Got Galaxy Foil? How to Spot These Super Rare MTG Prints

As an experienced Magic: The Gathering player and self-proclaimed cardaholic, I‘ve opened countless booster packs over multiple editions searching for that magical shiny pull. While regular foil cards provide a flashy aesthetic upgrade over commons, collectors like myself thrive on nabbing exclusive specialty treatments that tap into true collector catnip.

So when Wizards of the Coast debuted the new interstellar "galaxy foil" printing process exclusively in Unfinity collector packs, my acquisitive senses went full Defcon 1.

Defining This Cosmic Foiling Treatment

Galaxy foil cards feature a uniquely textured, glittery foiling meant to evoke cosmic energy and vibrant nebulae. You‘ll notice an emphasis on shimmering stars, luminous planets, and astrological imagery in the card art.

• The key to identifying a galaxy foil is inspecting the:
  • Speckled, granular foiling – metallic with rainbow microflakes
  • Rainbow reflections dancing when tilted
  • Matte, lightly textured surface (less smooth than regular foil)

The speckled finish comes from using a specialized metallic foil layer with custom dot matrix printing. This galaxy treatment is typically restricted to the artwork area rather than overlaying the entire card.

Let‘s compare galaxy foils to traditional foil prints side-by-side:

In addition to stand-out optics, galaxy foiling signals exceptional scarcity. As an ultra-rare subset, these cards drive up desirability amongst grading companies, collectors, and investors accordingly.

Rarity & Odds: The Galactic Chase

Galaxy foil variants release exclusively in Unfinity collector packs as part of the main set (accompanied by borderless planeswalker decks). Within each specialty bundle, you‘ll uncover:

• 3 to 5 galaxy foil common to mythic rare cards
• 1 traditional foil borderless shock land

With card rarity breakdown per collector pack:

• 12 commons
• 3 uncommons
• 7 rares
• 3 mythic rares

That makes any mythic pull in galaxy foil an exceptionally limited release! Out of the 40 total mythics in Unfinity, your chances of discovering one in galaxy foil roughly equates to 1 in 280 packs (0.36%).

For the iconic borderless shock lands, half appear in regular foil while the other 50% bear the galaxy treatment. So protection from your opponent has never looked more cosmically resplendent!

Flashing Your Foils: Showcase Photography

Beyond technical manufacturing details, perhaps pictures provide the fastest education on glittery galaxy foiling with rays that would make the Milky Way jealous.

Let‘s analyze spotlight photography showing these starburst prints:

Figure 1. Sticky Fingers artifact in galaxy foil styling from Unfinity. Note speckled foiling and rainbow sheen emphasized on the alien hands and spaceship beam.

The textured foiling skips the card text to avoid functionality issues. That‘s why you‘ll see some galaxy foil cards combine a sparser art overlay with regular foil card backgrounds.

Figure 2. Mythic planeswalker foil etching in galaxy is visible through parts of the silver border, maintaining card functionality.

Note how the extra dimensional portal shine cascades onto the surrounding flowy gown but avoids key rules text and typelines. This enables the card to remain tournament legal while letting that tantalizing galactic glimmer shine blindingly through!

Grading Galaxy Foils: Collectability Insights

With scarcity comes great financial evaluation. As PSA, BGS and other authorities start grading Unfinity, how will galaxy foil factor when assessing collectability and condition?

Insider speculation suggests that while etching avoids some durability issues compared to all-over foiling, graders will still flag galaxy foil cards more readily than commons. Expect point deductions for:

• Visible scratches
• Scuff marks
• Edge wear and chipping
• Surface impressions

Card Doctors argues etching leads to 30-50% higher grading than regular foils. However, Collectors Universe counters that price premium depends hugely on specific card demand.

My prediction? Galaxy mythics and special art reprints like borderless shock lands will likely claim PSA 10 Gem Mint status 20-25% less often than their traditional foil counterparts.

Through this cosmic journey, we‘ve explored how to identify elusive galaxy foil cards based on seeing that irresistible rainbow sparkle and uniquely speckled metallic shine. From odds and manufacturing processes to collectability, no nebula remains uncharted!

The next time you crack open card packs praying to the RNG gods, keep an eye out for that mesmerizing galaxy gleam. For when it emerges, bask in its astronomical glory my friends!

What specialty card treatments make your senses tingle? Share your MTG passions below!