Did you miss my newest episode of Untitled Magic: The Gathering podcast with Spice8Rack? We talk Magic Story and MTG Lore, How It Can Be Saved And More here: ruclips.net/video/40qODp-YjzA/видео.html
And honestly that's what people should focus on imo. I feel like most people play constructed these days anyway. If anything, it's a kick in the pants to the LGS.
I considered splitting a box with a friend, and then took a look at the value of rares and mythics. Basically realised that you needed about a mythic per pack to really make it worthwhile. Did not buy a box.
WOTC: This set has great reprints for Modern and Commander! ME: Oh boy that sounds awesome! WOTC: It's a unique draft environment! ME: Hey I like drafting! I love buying booster boxes, then I host drafts to recoup most of the cost and put that money back into getting more booster boxes for drafting with friends. WOTC: The set has plenty of new artwork, some being borderless full art cards! ME: I love the look of borderless full art cards, that's exciting! WOTC: It costs at least 3 times the cost of a standard legal booster box! ME: Oh, well I don't know that price is something I'm able or willing to pay. WOTC: Ah, seems this product isn't for you.
@@JeremyTheGraten Magic is a business that needs players and collectors. One cannot exist without the other. So if either side is super happy the other side is getting screwed and the game is dying. If both sides are upset, that's a sign the game is going to be fine.
The Professor: "When a Corporation hides information from you, it is never doing so in your best interest. It is doing so to take advantage of you somehow. This is what corporations do."
This is true. A good example of this is when you order something from a fast food restaurant and they ask you if you want cheese or whipped cream on something and you say yes, but what they don't tell you is that it costs extra.
As a 'timmy' myself who can only afford to play pauper and commander (props to mitch for the commander decks), I utterly hate how expensive sets like masters ones are. Feels bad to get priced out of an amazing game by corporate greed.
I don't want to sound impolite but why can you "only afford" to play those specific format and game mode? Isn't it possible to "simply play" cards you have and like to play ? (sorry if it's stupid)
@@ReiAyanami366 I just mean from actual formats that I can play with strangers. My point with that was just that formats such as modern, pioneer and especially legacy are far to expensive to play mainly because of poor reprinting and highly costed sets. Whilst kitchen table magic is really fun, I would much rather be able to afford to play more competitive formats as well.
Releasing a product aimed at a more affluent segment of the audience isn’t “corporate greed.” There’s nothing bad or dirty about trying to make money. And there’s a portion of the customer base who’s thrilled to get into premium products. This is just a smart and profitable way to satisfy the customers who want something like it. It’s bizarre that so many people are mad about the existence of a product that’s not for them.
@@philiprismiller3740 except for the fact that this is not meant to be a premium product, and that master sets used to be more reasonable prices than £16 per pack. The 'this product is not for you' argument is so dumb when referring to a set designed to deliver reprints and to be drafted (and just a stupid argument in general). I'm all for premium products for those people who can afford it, but for double masters that is meant to be vip boosters, and not the main set.
the best name of all time What? That’s not just something I made up. Wizards of the Coast literally said that this is a premium product that’s not for everyone.
"Support your local gamestores?" I would, but they banned me for trying to buy singles. They cut their staff down to one employee and he just throws everything into the .1$ commons and .25$ uncommons bulk bin for people to sort through for value themselves. Whenever someone brings up a card they wanted from the bulk to checkout, he'd spring a change of the prices to that of the market price of the cards on the customer who had just spent hours rifling through the bulk and essentially being tricked into doing his job for him. He pulled that stunt on the other 4 guys who had spent 3 dull hours going through the bulk and had kept the pulls they had tried to purchase behind the counter to mark up and sell on the glass display shelves, but I wasn't having it. I kept the cards in my hands and counted them out where he could see, tallying commons and uncommons as I went with a grand total of 11$ for some 60 cards. He told me that would be 157$. I reminded him of the price and he threatened to call the police. I calmly took the cards, walked back to the bulk and shuffled all 60 of them into the 8 rows of 10,000 cards which I had just spent the better half of my friday leisurely browsing. I made sure he'd have to spend a good long weekend doing his job instead of watching movies behind the register. He banned me on the spot. I was fine with the ban. Despite being the only place in town to draft, I was always mysteriously charged in increments of 5$ and denied receipts, and despite being in a 7-way tie for second place at the WAR prerelease event, I got the least rewards despite having a single loss to the undefeated 1rst place winner and having beaten some of the other second placers (who I knew for a fact lost more games than me, and were friends with the store clerk). So no, I will NOT be supporting my local game store. On the other hand, TCGplayer...
Geez, how are consumer protection laws where do you live? Something like that happened with me, I would sue the heck out of the store, based in the police threat ALONE!
There's 3 LGS in town here, and they collaborate to make sure they have something unique to offer and can coexist. (i.e. 1 does pauper tournaments and FNM is Modern and commander Thursdays, 2 is casual / kitchen table Tuesday and also commander Thursday, with drafts on Sundays and generally a less competitive EDH scene, 3 is mostly Competitive Modern, and will do Legacy tournaments every quarter and Vintage with up to 9 proxies once per year.) They'll call each other for singles if you are hunting a specific card, you can usually get something at market value + 10-15% from the bulk boxes if you "pre-order" like 20-30 cards (they'll sift for you). All of them allow their regular clients to leave trade binders and will happily buy/sell cards for you. For playing at their establishments they make cash on product, on collateral (deckboxes, sleeves, etc.) and on food / drink consumption, as well as small entry fees (that usually double as money towards prizes). They also all do pre-releases, 2 out of 3 offer paint desks for miniatures, they do RPG nights, and generally support RPG. board games as well as card games as a whole. Also, all of them are involved with a local annual board games convention. Hell yeah I am supporting these stores and the individuals that run them. What you're describing is not a local game store, it's just a jackass in the wrong field that should go home, take a shower and wash the shame of him.
@@GrolschHeerscht we only have one LGS in our town but it’s similar to yours, you can look through binders of cards yourself or make an order online and they’ll do it for you, they also have tournaments where the entry prices go to prizes and stuff.
I’m glad WOTC was happy enough to go back on their word, pushed a draft heavy product during a pandemic and made sure to make it cost as much as they could while a chunk of the country is worrying about making rent, let alone being able to afford going to a LGS, even if they have it as most of them prolly aren’t surviving the pandemic. Thanks WOTC, glad to see you make sure the cash cow is still out there
The volatility in this set is insane. I've been tracking the card prices since early in spoiler season and running box simulations in google sheets to determine the value in this set. Anyone looking to crack packs and sell cards for value, once again, can now expect to lose money unless you bought in at under $290. Even VIP boxes are looking at single digit ROI even if you got lucky. And that's just in the US! If you're in Europe you're almost a lock to lose money on both products. Fun fact - %40 of the rares in this set are worth less than $1, 44% worth under 1 Euro In short, buy singles!!! Masters set card prices often hit their bottom within the first few days after release, take advantage if there are cards you really wanted and don't spend ~$300 on boxes that are considerably more likely to flop than be a hit!
If the ev was higher than the price of the current box sellers would either just crack boxes or raise the price accordingly. This price differential is the case for all sealed product.
Thank you for your analysis, I was thinking of buying one box but there are too much bulk rares that I usually throw away as they are played nowhere. Also the feeling of opening a bulk rare is bad.
Boxes are only every worth buying if you want a lot of the commons and uncommons in the set. Otherwise it is ALWAYS more worthwhile to buy single you will get more of the rares and mythics that you want for the same price.
I had the same thought earlier. Looked at the gamble that this was and picked up a Force of Will instead. Better on my wallet and im going to get exactly what I want
Imagine if this product was priced at $4 a pack (or hell even a normal master’s pack price)... this could of been one of the greatest reprint sets of all time. Wizards of the Cost makes me very sad sometimes.
A box of double masters is a months student housing rent. Three boxes are enought for a cheap, yet solid second hand car. Just insane prizes! Its also almost 4.5 times the price per pack in a box compared to a standard product. Really not a product prized to be played at all.
@@thomaskiser3886 my daily beater is an 05 Sentra, paid 750 for it, some body rust and faded paint, but 6 months and 20000 miles and hasn't broken down yet. Cold ac, fun 6 speed, just a northern owned car that has seen too much salt Edit: forgot to add, that's 80 dollars less than 3 boxes which was enough to cover tax and tag on it
I really like how you are a "professor" of Mtg. You talk about the game and are knowledgeable of your "subject" but still teach things outside it for the benefit of your "students." Not much of an Mtg player but I play a lot of card games, and your channel has been a fun ride into what the separate realms of Mtg are like and what they might be thinking.
This box, thanks to supplier shipping and conversion rate, literally costs more money than I made per paycheck pre-virus. I don't care if the odd person screams "I got good stuff", if I have to pay double my rent for an mtg product, I know that if I attend my lgs I am going to get into fights with the ass holes holding their financial insanity over the heads of the general local community
^This^. I am not saying that the people boasting that they bought 5 boxes and ended up making money are wrong, or that you can't get good return for your cash. I'm saying we've crossed a line financially, and there's no non-premium version. At a certain point, regardless of value, it's just too expensive. Also, without the box toppers, you're almost never getting your money back.
Bro, your not the market demographic for this product. This product is for whales and MTGfinance goons. Everyone in your LGS can skip this product and Hasbro will still make their money. I dont like it either, but I take solace in the fact that all the cool rares and mythics are dropping in price HARD.
As someone who is a 40 year old guy who's firmly middle class with a household income that reaches 6 figures, I can't justify the price on some of this product. I can't imagine how unappealing it is to students or younger folks. It just stinks because there are much needed cards in here for multiple formats. The more they chase whales the more the actually player base will suffer....
El Gordo this is my thought too. While the “this product isn’t for you” excuse is a dumb way for wizards to say “this is for people with money” in most cases, I’d rather the product exist than not at all.
"Please strive not to view things in black and white, when there are myriad perspectives which are valid." Prof, I've always liked your content because you're willing to be critical, and this is a continued example of that. I've felt really conflicted on this set because there are things I love and things I despise about it- and this is definitely the time to not just be in the "Is it good or is it bad" review game. Your content continues to be awesome for legitimate, critical examination. EDIT: That being said, I know you hate MTGO. But seriously, if you want to draft this set and not be out a million dollars for junk- PHANTOM DRAFT ON MTGO IS LEGIT RIGHT NOW. It's actually affordable! I would have loved at least a mention of that, even if it's a snarky "but then you have to learn to use mtgo so I mean".
Keep up the good work prof, it was actually your videos that got me into magic in the first place. I started playing during m19 and now I’m 8 commander decks deep.
Double themed set, double the mythics printed on the back of the package, WOTC themselves saying you can get double mythic boxtoppers.......2 days before product release: WOTC "You cannot get double mythic boxtoppers or double mythic foil non-boxtoppers".
Yes you can, I've seen plenty of box toppers being opened from the normal Double Masters boxes that actually have 2 mythic box toppers. Watch every video on RUclips, you will see it too
Playerbase: "These products are crazy expensive! This sucks." WotC: "This product just isn't for you, then." Some idiot: "I have lots of money and a sizeable income, yet have no desire to make reasonable financial decisions with my money. I regularly am able to buy entire mid-grade computers but instead buy thin sheets of cardboard!" WotC: "Ah, theres our target audience!"
@@meyeneetuks4680 That's why they have different price tiers for their products, and different formats with variable entry costs. Clearly you will just buy some other product and come here to talk about how you can't afford a Masters box, which costs them nothing.
"buy singles" seriously the advice i give all my friends starting out asking how to get more cards. i very rarely buy any sealed products anymore aside from the occasional edh precons. i used to buy masters sets before they were 20$ a pack T-T
my lgs (germany) stopped selling singles years ago. wasn't worth the trouble anymore. at least we have a good website for trading in europe (magic-card-market).
The biggest takeaway for me is the question, "what else does $320 buy?" Our commander playgroup can split the price of a box, do the sealed deck thing, and have the box topper as the prize. OR, we can all buy full 100 card budget focused decks, possibly with some of the reprinted staples like lightning greaves. I guess I better go get a dark confidant and start building another commander deck. Not the new art either which at best looks like a budget Paul Rudd. Great content prof!
I started shaking my head when you said Card Kingdom was already sold out of this product. MtG is never going to become affordable because there are too many people blind to the cost, too many people trying to take advantage of others by buying out stock to resell at an even higher value, and Wizards' abandonment of an MSRP just to claim innocence in the entire affair.
What you just wrote could be rephrased to: there are enough people okay with the price to make this a viable business strategy. I know I won't buy any boxes of it, but apparently that doesn't matter. Just because we don't like it, that doesn't necessarily make it a bad move.
@@Volkbrecht It's bad for the game. Eventually all Wizards will have left are a bunch of cardboard cutouts of what used to be collectable, as the basis of value is dependent upon people playing the game. The only things left that could possible retain collector value if the game dies are going to be old ABU cards that no one can afford today anyway. Wizards has increasingly shown that they're only interested in short-term profits which is likely due to the appeasement of shareholders. The long-term health of the game, and the company by extension, continues to be in jeopardy if this trend continues.
@@ForeverLaxx I don't see it as darkly. I mean, what formats do you play? You like Limited? Well, there will still be 4 affordable Standard sets per year for you, plus occasional gems like Unstable or Battlebond. And if you prefer Constructed formats, does it really matter that instead of boxes you buy single cards for your decks? In the end, the only bad thing about WotC's pricing and distributing strategy I see is the environmental aspect of mass box openings. WotC should just start printing and selling singles themselves, you know, managing card prices directly, instead of randomizing and packing their product before sending it to another company that unpacks and sorts it again before selling it to the customer. When looking at those things you need to carefully evaluate if it's your attitude doing the talking or if you actually have a solid point. WotC adding a premium layer to their product portfolio doesn't really change the game in terms of accessibility, and, therefore, does not have an effect on the playerbase.
@@Volkbrecht They're trying to sell singles, in a roundabout way, with the "Secret Lair" series. The main reason they don't sell singles themselves is because they're beholden to their (easily disprovable) claim that they don't take the secondary market into account with pricing product. If they started selling singles directly, as a company that can quite literally "print to demand" any order, prices would start to fall and it probably wouldn't be sustainable from a business perspective. Sure, they could try and "force" prices to be a set amount, but when you hold all the money in their printing, it's hard to justify one Mythic costing more than another. Plus, the copies already in circulation would just be reduced in price to sell instead of Wizard's direct product, which lowers prices further. There's also the issue of Draft being the primary format, which necessitates booster packs and sets designed with this function in mind. I think one of the mistakes Wizards makes with supplemental product is that they try to make that product suitable for drafting, and while it can be a fun experience it ultimately brings the value of said product down considerably which contributes to the relatively new inclusion of box topper "incentives" to bring potential back up and justify an ever-increasing cost for a box. And WotC's practices in price-hiking most definitely have an effect on the playerbase. It prices people out from getting the cards directly from the source because WotC is choosing instead to sell this product at an inflated price to a group of people who care not one whit what the price of something is. They'll buy boxes, sit on them until they're out of print, then sell them a year later for 25, 50, or even 100% mark-up value. Most of these boxes sold aren't being opened, and the ones that are, are either being opened by shops with the intent to sell singles (remember, these shops don't pay full price for a box, otherwise they'd make no money at all), or they're opened by people addicted to the mystery of "cracking a pack". It's that last group that lose out the most, as whatever they pull, outside of a specific "jackpot" card, is generally at its lowest value during the early days of a set's release and often just go into trade binders for an untold eternity. In effect, WotC printing a set that the average player won't get their hands on just means they end up paying more for it later, increasing the cost of what is supposed to be a game about dumb wizards throwing spells at each other printed on rectangular cardboard. For the record, since you asked, I tend to play Modern and care about that format the most. Standard will always be a money sink, as designed, and I think Pioneer is a sick joke from Wizards' unwillingness to curb Modern's ever-inflating pricing and lack of needed reprints issue. I'd like to get into Pauper, but since WotC started "supporting" the format, the price for that has been going up as well, though by its nature, it still isn't very expensive overall.
@@ForeverLaxx I hope you at least feel better now. The sheer size of this wall of text indicates that something heavy had to come off your chest ;) But don't think I'm shitting on you here, I actually read it and I am aware of some of the things you stated, especially regarding the whole secondary market issue. The problem is you still don't get how you avoid the logical conclusion in order to uphold your emotional view: if it is a viable business model to buy up tons of boxes, then sit on them until they gain a higher market value, and only THEN sell them on to the playerbase, you have even more proof that said playerbase is accepting higher price points for the product. Again, I'm not a fan of that. To me, the store prices of the product should be representative of the production cost of the product rather than the secondary market value. I avoid products like the collectors' boosters and overpriced Masters' sets. But they sell. According to the owner of my LGS, they sell very well. Mostly online, but since the shop is in a rather touristy town (Heidelberg, Germany) he keeps getting customers, grown-up men from all over the world, who just like to dump a few hundred € on MTG products for fun. In short: this is not a kids' game any more. Most of the money ist to be made from grown-ups with jobs, and since Magic is a rather brainy hobby, a lot of those former kids have rather well-paying jobs now. With regards to Pioneer, I don't think of it as a sick joke. I myself have only dabbled into Modern, you know, just casual games with decks borrowed from other players, but I kind of got the fascination of it over Standard. When Pioneer started, I played two local tournaments with my own cards, and it kind of feels similar to what Modern is. Mana efficiency, the way you need to know the meta in order to identify correct play patterns - if you took away Modern, Pioneer would be a decent alternative. And that's not just me who's saying it. Where I live there is a pretty competitive crowd of MTG nerds (the main reason I don't play Constructed regularly ;( ), and they will choose Pioneer over Standard any time. The problem with Modern is that the size of the card pool is getting out of hand. I understand that WotC would rather replace the format with something similar instead of being burdened with the task to keep it balanced for all eternity.
A+. Great video. Excellent and true. I’ve spent about $1000 expanding my collection including 4 force of will, entire tron deck, a set of these wonderful lands!!!
The minute long soliloquy at 2:55 is one of the most wonderful things I've seen on this channel. The idea that things have a grey area and there is room for nuance and perspective and debate. That's not just a good message for Magic, that's a good lesson for life.
Shout out Card Kingdom for being such a supportive sponsor to TCC. Prof can be brutally honest and advise to buy cards from all these other online stores in addition to Card Kingdom. That's awesome. Respect
I really appreciate the time you put into this. I’m new the playing magic and I’ve made the mistake without doing the research of buying boxes and your insight is really helpful!!! Thank you!!!
@@elgordo9525 can't play a game with stocks *shrug* I'll still play with the cards I got, was just hoping for better pulls. No blightsteel, no jace, no FoW, no doubling season, no Mana echoes. Just a lot of garbage sadly.
I got the force of will box topper. The rest was garbage. Like 7 rares above 10 bucks. Only 1 of my foils was a rare. Dont like the whole artifact theme of the set eather
I like how Prof so often puts my thoughts on a product into words better than I ever could. Also, since it was briefly touched on, I would love to see a video about ways to set up webcam Magic if possible. Like, what you would need, the equipment Prof recommends, etc. I've been having a lot of trouble figuring out how to set it up on my own, especially when I don't have many places in my house that would work.
I don't think you're going to be hearing light-hearted "boogaloo" jokes ever again. What with the terrorist group using that name having murdered a bunch of people.
You aren't joking Prof, that singles market is tasty right now. Double masters has 7 cards that are in my brudiclad deck and some were super pricey in foil (blightsteel, C-rift, academy ruins) and this will make it way cheaper to foil out my baby. Good vid, Prof. Thanks for your work.
I'm personally excited to snap up a set of Stoneforge Mystic. I aleady have 1 of every equipment for her toolbox, so this just might open a new Modern deck for me for under $100
@@ReiAyanami366 Over time multiple printings will take a toll on even the original print. However when it comes to cards that have only been printed a couple times, such as Blightsteel, the new printing will be significantly cheaper than the original for a while. It really varies depending on the cards but typically right after a card is reprinted, the reprint version will be pretty cheap for a while.
Many Magic: the Gathering players need to ask the question: Who is this product for? Wizards claimed this was made for draft; but at $14 a pack, who is going to pay for a draft? This seems to be another in a not short list of products for whales, masquerading as supplemental, draft sets.
When have they pretended this is not a product for whales? Every booster set is made with draft in mind, but not necessarily friendly to spend in drafts.
i really appreciate you pounding into my head to buy singles, and I've really cut back on cracking packs, but i do still like the lottery about opening packs and have to do some time to time. keep up the good work.
I recently purchased a box off of Amazon. I looked and now they have boxes for 4-500$ so I'm glad I bought one when I did. Really good box. I got Blightsteel Colossus and Batterskull for the Toppers. Mana Crypt and Jace are among several other good pulls from the packs. I could easily recoup the amount spent on the box.🤓
Exactly, the best thing about the set is that it brings affordability to the game. I don’t get all the criticism of the set, as long as hit helps players buy the decks they want.
Hey Prof - That webcam stand looks great! Any recommendations on cheap/convenient webcam/phone stands for webcam magic? I've been looking for a good solution, and I like the sturdy, freestanding design you have there.
Hi Prof! Only started watching you recently. Highly appreciate these recommendation videos. Re: DxM, I was able to get a highly discounted pre-order price of $250. This made it totally worth the box! My box came out to about $280 plus bulk rares and foils. I found that about 30-40% of my packs were duds, another 30% equalled the cost, and the remainder were worth more than a pack. The box toppers definitely threw it over the edge.
My friend bought a whole box for himself and pulled some nutty stuff like a chrome mox and a force of will, but we all egg him on for being willing to shell out 300$ on a single box. I'd rather just buy a few jumpstart boxes and have a ton of fun with that.
@@TheKaijudist well, he spends way too much, at this point it's more of a addiction. He is a avid commander player, but refuses to buy singles over 10$. he buys a bunch of boxes and pretty much all the lairs.
The Crazed Chef but he could just as easily spend that money for cards he’d actually use in his cmdr decks. I have a friend just like him and I cannot understand the mentality.
@@TheKaijudist well his hobby is basically just spending money at that point. Lol. No reason for the same amount of cardboard to be worth triple just because of some different writing.
Prof, I just want to say that your honesty and integrity mean so much to me, not only because I love this game, but also because I can count on you to be fair and comprehensive in your reviews/critiques of these products. You make sure people understand what WotC is doing with the pricing of their products and marketing and I love your content for it. Cheers, my dude.
Was going to say... but that's if you can get the folding tables and chairs and hand sanitizer and masks and water AND THEN can afford the booster box AND THEN hump everything into the woods and out again. Still worth it, IMHO.
I know this is for the Magic content mainly and not about your personality, but I really appreciate both your character and your beautiful style in the last couple of videos. Also, damn, this time you've outdone yourself in terms of style! Gorgeous!
With about a, oh I don't know, 99.5% to not die I'll take my chances and live my life. Not saying I'd draft this set, cause I don't like draft, but if I did I would
@@TainyaGaming I dunno, for all my misanthropy I'd consider the lives of 1.5 fucking million people worth more than a children's card game enjoyed exclusively as a luxury which certainly isn't going away anytime soon, but then I guess after having to pretend to be human for several decades I've gotten pretty good at it :/.
@@TainyaGaming You absolutely have the right to risk your life if you want. The thing is...every person who gets Covid spreads it to around 2.5 people. You're responsible not only for your own life but the lives of the 2.5 people you infect before you show symptoms and for the 6.25 people they spread it to and the 15.6 they spread it to and so on and so forth. Furthermore you bear moral responsibility (if not legal responsibility) for the additional lives that are inevitably lost because you were too selfish to wear a god damn mask and socially distance. Yes it sucks but healthy young people like us aren't doing it for ourselves, we're doing it for our neighbors, our families, and our friends.
I mean if I really cared, I work a job where I deal with customers on a daily basis. I have dealt with shitty people for so long now that my pity meter has bottomed out. I wear a mask at work when dealing with customers or when I have to when entering a store, otherwise I don't. If someone is gonna get it, chances are they won't even get sick, and the people who do are usually do get over it quickly with minor symptoms. And those who don't, are usually so old that they are past life expectancy, or are already so close to death that they have one foot in the grave. Also. We are all gonna die at some point, at any time, that doesn't mean you live in fear your whole life, I don't think it's ok to destroy an economy, ruin peoples places of business, destroy people's livelihoods, put millions of people out of work, for something that has less then a 0.05% chance to actually kill you. My entire playgroup is either "essential" workers, or unemployed. We get together every week cause most of us go out in this "horrendous" time every day to work.
@@dapperghastmeowregard The mortality rate in the US is actually .04, a whole order of magnitude less. I'll take the tiny risk of catching it to guarantee my mental health stays intact.
Brian, dude, bro, your videos make me laugh my ass off!!! Your presentation, wardrobe choices, expressions, jokes, music, all of it!!! On top of all of that, your knowledge of Magic: The Gathering is some grade A goodness. Keep up the great work and you will have a subscriber for life. Cheers!!!
P.S. I like this set of cards and am hopefully going to have the cash to gamble on a box in about a month maybe 6 weeks. Unless they go higher in price.
I do think that the set is too expensive, it could easily have been 250 and still have been a profitable product, but my concern is more over the print run. If the print run is on fact super short, my lgs had very few boxes compared to demand, I think the prices of the sealed boxes will be even more outrageous on the secondary. However, I do think it's worth noting that the product, regardless of the price of packs, is great for players of all formats and wealth levels, for the very reason you said, singles prices. Lots of staples are now half the price they were before release, which foils the evil speculator driving up prices, however the short supply will likely cause them to rebound, so I agree the time to buy is now. But you can't have everything all at once, secondary market prices can't be high and low on the same card at the same time... Except with the different versions. The glam borderless cards intice whales to buy and crack looking for chase cards, which increases the supply of, say, endless atlas to where it's a dollar, and stoneforge mystic to where it's back to thirteen. Ultimately, for wotc, it's a matter of trying to strike a balance between creating products that sell, ones that increase the supply of cards that people want to play, but without completely annihilating secondary market prices, which is a very fine line to tread. I think the fancy versions creating a parallel "upscale market" in addition to the regular market is a fairly good idea, as long as actual playable cards aren't artificially paywalled, which, since singles inevitably enter the secondary market, and prices have in fact gone down since release, hasn't occurred with this release. Personally, I am much more sour over the secret lair drop system, which is wizards directly entering the secondary market and effectively price fixing, and if printing a secret lair version of card x means not getting a version in a regular booster set, even a pricy one, that _is_ paywalling playability. In summary, think of it as, double masters is actually for you, but maybe not buying and cracking packs. Let someone else do that, then buy their low priced singles!
I love how rational your videos are! I would love an Avacyn boxtopper so instead of 330 on a chance, just 100 on the card? That's still sooo much money! Thanks for the video!
I ended up splitting the cost of this box with my friends and we're going to meet up soon to draft this set - the price is crazy for what's in it but we all just want to have a good time in drafting the set regardless of the financial outcome - we don't do it very often so it's a treat for us to come together and crack packs :D (yes we accept it'll probably be a financial loss, and accept these risks)
But this is more about celebrating each Others friendship and company , getting your moneys Worth isn't the Goal and Well dividing the price by Friends makes IT a lot more affordable without too big of a loss. Like this is understandable and I think a reasonable way of using the product, Not Just financial but also emotional Level, I do the Same with Friends when it comes to Standard boxes cause 80-100+ euro is quite some money
The thing is, I feel like a ton of these prices on the cards (that a lot have dropped about 50% from the last reprinting they have had) are from the speculations of how bad the set is going to be, not an actual reflection of the value of the cards. Because so many of the cards are insanely good, at least to me as a commander player. So much of what I got from my pre-orders is going straight into my decks and is going to trade out pretty fast to my friends when quarantine lifts enough. Imperial Recruiter only costing 22 dollars? Dark Confidant 27? Down from what? 70? Is WotC supposed to try and value the product on what the prices of the cards they are releasing are? Or are they supposed to see the future and predict what the prices are going to be on release? Because I sure as hell didn't expect a lot of the cards to drop like they did. ALSO when buying boxes, you should expect on average to get about half your value back. As someone that has spent way too much money on magic cards the last few years, this rule has been golden for me. I got about 400 dollars from my box and the box toppers were worth about 80 together, and then I pulled a nice Force of Will that brought up the value again. But even without those I still hit around 240 dollars value which is certainly higher than my mark.
Here in Europe dark confident was 20-30€ last year when I purchased one, and it's still at this price point Same for mox opal that stays around 25€ But imperial recruiter, the swords... And plenty of czrds droped I think they will continue to drop in the next weeks but for now it's not worth it to buy it (unless for toxic deluge, Thoughtseize and blood moon)
@@TolarianCommunityCollege Beats me. Just seems like a scummy move that a surprising amount of people are willing to look past; at least in the Discord servers I'm in.
What also makes me worried is that the singles are going to spike back up as soon as the hype dies down, and gets to the point where the 2XM printings are the most expensive printings for a lot of the cards.
What irritates me is the idea that I have a buy virtual cards. I hate virtual cars they are worthless and I cant hold em in my hand pokemon dorsn it right with codes in the packs it honestly should be that simple but nope gotta milk as hard as we can.
LazyBunnyz except they’re not worthless since you can sell them for actual money. MTGO’s business model is fine because you can cash out. MTGA on the other hand is pure theft
completely agree with your assessment. Well thought out and fair as usual. As a budding pauper cardboard player am looking forward to snapping up the singles!
We've been drafting this set for the past few days here in Taiwan, and I gotta say it was a lot of fun. As a new player who joined since M20 and have been playing only standard, the abundance of archetypes this set offers, the excitement for seeing "new" cards and how they work together, and most importantly, being able to gather together and play, surely brought smiles to our face. That said, I got a Karn for my first pick in one of my games, and therefore tried to pick at least a set of Urza's Land, but never did I see a Power Plant. Not sure if I should be happy or sad about that lol
When double masters was announced my excitment literally spiked so high that it felt as if I had just had my spark reignited for the game. The price though is out of my budget and yes i know i can buy singles but there is nothing like opening a fresh new booster box and getting tons of goodies for my decks, collection, trade etc..im not mad that wotc put the price where its at but i just wish it was a bit cheaper so that more people could experience the best part of magic besides playing the game, and that's opening booster packs.
This! If it was even minutely value for money I'd LOVE to draft with this set. The excitement of not knowing what you're going to get is part of the fun!
"You can't draft this set" you can if your government and citizenry actually worked towards stopping the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic. New Zealand and Australia (Sans the state of Victoria) have been drafting.
Really want to emphasize what Prof was saying about this set, do not buy a box if you are expecting getting your money's worth. I bought two (mainly to support my LGS I knew I wouldn't get the same value out). The biggest issue I had is that the box toppers were super warped, not sure if its the foils issue or if that it slipped to the front of the box and got bent that way. Completely agree on the grade
I would love a video (or podcast) about your thoughts on the general existance of the secondary market. Can you even call MTG a TRADING card game anymore, because nowadays you just compare the prices of cards? Is a rare card even rare, if you can just buy it online anyway just for a higher price? Does it destroy the general idea of a trading card game where people would build the best deck with the cards they got from boosters or from actually trading with other people, and not just buying the best singles available or even straight up copying popular decks? Don't get me wrong, I love MTG and played it for around 15 years or so until today, but for me it kind of kills the magic of it (pun intended) and also is the reason I can only play with a very small group of people who feel the same way and only use decks they've build from the cards they aquired without ever buying any singles. If I go to any game store or public event to play with strangers, I'll get stomped by everyone, because I'm the only one that didn't optimise his deck by researching and then buying the best cards online. Commander is a step in the right direction, but still I feel I can't compete by just using my collection and not optimising. There are probably a lot of arguments against this, so I feel there would be enough content to create a video about it. And i would find your thoughts about this very interesting even if you don't agree with me ;)
Totally agree. My friend and I were talking about this as being one of the major problems with modern card games--netdecking and collaborative deck building online means that you aren't just facing a deck that a group of 5 people put together at their LGS. You're facing a deck that is the result of literally tens of thousands of magic players--many of whom have studied the game for decades. It's the best possible set of decks in the meta. Fair and robust modern CCG metas and now ranked online ladders just aren't possible with the way information is shared these days. It's kind of a bummer. With the availability of online shopping, even paper magic suffers from this netdecking bane.
@@christopherw6652 Exactely right unfortunately... I miss the days when I was younger and my friends and me would have really unique and also bad decks, but it was way more fun. I remember being honestly surprised and excited if someone would play like a legendary no one of us had ever seen before. It really felt like you were building/collecting something unique. A bit like the Yu-gi-oh tv series where everyone had their unique deck and everyone would be surprised an in awe at the new cards ;) But like you said it's just not possible anymore with todays methods of information and access to all cards.
Prof, as always, your insight is invaluable and I can't help but agree with every point you keep making. I love this set. I want these cards. I can't spend that much money on cardboard. My fiance is getting laid off, I just had to pay for surgery and vet visits for my new injured kitty. I love MTG and playing with my friends, but I need a place to live and to make sure me and my family can sustain ourselves. Thank you for always looking out for the little guy.
That draft price is the most laughable part of it for me. (at least, some people will be able to draft thanks to some playmate that will buy a box for themselves.)
@@mrstizzle9049 I don't know the price. Haven't went to my lgs for a long time. But I expect booster to be 20$ and it's generally 3-4x times that for the price since you pay for the packs + reward pool
Hey Prof, I work in a mtg webshop, and after opening loads of booster boxes I feel like you're totally right. It rarely pays off to buy these boxes as a whole, and instead would be so much better to just buy the singles you need! Thank you as always for your great video!
If you want to build a specific deck it is the best way to go. The only reason I can see for buying any box is if you have friends to draft with as mentioned or just like cracking packs (this also holds true for buying booster packs). There is an investment component in boxes too I guess
I did get 2nd place at the Draft at my LGS last night. Gotta love Alaska's lack of population density! The 2 pulls/first pull each pack, is a really cool experience though. The Only foil rare I pulled in my box was that fucking giant...
Great analysis and I agree with buying singles. I have been buying old school cards for my collection for years now and I am so happy I did not waste money on these type of products, but slowly and surely continued expanding my collection on cards that I play with and enjoy.
It's their way of getting in on the secondary market that they constantly claim to be ignoring. Sell wanted cards at high prices to whales/speculators, then let those people sell moderately-to-slightly devalued singles to the people that actually play the game.
Weird how they manage to keep selling massive amounts of this “horrible product” over and over again. Maybe that’s because a huge amount of people don’t actually think it’s horrible?
Played a draft on release and it was fun but expensive, fun to see what people open and great to pick up singles at a lower price from the reprints! I’m in Perth, Australia where we are actually allowed outside and we haven’t had a case in ages so truly blessed to be able to play magic in paper 🥰
![[SFM] Risky Recital](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RzNkY1_Nk3o/mqdefault.jpg)
Did you miss my newest episode of Untitled Magic: The Gathering podcast with Spice8Rack? We talk Magic Story and MTG Lore, How It Can Be Saved And More here: ruclips.net/video/40qODp-YjzA/видео.html
I did tbh
I did...and I too miss the way they did lore, even though I didn't really get into the lore till Ixalan.
you and spice are some of my favorite mtg content creators, i LOVED the podcast. it was just two chaps having a good time
I enjoyed it and it was kind of sad at the same time.
Haven't yet, but i assume its prety spicy
Thankfully this product has made it somewhat affordable to get the singles you need without needing to buy a box
And honestly that's what people should focus on imo. I feel like most people play constructed these days anyway. If anything, it's a kick in the pants to the LGS.
Shh
I basically only play Limited nowadays, constructed is usually either stagnant or broken in my estimation.
I considered splitting a box with a friend, and then took a look at the value of rares and mythics. Basically realised that you needed about a mythic per pack to really make it worthwhile.
Did not buy a box.
I wonder if that is because people are just so over all of the WotC nonsense :/
WOTC: This set has great reprints for Modern and Commander!
ME: Oh boy that sounds awesome!
WOTC: It's a unique draft environment!
ME: Hey I like drafting! I love buying booster boxes, then I host drafts to recoup most of the cost and put that money back into getting more booster boxes for drafting with friends.
WOTC: The set has plenty of new artwork, some being borderless full art cards!
ME: I love the look of borderless full art cards, that's exciting!
WOTC: It costs at least 3 times the cost of a standard legal booster box!
ME: Oh, well I don't know that price is something I'm able or willing to pay.
WOTC: Ah, seems this product isn't for you.
And then of course they cut 12 packs out from a normal sized booster box too don't they?
Thank god, otherwise the game would be dead.
@@jayceh ??? How?
@@JeremyTheGraten Magic is a business that needs players and collectors. One cannot exist without the other.
So if either side is super happy the other side is getting screwed and the game is dying.
If both sides are upset, that's a sign the game is going to be fine.
@@JeremyTheGraten yeah if it truly was double everything, it'd have 48 boosters
Many MtG players ask the question “When is WotC going to release a $4 a pack product again?” 😆
You aren't wrong!
Zendikar rising is probably the next set that will have 4 dollar packs
Core set 2021 was that price
Naw... the Timmies and finance goons are going all in. Buy Hasbro stock.
Based on rumored price increases starting with zendikar...never?
"Please strive not to view things in black and white"
Of course, there's also red and blue and green.
Don't forget colorless!!!!
@@txag007 Colourless is not a colour :) lol :)
@@mtgexile8929 neither is black and white
Do snow and phyrexian count?
Phelpo Rock Tell that to WotC.
The Professor: "When a Corporation hides information from you, it is never doing so in your best interest. It is doing so to take advantage of you somehow. This is what corporations do."
This is true. A good example of this is when you order something from a fast food restaurant and they ask you if you want cheese or whipped cream on something and you say yes, but what they don't tell you is that it costs extra.
I came for my pack cracking addiction, I left with some wisdom.
Based Prof
@Kel'Thuzad YESSS! FINALLY! Someone else acknowledged they exist!
Many Magic the Gathering players ask the question: where did Prof get that sweet jacket?
Actually very true- it's quite snazzy and if I could pick one up with a TCC lapel or something, I might
Right!
I ask isn't he hot in that outfit cause I'm burning up in just underwear
As a 'timmy' myself who can only afford to play pauper and commander (props to mitch for the commander decks), I utterly hate how expensive sets like masters ones are. Feels bad to get priced out of an amazing game by corporate greed.
I don't want to sound impolite but why can you "only afford" to play those specific format and game mode? Isn't it possible to "simply play" cards you have and like to play ? (sorry if it's stupid)
@@ReiAyanami366 I just mean from actual formats that I can play with strangers. My point with that was just that formats such as modern, pioneer and especially legacy are far to expensive to play mainly because of poor reprinting and highly costed sets. Whilst kitchen table magic is really fun, I would much rather be able to afford to play more competitive formats as well.
Releasing a product aimed at a more affluent segment of the audience isn’t “corporate greed.” There’s nothing bad or dirty about trying to make money. And there’s a portion of the customer base who’s thrilled to get into premium products. This is just a smart and profitable way to satisfy the customers who want something like it. It’s bizarre that so many people are mad about the existence of a product that’s not for them.
@@philiprismiller3740 except for the fact that this is not meant to be a premium product, and that master sets used to be more reasonable prices than £16 per pack. The 'this product is not for you' argument is so dumb when referring to a set designed to deliver reprints and to be drafted (and just a stupid argument in general). I'm all for premium products for those people who can afford it, but for double masters that is meant to be vip boosters, and not the main set.
the best name of all time What? That’s not just something I made up. Wizards of the Coast literally said that this is a premium product that’s not for everyone.
"Support your local gamestores?" I would, but they banned me for trying to buy singles.
They cut their staff down to one employee and he just throws everything into the .1$ commons and .25$ uncommons bulk bin for people to sort through for value themselves. Whenever someone brings up a card they wanted from the bulk to checkout, he'd spring a change of the prices to that of the market price of the cards on the customer who had just spent hours rifling through the bulk and essentially being tricked into doing his job for him. He pulled that stunt on the other 4 guys who had spent 3 dull hours going through the bulk and had kept the pulls they had tried to purchase behind the counter to mark up and sell on the glass display shelves, but I wasn't having it. I kept the cards in my hands and counted them out where he could see, tallying commons and uncommons as I went with a grand total of 11$ for some 60 cards. He told me that would be 157$. I reminded him of the price and he threatened to call the police. I calmly took the cards, walked back to the bulk and shuffled all 60 of them into the 8 rows of 10,000 cards which I had just spent the better half of my friday leisurely browsing. I made sure he'd have to spend a good long weekend doing his job instead of watching movies behind the register. He banned me on the spot. I was fine with the ban. Despite being the only place in town to draft, I was always mysteriously charged in increments of 5$ and denied receipts, and despite being in a 7-way tie for second place at the WAR prerelease event, I got the least rewards despite having a single loss to the undefeated 1rst place winner and having beaten some of the other second placers (who I knew for a fact lost more games than me, and were friends with the store clerk). So no, I will NOT be supporting my local game store. On the other hand, TCGplayer...
Geez, how are consumer protection laws where do you live? Something like that happened with me, I would sue the heck out of the store, based in the police threat ALONE!
There's 3 LGS in town here, and they collaborate to make sure they have something unique to offer and can coexist. (i.e. 1 does pauper tournaments and FNM is Modern and commander Thursdays, 2 is casual / kitchen table Tuesday and also commander Thursday, with drafts on Sundays and generally a less competitive EDH scene, 3 is mostly Competitive Modern, and will do Legacy tournaments every quarter and Vintage with up to 9 proxies once per year.)
They'll call each other for singles if you are hunting a specific card, you can usually get something at market value + 10-15% from the bulk boxes if you "pre-order" like 20-30 cards (they'll sift for you). All of them allow their regular clients to leave trade binders and will happily buy/sell cards for you. For playing at their establishments they make cash on product, on collateral (deckboxes, sleeves, etc.) and on food / drink consumption, as well as small entry fees (that usually double as money towards prizes).
They also all do pre-releases, 2 out of 3 offer paint desks for miniatures, they do RPG nights, and generally support RPG. board games as well as card games as a whole. Also, all of them are involved with a local annual board games convention.
Hell yeah I am supporting these stores and the individuals that run them. What you're describing is not a local game store, it's just a jackass in the wrong field that should go home, take a shower and wash the shame of him.
@@GrolschHeerscht we only have one LGS in our town but it’s similar to yours, you can look through binders of cards yourself or make an order online and they’ll do it for you, they also have tournaments where the entry prices go to prizes and stuff.
what a piece of shit
Shoulda left the 11$ and took the cards.
I’m glad WOTC was happy enough to go back on their word, pushed a draft heavy product during a pandemic and made sure to make it cost as much as they could while a chunk of the country is worrying about making rent, let alone being able to afford going to a LGS, even if they have it as most of them prolly aren’t surviving the pandemic. Thanks WOTC, glad to see you make sure the cash cow is still out there
If you can't afford rent why would you even be considering going to your LGS to buy double masters packs? Have some self-control man Jesus.
Magic is just game and WOTC is the business and yes they are trying to make money.
The volatility in this set is insane. I've been tracking the card prices since early in spoiler season and running box simulations in google sheets to determine the value in this set. Anyone looking to crack packs and sell cards for value, once again, can now expect to lose money unless you bought in at under $290. Even VIP boxes are looking at single digit ROI even if you got lucky. And that's just in the US! If you're in Europe you're almost a lock to lose money on both products. Fun fact - %40 of the rares in this set are worth less than $1, 44% worth under 1 Euro
In short, buy singles!!! Masters set card prices often hit their bottom within the first few days after release, take advantage if there are cards you really wanted and don't spend ~$300 on boxes that are considerably more likely to flop than be a hit!
If the ev was higher than the price of the current box sellers would either just crack boxes or raise the price accordingly. This price differential is the case for all sealed product.
With you want money on boxes you should sit on it for at least a year or buy stock
@@angreed66 If that's true then most places selling VIP should be cracking them and not selling sealed. The MTG market isn't efficient or rational
Thank you for your analysis, I was thinking of buying one box but there are too much bulk rares that I usually throw away as they are played nowhere.
Also the feeling of opening a bulk rare is bad.
Boxes are only every worth buying if you want a lot of the commons and uncommons in the set. Otherwise it is ALWAYS more worthwhile to buy single you will get more of the rares and mythics that you want for the same price.
"Draft and gameplay" killed me ngl
Thanks prof, your "other things to buy for $330" convinced me not to buy a box I can't afford
If I remember correctly you can also get 1 copy of each Sword for only $230
I had the same thought earlier. Looked at the gamble that this was and picked up a Force of Will instead. Better on my wallet and im going to get exactly what I want
You can buy a CNC router for 300 dollars, screw cardboard.
@@Thomas-vn6cr lmao, now I'm tempted
Imagine if this product was priced at $4 a pack (or hell even a normal master’s pack price)... this could of been one of the greatest reprint sets of all time. Wizards of the Cost makes me very sad sometimes.
A box of double masters is a months student housing rent.
Three boxes are enought for a cheap, yet solid second hand car.
Just insane prizes!
Its also almost 4.5 times the price per pack in a box compared to a standard product. Really not a product prized to be played at all.
What country are these prices for?
@@ianmiller8399 I am guessing Funland. Err Finland sorry. My lgs has exactly one VIP pack left. Cost? 160 euros. Fun.
does apply to germany too
A car?! Second hand!? Where????????
@@thomaskiser3886 my daily beater is an 05 Sentra, paid 750 for it, some body rust and faded paint, but 6 months and 20000 miles and hasn't broken down yet. Cold ac, fun 6 speed, just a northern owned car that has seen too much salt
Edit: forgot to add, that's 80 dollars less than 3 boxes which was enough to cover tax and tag on it
Not particularly relevant but I love the Prof's jacket this episode!
What would you guys rather see:
Booster box game with double masters VIP
A tour of the professors closet of the different suits he wears.
Closet
I want the web address of the person who makes his waistcoats.
Closet
I've admired his suits and ties for years.
Closet
I really like how you are a "professor" of Mtg. You talk about the game and are knowledgeable of your "subject" but still teach things outside it for the benefit of your "students." Not much of an Mtg player but I play a lot of card games, and your channel has been a fun ride into what the separate realms of Mtg are like and what they might be thinking.
This box, thanks to supplier shipping and conversion rate, literally costs more money than I made per paycheck pre-virus. I don't care if the odd person screams "I got good stuff", if I have to pay double my rent for an mtg product, I know that if I attend my lgs I am going to get into fights with the ass holes holding their financial insanity over the heads of the general local community
^This^. I am not saying that the people boasting that they bought 5 boxes and ended up making money are wrong, or that you can't get good return for your cash. I'm saying we've crossed a line financially, and there's no non-premium version. At a certain point, regardless of value, it's just too expensive. Also, without the box toppers, you're almost never getting your money back.
Bro, your not the market demographic for this product. This product is for whales and MTGfinance goons. Everyone in your LGS can skip this product and Hasbro will still make their money.
I dont like it either, but I take solace in the fact that all the cool rares and mythics are dropping in price HARD.
This is exactly why I am proxy happy now. I feel insulted, and as such I do not want to give them my money anymore.
As someone who is a 40 year old guy who's firmly middle class with a household income that reaches 6 figures, I can't justify the price on some of this product. I can't imagine how unappealing it is to students or younger folks.
It just stinks because there are much needed cards in here for multiple formats. The more they chase whales the more the actually player base will suffer....
El Gordo this is my thought too. While the “this product isn’t for you” excuse is a dumb way for wizards to say “this is for people with money” in most cases, I’d rather the product exist than not at all.
I bought 1 pack at Walmart today and cracked a Force of Will foil. I'll take that as a win and stop while I'm ahead.
"Please strive not to view things in black and white, when there are myriad perspectives which are valid." Prof, I've always liked your content because you're willing to be critical, and this is a continued example of that. I've felt really conflicted on this set because there are things I love and things I despise about it- and this is definitely the time to not just be in the "Is it good or is it bad" review game. Your content continues to be awesome for legitimate, critical examination.
EDIT: That being said, I know you hate MTGO. But seriously, if you want to draft this set and not be out a million dollars for junk- PHANTOM DRAFT ON MTGO IS LEGIT RIGHT NOW. It's actually affordable! I would have loved at least a mention of that, even if it's a snarky "but then you have to learn to use mtgo so I mean".
I believe he hates arena’s monetization, not necessarily MTGO. Lots of stuff is super cheap to play on MTGO
@@RobiousIllyrian He's expressed dislike more for the program of MTGO, given that the program is notoriously annoying to actually learn to use.
Ah that’s very true
why would someone pay for a VIRTUAL PHANTOM DRAFT :DDDDD i mean if i play a phantom draft in paper it does not cost me any money either
Just wanted to thank you for your videos. I love the way you analise and explain things. The MtG community needed you a long time ago.
Tks!
"The Search For More Money" oh man. This is gonna be brutal.
The Schwartz is strong with the Professor.
There should be a spaceballs 2
I'm so happy I caught the reference and came into the comments, LOL
@@SneakattackMTG6833 We'eve been waiting for decades buddy
@@tempestandacomputer6951 well at least we have the terrible animated series to keep us occupied while we wait
Keep up the good work prof, it was actually your videos that got me into magic in the first place. I started playing during m19 and now I’m 8 commander decks deep.
Double themed set, double the mythics printed on the back of the package, WOTC themselves saying you can get double mythic boxtoppers.......2 days before product release: WOTC "You cannot get double mythic boxtoppers or double mythic foil non-boxtoppers".
Yes you can, I've seen plenty of box toppers being opened from the normal Double Masters boxes that actually have 2 mythic box toppers. Watch every video on RUclips, you will see it too
I got Kaalia and Atraxa as box toppers (normal box)
That only applies to vip boosters, not normal 2xm masters.
@2:00 Wrong, he explains that issue is only with the VIP packs.
@@jorochimaru you can not get double in the vip packs which is what he is talking about hence why he said foil toppers
Playerbase: "These products are crazy expensive! This sucks."
WotC: "This product just isn't for you, then."
Some idiot: "I have lots of money and a sizeable income, yet have no desire to make reasonable financial decisions with my money. I regularly am able to buy entire mid-grade computers but instead buy thin sheets of cardboard!"
WotC: "Ah, theres our target audience!"
Whales ruin it for the rest of us.
@@tempestandacomputer6951 whales are fine, whale hunting is the problem.
Yep, WoTC targets the idiot
Wouldnt the right move b 2 make the product more affordable? So that more people can buy it so that they make more money?
@@meyeneetuks4680 That's why they have different price tiers for their products, and different formats with variable entry costs. Clearly you will just buy some other product and come here to talk about how you can't afford a Masters box, which costs them nothing.
"The search for more money"
It's so good........ 🖤 you Prof.
"buy singles" seriously the advice i give all my friends starting out asking how to get more cards. i very rarely buy any sealed products anymore aside from the occasional edh precons. i used to buy masters sets before they were 20$ a pack T-T
my lgs (germany) stopped selling singles years ago. wasn't worth the trouble anymore. at least we have a good website for trading in europe (magic-card-market).
The biggest takeaway for me is the question, "what else does $320 buy?" Our commander playgroup can split the price of a box, do the sealed deck thing, and have the box topper as the prize. OR, we can all buy full 100 card budget focused decks, possibly with some of the reprinted staples like lightning greaves. I guess I better go get a dark confidant and start building another commander deck. Not the new art either which at best looks like a budget Paul Rudd. Great content prof!
In Serbia 320$ can buy you cocaine and hookers kind of weekend.
@@Makyura43 aaaaaannnd we have a winner !!!!!!!
I started shaking my head when you said Card Kingdom was already sold out of this product. MtG is never going to become affordable because there are too many people blind to the cost, too many people trying to take advantage of others by buying out stock to resell at an even higher value, and Wizards' abandonment of an MSRP just to claim innocence in the entire affair.
What you just wrote could be rephrased to: there are enough people okay with the price to make this a viable business strategy. I know I won't buy any boxes of it, but apparently that doesn't matter. Just because we don't like it, that doesn't necessarily make it a bad move.
@@Volkbrecht It's bad for the game. Eventually all Wizards will have left are a bunch of cardboard cutouts of what used to be collectable, as the basis of value is dependent upon people playing the game. The only things left that could possible retain collector value if the game dies are going to be old ABU cards that no one can afford today anyway.
Wizards has increasingly shown that they're only interested in short-term profits which is likely due to the appeasement of shareholders. The long-term health of the game, and the company by extension, continues to be in jeopardy if this trend continues.
@@ForeverLaxx I don't see it as darkly. I mean, what formats do you play? You like Limited? Well, there will still be 4 affordable Standard sets per year for you, plus occasional gems like Unstable or Battlebond. And if you prefer Constructed formats, does it really matter that instead of boxes you buy single cards for your decks? In the end, the only bad thing about WotC's pricing and distributing strategy I see is the environmental aspect of mass box openings. WotC should just start printing and selling singles themselves, you know, managing card prices directly, instead of randomizing and packing their product before sending it to another company that unpacks and sorts it again before selling it to the customer.
When looking at those things you need to carefully evaluate if it's your attitude doing the talking or if you actually have a solid point. WotC adding a premium layer to their product portfolio doesn't really change the game in terms of accessibility, and, therefore, does not have an effect on the playerbase.
@@Volkbrecht They're trying to sell singles, in a roundabout way, with the "Secret Lair" series. The main reason they don't sell singles themselves is because they're beholden to their (easily disprovable) claim that they don't take the secondary market into account with pricing product. If they started selling singles directly, as a company that can quite literally "print to demand" any order, prices would start to fall and it probably wouldn't be sustainable from a business perspective. Sure, they could try and "force" prices to be a set amount, but when you hold all the money in their printing, it's hard to justify one Mythic costing more than another. Plus, the copies already in circulation would just be reduced in price to sell instead of Wizard's direct product, which lowers prices further.
There's also the issue of Draft being the primary format, which necessitates booster packs and sets designed with this function in mind. I think one of the mistakes Wizards makes with supplemental product is that they try to make that product suitable for drafting, and while it can be a fun experience it ultimately brings the value of said product down considerably which contributes to the relatively new inclusion of box topper "incentives" to bring potential back up and justify an ever-increasing cost for a box.
And WotC's practices in price-hiking most definitely have an effect on the playerbase. It prices people out from getting the cards directly from the source because WotC is choosing instead to sell this product at an inflated price to a group of people who care not one whit what the price of something is. They'll buy boxes, sit on them until they're out of print, then sell them a year later for 25, 50, or even 100% mark-up value. Most of these boxes sold aren't being opened, and the ones that are, are either being opened by shops with the intent to sell singles (remember, these shops don't pay full price for a box, otherwise they'd make no money at all), or they're opened by people addicted to the mystery of "cracking a pack". It's that last group that lose out the most, as whatever they pull, outside of a specific "jackpot" card, is generally at its lowest value during the early days of a set's release and often just go into trade binders for an untold eternity.
In effect, WotC printing a set that the average player won't get their hands on just means they end up paying more for it later, increasing the cost of what is supposed to be a game about dumb wizards throwing spells at each other printed on rectangular cardboard.
For the record, since you asked, I tend to play Modern and care about that format the most. Standard will always be a money sink, as designed, and I think Pioneer is a sick joke from Wizards' unwillingness to curb Modern's ever-inflating pricing and lack of needed reprints issue. I'd like to get into Pauper, but since WotC started "supporting" the format, the price for that has been going up as well, though by its nature, it still isn't very expensive overall.
@@ForeverLaxx I hope you at least feel better now. The sheer size of this wall of text indicates that something heavy had to come off your chest ;)
But don't think I'm shitting on you here, I actually read it and I am aware of some of the things you stated, especially regarding the whole secondary market issue. The problem is you still don't get how you avoid the logical conclusion in order to uphold your emotional view: if it is a viable business model to buy up tons of boxes, then sit on them until they gain a higher market value, and only THEN sell them on to the playerbase, you have even more proof that said playerbase is accepting higher price points for the product. Again, I'm not a fan of that. To me, the store prices of the product should be representative of the production cost of the product rather than the secondary market value. I avoid products like the collectors' boosters and overpriced Masters' sets. But they sell. According to the owner of my LGS, they sell very well. Mostly online, but since the shop is in a rather touristy town (Heidelberg, Germany) he keeps getting customers, grown-up men from all over the world, who just like to dump a few hundred € on MTG products for fun. In short: this is not a kids' game any more. Most of the money ist to be made from grown-ups with jobs, and since Magic is a rather brainy hobby, a lot of those former kids have rather well-paying jobs now.
With regards to Pioneer, I don't think of it as a sick joke. I myself have only dabbled into Modern, you know, just casual games with decks borrowed from other players, but I kind of got the fascination of it over Standard. When Pioneer started, I played two local tournaments with my own cards, and it kind of feels similar to what Modern is. Mana efficiency, the way you need to know the meta in order to identify correct play patterns - if you took away Modern, Pioneer would be a decent alternative. And that's not just me who's saying it. Where I live there is a pretty competitive crowd of MTG nerds (the main reason I don't play Constructed regularly ;( ), and they will choose Pioneer over Standard any time. The problem with Modern is that the size of the card pool is getting out of hand. I understand that WotC would rather replace the format with something similar instead of being burdened with the task to keep it balanced for all eternity.
Part 3: Draft and Gameplay
"There's a global pandemic - you can't draft this set." Hahahha 😂
Actually, we’ve been doing events at my LGS lately. I’m drafting this on Sunday!
Cole Sidders please don’t. For your own sake.
for own demise in Russia LGS are open and DM drafts will occur soon
This cracked me up xD
Nah. We are drafting all the time. And going to draft this next weekend.
A+. Great video. Excellent and true. I’ve spent about $1000 expanding my collection including 4 force of will, entire tron deck, a set of these wonderful lands!!!
After spending all that money on Double Masters, will you even have enough money to buy sleeves to put the cards in?
lol
No, it was a miscalculation 😭
The minute long soliloquy at 2:55 is one of the most wonderful things I've seen on this channel. The idea that things have a grey area and there is room for nuance and perspective and debate. That's not just a good message for Magic, that's a good lesson for life.
I love profs stuff so much, I’ve also been waiting for this double master box game for awhile so I’m excited
Shout out Card Kingdom for being such a supportive sponsor to TCC. Prof can be brutally honest and advise to buy cards from all these other online stores in addition to Card Kingdom. That's awesome. Respect
“Masters II - The Search For More Money”, I love that reference!
I really appreciate the time you put into this. I’m new the playing magic and I’ve made the mistake without doing the research of buying boxes and your insight is really helpful!!! Thank you!!!
Opened two boxes.
Got a lot of hot garbage, definitely not what I was looking for spending $600.
I've done well, but my booster luck is nuts.
@@kabalan20 accurate.
Spend 600 on Hasbro stock. You'd of made more money. These Timmies and MTGFinance goons are basically giving their money away.
@@elgordo9525 can't play a game with stocks *shrug*
I'll still play with the cards I got, was just hoping for better pulls. No blightsteel, no jace, no FoW, no doubling season, no Mana echoes. Just a lot of garbage sadly.
I got the force of will box topper. The rest was garbage. Like 7 rares above 10 bucks. Only 1 of my foils was a rare. Dont like the whole artifact theme of the set eather
I like how Prof so often puts my thoughts on a product into words better than I ever could.
Also, since it was briefly touched on, I would love to see a video about ways to set up webcam Magic if possible. Like, what you would need, the equipment Prof recommends, etc. I've been having a lot of trouble figuring out how to set it up on my own, especially when I don't have many places in my house that would work.
Prof. blew the chance of saying "Masters 2: Electric Boogaloo"
I think he went with the right line on that one.
The Spaceballs reference he went with, was the superior choice.
I don't think you're going to be hearing light-hearted "boogaloo" jokes ever again. What with the terrorist group using that name having murdered a bunch of people.
Thanks for providing another great commentary & analysis and a voice of wisdom for the Magic community.
Making it crazy expensive and with a short print only tells one story.
This stuff is for Rudy
Only the finest in luxury, designer tacos from this company.
You're such a good dude professor. You really add a lot of heart to the MtG community
Maybe if you can afford to sell an arm and a leg. Also some rare cards.
I traded extra cards i had laying around to my LGS, got a box for $60CAD lmao
Hey, professor -
Thank you. Your reviews are invaluable, and by far the most practical I reviews I see out there, Magic or otherwise.
You aren't joking Prof, that singles market is tasty right now. Double masters has 7 cards that are in my brudiclad deck and some were super pricey in foil (blightsteel, C-rift, academy ruins) and this will make it way cheaper to foil out my baby.
Good vid, Prof. Thanks for your work.
I'm personally excited to snap up a set of Stoneforge Mystic. I aleady have 1 of every equipment for her toolbox, so this just might open a new Modern deck for me for under $100
Does it lower the price of the original or older prints? Or the reprints are the cheapest alternative?
@@ReiAyanami366 Over time multiple printings will take a toll on even the original print. However when it comes to cards that have only been printed a couple times, such as Blightsteel, the new printing will be significantly cheaper than the original for a while. It really varies depending on the cards but typically right after a card is reprinted, the reprint version will be pretty cheap for a while.
Awesome review. I did buy a box that I didn't plan on opening and planned on buying single. and this affirmed my plan!
Many Magic: the Gathering players need to ask the question: Who is this product for? Wizards claimed this was made for draft; but at $14 a pack, who is going to pay for a draft? This seems to be another in a not short list of products for whales, masquerading as supplemental, draft sets.
Theres a lot of sheep who will pay that. I have seen them. I can’t judge them out loud.
Yeah it would be an expensive draft but it may also be a good one. In other words draft for oligarchs
When have they pretended this is not a product for whales? Every booster set is made with draft in mind, but not necessarily friendly to spend in drafts.
i really appreciate you pounding into my head to buy singles, and I've really cut back on cracking packs, but i do still like the lottery about opening packs and have to do some time to time. keep up the good work.
Physically? Yes, you could open a Double Masters Booster Box. But emotionally? Imagine the toll...
That pack cracking addiction is real as i wait outside the LGS, peaking through the window as they open.
I can't think of any other product where pulling a Mind Sculptor doesn't feel like a "win." It just feels like breaking even.
@@Linkeh24 damn, that statement stopped my brain for a second.. Thats wild.
@El Gordo just use the money to buy a different set. This one is way too volatile.
I opened a single collector booster once and it emotionally wrecked me. I would need therapy after cracking this box.
I recently purchased a box off of Amazon. I looked and now they have boxes for 4-500$ so I'm glad I bought one when I did. Really good box. I got Blightsteel Colossus and Batterskull for the Toppers. Mana Crypt and Jace are among several other good pulls from the packs. I could easily recoup the amount spent on the box.🤓
Yeah, I found out last night that the DM Noble Hierarch is only $15. I've wanted a play set for a decade or so, and now I've got them.
Word. I finally got myself and Atraxa and a Breya. For $20.
Dope! I've also really wanted a playset. Thanks for the tip
Exactly, the best thing about the set is that it brings affordability to the game. I don’t get all the criticism of the set, as long as hit helps players buy the decks they want.
you should ve waited one more week to get all four for 15
Thank you profrssor, we appreciate all your efforts! You actively help the mtg community :)
Hey Prof - That webcam stand looks great! Any recommendations on cheap/convenient webcam/phone stands for webcam magic? I've been looking for a good solution, and I like the sturdy, freestanding design you have there.
I can see it now: "Many Magic players ask the following, what's the best way to play paper magic online?"
I was looking for the name of that stand, too
Seconded.
Webcam/phone stand manufacturer and model, please. Thanks! =)
That stand is exactly what I need! Prof give us the sauce!!!
Hi Prof! Only started watching you recently. Highly appreciate these recommendation videos. Re: DxM, I was able to get a highly discounted pre-order price of $250. This made it totally worth the box! My box came out to about $280 plus bulk rares and foils. I found that about 30-40% of my packs were duds, another 30% equalled the cost, and the remainder were worth more than a pack. The box toppers definitely threw it over the edge.
All of the overpriced masters sets and such are teaching me a valuable lesson: I do not need to buy everything WotC makes.
You dont need to buy ANYTHING they make.
@@fredrikgranstrom6743 Yes, I do. I need my cardboard fix!
Holy smokes prof always hitting it out of the park.
Many magic the gathering players ask the question "Where did prof get that sweet webcam mount?"
Really, where DID the prof get that sweet webcam mount?
My friend bought a whole box for himself and pulled some nutty stuff like a chrome mox and a force of will, but we all egg him on for being willing to shell out 300$ on a single box. I'd rather just buy a few jumpstart boxes and have a ton of fun with that.
Why rag on him if he honestly enjoys spending for his hobby?
@@TheKaijudist well, he spends way too much, at this point it's more of a addiction. He is a avid commander player, but refuses to buy singles over 10$. he buys a bunch of boxes and pretty much all the lairs.
The Crazed Chef but he could just as easily spend that money for cards he’d actually use in his cmdr decks. I have a friend just like him and I cannot understand the mentality.
@@TheKaijudist well his hobby is basically just spending money at that point. Lol. No reason for the same amount of cardboard to be worth triple just because of some different writing.
Prof, I just want to say that your honesty and integrity mean so much to me, not only because I love this game, but also because I can count on you to be fair and comprehensive in your reviews/critiques of these products. You make sure people understand what WotC is doing with the pricing of their products and marketing and I love your content for it. Cheers, my dude.
The Professor: You can't draft right now
LRR: Allow us to introduce ourselves
Was going to say... but that's if you can get the folding tables and chairs and hand sanitizer and masks and water AND THEN can afford the booster box AND THEN hump everything into the woods and out again. Still worth it, IMHO.
They get product for free from WotC.... Duh
@@Big_Dai Yeah, but if *you* want to draft, you have to buy it. (Don't understand why you felt the need to misunderstand me, but whatever...)
LRR also aren't in the USA
@@charanth182 most of the world isn't in the USA, so I assume that a large portion of the viewers also don't live in the USA.
I know this is for the Magic content mainly and not about your personality, but I really appreciate both your character and your beautiful style in the last couple of videos.
Also, damn, this time you've outdone yourself in terms of style! Gorgeous!
"There's a global pandemic, you can't draft this set."
I envy your faith in humanity :P
With about a, oh I don't know, 99.5% to not die I'll take my chances and live my life. Not saying I'd draft this set, cause I don't like draft, but if I did I would
@@TainyaGaming I dunno, for all my misanthropy I'd consider the lives of 1.5 fucking million people worth more than a children's card game enjoyed exclusively as a luxury which certainly isn't going away anytime soon, but then I guess after having to pretend to be human for several decades I've gotten pretty good at it :/.
@@TainyaGaming You absolutely have the right to risk your life if you want. The thing is...every person who gets Covid spreads it to around 2.5 people. You're responsible not only for your own life but the lives of the 2.5 people you infect before you show symptoms and for the 6.25 people they spread it to and the 15.6 they spread it to and so on and so forth. Furthermore you bear moral responsibility (if not legal responsibility) for the additional lives that are inevitably lost because you were too selfish to wear a god damn mask and socially distance. Yes it sucks but healthy young people like us aren't doing it for ourselves, we're doing it for our neighbors, our families, and our friends.
I mean if I really cared, I work a job where I deal with customers on a daily basis. I have dealt with shitty people for so long now that my pity meter has bottomed out. I wear a mask at work when dealing with customers or when I have to when entering a store, otherwise I don't. If someone is gonna get it, chances are they won't even get sick, and the people who do are usually do get over it quickly with minor symptoms. And those who don't, are usually so old that they are past life expectancy, or are already so close to death that they have one foot in the grave. Also. We are all gonna die at some point, at any time, that doesn't mean you live in fear your whole life, I don't think it's ok to destroy an economy, ruin peoples places of business, destroy people's livelihoods, put millions of people out of work, for something that has less then a 0.05% chance to actually kill you. My entire playgroup is either "essential" workers, or unemployed. We get together every week cause most of us go out in this "horrendous" time every day to work.
@@dapperghastmeowregard The mortality rate in the US is actually .04, a whole order of magnitude less. I'll take the tiny risk of catching it to guarantee my mental health stays intact.
Good analysis. This box more than others is a really good deal to get singles in. Definitely going to pick myself up a boxtopper metamorph
I literally fell over laughing when prof said "Play a Gamy" 🤣
Brian, dude, bro, your videos make me laugh my ass off!!! Your presentation, wardrobe choices, expressions, jokes, music, all of it!!! On top of all of that, your knowledge of Magic: The Gathering is some grade A goodness. Keep up the great work and you will have a subscriber for life. Cheers!!!
P.S. I like this set of cards and am hopefully going to have the cash to gamble on a box in about a month maybe 6 weeks. Unless they go higher in price.
I do think that the set is too expensive, it could easily have been 250 and still have been a profitable product, but my concern is more over the print run. If the print run is on fact super short, my lgs had very few boxes compared to demand, I think the prices of the sealed boxes will be even more outrageous on the secondary.
However, I do think it's worth noting that the product, regardless of the price of packs, is great for players of all formats and wealth levels, for the very reason you said, singles prices. Lots of staples are now half the price they were before release, which foils the evil speculator driving up prices, however the short supply will likely cause them to rebound, so I agree the time to buy is now. But you can't have everything all at once, secondary market prices can't be high and low on the same card at the same time... Except with the different versions. The glam borderless cards intice whales to buy and crack looking for chase cards, which increases the supply of, say, endless atlas to where it's a dollar, and stoneforge mystic to where it's back to thirteen.
Ultimately, for wotc, it's a matter of trying to strike a balance between creating products that sell, ones that increase the supply of cards that people want to play, but without completely annihilating secondary market prices, which is a very fine line to tread. I think the fancy versions creating a parallel "upscale market" in addition to the regular market is a fairly good idea, as long as actual playable cards aren't artificially paywalled, which, since singles inevitably enter the secondary market, and prices have in fact gone down since release, hasn't occurred with this release.
Personally, I am much more sour over the secret lair drop system, which is wizards directly entering the secondary market and effectively price fixing, and if printing a secret lair version of card x means not getting a version in a regular booster set, even a pricy one, that _is_ paywalling playability.
In summary, think of it as, double masters is actually for you, but maybe not buying and cracking packs. Let someone else do that, then buy their low priced singles!
I love how rational your videos are! I would love an Avacyn boxtopper so instead of 330 on a chance, just 100 on the card? That's still sooo much money! Thanks for the video!
I ended up splitting the cost of this box with my friends and we're going to meet up soon to draft this set - the price is crazy for what's in it but we all just want to have a good time in drafting the set regardless of the financial outcome - we don't do it very often so it's a treat for us to come together and crack packs :D (yes we accept it'll probably be a financial loss, and accept these risks)
But this is more about celebrating each Others friendship and company , getting your moneys Worth isn't the Goal and Well dividing the price by Friends makes IT a lot more affordable without too big of a loss. Like this is understandable and I think a reasonable way of using the product, Not Just financial but also emotional Level, I do the Same with Friends when it comes to Standard boxes cause 80-100+ euro is quite some money
@@anblueboot5364 Turned out we *probably* broke even (obviously can't sell back at that rate but hey) and had a good time.
Thanks Prof, solid advice, definitely going to pick up some singles now. Never had an intention of buying sealed product anyway.
The thing is, I feel like a ton of these prices on the cards (that a lot have dropped about 50% from the last reprinting they have had) are from the speculations of how bad the set is going to be, not an actual reflection of the value of the cards. Because so many of the cards are insanely good, at least to me as a commander player. So much of what I got from my pre-orders is going straight into my decks and is going to trade out pretty fast to my friends when quarantine lifts enough.
Imperial Recruiter only costing 22 dollars? Dark Confidant 27? Down from what? 70?
Is WotC supposed to try and value the product on what the prices of the cards they are releasing are? Or are they supposed to see the future and predict what the prices are going to be on release? Because I sure as hell didn't expect a lot of the cards to drop like they did.
ALSO when buying boxes, you should expect on average to get about half your value back. As someone that has spent way too much money on magic cards the last few years, this rule has been golden for me. I got about 400 dollars from my box and the box toppers were worth about 80 together, and then I pulled a nice Force of Will that brought up the value again. But even without those I still hit around 240 dollars value which is certainly higher than my mark.
Here in Europe dark confident was 20-30€ last year when I purchased one, and it's still at this price point
Same for mox opal that stays around 25€
But imperial recruiter, the swords... And plenty of czrds droped
I think they will continue to drop in the next weeks but for now it's not worth it to buy it (unless for toxic deluge, Thoughtseize and blood moon)
@@jessicalepins1433 I found it very worth it to buy, but I dunno I'm extremely lucky.
I just
I just
I loved the space balls reference at the beginning! It gave me a good chuckle!
Am I the only one that is peeved that this set was $7 per pack in MTGO where as physically, it's like double the price?
Gosh, why aren't they charging 13-16 bucks on MTGO when packs usually are the exact same price 1:1 on mtgo as in paper? Huh.
@@TolarianCommunityCollege Beats me. Just seems like a scummy move that a surprising amount of people are willing to look past; at least in the Discord servers I'm in.
What also makes me worried is that the singles are going to spike back up as soon as the hype dies down, and gets to the point where the 2XM printings are the most expensive printings for a lot of the cards.
What irritates me is the idea that I have a buy virtual cards. I hate virtual cars they are worthless and I cant hold em in my hand pokemon dorsn it right with codes in the packs it honestly should be that simple but nope gotta milk as hard as we can.
LazyBunnyz except they’re not worthless since you can sell them for actual money. MTGO’s business model is fine because you can cash out. MTGA on the other hand is pure theft
completely agree with your assessment. Well thought out and fair as usual. As a budding pauper cardboard player am looking forward to snapping up the singles!
Solid advice Prof!
We've been drafting this set for the past few days here in Taiwan, and I gotta say it was a lot of fun. As a new player who joined since M20 and have been playing only standard, the abundance of archetypes this set offers, the excitement for seeing "new" cards and how they work together, and most importantly, being able to gather together and play, surely brought smiles to our face.
That said, I got a Karn for my first pick in one of my games, and therefore tried to pick at least a set of Urza's Land, but never did I see a Power Plant. Not sure if I should be happy or sad about that lol
When double masters was announced my excitment literally spiked so high that it felt as if I had just had my spark reignited for the game. The price though is out of my budget and yes i know i can buy singles but there is nothing like opening a fresh new booster box and getting tons of goodies for my decks, collection, trade etc..im not mad that wotc put the price where its at but i just wish it was a bit cheaper so that more people could experience the best part of magic besides playing the game, and that's opening booster packs.
This! If it was even minutely value for money I'd LOVE to draft with this set. The excitement of not knowing what you're going to get is part of the fun!
@@abigailng9086 Especially in a set like this one. Its got cards for modern, commander, pioneer..hell all the formats except standard
Thanks again prof you always talk me into being reasonable and I really appreciate it!
"You can't draft this set" you can if your government and citizenry actually worked towards stopping the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic. New Zealand and Australia (Sans the state of Victoria) have been drafting.
That’s correct. Huge draft event at my local magic shop for double masters. (BC, Canada)
taiwan too, and at $230 per box
Really want to emphasize what Prof was saying about this set, do not buy a box if you are expecting getting your money's worth. I bought two (mainly to support my LGS I knew I wouldn't get the same value out). The biggest issue I had is that the box toppers were super warped, not sure if its the foils issue or if that it slipped to the front of the box and got bent that way. Completely agree on the grade
I would love a video (or podcast) about your thoughts on the general existance of the secondary market. Can you even call MTG a TRADING card game anymore, because nowadays you just compare the prices of cards? Is a rare card even rare, if you can just buy it online anyway just for a higher price? Does it destroy the general idea of a trading card game where people would build the best deck with the cards they got from boosters or from actually trading with other people, and not just buying the best singles available or even straight up copying popular decks?
Don't get me wrong, I love MTG and played it for around 15 years or so until today, but for me it kind of kills the magic of it (pun intended) and also is the reason I can only play with a very small group of people who feel the same way and only use decks they've build from the cards they aquired without ever buying any singles. If I go to any game store or public event to play with strangers, I'll get stomped by everyone, because I'm the only one that didn't optimise his deck by researching and then buying the best cards online. Commander is a step in the right direction, but still I feel I can't compete by just using my collection and not optimising.
There are probably a lot of arguments against this, so I feel there would be enough content to create a video about it. And i would find your thoughts about this very interesting even if you don't agree with me ;)
Totally agree. My friend and I were talking about this as being one of the major problems with modern card games--netdecking and collaborative deck building online means that you aren't just facing a deck that a group of 5 people put together at their LGS. You're facing a deck that is the result of literally tens of thousands of magic players--many of whom have studied the game for decades. It's the best possible set of decks in the meta.
Fair and robust modern CCG metas and now ranked online ladders just aren't possible with the way information is shared these days. It's kind of a bummer. With the availability of online shopping, even paper magic suffers from this netdecking bane.
@@christopherw6652 Exactely right unfortunately...
I miss the days when I was younger and my friends and me would have really unique and also bad decks, but it was way more fun. I remember being honestly surprised and excited if someone would play like a legendary no one of us had ever seen before. It really felt like you were building/collecting something unique. A bit like the Yu-gi-oh tv series where everyone had their unique deck and everyone would be surprised an in awe at the new cards ;)
But like you said it's just not possible anymore with todays methods of information and access to all cards.
Thank you for the speedy review on sets. Always good to know if it is worthwhile 👍
WOTC: tells several lies about double masters and vip masters, knowingly and on purpose
shills in the comments: ur bad with money huuuur
Best non-bias MTG advise out there! Keep it coming Prof!
The Show case card of Blight Steel looks like a yugioh card about to do a fusion in Dragon ball Z
Prof, as always, your insight is invaluable and I can't help but agree with every point you keep making. I love this set. I want these cards. I can't spend that much money on cardboard. My fiance is getting laid off, I just had to pay for surgery and vet visits for my new injured kitty. I love MTG and playing with my friends, but I need a place to live and to make sure me and my family can sustain ourselves. Thank you for always looking out for the little guy.
I couldn't even draft the set. I would love to, but I'm a student living in Quebec. I can't pay 80$ CAD for a draft.
That draft price is the most laughable part of it for me. (at least, some people will be able to draft thanks to some playmate that will buy a box for themselves.)
Your store is ripping you off, I drafted for half that in Ontario
@@mrstizzle9049 I don't know the price. Haven't went to my lgs for a long time. But I expect booster to be 20$ and it's generally 3-4x times that for the price since you pay for the packs + reward pool
Hey Prof,
I work in a mtg webshop, and after opening loads of booster boxes I feel like you're totally right. It rarely pays off to buy these boxes as a whole, and instead would be so much better to just buy the singles you need! Thank you as always for your great video!
I love how sassy you've gotten, prof. I died when you said "Masters Two: The Search for More Money"
Hey prof, long time student in your classroom. Thanks for continuing to give your opinions.
"You are running a big risk for _loot_ on these _boxes_ "
My evaluation of double masters is of course, getting those sweet commander singles! Great reprints for budget lists!
Isn’t the message after every masters set just “buy singles”?
Every set, not just masters
If you want to build a specific deck it is the best way to go. The only reason I can see for buying any box is if you have friends to draft with as mentioned or just like cracking packs (this also holds true for buying booster packs). There is an investment component in boxes too I guess
I did get 2nd place at the Draft at my LGS last night. Gotta love Alaska's lack of population density!
The 2 pulls/first pull each pack, is a really cool experience though.
The Only foil rare I pulled in my box was that fucking giant...
The Prof is right. I keep saying it. Buy Singles. Always.
Great analysis and I agree with buying singles. I have been buying old school cards for my collection for years now and I am so happy I did not waste money on these type of products, but slowly and surely continued expanding my collection on cards that I play with and enjoy.
So prof, when r u gonna do the VIP booster pack booster box game
ugh. do I have to?
@@TolarianCommunityCollege Yes
@@TolarianCommunityCollege Yes please
@@TolarianCommunityCollege #buysingles
@@TolarianCommunityCollege No. We know its trash. There's literally no need for it beyond "look look the professor did it"
Prof with the Spaceballs reference right off the bat, 10/10 would recommend!
nice cards. horrible product. weird how they manage to do this over and over again
It's their way of getting in on the secondary market that they constantly claim to be ignoring. Sell wanted cards at high prices to whales/speculators, then let those people sell moderately-to-slightly devalued singles to the people that actually play the game.
Weird how they manage to keep selling massive amounts of this “horrible product” over and over again. Maybe that’s because a huge amount of people don’t actually think it’s horrible?
@@Surgebuster WOTC wont know how many boxes are actually bought by players, their numbers will be based higher up the distribution chain.
Played a draft on release and it was fun but expensive, fun to see what people open and great to pick up singles at a lower price from the reprints! I’m in Perth, Australia where we are actually allowed outside and we haven’t had a case in ages so truly blessed to be able to play magic in paper 🥰