While the Western world is taking a break for the holiday season, the new reveals from Japan’s MTG department continue to churn out exciting promotional cards. A few days ago, a new volume in the MTG’s Destroy All Humans, They can’t be regenerated was announced with a new promotional card. Today, we have even more promotional cards to check out, but these are a lot more exciting.
Two of the most highly sought-after cards from Magic’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction set are seeing an exclusive anime artwork reprinting. One of these represents one of the biggest characters in all of Magic. If you’ve been playing a lot of Pioneer, the other one may have made you want to flip the table recently.
Aven Interrupter
Infamously appearing alongside Archon of Emeria in Pioneer Selesnya Company decks, Aven Interrupter is incredibly annoying. For three mana, Aven Interrupter Plots a spell at instant speed. Generally, this is intended to delay your opponent. Instead of being able to cast the spell for free, Aven Interrupter will tax your opponent two mana on the next turn. Combined with Archon of Emeria, this combination essentially forces a Time Walk onto your opponent. According to recent results, Aven Interrupter also sees Modern and cEDH play, as well as some fringe Standard play.
As annoying as Aven Interrupter is, this artwork is gorgeous. One of the two anime promos releasing as part of the Winter season of the Planeswalker Friendly Match promotion, Aven Interrupter is being awarded to players as a participation prize promo. While this will be easy for Planeswalker Friendly participants to acquire, it may be more expensive than you expect.
Judging from past Planeswalker Friendly entry promo prices on Hareruya, Aven Interrupter is likely going to be worth a slight premium compared to normal variants. That said, most participation promos in recent times have had uncommon printings in recent sets. Since Aven Interrupter is a rare, and a sought-after one at that, it might be a bit more expensive than we expect.
At the moment, a base Aven Interrupter is worth 800 Yen, which is about $5. The most expensive Aven Interrupter available is about $6.50. We would expect the promotional copy to potentially be worth as much as $20.
Jace, Reawakened
While the Aven Interrupter isn’t too hard to pick up as long as you participate, Jace, Reawakened may be a bit more difficult. This Planeswalker promo is awarded to the winner of a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament held as part of the Planeswalker friendly promotion. While it appears multiple tournaments will be held, acquiring a Jace will be difficult since you have to play an entirely different game to acquire it.
For reference, Planeswalker Friendly events are geared towards newer players, and two promos are rewarded for each season. One is generally awarded as a participation promo to anyone who plays in a Standard event that’s part of the promotion. The other is meant to be much harder to acquire, but still a possibility for new players to win. The Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament is intended to create this environment.
Planeswalker Friendly promotional cards acquired by winning Rock-Paper-Scissors tournaments are much more expensive than their normal variants. Saheeli, Sun’s Brilliance, for example, was a recent Rock-Paper-Scissiors tournament promo. According to Hareruya, normal copies of this card are worth less than one American dollar. The promotional Saheeli is worth about $10.
While two-mana Planeswalkers are undeniably exciting, Jace, Reawakened does not see a ton of play. Being unable to play this card on the first few turns restricts its usability in explosive strategies. Despite this, because this is a recent Jace, the card is still worth a couple bucks in its cheapest variants. That could mean this promo will be worth $20-30, but it’s impossible to know for sure.
When Will They Be Available?
The Winter season for the MTG Japanese Planeswalker Friendly promotion starts on January 1, 2025, and continues until March 31. A new season will likely be announced afterwards, showcasing two new Standard MTG cards with anime artwork.
As far as the promos go, Aven Interrupter isn’t one of the most exciting Standard cards out there, but it does see play in various formats, which should excite players. Jace, on the other hand, may be more of a promo card for collectors.
If you’re in the market for one of these MTG promos, consider keeping an eye on Hareruya as soon as January 1st. I wouldn’t expect these to be available upon immediate release on the secondary market. Prepare to wait a little while before these pop up.
