Last updated on July 30, 2024
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods | Illustration by Mitsuhiro Arita
We live in Magic's Age of Booster Fun, where every card has 13 different variants of differing rarity that can be found across multiple different types of boosters… and I love it! Probably because I don’t work in an LGS and don’t need to catalog three different versions of random Draft commons; I just love seeing the variety of artwork and treatments.
The newest treatment coming with Bloomburrow is raised anime foil cards, a new iteration on the raised foils introduced with The Big Score in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. What makes these cards special? Where can you find them?
Let’s dig into it and find out!
What Is a Raised Anime Foil in MTG?
Zoraline, Cosmos Caller | Illustration by Taro Yamazaki
“Raised anime foil” is a card treatment with a raised golden border and imagery of ivy leaves curling around the border, using alternate anime-inspired art.
Raised anime foils are found exclusively in Bloomburrow Collector boosters. They’re identifiable by their art and border. Each raised anime foil has anime-inspired art that re-imagines prominent characters, both in Magic’s history and the cast of Bloomburrow’s story, with a vividly unique art style.
How Do You Identify a Raised Foil?
The alternate art and golden border are the biggest indicators of a raised anime foil. Because of the raised treatment, these feel quite different compared to your average Magic card. You can also check the set number and artist at the bottom of the card and crosscheck them with the information on Scryfall or similar sites.
How Do You Get Raised Foil Anime Cards?
You can open raised foil anime cards in Bloomburrow Collector boosters.
If you don’t want to roll the dice on boosters, you can purchase singles from places like Amazon, TCGplayer, Card Kingdom, and your local game store.
- 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 BOOSTERS 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
What Types of Packs Have Raised Anime Foils?
Bloomburrow Collector boosters have raised anime foils. Japanese Collector boosters have raised anime foils in Japanese; in other Collector boosters, the cards are printed in English.
What Sets Have Raised Roils?
Phyrexia: All Will Be One
We’ve seen a few different raised foil treatments in recent years. The Phyrexia: All Will Be One Bundle: Compleat Edition utilized a special oil-slick raised foil treatment that gave the impression of cards infected by glistening oil.
- Bundle: Compleat Edition—contains cards with an Oil Slick Raised Foil treatment exclusive to the Compleat Edition
- 1 Compleat Edition booster—12 Oil Slick Raised Foil cards, with 2 Mythic Rares + 10 Basic Lands (2 of each type)
- 1 Exclusive Phyrexian Language Traditional Foil Rare promo card—Phyrexian Arena
- 40 Traditional Foil Land cards that celebrate the glory of Phyrexia—20 Phyrexianized Lands + 20 Panorama Full-Art Lands
- 12 Phyrexia: All Will Be One Set Boosters—the best MTG boosters to open just for fun
Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Regular raised foils debuted in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, where a handful of cards from The Big Score received the raised foil treatment with a stamped golden frame.
- THUNDER JUNCTION’S MOST WANTED—Searching for the best in the West? Lasso up the ultimate bounty in Collector Boosters, providing any cowpoke with a full posse of shiny prizes
- BEST BOOSTERS 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
- CRIMINALLY COOL CARDS—Every pack contains 6 alt-border cards, including at least 3 Breaking News cards—reprints that report a spellcasting crime with frontpage news-style frames; you may even nab a Borderless version with a slick Textured Foil treatment (a Collector Booster exclusive)
- THE BEST OF THE WEST—Collector Boosters contain more hard-to-find cards than any other Outlaws of Thunder Junction booster, with 5 cards of rarity Rare or higher in each pack
- 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
Bloomburrow
That same treatment has been applied to anime versions of cards from Bloomburrow, including the face commanders of the Bloomburrow Commander precons, plus a few of the Imagine: Courageous Critters tie-in. The frame for these has changed to a more streamlined look.
- 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 BOOSTERS 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
What Are the Odds of Opening a Raised Anime Foil?
Approximately 3.66% of Bloomburrow Collector boosters contain raised anime foils.
Are Raised Foils Valuable?
Yes! The exact prices vary wildly based on the card and how much play it sees, but the raised foils tend to cost more than regular editions, foils, etc., due to their rarity; these are the premium of premium pulls in The Big Score and Bloomburrow.
Raised Foils vs. Regular Foils
There are a few key differences between regular foils and raised foils. First up, the raised foils have art that is exclusive to their treatment; additionally, they’re, well… raised along the border, while traditional foils are just shiny.
There’s also the matter of rarity; raised anime foils are only found in Collector boosters and at a far lower rate than traditional foils. Finally, only a handful of cards get the raised anime foil treatment, while any card from the main set could have a regular foil version.
Raised Foils vs. Etched Foils
Etched foils have a treatment that varnishes certain elements of the card, making those elements stand out rather than the full card. Raised foils have a similar treatment that favors foiling the gilded, golden board surrounding the textbox and card’s name/casting cost.
Raised Foils vs. Textured Foils
Textured foils are foiled across the entire card. The foiling style has an embossed texture that creates the illusion of movement as you tilt and examine the card. That illusion and the full card foiling distinguish it from the raised anime foils and their focus on the border.
Raised Foils vs. Surge Foils
Surge foils are a foil treatment that debuted with the Warhammer 40,000 Universes Beyond product, reappearing for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and Doctor Who. These are foiled across the entire card, with a unique rainbow swirling across the card’s surface. They resemble a traditional foil more than a raised anime foil, which favors foiling the golden borders.
Can All Cards Be Found as Raised Foils, or Only Certain Ones?
Only certain cards can be found as raised foils. Bloomburrow’s selection includes:
- Camellia, the Seedmiser
- Baylen, the Haymaker
- Clement, the Worrywort
- Zoraline, Cosmos Caller
- Alania, Divergent Storm
- Vren, the Relentless
- Gev, Scaled Scorch
- Kastral, the Windcrested
- Finneas, Ace Archer
- Ral, Crackling Wit
- Muerra, Trash Tactician
- Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
- Mabel, Heir to Cragflame
Bloomburrow Commander adds the following cards to the raised foil anime roster:
- Bello, Bard of the Brambles
- Hazel of the Rootbloom
- Ms. Bumbleflower
- Zinnia, Valley's Voice
- Jace, the Mind Sculptor
- Liliana of the Dark Realms
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General
- Nissa, Who Shakes the World
Do Raised Foil Cards Warp or Bend More Than Regular Foils?
Raised foils can be subject to the usual bending and curling issues. The normal foiling process depends on applying a metallic layer to the front face of the card. Foil cards warp when the backside of the card absorbs or releases moisture, expanding or contracting. Because of the foil layer on the front, it can’t absorb moisture; this is what causes the warping.
Because raised foils have a metallic layer, they’re prone to warping, just like other foils. The best way to prevent this is to keep them in a protective sleeve in a low-humidity environment to minimize their contact with moisture.
Are Raised Foils Tournament Legal?
Yes! As long as the card isn’t warped, bent, or otherwise marked, you can play it in tournaments.
Wrap Up
Muerra, Trash Tactician | Illustration by Taro Yamazaki
Some people don’t care for Booster Fun and the dizzying number of card styles it introduced. I understand that position; it makes collecting Magic cards incredibly complex, especially as new MTG sets introduce a variety of different foil types. On the other hand, look at the shinies!!
What do you think of the anime raised foils? Are you looking forward to spicing up your collection with a few, or will you pass on this treatment? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord!
Stay safe, and keep collecting!
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