Special & Bonus

The premium collector treatments that sit outside the normal rarity ladder — showcase frames, borderless art, foil-etched cards, and Masterpiece inserts that turn staples into grails.

4 example cards See examples ↓

★ Wurmcoil Engine

What Is It?

Special is a catch-all rarity Scryfall and Wizards use for premium collector cards that fall outside the standard common-through-mythic ladder, and “bonus” describes the extra sheets of reprints slotted into modern sets. This category covers the game’s most collectible treatments: Masterpiece series cards like the Kaladesh Inventions and Amonkhet Invocations, plus the showcase frames, borderless art, extended-art, and foil-etched finishes that appear in special slots. These cards are usually alternate versions of existing spells rather than new cards, but their striking presentation and limited print runs make them highly sought after — the pull-of-the-box moments that collectors chase.

Notable Cards

The special rarity is defined by premium versions of powerful staples. Wurmcoil Engine and Mana Crypt appeared as Kaladesh Inventions, given ornate frames and heightened scarcity. Force of Will and Thoughtseize were reimagined as Amonkhet Invocations with unique art and borders. Beyond the Masterpiece series, modern sets pack bonus sheets and special slots with borderless planeswalkers, showcase legends, and foil-etched cards. Because these are alternate treatments of already-desirable spells, they routinely command the highest prices of any version of that card, far exceeding the standard printing.

Examples

Real Special & Bonus cards

Representative cards you can identify and price in seconds.

Wurmcoil Engine

Kaladesh Inventions

Mana Crypt

Kaladesh Inventions

Force of Will

Amonkhet Invocations

Thoughtseize

Amonkhet Invocations

Value & Collecting

Special and bonus cards are where collector value concentrates. The same card can exist as a normal rare, a foil rare, an extended-art version, a borderless showcase, and a Masterpiece — each at a different, often dramatically higher price. Identifying which treatment you hold is therefore essential; the art and frame, not just the card name, drive the value. Masterpiece cards and early showcase treatments have proven to be strong long-term holds because their print runs are small and demand from both players and collectors is high. For serious collectors, these are the cards most worth protecting, grading, and tracking closely.

Scanner Advantage

Tappr scans any special or bonus card and identifies the exact treatment — Masterpiece, showcase, borderless, extended-art, or foil-etched — then returns the current TCGplayer and Cardmarket price for that specific version. Since a single card can span many premium finishes worth vastly different amounts, the scanner is the reliable way to know precisely what your premium pull is worth.

FAQ

Common questions

01 What is a special rarity in MTG?

Special is a rarity used for premium collector cards outside the normal common-to-mythic ladder — Masterpiece series inserts and certain showcase and borderless treatments. They are usually alternate versions of existing cards.

02 What are Masterpiece cards?

Masterpieces are ultra-premium reprints with unique frames, like the Kaladesh Inventions and Amonkhet Invocations. They are inserted rarely and are among the most valuable versions of the cards they depict.

03 What is the difference between showcase, borderless, and extended-art?

These are alternate treatments: showcase uses a set-specific frame, borderless removes the card border for full-art presentation, and extended-art stretches the art to the card edges. Each can carry a different price, so identifying the exact treatment matters.

04 Are special and bonus cards worth more?

Usually yes. Premium treatments of a card typically sell for more than the standard printing, sometimes many times more. Scan the card with Tappr to see the live value for that specific version.

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