Framing 25 Years of Magic | A History of Magic Card Frames

This video traces a history of Magic card frames and explores how flavor and function inform graphic design.

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🎵 Music:
Various tracks by LAKEYINSPIRED

📘 Chapters:
0:00 25 Years of Mind Twist
2:03 Alpha Sets the Scene
10:17 The Uniformity of 8th Edition
17:13 Ravnica Goes Gold
24:52 Trailblazing in Zendikar
30:26 M15 is Modern Magic
36:23 The Masterpiece Experiment
48:30 Endscreen Groove

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#mtg #magicthegathering

[AlphaInvestments]

good lord, this is an amazingly polished piece of art as a youtube video...wow

[Spartan_Mello]

It's wild to look back at this video now, in a world of more than one Secret Lair per week where I honestly cannot say what a Magic Card looks like any more. Would love to see an update on this one.

[cutecommie]

Things that happened since this video:
-Legendary cards have a new cool frame since Dominaria
-M19 uses new technology to print exactly one double-faced card, which can be used again in the future
-Masters 25 has set symbols as watermarks I guess
-Ultimate Masters introduces cards with "enhanced art", which basically look like amateurish alters
-Modern Horizons shows that Snow lands can be full art too
-M20 marks the start of borderless tokens
-Throne of Eldraine has a fancy frame for cards with the Adventure mechanic, as well as new overpriced boosters with enhanced art for regular cards and weird frames for Adventures
-WotC promises to keep making those overpriced boosters with weird frames for each set's mechanic
Last updated: September 2019

[mrblopsfiner]

You should do "History of Magic" video, because there is nothing like that on here, and I really believe you'd be the only person able to give the topic the treatment it deserves. This was an amazing video btw

[idontknowwhatimdoingFX]

This video is a piece of art in itself, it was like a BBC planet earth video but for a card game.

[RhysticStudies]

This video is a long one, so here are some timestamps to help pace you:

2:03 Alpha Sets the Scene
10:17 The Uniformity of 8th Edition
17:13 Ravnica Goes Gold
24:52 Trailblazing in Zendikar
30:26 M15 is Modern Magic
36:23 The Masterpiece Experiment
48:30 Endscreen Groove

[foffingCh.]

I’d love to see a part 2 for this brilliant essay. Considering with how many new frame treatments have been created since, you could probably make something of an equal length, but then in another year or two there will be even more

[haidynwendlandt]

I think Lightning Bolt is further indicative of something that WOTC seems to be forgetting. Players don’t want to play as Gideon or Nissa, and they don’t want to watch Chandra throw fire out of her hands at her enemies. The players want to play as their own characters, themselves, they want to throw their own Lightning Bolts at their own opponents.

[seelkadoom]

It's been 6 years and that Bonfire topdeck still hurts my soul to watch. Poor Kibbles.

[pdieraue]

When you look at the back face of most DFCs one of the indicators that you can't just play the back side of the card from your hand is the missing mana cost. You simply can't accidentally play a creature or a planeswalker with no mana cost, because that just doesn't make sense. Ixalan was the first set to print DFCs with lands on the back, and that actually constitutes a bit of a problem, because lands never have a mana cost. As a result, for those cards "not looking like a Magic card" is actually a bonus. It's a functional element because it helps ensure that the card doesn't get played incorrectly.

[internetjesus]

As an old Magic player who’s slowly getting back into it, this is a fascinating look at the 15 or so years I’ve missed. Thank you.

[Ryadic]

I feel like a revisit to the subject is needed. It's been 4 years and they have really pushed the boundaries to say the least and have caused a lot of controversy.

[Nateson]

I love how you show off each cards' beauty. Always complementing their colors with the background and surroundings.

[scky]

The sheer amount of time that must have gone into research and editing alone is unreal. This is a masterpiece

[Tommyhillpicker]

Amazing video; easiest like, sub and favorite of my life. I'm working on a mobile CCG and have been struggling a lot with what style I should use to frame the cards and various UI elements. This video has too many valuable insights into how form meets function its making my head spin.

[orccen]

I cant believe I want he'd 49 minutes about card frames and at no point thought about switching videos

[TheTundraTerror]

Man, you really know how to make the wait worth while.

[NightOfCrystals]

Phenomenal video. I’m a big fan of the 1998-2003 frames and design. I started playing in 1997, so for me, the frame from those years is the most nostalgic and the best. I’m not into how “tech-y” the modern frames look, though I respect their legibility and functionality. While I don’t buy new Magic product, I’ll be interested to see how the frame experimentation keeps evolving.

[NegativeLegend]

I appreciated the Invocations when they released. I didn't like the illegibility of the text, but I always appreciate cards that prioritize the aesthetic over the design, especially if it's just a reprint. I also came from a YuGiOh background so that definitely helped but, nonetheless, I hope they keep making materpieces.

[norushoutcast]

We need the update of this video. So many alternate arts. Alternate frames. So many.