Keeping sets feeling special and unique for MTG cards is getting rather difficult. There is so much MTG product being released nowadays, and making each set feel different from other releases is, understandably, not easy.
One thing that Wizards of the Coast has been implementing to try and make sets feel special is new foil treatments. We saw the introduction of serialized cards in The Brothers’ War, which offered a pseudo-lottery ticket feel to the set’s more expensive product. Serialization has been quite the hit each time it returned in March of the Machine and Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth as well.
While this is the extreme example of novelty in rarity, there are other foiling treatments introduced in recent times aimed to achieve similar effects. March of the Machine, for example, introduced Halo Foil cards. Surge foil cards seem to be the go-to rarity reprint for Universes Beyond products, and Double Masters 2022 introduced the Textured Foil cards. These were received with heavy gusto, as textured cards commonly retailed for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market! Well, those Textured Cards are returning in Commander Masters, but, as pointed out by members of the MTG community, they may not be worth what you think they are.
Textured Foiled: A History
Textured Foil MTG cards refer to a specific type of foiling that is only available in Double Masters 2022 and Commander Masters Collector Booster packs. In terms of appearance, Texture Foils do not have flat surfaces on the card. Lines are used to create incredibly gorgeous foil effects with the artwork.
While these technically first appeared in Double Masters 2022, a bizarre printing error made these cards pop up in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate product as well.
Both of these Collector Booster pack boxes are unique in the sense that they only offer four packs, making these cards even more difficult to come by.
Frankly, Textured Foil MTG cards look gorgeous, so its no surprise that players jumped on them. Right after these cards were made available to the world, they had some pretty ridiculous asking prices. Here is the average of what each Textured Foil card was worth at the end of July 2022 for Double Masters according to TCGplayer. Note that the set officially released on July 8 of that year:
Wrenn and Six
Wrenn and Six
+1: Return up to one target land card from your graveyard to your hand.
−1: Wrenn and Six deals 1 damage to any target.
−7: You get an emblem with "Instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard have retrace." (You may cast instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying their other costs.)
– $351
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
When you cast this spell, draw four cards.
Annihilator 4 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices four permanents of their choice.)
When Kozilek is put into a graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles their graveyard into their library.
– $232
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
When you cast this spell, destroy target permanent.
Indestructible
Annihilator 4 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices four permanents of their choice.)
When Ulamog is put into a graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles their graveyard into their library.
– $208
Liliana, the Last Hope
Liliana, the Last Hope
+1: Up to one target creature gets -2/-1 until your next turn.
−2: Mill two cards, then you may return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
−7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your end step, create X 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens, where X is two plus the number of Zombies you control."
– $227
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
This spell can't be countered.
When you cast this spell, take an extra turn after this one.
Flying, protection from spells that are one or more colors, annihilator 6
When Emrakul is put into a graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles their graveyard into their library.
– $132
At this time, Double Masters 2022 Collector Booster Boxes were worth about $300. While Wrenn and Six was enough to pay for your entire box, the other four potential hits were a big step in trying to break even. Outside of Emrakul, the other three cards were usually enough to get you there combined with the rest of the contents in the box.
While these Textured Foils were considered fantastic hits once upon a time, they have not aged well. This could have the same effect on the new Commander Masters texture foils, making them worth a lot less than players think.
Textured Foils have Tanked
The reason why bringing up a history of Textured Foils is important is to demonstrate just how much the financial situation for these cards have changed. Since the release of Textured Foil cards, they have absolutely tanked in value. There’s definitely still a bit of a premium in comparison to more common iterations of the same cards, but its nowhere near where it was on release.
The cheapest of the five Textured Foil cards is Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Competitive MTG players don’t typically enjoy foil cards since it can create marked card issues in competitive play. As a result, a fancy foil version of card that’s banned in Commander may not have a ton of demand.
As can be seen by the price chart above, the Textured Foil version of Emrakul has plummeted in price. Once worth $132, the card now sells for around $40.
This isn’t an outlier, either. This is the trend for all of Double Masters 2022’s Textured Foil treatments. Liliana, the Last Hope which was once $227 has now dropped to about $50. Ulamog has dropped from $208 to about $60, Kozilek from $232 to $70 and Wrenn and Six, by far the most expensive of the Textured Foil cards thanks to its continued Modern play, has dropped from $352 to about $90, but commonly sees sales between $80 and $100.
In contrast, the price of Double Masters Collector Booster Boxes has only dropped to about $210. These have not even lost half of their value over time, but all the Textured Foil cards are only worth a fraction of their previous worth, losing about 66% (or more) of their value.
Read More: Commander Masters Decks Cause Multiple $40 Card Spikes!
The Commander Effect
One notable thing about the Double Masters 2022 Textured Foil cards that may be rather different from Commander Masters Textured Foils is that none of these really made for strong Commanders. Wrenn and Six is strong everywhere, Ulamog and Kozilek are good additions to many casual 99’s but Liliana and Emrakul don’t really have a place in the format. That won’t be the case for Commander Masters’ Texture Foil cards.
Jeweled Lotus, while frankly a bit too powerful for some tables, will definitely continue to see Commander play. The Ur-Dragon is one of the most popular and powerful Commanders out there. In fact, all 12 Textured Foil cards in Commander Masters have a much bigger presence in Commander than any of the Double Masters 2022 cards did, and this is the market that cares about foil cards the most. Here are the Textured Foil cards that appear on TCGplayer for Commander Masters:
Jeweled Lotus
Jeweled Lotus
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to cast your commander.
The Ur-Dragon
The Ur-Dragon
Eminence — As long as The Ur-Dragon is in the command zone or on the battlefield, other Dragon spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Flying
Whenever one or more Dragons you control attack, draw that many cards, then you may put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
When you cast this spell, exile two target permanents.
Indestructible
Whenever Ulamog attacks, defending player exiles the top twenty cards of their library.
Kozilek, the Great Distortion
Kozilek, the Great Distortion
When you cast this spell, if you have fewer than seven cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.
Menace
Discard a card with mana value X: Counter target spell with mana value X.
Omnath, Locus of Mana
Omnath, Locus of Mana
You don't lose unspent green mana as steps and phases end.
Omnath gets +1/+1 for each unspent green mana you have.
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Urza, Lord High Artificer
When Urza enters, create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with "This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control."
Tap an untapped artifact you control: Add {U}.
{5}: Shuffle your library, then exile the top card. Until end of turn, you may play that card without paying its mana cost.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Intimidate (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.)
Whenever a Human deals damage to you, destroy it.
Other non-Human creatures you control get +1/+1 and have undying. (When a creature with undying dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.)
Morophon, the Boundless
Morophon, the Boundless
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
As Morophon enters, choose a creature type.
Spells of the chosen type you cast cost {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} less to cast. This effect reduces only the amount of colored mana you pay.
Other creatures you control of the chosen type get +1/+1.
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Whenever another creature enters, its controller may draw a card if its power is greater than each other creature's power.
{G}, {T}: Add X mana in any combination of colors, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
Neheb, the Eternal
Neheb, the Eternal
Afflict 3 (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, defending player loses 3 life.)
At the beginning of each of your postcombat main phases, add {R} for each 1 life your opponents have lost this turn.
Many of these cards can function as better individual Commanders than the cards from Double Masters 2022, so an increased interest from the Commander community could make these cards more expensive than their Double Masters 2022 counterparts.
That said, these cards are currently preordering for around the same prices as the Double Masters cards were going for near the beginning of their release. Considering the amount that the previous Textured Foil cards dropped, advising players to buy in at these prices seems dishonest.
Are These Cards Worth it?
According to past trends for Textured Foil cards, players should not buy into early prices for this particular foil treatment. As mentioned previously, cards are currently being listed for hundreds of dollars, so if these Textured Foils match the trends of the past one, anyone buying in now may lose a good chunk of change.
That said, because these cards are a lot more versatile in a Commander setting, they may end up being worth more than what players expect. Its tough to tell now but, if you are in the market for the new Textured Foil cards from Commander Masters (and we wouldn’t blame you, they look gorgeous), just be careful what you buy in at.
Read More: Top 10 Most Expensive Cards on The List for MTG Commander Masters