Every year, it feels like more and more MTG promos cards get released. From Store Championship events to Regional Championship Qualifiers, there are plenty of ways for players to get their hands on some sweet designs.
Today, four new Japanese promos have been revealed as part of the Planeswalker Series. This group of events is run at WPN stores exclusively in Japan, and we now know the participation and top prize promos for the next two seasons. Hilariously, despite these events showcasing Standard as the format of choice, one of these promos is a card that’s banned in Standard! Fortunately, it sees play elsewhere, but this is still an ironic decision.
Autumn Promos
Kicking things off, we have our promos for the Autumn season of 2025. According to the official event page, this season will run from October 18th until December 31st.
The Planeswalker Series features casual and competitive tournaments. In both cases, the two top finishers will earn their top prize promo, and this time around, that card is none other than Slickshot Show-Off.
Slickshot Show-Off used to be a Standard staple. However, following the release of Bloomburrow, most red aggro shells adopted powerful Mice synergies in order to maximize cards like Manifold Mouse. Even with Heartfire Hero out of the picture, Slickshot Show-Off’s stock has declined dramatically.
The good news is that this card sees tons of play in Modern Prowess shells. It’s possible traditional Prowess shells reemerge in Standard following an inevitable Vivi Ornitier ban, too. Nonetheless, Slickshot Show-Off’s price has dropped over time, as it currently sits at just over $2.50 in its cheapest form, according to TCGplayer.
While Slickshot Show-Off may not be the most appealing promo specifically for Standard, the participation promo is in a much worse situation. All players that register for either the casual or competitive tournaments will receive a promo of Monstrous Rage for their efforts, which has now been banned in Standard since June 30th.
What makes this card choice even more amusing is that this isn’t the first time Monstrous Rage has received a promo in the last three months. Back in July, Wizards of the Coast announced that Monstrous Rage would appear as the Standard Showdown promo for upcoming events. This sparked discussion at the time but was ultimately excusable because Wizards put their focus on choosing and designing the promo before the ban announcement was officially made.
A similar situation likely occurred here. Still, that hasn’t stopped players from voicing their dismay. It’s not often that a promo card meant to highlight a particular format is banned in said format, and the fact that it’s happened twice with the same card is a bit disappointing.
Luckily, just like with Slickshot Show-Off, there are other formats where Monstrous Rage sees play. Primarily, mono-red aggro in Pioneer has emerged as a top tier archetype, and Monstrous Rage is commonly a four-of in mono-red decklists. The card doesn’t hold a ton of reprint value as it sits at under 50 cents in its cheapest form, but at least it’s a Constructed staple.
Winter Promos
Moving on to the Winter season promos, the top prize promo is Beza, the Bounding Spring. Beza is the ultimate stabilizer. In Standard and Pioneer alike, Beza commonly shows up in Azorius control decks.
As a 4/5, Beza serves as a brick wall. Against aggressive strategies, you’ll often gain four life and get some 1/1 tokens when it enters. Even against midrange decks, it’s hard to go wrong with Beza, since the other modes may come up as well.
Beza feels like a perfect card for a Standard promo. It sees competitive play, it’ll remain in Standard for a long time, and it holds a price tag of over $8. This is a welcome addition.
The same can be said for Into the Flood Maw: the participation promo. Into the Flood Maw is another card that was printed in Bloomburrow that has yet to be printed elsewhere. It sees tons of Standard play due to its efficiency and flexibility. Whether you’re bouncing Screaming Nemesis as a tempo play or Pinnacle Starcage to unlock your board of permanents and enable a big swing, Into the Flood Maw pulls its weight.
The card’s high demand becomes apparent when you look at its price tag. Despite being an uncommon, it’s worth over $4! These Winter promos are a smash hit, and they’re gorgeous to boot!
Events for the Winter Season take place between January 1st and March 31st.
Incredible Value
For players outside of Japan hoping to add these promos to their collection, it’s worth noting that these foil promos tend to be worth significantly more than their traditional counterparts. Due to their exclusivity, the supply for these cards, especially the top prize promos, is very low.
For reference, Nissa, Resurgent Animist was the top prize promo for the Spring season. While traditional copies can be purchased for just over $18, the Japanese promo is still valued at almost $122. The price disparity between the cheapest version and Japanese promo variant of Get Lost, the participation promo, isn’t quite as big. Even there, though, the price jumps roughly from $4 to $12.
So, expect Slickshot Show-Off and Beza to both be worth a lot of money in promo form. Outside of the Monstrous Rage debacle, the promos this time around are strong options.
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