Does Magic's borderless frame cost more? It depends entirely on the card
Modern Magic prints many cards two ways: the normal frame and a borderless alternate. We matched 113 cards that come in both to ask a simple question: is the borderless worth more? The answer is a clean “it depends,” and the pattern is the interesting part.
The frame is worth a lot when the card is worth a little
The median premium is a modest 1.8×, but that number is nearly meaningless because the distribution is bimodal. When the normal printing is near-bulk, the borderless carries essentially all the value: Fynn, the Fangbearer is $0.17 in the normal frame but $53 borderless, a 313× gap. 31% of borderless cards are 5× or more their normal version. If a card’s only real printing of note is the borderless, the frame is the whole ballgame.
Biggest borderless premiums
Borderless price vs the normal printing of the same card. All near-bulk normally.
| Card | Normal | Borderless | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fynn, the Fangbearer | $0.17 | $53 | 313× |
| Heirloom Blade | $0.23 | $44 | 190× |
| Radagast the Brown | $1.02 | $92 | 90× |
| Astarion, the Decadent | $0.51 | $44 | 86× |
| Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh | $2.47 | $206 | 84× |
| Zurgo Helmsmasher | $0.59 | $46 | 78× |
And the twist: sometimes the borderless is worth LESS
When the normal card is already an expensive staple, collectors prize the recognizable original, so the borderless trades at a discount.
| Card (an expensive staple) | Normal | Borderless | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| The One Ring | $105 | $85 | 0.8× |
| Sylvan Tutor | $57 | $42 | 0.8× |
| Vampiric Tutor | $60 | $54 | 0.9× |
| Ancient Tomb | $126 | $117 | 0.9× |
| The Great Henge | $63 | $58 | 0.9× |
Method & sources
- For every Magic card with both a borderless and a non-borderless paper printing, we took the nonfoil TCGplayer USD price of each via the open Scryfall API.
- We match by exact card name and compare nonfoil to nonfoil, so the only variable is the frame (113 matched cards, priced $0.50+ to exclude noise).
- The “premium” is the borderless price divided by the normal price; we report the median of those ratios, robust to one extreme card.
- TCGplayer USD via the open Scryfall API. Valued 2026-07-05. Reference estimates for raw cards, not sold or graded records; prices move. Reproducible from the open API.
FAQ
Is a borderless Magic card worth more than the normal version?
On average a little: across 113 cards with both a borderless and a normal printing, the borderless sells for a median 1.8×. But the average hides everything. The premium depends entirely on the card's base value: 43% of borderless cards are 2× or more, 31% are 5×+, yet 10% actually sell for LESS than the normal printing.
Why do some borderless cards cost 100× and others cost less than normal?
It comes down to what the normal card is already worth. When the normal printing is near-bulk, the borderless carries all the value (a bulk commander like Fynn, the Fangbearer is $0.17 normal but $53 borderless, 313×). But when the normal printing is already an expensive staple, collectors and players prize the recognizable original frame, so the borderless trades at a discount, The One Ring is $105 normal but only $85 borderless (0.8×).
So is the borderless frame a good buy?
As a play piece, the cheaper of the two is always legal, so borderless is a cosmetic choice. As a collectible, the borderless is a strong premium ONLY on cards whose normal version is cheap; on expensive staples it is usually a small discount to the standard frame. The frame itself is worth a lot when the card underneath is worth little, and little when the card is worth a lot.
Where does this data come from, and is it reliable?
For each card that has both a borderless and a non-borderless paper printing we took the nonfoil TCGplayer USD price of each via the open Scryfall API, matched by exact card name, and took the ratio (TCGplayer USD via the open Scryfall API, valued 2026-07-05). We compare nonfoil to nonfoil so the only variable is the frame. These are reference estimates for raw cards, not sold or graded records, and prices move. Reproducible from the open API.
Related research
The Foil Tax Collapsed
Another Magic treatment premium that turned out smaller than everyone assumes.
12.8×The Secret Lair Tax
The other side: limited-run printings of the same card at a big premium.
33×The Alt-Art Premium (Pokémon)
The Pokémon version, where the alt art is almost always the whole card.
Collect Magic? See what your borderless printings are worth.
Foilio values any card across Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece, Lorcana and more, live prices in EUR & USD, your whole collection tracked. Free, no signup.
Cite or embed this study
Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Paste the embed on your site for the chart card + a link back, or grab the plain citation.
<a href="https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-borderless-premium?utm_source=share&utm_medium=study_embed&utm_campaign=viral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://foilio.net/studies/og?stat=1.8%C3%97&label=the%20median%20Magic%20borderless-frame%20premium%20(but%20it%20depends%20on%20the%20card)&title=Does%20Magic's%20borderless%20frame%20cost%20more%3F%20It%20depends%20entirely%20on%20the%20card" alt="Does Magic's borderless frame cost more? It depends entirely on the card, Foilio" width="600" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:12px" />
</a>
<p style="font:13px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#555;margin:6px 0 0">
Source: <a href="https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-borderless-premium?utm_source=share&utm_medium=study_embed&utm_campaign=viral">Does Magic's borderless frame cost more? It depends entirely on the card, Foilio</a> · data CC BY 4.0
</p>Foilio (2026-07-05). Does Magic's borderless frame cost more? It depends entirely on the card. Retrieved from https://foilio.net/studies/mtg-borderless-premium