Is $250 for 12 Magic: The Gathering Booster Packs A Good Deal? No. Of Course Not.

I'm giving away a collection of Collector Booster Boxes, Packs and more this Friday at 3pm Pacific on Whatnot! Sign up at www.whatnot.co... for $15 credit towards your first purchase!
Spice8Rack, Voxy, and TappyToeClaws return for a game of Commander on the newest Shuffle Up & Play: • Share The Spoils of Co...
Are you looking to Shuffle Up & Play games of Magic: The Gathering over webcam? The "Looking For Game" section of our Patron Discord is 100% free and open to everyone: / discord
Watch us play Monarch In The Middle Commander on Shuffle UP here: • Shivam And Wheeler Lov...
#MagicTheGathering #mtg #tolariancommunitycollege
►This episode is brought to you thanks to our wonderful Patreon community. Join to support the show, or just Shuffle Up & Play with other awesome people on our Patron Discord by going to / tolariancommunitycollege
►This show is made in part due to Card Kingdom. You can help us out by visiting our affiliate link at www.CardKingdo...

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I'm giving away a collection of Collector Booster Boxes, Packs and more this Friday at 3pm Pacific on Whatnot! Sign up at www.whatnot.com/invite/tolariancollege for $15 credit towards your first purchase!

[@BOBSTEVENS-6Jn]

You don't 'collect' new tcg cards, you play them, they're utility purchases. Then when they get old, the ones that carry sentimental value become 'collectible' as nostalgia.

[@BOBSTEVENS-6Jn]

Investors capitalize on cards that are hard to find in good condition with sentimental value. Not simply rare cards. Grading cards is preserving them. Therefore cards that are hard to find in mint condition are the most qualified to grade. Age being the main factor in lowering the number of mint cards. Vintage is the most gradable and collectible apart from being just playable.

[@Greg501-]

Honestly, just open a normal Play booster box in the same video as the Collector Booster Box game. Combine them for a bit and see what happens.

[@dannybeane2069]

Is the command tower you get the LotR ones or is it a random command tower?

[@molamola5260]

Congratulations for being alcohol free for 3 months man ! Happy new yearb

[@Malysari]

Congrats to you! I hit eleven years sober in October. It isn’t easy but it’s worth it.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Huge congrats!

[@EldritchCutie32]

Yo isn't eleven years sober a mythic /j

[@GeorgieBoiiGames]

Congrats man!! 💪💪💪

[@ezmer2dragon]

I’m 8 years sober as of past October.

[@AaronW315]

Congrats everyone, huge task overcame. 💪

[@davidh1265]

This is the most wild pack opening ive seen on this channel. I genuinely like this reckless banter vs the common booster box game style with music. This slower pace feels so human and I love it.

[@meatheadtelevision]

He had another one like this recently. Went off on a whole weed tangent lol. I like hearing him just riff.

[@Volkbrecht]

It gives a real incentive to actually watch the video and listen. Just looking at the cards gets old really quick, I know it doesn't keep me watching for more than a few minutes, then I scroll forward to the total.

[@Caliban_80]

I'm sure that in 5-10 years there will be booming demand for curled full art foils from sets no one remembers.

[@rileytedrow6732]

you joke but when my Aetherdrift Mazda MX-5 borderless is $300 in 2040 who's gonna be laughing?

[@rinmathews9337]

Alpha investments wants to know your location.

[@teneluxio]

Egg on your face when there is

[@Smi3tankoweCjastko]

@@rileytedrow6732 its gonna be 300$ because the money will be worth 500% less lol

[@IAMAGUNH4XP]

In 2040? I'll be surprised if im not trading you caps for it /j​@rileytedrow6732

[@Kushithesakemaker]

This is just going to be 30 minutes of prof saying "buy singles" isn't it

[@hazelsparks4503]

I wouldn't have it any other way

[@Lowelo860]

But think of all the singles you could open!!

[@animalsteele1]

Hot singles are in your area. And by “in your area” I mean TCGplayer or Cardkingdom

[@MrVariant]

Innistrad remastered is already more expensive 😂. Glad I sample packs every season lol chaos sealed

[@JaredBruner]

I think you nailed it

[@Ishkagal]

Man I feel bad for you but holy I genuinely burst out laughing when the total value came up. Great job on 3 months btw man! Heck mention it every month!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Cheers friend!

[@TylanBun]

Congrats on the three months sobriety and the weight loss! Go prof!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Thanks! :)

[@BlazeIgnis]

Prof going 3 months and losing 18 pounds while I'm going 5 months and haven't lost even a kilo. Life's not fair.

[@jonathanwilliams1776]

@@BlazeIgnis I didn't lose much either. Alcohol is very calorie-intensive, so if you stop drinking and don't eat more you are battling the desire to drink and being hungry at the same time. I allowed myself to eat more to compensate because stopping drinking was more important to me. I'm now working on getting my weight down, but I don't think I could have quit drinking while cutting my calorie intake by a significant amount at the same time.

[@connorblaikie7816]

@@BlazeIgnis Different people extract different amounts of energy from alcohol depending on how you metabolise it so if you were not getting many calories form the alcohol then cutting it wont have a huge impact on getting a calorie deficit.

[@matttheman3923]

Congratulations on 3 months Prof!! That’s amazing!! I just got my six years this December, keep on keeping on!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Huge congrats on 6 years, that is so impressive! A+

[@matttheman3923]

@ thank you so much!! 🖤happy to have been a student for the past almost 10 years 😊

[@Groovegandalf]

I'm at 7 months sober, myself. Congrats, all of you and keep up the good work.

[@matttheman3923]

@@Groovegandalf that’s incredible!! I’m rooting for you, 7 months is a huge accomplishment and I hope you have many more months to come ❤️

[@Jtsqueaker]

6:00 This comment is to celebrate that Prof guessed the exact price of a card! 🎉🎉🎉 I know this happened at least once a couple of years ago, but is this only the second time?? For future videos, the editor should add a counter in the bottom corner that ticks up if an exact price is guessed.

[@marvk]

Twice, even! 5:19

[@jamesaditya5254]

The most harrowing thing is when Prof said "...half a decade ago" and 2019 shows up on screen (thank you editor!) and I thought "Hah! That wasn- Wait 2019 actually was half a decade ago"

[@rinmathews9337]

Aware.

[@BarokaiRein]

And then the editor cocks up by saying october of 2019 was six years ago. And no, it won't be six years ago in just a couple of days, that's not how time works. It's still 10 months away from being 6 years old.

[@TheSweetJimi]

Listening to Prof yap while cracking packs is what my Monday needed.

[@SarumanTheStupid]

And my Tuesday!

[@MrLaughingMachine]

18:40 I started playing in late 2022, I currently have 2 complete sets which are Phyrexia: All Will Be One and Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth. It’s a distinct pleasure going through packs searching for specific commons and going down the LGS to trade with people. Honestly makes me remember my childhood when we used to trade soccer cards and album stickers.

[@gabrielfeldinger6533]

25:00 That's a huge deal, congrats prof! Have a great new year and thanks for everything you've done for the MTG community :)

[@Vex-MTG]

Congratulations on the 3 months, Prof! (And you can talk about it as much as you want, whenever you want. You've earned it). Personally, I wouldn't mind if my cards were worth next to nothing... as long as the packs were priced similarly. Take me back to the day when I could do a draft for $10 which includes prize support, and I wouldn't care if the most expensive card in the pack was 25 cents.

[@drenchthunderman5313]

Congrats Prof on 3 months! I really enjoy your content! Keep it up!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Thanks! I appreciate it!

[@grantmurdock7385]

Older foils still look good, even these. So many recent foils don't even bother to do the masking that makes them look so good. I didn't realize the change was in the past five years.

[@thevoxdeus]

Too many modern foils look worse than the non-foil. Like, it's just a cloudier version of the card that also likes to bend unless it's kept in a perfectly controlled climate.

[@grantmurdock7385]

@@thevoxdeus Exactly. Slapping a foil back is never enough, or you just get worse results.

[@sebastianleszezynski2665]

Im currently collecting all of Kaladesh (now Avishkar), already completed the kaladesh and aether revolt sets and now Im looking for cards that take place in Kaladesh (many from origins, march of the machine, m19, etc) I find it fun to look at the art in the cards and figuring out if they take place there. Also love buying the bulk showcase cards and putting them on binders casue I think they look beautiful.

[@manwithabasicprofilepic]

Hey Professor, I wanted to say thank you for always telling us to buy singles. I just started buying only singles instead of packs at my local card shop and the amount of joy I get having a brand new card I wanted rather than a pack of duds is incredible.

[@matthewstooksbury]

Editor did a stand out job. Sending love their way

[@ryanwilhite]

Congrats on the sobriety! I just hit 1 year of cannabis sobriety myself.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

That's awesome, congrats!

[@Ottersauce]

I love these videos where you open cards, especially when there is continuous commentary. I'm sure trying to fill the time with commentary that is engaging might be tiring, so thank you for making the effort to talk through these cards. Wonderful video, as always. I can't wait to watch the next shuffle up and play!

[@ilovepopsicles3381]

Dont stop the booster box game! I’ve been wathing every one!

[@caseybillings9685]

Please don't stop the booster box game. It's my favorite thing on your channel. I do think it would be more fun with commentary instead of music though.

[@benjaminlehman3221]

25:45 congratulations! I didnt know you had an issue but I am glad to hear you are improving yourself.

[@PeteyFF]

A sincere hell yeah to the weight loss! Crazy how the calories in booze add up. Glad you’re enjoying the rewards of sobriety.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Yeah turns out whiuskey and wine are indeed very high in calories

[@mailhebben6212]

congrats on being 3 months sober! I like this format of watching you open booster packs, but the booster box game is also fun to watch! would love if you could keep both going. Also happy new year! to another yet of amazing content

[@alloypaulson7520]

I love the "collaboration/dialogue" with the editor. That compsci major was worth it (i think, idk what that included, but the effects, comedic timing, and even small stuff like font size really elevates the video quality). Thank you to everyone involved for not only making this wonderful piece of art (i firmly believe that this is art) but for allowing people to watch it without a paywall

[@nathanjohnson6910]

Oh god this is a throwback. Isn't technically the VIP booster the first collector booster?

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Yeah, it's a little weird on the timeline, but this was the first full collector booster product.

[@nathanjohnson6910]

@ I guess that's true. Love your content prof. Here is to the New Year! Can't wait to see what you have in store.

[@joelowdon1615]

Technically the first Collector Boosters were Ravnica Allegiance

[@DarthAckert]

I like this way of Prof doing box opening. Its way more interesting because he talks to us.

[@yeffwy]

Prof, I really enjoy hearing about your sobriety. Congratulations on your continuing progress.

[@firstlast2206]

the prof / editor dynamic is so charming computer science gang 😭

[@setscet]

Throne of eldraine was the newest set when I joined MTGA, I had only played magic like 5 years prior with my friends on a camping trip and decided to give the video game a try. It's basically what got me into magic.

[@danikahicks9896]

hay. good on you for being 3 months sober~♡ 🎊🎉

[@queenautumnween2796]

I personally am a fan of all of the showcase cards and different versions of cards. I can see how its a bit overdone, but at the same time, i think helps the base version of cards to be more accessible to people while the highest ratety variant can be more expensive for collectors or as s cool "upgrade" for decks. My crow brain mentality of enjoying the shiny cool looking card really enjoys having the thr best looking varient of the cars in my deck.

[@NokiaSojiro]

Your booster box game is what drew me to your channel, and I like it in any format as long as they continue haha. Though im sad to see its such low value for the cost

[@style0vertalent191]

12:13 Everything else aside - how insanely pretty is this Hushbringer artwork!? Holy crap that absolutely hit the nail on the head for me.

[@MaggieD0123]

I would buy sealed product to open for the same reason I would go out to a restaurant for dinner, because it’s fun and I don’t mind spending more than what it’s worth for the fun. I could cook any dish from a restaurant for a fraction of the price at home, just like I could buy the singles I want/need for a fraction of what buying sealed product and hoping to get it would be, but both would lack the fun of the more extravagant experience.

[@coreysierchio4650]

I started collecting on the "Return to Ravnica" pre-release. I would collect one of each card I could & order singles that cost less than $1. I stopped on Guilds of Ravnica when my local game store closed shop. I just collect on Arena now, it only costs some time & is generally free.

[@dontuserachelslurs]

i love the way text slowly fades in from the editor responding to prof. it is very silly and makes me laugh

[@chrisnurnberg9599]

I'd love to have a midnight hunt. I have a few collector boosters, but I haven't cracked any of them yet. Thanks for the video, Prof!

[@ChristopherPhoenixMusic]

That opening sigh... I felt that, Prof. Cheers to you, good sir.

[@kylewidmar3177]

I hope you don't stop the Booster box game, I think it's nice to watch you waste your money rather than me. Happy holidays have a great new year!

[@thebrentster2563]

Good on you prof for being sober and the weight loss, keep going! You look great!

[@STS-qi1qy]

Congrats on the sobriety milestone and here's hoping for many more to come.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

cheers!

[@brandonkidd5203]

Even if it’s less about the value, I would enjoy seeing opening regular booster boxes with this type of commentary; hearing your thoughts on cards and the format is always enjoyable! Also, congrats on 3 months!

[@TheSlyRedFox]

Happy New Year Prof! Keep it up! Thank you for the wonderful content. This tough world is a better place with you around. Stay strong!

[@BarokaiRein]

The most value I've gotten out of any MTG product was when I bought 10 foundations boosters. Regular boosters, and I got stuff worth like 180 euros from those, meaning I was 120 euros in the green. Just for reference of how crazy that seems, when I got my 36x bloomburrow box, the good stuff in there totalled to around 180 euros, which means I could sell the big pulls and actually make my money back, which isn't bad at all, but those 10 foundations boosters basically got me about three times as much value per booster opened when you factor in the about 70 cent discount you get per pack when buying boxes. Now, that's all fine and good, but I personally only sell cards that I don't plan on playing with, and bloomburrow gave me a lot more cards that I actually plan to play with that foundations did. So even though I made more money by just selling all the expensive foundations cards to people at my LGS, I think I personally got more value out of bloomburrow, because I like playing with bloomburrow cards more.

[@thatguyintherain3168]

This video reminded me of how amazing the art was for Throne of Eldraine, so many gorgeous masterpieces! Congrats on the sobriety btw!! Huge achievement!!

[@JP-go5tr]

I did the patreon when TCC did it with Sol Ring last and I ended up with the LOTR one, as someone who got into MTG through the LOTR set (big Tolkien fan) I couldnt of been happier!!!! Thank you prof, its gone straight into my main EDH deck (Sauron TDL + Nazguls) will definitely do it again for command tower !!

[@ryancole8225]

Love your work prof! I’m so glad my wife got me into the signed card level of your pattern! I don’t even care if it’s a signed rules card, I’ve just been dying to get a card signed by you since BEFORE I got the perfect place to store it, my Academic Deckbox! Can’t wait for your next video!!!

[@DerpHerper]

I so think collector boosters having chase rares/mythics with alternate art is a great idea. The anime art has been a hit. Also Adventure spells are great mechanically. WoTC had them costed pretty well to keep them relevant.

[@TheAtariNetwork]

Signed command tower makes a lot of sense. Usable and something for a unique or "tricked" out deck. Maybe a deck of autographed cards? That would be a cool idea

[@Nikodanz]

Hi Prof, my wife and I collect a set every year. And every card from that set, even the art cards :-) We love to have a folder with all the cards in it, just to look through and get inspiration.

[@olipod5470]

I love the regular booster box games as well, your choice of music is very good and it does give an idea of what to expect you’re going to open with these packs. So I hope they don’t go away

[@Hyralc]

For specifically unfinity I have collected every single card in the set including all showcases, though not all foils. I haven't quite gotten all the shocks yet, but otherwise yes. All variations of attractions included as they had different flavor text

[@replikant72]

Never play magic, or any other card games, but i really like watching this type of stuff from people like you and wubby.

[@rebelresource]

Star Wars Unlimited keeps a singular style for their "Showcase" chase cards. I really love it - provides a ton of continuity across sets!

[@empatheticrambo4890]

This is like if I was playing casual commander with the Prof! We’d just be chatting about life & magic. Exactly what I like doing at my LCG while we play!

[@ToadallyJon1]

I didn’t know you were going through the sobriety journey! Congrats! Talk about it as much as you want. Always happy to hear about awesome things like that

[@ShyGuyWilliam]

As someone who hit one year of sobriety this past year. It helps to recognize the time and your progress/hard work. Proud of you Prof!

[@AdamBusbin]

GRATS ON BEING SOBER!! 💪💪💪

[@DrLampost33]

Gwyn was my first commander, super cool to see you draw her in this set

[@jarrodhanson]

I got sober on October 9th last year. Very grateful for today.

[@elijahwalker323]

@25:21 Good job, I think you can mention it every month you want. Nothing against people who drink but I do believe overall it is unhealthy especially if you can't control it. And salute you in your journey Prof.

[@komitadjimcduff8853]

Keep doing the regular booster box game, i find it helpful in deciding to buy boxes or not. Plus i live vicariously through your box openings.

[@vent3105]

The commentary and collector booster opening mix is, in my opinion, helpful. While collector boxes can be insanely good and bad, it does not take away the fact that buying a regular play booster box does not give the same value as something like a Set Booster Box can. Your thoughtfulness and insight has helped me to stick away from buying boxes, and instead, you guessed it- buying singles. Or, invest in different TCGs.

[@bloodtobleed]

I'm attempting to collect 1 of every basic land (including snow/wastes). I've omitted Summer of Magic but I've made half decent progress so far. Baby on the way this month so I've had to cut down a lot on how much I bring in.

[@dangalfthedruid]

You look great! It was immediate, I saw you enter frame and thought "he's lost weight, for sure". Keep going on your good path! Congrats

[@jasa_TheRealOne]

Thank you for the fantastic edits, Theo!

[@bluexcello]

Thank you for the constant reminder to buy singles. Everytime i get the itch to buy a box I watch your videos to remind me that its just gambling with cardboard. Also celebrate your sobriety however and when you want! When it comes to habit changeing everyday is victory 🎉

[@ogdeathdog7913]

Well done on your 3 months, and at this time of year ... WELL DONE 👍

[@spenson]

For the question asked around 13:00, I don't really care either way for the box openings (normal or collector). I will sometimes click them if I see them in my subscriptions but I won't really look for them later.

[@GothicHobbit]

I'd like to see you continue with the regular box game too. It's a different vibe and fills a different content niche. Also, I think it's helpful for new players to see a glimpse of what buying into the product looks and feels like.

[@jamesheyworth4370]

Hey Prof, It gets better and better. I quit 2/2/22, I'm now coming up to 3 years dry. Your natural sleep pattern still hasn't kicked in yet. You may think it has but just you wait for 6 to 8 months in. Your social life will take a hit. I find it is not non-drinkers that don't like being around drinkers but the other way round. I remember I didn't like drinking with sober people about. Also you will lose the will to go to places where drink can be bought, apart from meeting a specific person, as there is no need anymore. Good luck Prof, you life is still yet to change for better and worse. All the mistakes I make now I don't have booze to blame, I do make fewer mistakes though.

[@ustrucx]

Congratulations Professor!!! Keep strong!!

[@seththemegadriveking3698]

I am baked like a cake watching this and the background music is too good.

[@shagbaker377]

Card collection: My playgroup and I typically go Commander. We look for commander specific cards and full art lands. Great vid, Prof.

[@GreenSnale]

I think you should keep opening play booster boxes. The content is entertaining (to me) and it will keep a good record over time to keep a history of openings and the change (or lack of change) in value over time. 💚

[@user-co6ww2cm9k]

congrats on your recovery bro! Just remember to be nice to yourself too

[@dereknordling3070]

Congrats on 3 months sober, Professor! It's a tough challenge regardless of your reasons why. Keep it up and keep us updated!

[@calebscott148]

Congrats on 3 months! That’s actually a pretty huge sobriety milestone, especially in terms of habit forming. The ability to find the humor in your journey is also special but don’t let your self deprecation distract from the fact you deserve to be proud of yourself.

[@maksthegstreams]

I love the new music a lot, thanks to the editors! ❤

[@eduardoerrejonroqueni107]

I don't play very often and if I do, casual af. I think I just love watching you, Prof 😂

[@joshsevigny8268]

going on four and a half years sober prof I could not be happier to hear that! Amazing work!

[@SebastianATaylor]

Since finding your channel I have jumped back into mtg after three years of not playing I still try to collect the cards in each set to have master reference binders

[@OnlyRoke]

I just need to say that I really enjoy these types of openings. Not the "Wow, open expensive booster box?!?!?! 😮" kind of aspect, but Prof talking over the opening. I just enjoy listening to the rambling, honestly. And I'm honest, the regular videos for box openings with the music are kind of iconic thanks to the music, but I'd be lying if I said that I intently watched them all. I tend to fast forward to bigger hits usually after I've seen the first impressions of art etc. 😅 So maybe doing these commented openings alongside some ramblings about how you enjoy the set so far during drafts, or what you're excited about for your own decks, etc. is a good middle ground.

[@HughRMungustein]

Good on you prof, the one year milestone is definitely one worth bragging about. Good luck!

[@TheRealDreyne]

Yeah I like this format where you actually talk instead of just opening the packs and music playing

[@hechonk7597]

Congrats on the 3 months Proff! I've just recently started my own similar journey, Trying to quit tobacco, its just a little bit more then 3,5 weeks now but hope it will keep going :) Anyway love your videos, keep up the good work both in videos and the sobriety!

[@Wizley15]

Congrats on sobriety Prof! With you mentioning possibly stopping regular booster box games, is there any kind of content in particular you’d be interested in making? You’ve got great charisma and your personality is so real so I think anything you enjoy making would be a hit. I for one would love a very casual, little to no editing conversational videos. Maybe just discussing the game, or even your life. The best part of class was always when your teacher would just chat after all!

[@morisato620]

There have to be bloopers where he dropped the card pack in midair after tossing it, haha. Also, I hope he gets brownie points for guessing the prices, right? lol. Always enjoy the videos and your personality. Definitely has brought me back into magic again to play.

[@BanesFist]

I loved the showcase art for this set. Every showcase is a beautiful card. Congrats on the sobriety!

[@kalphbeir]

I like having full binders of the entire set, but I only go after every variant for sets in really like, Bloomburrow and Lord of the Rings for example. Definitely doing the same for Final Fantasy this summer.

[@beaustebbings6968]

Just wanted to congratulate you on your 3 months of sobriety. I just got sober a few months ago aswell. Thank you for sharing that.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Congrats from me to you on your sobriety, friend.

[@johnpisser1983]

I like watching the box games for your tolarian winds-ing. I dont get too much out of the booster box game itself anymore no. That is to say, I miss your Podcasts.

[@Harpoquondrax]

Lol that sad trumpet at the end is the cherry on top

[@DMofPuppets]

Nice! Itll go with my signed sol ring in mt first paper commander deck.

[@trident042]

I said it before but I'll say it again - I love the normal Booster Box Game and the Collector Booster Box Game for different reasons. The regular one is a good vibes time, I can see if a set is generally worth the price they stamp on it, and what cards really pulled big attention - which does reflect some cards' utility for Standard, if you pay attention. The Collector one I love just because it's usually a good time to hear Prof talk about what's up while seeing some of the special cards I wouldn't get to see opened in person.

[@LofiWandererMusic]

I really enjoy the regular booster box openings, its a fun mix up from regular videos

[@CreativeSteve69]

Thanks for another fun year of content prof. I sometimes try my best to collect cards from specific sets that catch my interest the most but not every set thankfully. I re-entered the world of magic through the Xillian sets and bought like every other set ever since which is like 1 or 2 times a year for me at this point. Which I am highly surprised with since I usually used to buy every set every tcg I ever played growing up. But doing pretty stable with magic. Which I'm proud of. :)