Last updated on March 10, 2026
Smothering Tithe | Illustration by Daisuke Tatsuma
As a long-time anime watcher, I have a fondness for anime-inspired art. It’s just fun, and it seems Wizards of the Coast agrees because they’ve made cards of all types with anime-inspired art in recent years.
These anime alt-arts are one of the ways Wizards increases the collectability of Magic. Almost every set has alternate frames with unique styles and art for the marquee cards, and the bonus sheets also get multiple art variations. The anime ones especially align with my interests, but where can my fellow anime fans find such art? Let’s find out!
What Are Anime MTG Cards?
Rhystic Study | Illustration by Fuzichoco
Anime MTG cards are cards with alternate art inspired by the artistic styles of anime. You could say Final Fantasy was the first official anime crossover with Universes Beyond. Unlike Japanese-exclusive arts, like those seen in the Mystical Archive, and closer to Japan showcase cards that feature full art, sets with anime-inspired cards can be opened in multiple languages.
Where Can You Get Anime MTG Cards?
There are several products with anime alternate art. There’s a smattering of Secret Lairs with anime art, as well as the Junji Ito Secret Lairs that showcase the artist’s unique manga style.
Many Standard expansion sets with anime alt arts including Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Wilds of Eldraine, specifically WOE’s Enchanting Tales bonus sheet, Bloomburrow, Final Fantasy, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Plus non-Standard anime cards show up in sets like Foundations Jumpstart and Ravnica Remastered.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
If you're in the camp of Avatar not being anime, I looked to scryfall for cards tagged anime and several cards qualify. Avatar: The Last Airbender play boosters include the art of Hori Airi, Kozato, and Airi Yoshihisa, as seen on Mai, Scornful Striker, Firebending Student, and Foggy Swamp Spirit Keeper. Certainly not all from this set are anime, but they count in my book.
- WATER. EARTH. FIRE. AIR… MAGIC—Wield the power of the elements as Avatar: The Last Airbender teams up with Magic: The Gathering! Climb atop a sky bison and travel from the walls of Ba Sing Se to the heart of the Fire Nation and restore balance to the world—or conquer it
- BEND THE ELEMENTS LIKE A MASTER—Relive the series with iconic scenes, collect cards featuring your favorite characters, and master Avatar: The Last Airbender-themed game mechanics
- JOIN TEAM AVATAR!—Join the fray with powerful bending masters, hybrid animals, and unforgettable allies wielding blades, boomerangs, and the occasional cabbage
- FOIL & RARE IN EVERY PACK—Each Play Booster contains at least 1 shiny Traditional Foil card and 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of special cards featuring beautiful borderless alternate art
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing Limited games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy play booster packs bring more than just Japanese art to Magic. Entire storylines match up epic characters with with Magic, so even if you're no fan of Final Fantasy you can appreciate the cool art throughout this set.
- THE ENTIRE FINAL FANTASY SAGA IS HERE—Step into the unforgettable stories of all 16 FINAL FANTASY core games brought to your tabletop with the strategic gameplay of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game
- CUE THE VICTORY FANFARE—Cast powerful spells, meet iconic characters, and visit familiar locales on the back of a Chocobo with cards featuring FINAL FANTASY-themed art and mechanics
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing Limited games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
- COLLECT RARE CARDS—Each Play Booster contains 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of special cards featuring beautiful borderless alternate art
- SHINING FOIL CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Play Booster also includes at least 1 card with a shiny Traditional Foil treatment; in 20% of packs you’ll also get a Traditional Foil Land card
Bloomburrow
Dig in to a collector booster from Bloomburrow for a 3.66% chance at a raised foil anime card.
- TINY TAILS, BIG ADVENTURE—Put your best paw forward and enter the world of Bloomburrow; fight beside mice, frogs, bats, birds, lizards, squirrels, and other critters as you restore the balance of peace in the Valley and prove that bravery comes in all sizes!
- BEST BOOSTER FOR COLLECTORS—Collector Boosters are a shortcut to the coolest cards in a set, with packs full of Rare cards, shiny foil cards, and special alt-art, alt-frame cards
- SOAR TO THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN—Collect more hard-to-find Bloomburrow cards with 5 cards of rarity Rare or higher and a total of 5 alt-border cards in every Collector Booster
- COLLECTOR BOOSTER-EXCLUSIVE TREATMENTS—Collector Boosters are the only place where you may find extended-art cards, with up to 2 in every pack, and are the only place you may find a card with a special type of foil treatment
- PLAY A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy with art and mechanics that explore the themes of a particular world and story—whether you want to play a casual game with friends, collect cool cards, or get competitive, Magic welcomes you to The Gathering
Ravnica Remastered
Ravnica Remastered collector boosters have good chances to land anime cards, with borderless rares at a rate as great as 50% for non-foils.
- RENEW YOUR VIP GUILD MEMBERSHIP—There’s no place like Ravnica; walk through familiar streets with a bustling crowd of reprinted favorites from Ravnica’s past and the ten unique guilds that keep the city running
- COLLECT RETRO CARDS—Honor Ravnica’s treasured past with Retro cards overflowing with nostalgic charm; every Collector Booster contains 4–5 Retro-Frame cards, one of which may be a unique Serialized Retro card
- MAY CONTAIN BORDERLESS SHOCK LANDS—Every pack also contains 1–2 Borderless reprints, each of which may be either a Borderless Shock Land (a Collector Booster exclusive!) or Borderless card with anime-inspired alternate art
- BEST BOOSTER FOR COLLECTORS—Collector Boosters are a shortcut to the coolest cards in a set, with packs full of Rare cards, shiny foil cards, and special alt-art, alt-frame cards
- PLAY A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy with art and mechanics that explore the themes of a particular world and story—whether you want to play a casual game with friends, collect cool cards, or get competitive, Magic welcomes you to The Gathering
Wilds of Eldraine
For WOE, 20 of the 62 enchanting tales—15 mythic rares and 5 rares—received anime alternate arts. Any booster pack, including Wilds of Eldraine draft boosters, set boosters, and collector boosters, can contain an anime alt art; while every pack of WOE contains an Enchanting Tales card, only 2.8% of boosters have the anime alt arts. In addition to foil and non-foil printings, some of WOE’s alt arts have the confetti foil treatment.
- A TALE ONLY YOU CAN TELL—Venture into the untamed Wilds of Eldraine, a fairy tale-inspired world in the Magic multiverse, and free the kingdom from a curse of endless slumber
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR DRAFTING—Draft Boosters are designed to draft a deck and play with friends; everyone grabs 3 packs and passes them around to pick cards. Add some lands and you're ready for epic 2-player battles
- BEWITCHING BORDERLESS CARDS—Every Draft Booster contains at least 1 Borderless Enchanting Tales card with alt-art that looks right out of a storybook or may even feature special anime-inspired art
- RARE OR MYTHIC RARE IN EVERY PACK—Every pack contains 1 card of rarity Rare or higher and may contain up to 3, including 1 possible Rare or Mythic Rare with a shining Traditional Foil treatment
- PLAY A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy with art and mechanics that explore the themes of a particular world and story—whether you want to play a casual game with friends, collect cool cards, or get competitive, Magic welcomes you to The Gathering
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
For NEO, there are anime alt arts of many cards in the set at multiple rarities you can open in any booster pack, including Neon Dynasty set boosters. These anime alt arts can be opened in foil and non-foil.
- 30 Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Set Boosters
- Best MTG booster to open just for fun
- 12 Magic: The Gathering cards per booster
- Ukiyo-e land in 45% of packs, with possibility of being traditional foil
- 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher in every booster
Jumpstart 2022 and 2025
Anime cards can also be opened in packs of Jumpstart 2025 and Jumpstart 2022. Every pack contains one anime card.
- BEST BOOSTERS TO JUMP RIGHT IN—Jumpstart Boosters are a fast, fun way to jump into a Magic game; just grab two boosters, shuffle them together, and you’re ready to go!
- A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy, gorgeous art, fantastical stories, and a thriving fan community all together into a card game experience like no other
- ANIME-INSPIRED CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Foundations Jumpstart Booster contains 1 card with anime-inspired art and includes 1–2 cards or rarity Rare or higher to jumpstart your collection
- 46 THEMES FOR WILD MASHUPS—Goblins, Dinosaurs, Ninjas, and Ne’er-do-wells, each pack has 1 of over 46 possible themes. Mix and match for creative carnage!
- BATTLE FRIENDS IN 2-PLAYER GAMES—With instant deckbuilding and delightful theme combos, Jumpstart is great for a quick game with a friend or fun way to teach friends and family to play Magic
Are Anime Cards Valuable?
Anime cards can be very valuable. However, the value of an anime card often depends on the playability of the card itself and scarcity, so they range drastically in their value. At the low end are cards like Lathliss, Dragon Queen worth the same or less than the default ones. Others like Finneas, Ace Archer have a default version that is a bulk rare, but the anime version hits a market price of about $100. The anime Smothering Tithe is worth about $170 and the base anime versions are still worth more than the normal Enchanting Tales editions. The most prized cards of the bunch are the Imagine Courageous Critters from Bloomburrow‘s non-Standard offerings. Bello, Bard of the Brambles, Baylen, the Haymaker, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor are listed with a price of about $400 on TCGplayer. Ms. Bumbleflower takes the Carrot Cake at $900.
Are Anime Cards Legal?
Yes! An alternate art Magic card is legal for tournament play if it has a black border and isn’t damaged so much that it marks the sleeve it's in. All anime cards, including foils, are legal for tournament play.
Japanese Exclusive Arts Vs. Anime Cards
The primary difference between anime cards and Japanese exclusive cards, like those found in the Mystical Archive, is availability.
Japanese exclusive cards are only found in Japanese packs and are only printed in Japanese; this is true of the Mystical Archive cards and the alt art planeswalkers from War of the Spark.
Anime cards are available much more freely in booster packs of multiple languages and printed in English, though Japanese-language anime art cards are in Japanese booster packs.
While the anime art cards have art influenced by Japanese media, they aren’t exclusive to Japanese products.
How to Get Anime MTG Cards
There are two ways to get anime cards: opening products containing them or purchasing singles directly. Remember that your local game store is often a great resource for both.
Amazon
Amazon is often your fastest and most consistent for sealed products, including boosters and boxes for Ravnica Remastered, Wilds of Eldraine, Bloomburrow collector packs, Jumpstart 2025, Final Fantasy, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Card Kingdom
Card Kingdom is another alternative for singles. CK has been in the Magic business for years. Their prices are often a little higher than TCGplayer, but buying from a single vendor often helps cut shipping fees and ensures you get all your cards in one package instead of a dozen envelopes spread out across weeks.
Star City Games
The store at Star City Games is a reliable and modern resource for MTG singles and one of the best at getting you the cards you need. This store stays at the top of the game when it comes to cards.
TCGplayer
TCGplayer is one of the most trusted trading card marketplaces on the internet and a fantastic option to purchase singles from multiple vendors. Because the marketplace is available to many vendors, cards are often more competitively priced than other places.
Wrap Up
Coldsteel Heart | Illustration by I☆LA
We live in a golden age of collectible Magic products, even if it’s a bloated one at times. With every set offering multiple versions of most cards alongside unique border treatments, there’s bound to be an art that speaks specifically to each individual.
For me, the anime arts hit home, marrying two of my greatest passions in one. What are your favorite alternate arts? Do you bling out your decks, or keep things simple? Let me know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord!
Stay safe, and thank you very much for reading!
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