Alternate art: Difference between revisions

From MTG Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
VisualWikitext
im>Faceless Wanderer
No edit summary
>MergedUser41400105
(typos fixed: chinese → Chinese)
 
(45 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Some [[Magic: The Gathering]] cards have two or more arts. Such cards are said to have '''alternate art'''.
Some ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' [[card]]s have two or more versions with different art pieces. When these art pieces appear within the context of the same [[set]], the cards are said to have '''alternate art'''.


A few early sets (once such being [[Alliances (set)|Alliances]] experimented with alternate art for cards. However, Wizards came to believe that this impeded easy recognition of a card and that having multiple versions caused confusion when identifying a card at a glance. Consequently, alternate art is now only used sparingly and mostly for promotional cards. That said, when older cards are reprinted in new (non-Core Edition, and not "timeshifted" reprints in the Time Spiral set) sets, Wizards of the Coast has guaranteed that they will be printed with new art to make them more collectible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr121 |title=Collecting My Thoughts |accessdate=2007-04-19 |last=Rosewater |first=Mark |authorlink=Mark Rosewater |date=2004-04-26 }}</ref>
==History==
A few early sets, such as ''[[Antiquities]]'', ''[[Fallen Empires]]'' and ''[[Alliances]]'', experimented with alternate art for cards to make common cards more collectible. However, [[WotC]] came to believe that this impeded easy recognition of a card and that having multiple versions caused confusion when identifying a card at a glance. Consequently, alternate art is now only used sparingly and mostly for [[promotional card]]s. For a time, when older cards were reprinted in new sets (non-Core Sets, and not "[[timeshifted]]"), Wizards of the Coast guaranteed that they would be printed with new art to make them more collectible.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/collecting-my-thoughts-2004-04-26|Collecting My Thoughts|[[Mark Rosewater]]|April 26, 2004}}.</ref> This rule was nullified with the introduction of the [[Two-Block Paradigm]] (e.g. <c>Felidar Sovereign</c> in ''[[Battle for Zendikar]]'').<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://dougbeyermtg.tumblr.com/post/129029860554/is-there-a-reason-why-felidar-sovereign-doesnt|title=Is there a reason why Felidar Sovereign doesn't get new art?|September 14, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Throne of Eldraine]]'' is the first set in over twenty years to feature cards with multiple versions of art on non-lands.


Alternate arts are used nowadays in reprints, and promotional cards, such as [[APAC land]]s and pre-release cards.
Within a set, alternate art generally appears on the five basic land cards, as they are recognizable enough to avoid confusion. Alternate arts are mostly used for [[reprint]]s, and [[promotional card]]s.


==Alternate art cards==
==Examples==
*[[Crusade]]: was changed in art due to ethnical/publical demands.
*The [[Urzatron]] lands from ''Antiquities'' had four variants.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/towers-urza-2006-08-08|Towers of Urza|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 08, 2006}}</ref>
 
* Each common card and 5 uncommons cards from ''Alliances'' have 2 pieces of art <ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/two-adnates-2002-07-23|Two Adnates|[[Magic Arcana]]|July 23, 2002}}</ref>
*[[Plateau]] The cards original art was accidentally deleted on wotc's database so when the land was reprinted in later editions it was given new art.
*<c>Brothers Yamazaki</c> from ''[[Champions of Kamigawa]]'' was printed with two different art pieces so that the same card could depict each of the two brothers. It is the most recent non-land example of alternate art on regular cards within a black-border set.  
 
*<c>Ertai, the Corrupted</c>, <c>Skyship Weatherlight</c> and <c>Tahngarth, Talruum Hero</c>: the [[premium]] (foil) versions of three of ''[[Planeshift|Planeshift's]]'' [[legendary]] cards were printed with alternate art to make them more collectible.<ref>{{DailyRef|planeshifts-legends-2003-02-11|Planeshift's Legends|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February 11, 2003}}</ref>
*[[Unholy Strength]]: was changed in art due to ethnical/publical demands.
* The Peoples Republic of China does not allow the public display of human or humanoid [[skeleton]]s and ''Magic'' cards are no exception. For this reason the artwork of many Chinese-language cards depicting skeletons have to be altered to make it possible to sell the product.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/chinese-skeletons-2002-03-13|Chinese Skeletons|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|March 13, 2002}}</ref>
* Some of the most tournament-used cards in ''Magic'' have been reprinted with new art, an unusual frame, and only the cardname (aside from this, it is [[textless]]). These cards are given to players as  [[Magic Player Reward]]s.
* In [[Conspiracy: Take the Crown]], <c>Kaya, Ghost Assassin</c>'s Premium card was printed with alternate art; this card is specially assigned with a unique collector number 222/221.
* [[Promo]] cards and [[Masterpiece Series]] always feature alternate art.
* All [[planeswalker]] cards in Japanese [[War of the Spark]] packs had a 50% chance of having alternate anime artwork.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/japanese-alternate-art-planeswalkers-2019-04-22|Japanese Alternate-Art Planeswalkers|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|April 22, 2019}}</ref>


==References==
{{reflist}}


==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>
[[Category:Cards]]
[[Category:Cards]]

Latest revision as of 23:45, 9 April 2020

Some Magic: The Gathering cards have two or more versions with different art pieces. When these art pieces appear within the context of the same set, the cards are said to have alternate art.

History

A few early sets, such as Antiquities, Fallen Empires and Alliances, experimented with alternate art for cards to make common cards more collectible. However, WotC came to believe that this impeded easy recognition of a card and that having multiple versions caused confusion when identifying a card at a glance. Consequently, alternate art is now only used sparingly and mostly for promotional cards. For a time, when older cards were reprinted in new sets (non-Core Sets, and not "timeshifted"), Wizards of the Coast guaranteed that they would be printed with new art to make them more collectible.[1] This rule was nullified with the introduction of the Two-Block Paradigm (e.g. Felidar Sovereign in Battle for Zendikar).[2] Throne of Eldraine is the first set in over twenty years to feature cards with multiple versions of art on non-lands.

Within a set, alternate art generally appears on the five basic land cards, as they are recognizable enough to avoid confusion. Alternate arts are mostly used for reprints, and promotional cards.

Examples

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 26, 2004). "Collecting My Thoughts". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast..
  2. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 14, 2015). "Is there a reason why Felidar Sovereign doesn't get new art?". A Voice for Vorthos. Tumblr.
  3. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 08, 2006). "Towers of Urza". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Magic Arcana (July 23, 2002). "Two Adnates". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 11, 2003). "Planeshift's Legends". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 13, 2002). "Chinese Skeletons". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 22, 2019). "Japanese Alternate-Art Planeswalkers". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
Retrieved from "https://mtg.wiki/index.php?title=Alternate_art&oldid=97164"