MTG: Exclusive anime-style promotional reprints will hit the market in April

Alternative artwork reprints have always been a fan-favorite in the Magic: The Gathering community, particular for players who are more collection-oriented. These incredible versions of iconic cards can capture the heart of even the most competitive players, and WotC takes full advantage of this demand to commission incredible artists, who then create outstanding alternative illustrations which are true works of art.

A few of the most sought-after reprints with alternative versions include the very famous Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and Mystical Dispute, which have each increased in demand after getting their own alternative artworks in later releases.

But perhaps the biggest increase in demand for a card after getting an alternative version has been for Balan, Wandering Knight, which got its own Anime-style artwork in this version. As there is an apparent overlap between card gamers and Anime fans, which can easily be seen if we consider the popularity of TCGs such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, these Anime-style versions are sure to be a success among the Magic: The Gathering community.

Any fans of this style can rejoice, because two new Anime-style reprints have just been released as promotional cards: Giada, Font of Hope and Elspeth, Resplendent.

Giada, Font of Hope

Elspeth, Resplendent

These Japanese promotional cards will be available in Japanese stores as rewards for promotional events from April to September, which is a bummer for anyone who doesn't intend to visit the country for these cards or doesn't live there. For players outside Japan, the best option available is to browse the internet, on Ebay or Hareruya Games’ shop to get these promo cards.

The two cards are fairly useful acquisitions by themselves, with Giada being the better of the two. Giada, Font of Hope will be a good buy for any Commander fan that enjoys playing Angels, as she is the top Commander pick for anyone playing this archetype. She also sees some play in the Selesnya Angels archetype in Pioneer, so, overall, this version of the card will probably see a lot of demand.

As for Elspeth, Resplendent, it is a much less popular pick, only being an option for the Standard format in off-meta Mono White Midrange builds.

As for the price of these coveted versions, there is no way of actually predicting their value, considering promo cards in the past who were given out this way weren't expensive, but Japanese exclusives are. With a high demand, and what seems to be a somewhat low offer, these cards can end up becoming very expensive, but only time will tell the exact price tag.