What's been your favorite showcase style?

[DirkGently]

While I'm a huge anti-fan of any card that's only available in special products like secret lair and everything collector-booster-related, I've generally liked the showcase styles as they appear in normal packs, and give an alternative way to collect cards that are a little flashier, while not being (blech) foil, not being the only version of the card, and not involving any outside IP, making them a rare example of something wotc has pushed recently that doesn't make me want to curl into a ball and die.

What's been you favourite so far? Or do you prefer to abstain and go with the classic version?

[toctheyounger]

I've got a Kardur, Doomscourge on the way that looks pretty metal. I've also got a constellation Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded that's nice, but I guess old habits die hard and my predilection for black metal aesthetics wins out.

I really like these showcases tbh, it's added value for nothing, or something different for nothing anyway. I just hope they keep doing these.

[JovialJovian]

I liked Eldraine the best by far. A huge factor in that is the variety present in the Eldraine showcase cards, it really looks like they gave the artists almost free reign to make the cards, the art is highly varied and charming. It was reminiscent of the art variety in Lorwyn, which itself was a result of the excess art commissions from Time Spiral, which brought back classic artists as part of its overall 'Magic nostalgia' theme. In the early days, the artists weren't as constrained by the art direction, and we got a much wider variety of looks. Some didn't work, but they were balanced out by fantastic surprises, and I miss that.

In contrast, all of the other showcases have very obvious art direction. The Ikoria style is appealing, but it's all very much the same. The Kaldheim style is even more pointedly same-y, and I find it unappealing and difficult to see for the most part too. Although, I quite like the actual frames for Kaldheim, and wish I could get the cards with the regular art in the showcase frame.

The Theros ones are the absolute worst offenders in this regard, they are so much the same as each other that they can be hard to tell which card/character it is at a glance.

[Guardman]

My favorite has been the Thrones of Eldraine Storybook style. It just looks so good and captures the feel of the world. My favorite being Curious Pair // Treats to Share. Overall I like most of the alternate card frames though. The only one I actively dislike is the Theros Constellations and Statue Planeswalkers, both of which I find atheistically unpleasing.

[pokken]

I hate all of them except Eldraine. Still kinda want to get a Brazen Borrower // Petty Theft storybook foil for Ephara.

[folding_music]

I really love the special frame for the black M21 cards but I voted Eldraine cos they're more readable; M21 and CMR etched cards can be a bit tough on the eyes, I think. also the artists they had work on the ELD alt illustrations are some of my fave, lots of really distinct and vivid bits of art. I love the Ikoria showcase *art* but again, it makes the cards harder to read!

[Sinis]

I'll be honest, I voted for Kaldheim, but I loved Eldraine's showcase adventurers about as much. Good thematic borders in both sets. Love them both immensely.

[Yatsufusa]

I really love the special frame for the black M21 cards but I voted Eldraine cos they're more readable; M21 and CMR etched cards can be a bit tough on the eyes, I think. also the artists they had work on the ELD alt illustrations are some of my fave, lots of really distinct and vivid bits of art. I love the Ikoria showcase *art* but again, it makes the cards harder to read!

It's not really the art that makes Ikoria Showcase cards harder-to-read, it's the frame, actually. Or to be more precise, the text box. Eldraine, M21 and Kaldhiem have opaque text boxes while Ikoria and Zendikar have transparent ones. Theros technically has transparent ones as well, but because the art essentially fades to black at the bottom half, it's functionally opaque.

For that same reason though, the Ikoria ones are my favorite. A long time ago, during Rise of the Eldrazi I was so impressed by the transparent text box of the colorless Eldrazi I started collecting foil versions of colorless Eldrazi (with the transparent text box being the condition, so Devoid also met the conditions aesthetically). I did not collect the Ikoria variants because unlike Eldrazi because I felt variants as a whole were too-in-your-face-about-collecting for me to bother ironically. I did however want to play mutate in some of my decks (utility for Animar and it's pretty fun in Karador) and I did specifically acquire the foil variants so the mutate mechanic stood out to be easily identifiable.

I consider Zendikar severely inferior because the the hedron pattern just felt it was obstructing the transparent text box halfway, so it's still harder-to-read but with less art to boot. In addition the strong dark lines and bold contrast coloring in Ikoria art allowed the art to stand through boldly through the text box while Zendikar went about the opposite which makes the art feel "off/disjointed" in some ways (subjective). And I'll never get over how extra cartoony Lotus Cobra feels like considering I was around for the original.

Not surprised that Eldraine is the most popular, although I personally don't appreciate the style enough. I don't dislike it, of course, but I generally prefer the "classic-style" pieces in MTG on an individual card basis, not in an entire (sub)set of cards. Something about "outstanding frames" (Eldraine, Kaldheim, Inventions, Invocations and so on...) just doesn't impress me as much as they should, I generally prefer "subtle frames" (Planar Chaos, M21, Theros) over those, although for the modern-day ones I have other issues (I dislike the white mana costs in M21 and Theros constellation art is just booooring IMO). Etched Foil Framing stand in limbo in-between (sometimes I feel it stands out a tad too much but it isn't that bad either). Pretty much only the "outstanding frames" I actually prefer are the Expeditions, but I'm pretty sure because they're "solid" and on only one card type (that I perceive as "solid" so it aesthetically matches).

[bobthefunny]

I voted Kaldheim, but that was rough. I also second that the Eldraine frames and art were fantastic. It's tough, and I'm wondering now if I voted too quickly.

Ikoria was a bit odd in having two different ones, I liked the comic book alt art, but the lack of border makes them a bit more normal. I didn't much care for the Godzilla versions.

[toctheyounger]

I did really like the Eldraine ones myself too, and thinking on why I didn't vote for them it really was just because there were so few adventure cards that pertained at all to EDH, so they've had very little impact on me subjectively. From a purely aesthetic perspective though, they're lovely to look at. Honestly, most of that set was. Like, even the basic lands were beautiful.

[RxPhantom]

I said Core 21 because I cracked a foil, alternate frame Teferi's Ageless Insight and it's so damn pretty. I put it in a deck immediately and I'm not even sure it's all that great in that particular deck yet.

[Legend]

I voted "regular style" but only because "old border" wasn't an option. Call me a boomer, but I wish Wizards had had the guts to remain artistically and stylistically based. Beta cards are and always will be Magic's aesthetic acme. That being said, I have nothing against foils, fanfare, features, and flare; but in my timeline, it wouldn't have happened.

[onering]

Ranked for me

Throne of Eldraine Storybook: Easily the best. The frames are great, the art is almost always an upgrade over the base art and often a significant one, the art direction is varied and avoids becoming too homogenous while at the same time being an extremely good fit for the set's themes. As an added bonus, this showcase is also tied to the best subset of cards for the showcase series, the unique adventure cards which by their nature required a unique frame, meaning this is also the best practical use of a showcase frame andrequired the most special considerations to develop, and it serves as a nice visual cue that actually improves gameplay.

Kaldheim Viking Legends: Hit or miss, but largely works. The frame itself is really good, while the art is hit or miss. It gets a little too samey at times but the subjects are different enough to avoid becoming noise, and some really good pieces offset the few genuinely bad ones, leaving most of them being lateral moves or slight upgrades from the base art, and allowing the awesome frames to elevate it overall. The style chosen fits the themes of the set well and really pops. Tying it to legends is also a good choice, because commander and the general specialness of legends.

Theros Beyond Death Constellation: This one is somewhat boring, as the theme is so strongly adhered to there isn't much variation, but the style works, its fairly attractive, it matches the set and settings' themes perfectly, and the subjects are differentiated enough that they can stand out despite the narrow visual theme. As with Kaldheim, tying it to legends is also a good choice, because commander and the general specialness of legends

Zendikar Rising Hedron Frame: Fairly boring, but a bit better than normal cards, because the art was often somewhat better and the frame, while a bit boring, was attractive enough. Overall a mild and inoffensive upgrade from normal frames.

Normal/Core 2021 Signature Spellbook Frame: Honestly the spellbook frame is pretty generic and doesn't do anything either way, its neutrally different from the normal frame.

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Comic Book: The art was hit or miss, but more often miss. Often ugly, with superior art on the normal cards, and the style was too busy and too goofy. It was an especially poor choice for the subject, because a big problem for Ikoria for me was that all these strange, mashed up monsters all felt really samey, as when everything is an insane mashup of animals and monsters nothing stands out. Sure, a parrot porcupine would stand out in most sets, but not when everything else is a Street Shark, a turtle monkey, or something equally ridiculous. Then it just all blends together. And then choosing a style like this one makes it worse, because while each is colorful and pops, they are all 'noisy' in the same way, which again ends up blending together. The showcase set is a visual cacophony that blends into white noise.

[3drinks]

I'd have chosen the zendikar hedron frames, but then I saw the corre set spellbook frames. Gawgeous.. Looks like I'm alone in that though.

Honestly my preference is the simple borderless look on Nahiri's Lithoforming or the inverted look on Flame Sweep/Thrill of Possibility, but those weren't an option. Guess they're too plain for most people's appetite.

[DirkGently]

Honestly my preference is the simple borderless look on Nahiri's Lithoforming or the inverted look on Flame Sweep/Thrill of Possibility, but those weren't an option. Guess they're too plain for most people's appetite.

Those aren't technically considered a "showcase style". I think that style is the same across all sets' promos so it doesn't follow the same pattern of matching the themes of any particular set.

[capitacommunist]

My preference by far has been the Thrones of Eldraine storybook style, I just wish more playable cards could have received it.

[NGW]

Surprised at the lack of love for the Ikoria showcase frame/art, easily the best yet IMO.

[Mergatroid_Jones]

I generally enjoy these, although I think I'd prefer the more bold art styles in the base frame. The style on the Eldraine ones is my favorite, but I hate the lack of reminder text. Adventure is a weird ability, and it's not remotely clear how it works if you're not familiar with it.