Despite arguably being the prettiest and most collectible cards in MTG, foils have been getting a bad rap recently. Due to new products, new foiling techniques, and troublesome production problems, foils are no longer as adored as they once were. For instance, thanks to the almost entirely foiled-out Collector Boosters, finding a traditional foil is no longer a rarity. Instead, players are left hunting for special double rainbow, and neon ink foils to get their prized collectible fix. For better or worse, the upcoming Phyrexia: All Will Be One set is no different. Featuring new and exclusive foiling techniques, this new set appears to have more card variants than ever before. Somewhat unusually, however, the latest wave of new foils are actually being praised than brutally condemned by MTG players.
Oil Slick Raised Foils
While it was not the only new foiling technique spoiled during yesterday’s first look Livestream, the Oil Slick Raised foils undoubtedly captured the MTG communities attention. During the Livestream, MTG players had already been inundated with new information to digest and get excited about. This included two brand-new full-art land treatments, which are typically a beloved addition to any MTG set. Despite all that’d been shown off already, once Product Architect Mike Turian revealed the Oil Slick Raised Foil lands, players were taken aback once more. Evoking the Phyrexian’s corruptive Glistening Oil, these full art full foil cards are striking, to say the least.
For many players, these Oil Slick Raised foil lands even looked good enough to surpass the usual foiling problems. “These are beautiful. I’ll agree there are too many variants, full art is overdone too often and all that, but these feel special,” u/MassiveDamages commented on Reddit. Further endorsing the lands, players such as u/Detective-E and u/Vozu_ stated these lands make an $80 product worthwhile. “Curl or not, these bad babies are what I needed to see to slam the Buy button for Compleat Bundle. Maybe I will regret it later, but Phyrexia is one thing I can splurge on.”
As u/Vozu_ highlighted briefly in their comment, there could be some serious problems with this new foiling technique. With a seemingly thick foil coating across the cards, many players are understandably concerned about the age-old problem of pringling. “Lol, you can see the curling in the photo,” u/ndenatale stated before editing their comment to admit that “they do look great tho.” Similarly highlighting the pringling issue, u/Skeith_Zero asked, “are you ready to be DQ’d from your local tournament for these beautiful pringles?”
Phyrexia: All Will Be One Bundle: Compleat Edition
Unfortunately, while the Oil Slick Raised foils do look stunning, they technically don’t come cheap. As we alluded to previously, the new foils are available within an $80 Phyrexia: All Will Be One Bundle. Known as the Phyrexia: All Will Be One Bundle: Compleat Edition, this new product is set to launch on the 3rd of March, 2023. During the Livestream, it was repeatedly stated that the new Oil Slick Raised foiling technique was exclusive to this bundle. This messaging was unfortunately confused somewhat when Mike Turian commented, “these are actually basic lands if you’ve heard of them. They are not exclusive to the Compleat Edition.” Subsequently, players such as u/Bi0s0ldier suggest that these foils could be found elsewhere, “most likely in the Collector Booster.”
The product isn’t overly expensive for players looking to purchase the Compleat Edition bundle to secure their Oil Slick Raised Foils. While the $80 price tag isn’t cheap, the bundle does contain some decent value for that money. Here’s a list of everything inside the Phyrexia: All Will Be One Bundle: Compleat Edition.
- 1 Compleat Edition Booster – Containing 2 Oil Slick Raised foil Mythic Rare cards + 10 Oil Slick Raised foil land (2 of each color)
- 12 Phyrexia: All Will Be One MTG Set Boosters
- 40 Traditional Foil Phyrexia: All Will Be One land cards
- 1 Traditional Foil Rare promo card
- Compleat Bundle-exclusive foil card box
Using the price of a Phyrexia: All Will Be One Set Booster Box as a guideline, the packs inside the Compeat Edition Bundle are currently worth $67.80. This means the Oil Slick Raised foil mythic rare cards and the land are only an additional $12.20. Considering the price of lands in a Secret Lair Drop, this is a great deal for these unique lands alone.
But Wait, There’s More
As you may have noticed from the above list, the Phyrexia: All Will Be One Bundle: Compleat Edition isn’t only Set Boosters and fancy lands. The special Compleat Edition Booster also includes 2 Oil Slick Raised foil mythic cards. So far, only one of these cards has been shown off Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. Available in six different card styles, there’s no telling which version of this card will be the most valuable. For better or worse, as good as Oil Slick Raised foils looks, players are expecting Elesh Norn to be surprisingly cheap. “My guess is if bundles are print to order and have two mythic oils per, that these will be awesome but ultimately cheap to pick up,” u/Robin_games commented on Reddit.
While Oil Slick Raised foils stole the show, it wasn’t the only new foiling technique shown off during the Livestream. Revealed on camera by Weekly MTG Host Blake Rasmussen, Wizards showcased the brand new “Step-and-Compleat” foiling treatment. Similarly to Galaxy foil cards from Unfinity, the Step-and-Compleat foils are speckled with the Phyrexian symbol. Not quite enchanting the MTG community to the same level as the Oil Slick Raised foils, this treatment was subject to the usual foil criticism. “Why are there so many versions of these cards???” u/GZbreezy complained on Reddit. Ultimately, while several players voiced their grievances due to the Step-and-Compleat foils being overlooked, the overall player opinion is unknown. As an upside, the Step-and-Compleat treatment further confirms past Phyrexia: All Will Be One leaks for the umpteenth time.
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