Playtest cards are a unique set ofMagic: The Gatheringcards. These are cards that push the rules to their limits, providing unique mechanics that do not generally work within a proper Magic set. They are also a place for experimental designs, some of which have become proper Magic cards in future sets.
Playtest cards can only be found in Mystery Boosters and only the ones sold at conventions or through Festival in a Box. The retail edition of Mystery Booster did not include playtest cards, being replaced by foils instead. So if you want to open playtest cards, you’ll need the convention version of Mystery Boosters.
What Is A Playtest Card?
A playtest card is easily identifiable, as rather than look like an official Magic card, ablack and white imageis used and imprinted in front of a pre-existing card. In addition, the bottom of the card will have a textbox reading “TEST CARD - Not for constructed play.” Theart is also often of lower, sillier qualityas it is done in-house by R&D members rather than commissioned artists (hence the lack of artist credit on the cards).
Despite often being more experimental in their designs,all playtest cards still follow the rules of Magic.They are still creatures, sorceries, artifacts, etc. They do include unique types such asCloudandVanguard(a type originally only found in Magic: Online).
Rather than use the card’s name for its effects, the text will instead use “CARDNAME” to indicate it is talking about itself in its effect. Playtest cards are not carefully balanced andoften use basic to extravagant effects, meaning the power level between them varies greatly. Those more in line with a traditional Magic card have transitioned from a playtest card to a card released in an official capacity. For the most part, however,playtest card effects tend to stay as playtest cards.
Where Can You Use Playtest Cards?
As shown on the card itself, the playtest cards are notlegal for constructed play. This means they are illegal to use in any format. Theone potential exception is in Commander. Though playtest cards are illegal by default, if your playgroup is fine with you using them, you can “rule-zero” them and play with them anyway. This ismost acceptable in Commanderdue to the format’s casual nature.
The other format you can use playtest cards in islimited formats involving Mystery Boosters. Magic conventions often have Draft and Sealed events using Mystery Booster packs. If you open or draft a playtest card(s) at these events, you can use them within that Limited event.
How Many Playtest Cards Are There?
There arecurrently 121 playtest cards. Each playtest card had two different printings, one in the 2019 Mystery Booster run and another in the 2021 version. There are no differences in the cards included, with the only minor difference being the second wave does not have the planeswalker symbol in the bottom left corner of the card.
There are14 white playtest cards, 18 blue, 19 black, 18 red, 15 green, 18 multicolored, seven colorless, ten lands, andone Vanguardcard.
