For many collectors, the years between 2019 and 2022 represent the absolute best time for Traditional Chinese Magic cards. While the game was changing globally, this specific language market saw incredible designs and extreme rarity.
A period of incredible design and low supply
During these three years, the card designs were excellent. However, toward the end of this period, the print runs became very small. This makes these cards some of the rarest modern items in the game.
- Commander Decks: These became almost impossible to find in Traditional Chinese.
- No Collector Boosters: None of the modern sets in this language had “Collector Boxes.” This makes finding “Alternate frame art” cards a massive challenge for collectors.
- Only one kind of boxes per modern sets : Draft or Set booster boxes.
The mystery of the boxes
The way Wizards of the Coast released these sets was very inconsistent, making the hunt even harder:
- Set Boosters Only: Only three sets were lucky enough to get Set Booster boxes: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Streets of New Capenna, and Battle for Baldur’s Gatee.
- Draft Boosters Only: Some major sets like Kaldheim, Strixhaven: School of Mages, Innistrad: Crimson Vow, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms only existed in Draft Booster boxes.
Did you know? Faceless One is number 001/361 of the Battle for Baldur’s Gate Set. This special card is only available in draft booster boxes. And as there’s no Battle for Baldur’s Gate draft booster boxes in Traditionnal Chinese, there’s no way to complete the set in this language. Note that is also true for Korean !
The legendary Box Toppers
One of the most exciting (and frustrating!) parts of this era was the Box Toppers. These are special extra cards found inside the display boxes. In Traditional Chinese, they are legendary because they are so hard to find:
- Innistrad: Crimson Vow: This set included 17 Toppers (Dracula series), adding another layer of difficulty for completionists.
- Zendikar Rising: This set featured 30 Toppers (Expeditions). Finding a specific one in T-Chinese is a massive task.
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths: This set had the famous 15 Toppers Kaiju (Godzilla) series. Because the print run was so small, these monster-themed cards are nearly impossible to find today.
The grand finale: Baldur’s Gate
The era ended with a bang with Battle for Baldur’s Gate. This set was massive for T-Chinese collectors. If you count the tokens and art cards, there are over 1,000 different cards to collect in this language. It truly saved the best for last.
The “Hidden” Set: Warhammer 40,000
Did you know there is a “secret” set that even famous websites like Scryfall don’t list? While most people think Dominaria United was supposed to be the final set (though it was never actually printed in T-Chinese), the real final ghost set is Warhammer 40,000. It was printed in Traditional Chinese and is incredibly rare, making it the “holy grail” for collectors of this era.
| Year | Set | Code | Traditional | Simplified | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Throne of Eldraine | ELD | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Theros Beyond Death | THB | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | IKO | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Core Set 2021 | M21 | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Zendikar Rising Expeditions | ZNE | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Zendikar Rising | ZNR | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Commander Legends | CMR | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Double Masters | 2XM | — | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2020 | Zendikar Rising Commander | ZNC | — | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Year of the Ox 2021 | PL21 | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Kaldheim Commander | KHC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Kaldheim | KHM | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Strixhaven Mystical Archive | STA | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Strixhaven: School of Mages | STX | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Commander 2021 | C21 | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Love Your LGS 2021 | PLG21 | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms | AFR | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Forgotten Realms Commander | AFC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Midnight Hunt Commander | MIC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Crimson Vow Commander | VOC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2021 | Innistrad: Crimson Vow | VOW | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2022 | Neon Dynasty Commander | NEC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2022 | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | NEO | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2022 | Year of the Tiger 2022 | PL22 | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2022 | New Capenna Commander | NCC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2022 | Streets of New Capenna | SNC | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |
| 2022 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate | CLB | ✓ | ✓ | Coming soon |