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Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast revealed that the newest Magic: The Gathering set, War of the Spark, would contain alternate art for the various Planeswalkers. While these cards will only be available in Japanese, many are already trying to find them. Let’s take a look at all the art and explain how you get these.

Nicol Bolas | Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese)

Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese)

Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese)

Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese) Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark receives alternate art Planeswalkers in Japan (Japanese)

How to get these cards!

While these cards will only be printed in the Japanese language, Wizards of the Coast knows that these will be a big hit. With that in mind, Wizards made these cards a bit easier to obtain in America. There are three main ways to obtain these cards:

  • First, all Japanese booster packs will have a 50 percent chance of containing an alternate art Planeswalker. While this definitely helps push Japanese packs, more American game stores will probably stock Japanese packs for this reason. The cost of a box is relatively the same and, if you don’t mind Japanese cards, will yield the most Planeswalkers. If you’re serious about collecting these, I would suggest ordering a box of War of the Spark in Japanese.
  • Secondly, promo packs for Core Set 2020 will have a 25 percent chance to contain these cards. Most local game stores hold tournaments to give away promo packs. The previous iteration, Standard Showdowns, awarded players with a four-card pack containing a foil land, foil card, and 2 rare/mythic cards. While I’m not sure how exactly this will be done, I imagine it will be along the same lines.
  • Lastly, Magic: The Gathering Online will also have these cards in Treasure Chests. Treasure Chests are rewards for doing well in an online tournament. While the percentage chance to open these cards hasn’t been released, I believe they will be pretty uncommon in Treasure Chests. The Chests contain any number of items, from play points to full card sets.

Verdict

The new alternate art on these Planeswalkers is very reminiscent of Japanese anime. A lot of prominent Japanese artists famous for creating anime are actually illustrating these cards. I’m sure these will be a huge hit, so try and plan on how to collect them all if that’s your goal!