Prototype creature images

[42en]

Current way prototype creatures are displayed is really awkward. Wouldn't it be enough to have the x is color y in the textbox instead of blocking the whole image?

Not sure what the benefit there is? If you want to highlight that it was cast as prototype, maybe highlight the word Prototype in the textbox (blue font maybe?), instead of basically blanking the whole card art.

Some of the prototypes have cool art and it's really a pity to have them only with more or less empty white boxes instead of the art.

 

[MTGO_TonyM]

We wanted a way to make immediately clear that this is the prototype version of the card. The framed art is visible by opening the Preview Pane (via the gear icon at bottom-left of Duel Scene)

 

[42en]

Don‘t really see the big advantage in making immediately clear that the card is a prototype… besides P/T and color there isn‘t really any difference. The keyword „prototype“ has no other effect on gameplay. A cleaner solution might be to change the frame color accordingly for prototype versions.

As it is, this just doesn‘t look as good as it could (same with foils btw…). And the Preview Pane doesn‘t address the issue when multiple of those cards are on the battlefield. I just think it‘s something that could be improved.

 

[ManaDrainThis]

Agree completely with original poster. I never use the preview pane, and enjoy seeing the card art on the battlefield in MTGO. With just the power/toughness and color highlighted, and perhaps the word prototype as well, it becomes clear that the card was cast as a prototype.

 

[Nahiri]

I agree. It is already very clear when prototypes are cast as prototypes because they have a colored frame. A redundant line of text saying "this is the color that you can already see in the frame" actually reduces clarity on the board, rather than increasing it, because it removes an actually useful piece of visual clarity, the card's art.

 

[42en]

One part being pretty much counter-intuitive with prototypes, I found out yesterday the hard way, is the fact, that they actually have the manavalue of the prototype when cast as such and not of the original version.

I cast Fateful Handoff on my prototyped Skitterbeam Battalion in hope to draw 9 cards out of it, but only got the 5. The mechanic is a bit convoluted and I had to read up on it in the set rules… Having weird artboxes doesn‘t really help with that to clear these rules interactions up

(and CMC of prototypes being lower than original card makes the Fateful Handoff even worse than I thought… especially being sorcery speed… urgh, what a bad card).

 

[ManaDrainThis]

Worth revisiting this. I just reanimated Skitterbeam Battalion for the first time in a couple weeks, and when the full (non-prototype) version of the card hits the battlefield, the first thing a player sees on the card is the red bar with “Prototype” text on it. And so, it tricks you into thinking that the prototype version of the card is on the battlefield.

I wonder if there’s a way to make it clearer which version of the card is on the battlefield without also obstructing the card art?

 

[Neo001992]

I think these cards could definitely use a visual overhaul somehow. Aesthetically they look abysmal.

https://imgur.com/a/4D8n3TB