Test Prints in Magic: The Gathering: What Are They, and Are They Valuable?

Last updated on February 23, 2026

The Grand Calcutron | Illustration by Sean Murray

Magic stands out from other games because of its deep history and wide range. Part of this comes from being around for over 30 years, and part of it comes from the many ways to interact with Magic beyond the game itself.

A popular niche in Magic is collecting, and Magic collectors don’t need to confine themselves to Magic cards. There are various collectibles like art prints, artist proofs, misprints, and test prints to acquire and show off. Today, I’m giving you the rundown on test prints so you can learn how to start or expand your collection.

What Are Test Prints in Magic: The Gathering?

Reject[ | Illustration by Zoltan Boros

Test prints are MTG cards printed as part of the design process to test physical card elements like art, card frames, treatments, and new mechanics like meld and adventure that demand unique card templates.

Test prints are created by the printers and shipped to Wizards. They’re fairly rare because not every set gets test prints due to the high costs associated with printing very small numbers of cards. Because test prints cost so much, they’re often reserved only for sets that alter the card’s frame or otherwise deviate from the current design of a Magic card. These theoretical designs require in-paper testing as there are variables that real cards must contend with, like ink spread and saturation, which you can’t spot on a computer screen.

How Can You Tell if a Card Is a Test Print?

Test prints have a variety of markers, including frame, symbols, and the text box. Some literally have “Test Printing” printed into the text box, as pictured below with Pestilence and Swamp.

Others lack the set symbol stamp and replace it with a foil stamp, as seen on this Archaeomancer and Boundless Realms below.

The most flamboyant test prints use borders or treatments that never saw mass production, like this Counterspell with its mana symbols to the left of the card, or this Shivan Dragon test that received the Swarovski Crystal treatment.

Test prints may also have blank backs.

Are Test Prints Valuable?

In general, yes, though how valuable depends on several factors. Test prints are printed rarely, and in small runs when they are printed. Among the rarest test prints are the Swarovski Crystal prints that used a unique treatment that studded the art with a crystal pattern, as though ground diamond had been embedded in the card. Those can go for tens of thousands of dollars—for example, AncestralMTG lists the Swamp from this print run at $18,000, and the Mox Jet at $45,000. Among AncestralMTG’s cheaper options are M15 test prints that range from $250-800.

Many factors go into the price of a test print card, including quality, scarcity, the set, and how iconic the card itself is. Expect to pay a pretty penny: These are rare finds, much rarer than artist proofs or misprints (depending on the manufacturing error).

Are Test Cards Tournament Legal?

Test cards aren’t tournament legal. One of the qualifiers for an acceptable, authorized game card legal for tournament play is that they must have been “genuine Magic cards publicly released by Wizards of the Coast (Tournament Rules 3.3).” Test prints aren’t publicly released, so they aren’t authorized cards and they’re illegal for tournament use.

Where Can You Buy MTG Test Prints?

AncestralMTG

AncestralMTG offers a wide variety of top-end, expensive test prints, including the incredibly rare Swarovski Crystal cards that tested a unique card treatment that never went to print. Some of these test prints are graded. It’s a perfect store to locate old and rare test prints along with a variety of other surprising, charming test prints and MTG collectibles.

#MTGRarities: Major Misprints, Test Prints, Oddities.

#MTGRarities: Major Misprints, Test Prints, Oddities is a Facebook group for collectors. Among their posts are auctions for collectors to sell their cards. In addition to purchasing cards, the group gives new collectors a place to talk about their hobby and learn more about the niche.

eBay

eBay has listings for several test print cards. While you can find the odd test print, make sure to exercise caution when you purchase from here, as you would when purchasing any expensive product from eBay.

Test Prints vs. Playtest Cards

Playtest cards are far less refined than test prints because their purpose is to play and test new cards. Playtest cards generally lack official art, borders, and so on because R&D uses them in-house to test new mechanics and cards. This is distinctly different from test print cards, which are used mostly to test cosmetic printings; because of this, they’re often of high-quality, identical to what the theoretical product would look like in a booster pack.

Test Prints vs. Misprints

Test prints are cards printed for internal use at Wizards of the Coast to test various aspects of a card’s design while misprints are cards that shipped with machine defects, like crimped borders where they got sealed into the pack, strange proportions because they were cut improperly, and ink smears and other printing errors. Importantly, misprints must come from booster packs that were opened. Because misprints are collected from publicly released booster packs and come from machine error, they’re distinctly different from test printsused for internal design reasons.

Should You Get Test Cards Graded?

Grading preserves cards and potentially makes them more valuable, though you negate the playability of the card (though not tournament legal, you can use them casually) as grading locks it in a plastic slab. For cards that are solely for collecting purposes, this might be a worthwhile investment. However, I wouldn’t consider it necessary; it’s a matter of personal choice.

Wrap Up

Imperial Seal | Illustration by Milivoj Ceran

Test prints are among the rarest and most interesting collectible items in Magic. They’re incredibly important to the game and offer glimpses of what Magic could have been had Wizards gone with one border over another. If you want to get into high-end collectibles, they’re a great starting point. AncestralMTG's your best bet to find a wide variety of available test print cards.

What do you think about test prints? Would you ever start collecting them? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading!

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