amazing feeling of cracking a pack and getting that sweet sweet masterpiece and there is honestly no feeling that beats cracking a card like that.