Let's Play The Double Masters Booster Box Game For Magic: The Gathering!

Enjoy this? Flashback to me playing the Modern Masters 2017 Booster Box game here: • MTG - Let's Play The M...
Or, Check out how I did with the Modern Masters 2015 Booster Box Game: • MTG - Let's play the M...
Or watch me play the game with Khans of Tarkir: • MTG - Let's Play! Khan...
Support content like this by becoming a channel patron over at Patreon: / tolariancommunitycollege
See also - A Critical Review of The Box Of Holding: • A Critical Review of T... and Magic: The Gathering at Pax: • Magic: The Gathering a...
Music Courtesy Of:
"Vintage Education" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Hey everyone, I made a really special kind of MTG video that KZbin tanked. I guess if the video title isn't "Watch Garuk DESTROY Liliana in just 8 words!" then KZbin just doesn't care, but it took a lot of work and I would love it if you gave it a view: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIKZZmBvqMR8obM

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Just FYI Prof when I try to tap “read more” it makes me tap on the link and go to the video. Great intro!

[@kinkajuu1]

label it "watchdogs garruk edition" :P

[@th5174]

Already saw it! It’s beautiful.

[@Abarataphoto]

Saw it already, but great video, as usual

[@arthurpotter9092]

Reprint equity does exist, even if the card stock costs the same by reprinting and decreasing the value of the existing cards means they cant get people to buy boxes looking for those cards in the future. Not "screaming" or anything just saying

[@Gaiametris]

Can we get a "packs left" counter?

[@shawnthetaco10]

This. Would make boxes that cut it close more suspenseful and boxes that hit the threshold early more exciting if we know how many packs are left.

[@GomuRoux]

Good idea !

[@dadordeforma]

yes! I was thinking the same

[@johannesderspinner]

He had one in some older videos

[@rylegrimrick]

@@shawnthetaco10 this would also allow people to skip to the end of the box... which is a bad idea because KZbin monetizes by way of watch time not views....

[@elliottengstrand5988]

Wotc: "We don't pay attention to or acknowledge the secondary market in any way." Also Wotc: "This master's set is worth more because we put more expensive cards in it." Players: "How do you know and quantify which cards are more expensive if--" Wotc: "Hey look it's a new Secret Lair!" Players: "But--" Wotc: "Hey look, it's another new Secret Lair!"

[@fernandobanda5734]

Are you ignoring that every booster contains two rares?

[@xChikyx]

@@fernandobanda5734 which most of them cost less than $1? yes

[@niksimmons4448]

@@garlicxlr Customers: But the secret lairs are close to the secondary market WotC: Splinter Twin unbanned! Customers: That still doesn't- WotC: We removed 25 cards off the Reserve List! Customers: But they are worthless like Sedge Troll WotC: Return to Kamigawa!

[@fernandobanda5734]

@@xChikyx Read what I'm writing about. I'm not saying you should buy a box, I'm saying there IS a very clear and justifiable reason to charge more outside of the secondary market. Wizards knows what they're doing.

[@xChikyx]

@@fernandobanda5734 so, double rares mean triple the price of a normal booster? that obviously makes sense, it's obvious it's not because of the whale bait rares included because obviously wizards have no idea how much a force of will or a mana crypt or a jace cost in the seconday market because the secondary market doesn't exist, right?

[@corinelliott3596]

Bless you and your integrity, professor. I'm really happy that you're continuing to fight for us and MTG.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Always!

[@blam9360]

I was thinking the same thing as I watched this video. Thank you, Professor!

[@SpectrumTide]

The goat honestly.

[@ssmmeeaarrggllee]

This, this is what makes the Prof my fave mtg content maker. There are others very entertaining but Prof has that and also good wholesome advice always.

[@mrstizzle9049]

@@TolarianCommunityCollege you said m21 was a great set, which only has 8 cards over $10. Throne of Eldraine has around 6 and Battlebond only had 7. All good/great sets. All about $100/box. Double Master has 45 cards $10+ for $300/box. If they don't print double masters and instead use the cards as the chase cards (7-8 per set) for the next 6 sets at $100. Thats $600 for essentially the same cards. (Seeing as all the value in a set is in the chase rares) Azusa was a $25 card that came down to $10. Wound reflection was a $25 that came down to $10. Seems like impact on card prices are similar. Yes $600 spread out over a year is more affordable, but $300 to get 6 sets of rates at once seems OK. Not too mention, the value of the rares and mythics are much higher than in m21 or battlebond. And for comparison Ultimate masters had 29 cards over $10. Seems like the value is ok to me.

[@dreadredbaron]

Do not try to lie with us Professor. We all know you are not going to sell off those Oubliettes. You are going to buy them out!

[@matilyn_rf]

Hes gonna sell the singles just to buy them himself

[@mikotagayuna8494]

Many Magic the Gathering players ask the question, "How do I get into MtG Finance?"

[@michaelz903]

I love how the camera lingered on that one

[@FishBola1991]

I just remembered Battlebond, a normally priced set, EXPLICITLY cost more to make, because it required the development of new printing tech and programming to assure the “Partners With” cards ABSOLUTELY ended up in the same pack... the cost of R&D is patently evident and yet no price increase? I’m sure someone’s already mentioned this. I’m also commenting to appease The Algorithm.

[@joshuamartin1211]

Your first 3 packs were worth more than my whole booster box. PSA don't buy this set to open. Singles only people.

[@123phi123]

Unless you're playing limited

[@The_Murder_Party]

123phi123 the limited for this set is like 60$?

[@blackiscolor7732]

Joshua Martin i've opened a couple boxes and i have broke even at LEAST each time 🤷🏻‍♂️ keep in mind the price of cards will rise too

[@danumd87]

With this set specifically opening packs is a true fools errand. I bought singles the Saturday after release on tcg; the cards were relatively inexpensive and already have gone up about a collective 40% in value. You just have to understand the market and it’s very easy to do well after a release.

[@JusDoc]

Yea I got absolutely hosed too. Maybe half my value back. This one set has be on the "singles only" train from here out.

[@TipeONegatyve]

I bought a pack at Walmart today and cracked a Force of Will foil. I'm taking that as a win and stopping while I'm ahead.

[@kylefields3951]

Hell yeah

[@corriedebeer799]

NIIICE!!!

[@TipeONegatyve]

@@daltonbuchholz5061 some people don't have a choice. Luckily I live pretty close to Star City Games so if I want to buy a lot of magic I'll go there and save a lot of money. That said MTG is a sink hole.

[@ZacksRockingLifestyle]

@@daltonbuchholz5061 pardon me while I get fresh meat and veggies at my LGS. Local Goods Store? Oh wait, that’s not it.

[@louiskemner3216]

what a champ

[@1313owner]

Professor: Can I buy you a drink? WOTC: That would be nice Professor: While we're talking let me offer you some free advice. Charge less WOTC: What? Professor: Print more. WOTC: Ha Professor: Don't let them know I sold a goyf and How much for. WOTC: You can't be serious? Professor: You wanna make a profit? WOTC: Yes! Professor: Games who outprice their customers often end up off it.

[@jeremybrown4406]

This is genius. Absolutely genius

[@TrafVal]

Man this is good

[@sesamestreettv]

Omg this is the greatest comment ever

[@sidneypowelstock6812]

I am having a lot of trouble understanding what this comment means... I get the message at the end but "Don't let them know I sold a goyf and How much for." makes very little sense to me. I know what a goyf is and I know there was probably some mistake in that sentence, but my brain is struggling to comprehend anything. Can someone explain what that sentence means, please? thanks, lol

[@1313owner]

@@sidneypowelstock6812 Aaron Burr, Sir. from the musical Hamilton

[@silversylvis]

Huh, well this is interesting. I opened my box and I didn't even realize it came with a little figurine of a Hasbro executive pointing and laughing at me. Weird that they wouldn't advertise that.

[@xBeauGaming]

It's thanks to these videos that I watch you lose money while I buy singles man. #hugs

[@OrphanCrippler1]

he made a net profit in this video...so uhhhhhhh lol. but by all means, keep getting ripped off and buying cards at full market value, while people like me sell them, make profit and get to have fun opening packs and stuff for free basically.

[@fredericklachance5033]

​@@OrphanCrippler1 im new to mtg , should i buy a booster box if im looking to trade valuable card with friends and sell some ? can you really make money? do you often loose money at the current market ? my town gaming store cant answer me and you look like you know your stuff man ...

[@OrphanCrippler1]

@@fredericklachance5033 if you want to sell cards and collect, your only option is to buy a box. If you just want to make a deck and play, buy singles. Also, stop trolling.

[@fredericklachance5033]

@@OrphanCrippler1 im not trolling i litteraly asked the same question to 3 guys, you, another one above and the video creator as a coment. but thanx for your answer.

[@OrphanCrippler1]

@@fredericklachance5033 ah. It just came off as a bit....WELL ANYWAY lmao. If you buy a booster box, 7 times out of 10 you will get your value back out of it by sellijg the expensive singles. In my experience anyway. Collector boosters are another story, and fkr me have been a waste kf money. I do still buy them if i have the spare cash though, just cause theyre fun, and the lottery cards are really good. I personally buy set boosters most of the time, just because i like them the best, and you get a box topper.

[@prufrock1977]

WOTC cares more about the secondary market than they do the players. One day, the pay-to-play ratio will be to great to attract new players.

[@Alino-]

Warhammer 40k (an expensive AF tabletop miniatures game) already looks cheap compared to MTG. (Trust me, I play both. After spending like $400 in 40k you'll not really spend much more except for buying a box of guys whenever-you-feel like it. Not like MTG where $400 will get you a single stack of cardboard that is destroyed because of a spilt drink)

[@Slo-Mode]

It already got me to quit the game

[@earbitter]

I just print proxies now if my friends want to play. The price point is too high for me and I make a pretty solid annual salary plus time and a half overtime. Frankly I don’t see how any kid, highschooler, or poor college student could get into this game in any kind of competitive manner. I got into it in college because my loaded friend bought me a deck to play. It’s just insane now though.

[@Alino-]

@@earbitter Yeah... Nowadays I just play on Table Top Simulator with buddies.

[@earbitter]

R.A. Klein II I hadn’t even thought of that! Good idea:)

[@deadkid2012]

"it burns!" that's the quality content I subbed for lolol

[@jamesoakley9333]

Me too.

[@MisterDarren]

Box One, Pack One Pull literally made that box. A few smaller hits after, but not even the box toppers were that impressive. Box Two, you can tell how that went by the length of this video. Moral of the Story: These are Lootboxes. This is Gambling. Know Your Limits and Play Within Them. Do not let Confirmation Bias cloud your judgment. It is cheaper to purchase any single card in this set than it is to rip packs looking for it. Thankfully, Magic has not become as bad as Sports Cards... yet.

[@Durgenheim]

It's wild to me that a large portion of the value in these boxes is contained in box toppers and chase rares/mythics. The disparity between the highest and lowest value cards, and the distribution rates of each is astounding for such a high-priced product.

[@nicholas8739]

I'm glad you bring up confirmation bias. I want to urge people that everyone who is lucky to get godly pulls is not everyone who buys these packs/boxes. People keep using them as examples to why this is a good product. It's really not because it's overpriced gambling. Be wary is all.

[@MisterDarren]

@@Durgenheim Absolutely! For every FOW you pull, you will get dozens of jank rares and almost... kinda worth it cards in the $5-10 range. The dream is to pull that "awesome" high value card, but the reality is as the Prof said. The House will Always Win. Long story short, WotC and/or Hasbro is shifting Magic to be like Sports Cards. Brace Yourselves.

[@MisterDarren]

@@nicholas8739 Exactly! This is why Casinos operate their games in large, loud rooms with lots of pretty lights etc. They want you to get caught up in the excitement of the few people that are winning and join in. Like the Prof said: The House Always Wins.

[@OmnivorousTree]

Don't know how you consider the first box made by the force of will. Even if you remove the value of the force of will he still would have made well more then the cost of the box. And yes every idiot from here till Sunday recognizes that opening any box of magic is gambling. However opening boxs is still fun, people will still buy them, and if no one did their would be no increase of singles on the market. People want to buy boxs that on average of getting their money back, and honestly these boxs aren't bad for that. Would I still encourage people to buy singles over a box? Hell yes, but if someone is dead set on getting a box I would recommend this set because its just a blast to open.

[@Flyboyzeb]

"I object to the premise!" I'd buy that TCC t-shirt.

[@Resuarus]

I love how practically every pack is either worth nothing or worth $10+ and there's very little middle ground. Magic the Gambling at its finest.

[@joshwhitmire5753]

Existence is suffering so let’s play some legal gambling!

[@willemboele2079]

fgreger oh shut up it is and you know it

[@Fleato]

Idk where youre from. But many forms of gambling are legal lol.

[@Eledan13]

@@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece if something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and looks like a duck and feels like a duck it's probably gambling.

[@dantebeleren]

@@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece You say legality is not about opinion, but that is LITERALLY all it is. They are opinions of communities that they agree to live by. It's why there are arguments about the legality of abortions or even capital punishment.

[@Eledan13]

@@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece sure it's legally not recognized as gambling in the us(honestly not sure about some European countries). Regardless saying it is legal gambling doesn't really have much to do with the law. It is only saying that it is gambling (by other definitions) that also happens to be legal. I honestly don't care a whole lot because some gambling is fun. It is also just easily super predatory which is basically what this is or at least can be. Anyways wasn't really interested in arguing the finer points of gambling law but rather making a pithy statement/argument for internet points ;)

[@funnyjewguy]

As the Professor says, "buy singles." I guess that doesn't make for as entertaining of a video though

[@antti3779]

bought 2 packs for the first time in like 6months, insta regret

[@technole]

...Card Castle ad appears after he says buy singles for the zillionth time. We get it, like Rudy says you have a blinking ball and chain by them.

[@drmann15]

He still made over $50 per box. Sounds like a good business to me

[@jonathanrichardson5330]

It's Saturday, August 15, let's play the Singles game. How does this game work? I go out to my LGS and buy singles that total up to the value of the newest booster box set released and try to build a deck. Actually this sounds like a pretty good game.

[@KaseyWynne]

Buy a bunch of singles, put them in cubamajigs, and then open those on camera, and pretend. "Oh my god, a 4th oubliette?! How lucky can I get to get a full play set from one box!"

[@EntheogenShaman]

I got a borderless Force of Will in my first box, I don't need to buy any more. Needless to say I'm buying my third box today.

[@endel12]

18:06 - you didn’t add foil Vexing Shusher’s $7.08 to the total

[@VGJustice]

To be fair, that wouldn't have saved that box.

[@drmann15]

To be fair, the entire discussion was biased and one sided

[@jasonholmes5714]

Fatal Push and Basalt Monolith weren’t counted for the first box, but that didn’t matter either.

[@Ryuka1993]

Even with both basalt monolith and vexing shusher, he's still short approximately 20 bucks on the box.

[@endel12]

VGJustice Could have included all them $1.50 range cards ....

[@MTGUnpacked]

You missed counting the Vexing Shusher foil @ 18:07 but it didn't help you that much in the end. Part of the problem was you having to pay $330 per box in the first place! Isn't having no MSRP fun?😬

[@hunterthorne4671]

i personally believe the mtg finance people (or the people that get these products to try and make money off of them) are ruining the game..

[@jamesoakley9333]

If not ruining at least hurting the game experience

[@deadkid2012]

no, it's actually this little thing called HASBRO. yeah they're gonna run magic into the ground or get it to 'evolve' like the sports card industry has. you will see 3 sects of players. those who spend whatever to have whatever, those who refuse to buy in and will only buy older sets, and everyone in between chasing both those sects. Hasbro is making WoTc provide different avenues of card types so that those who have/want to spend big money, can spend big money.

[@TheKaijudist]

I personally believe you are misguided

[@girlhunter2102]

It’s called gambling...if you’ve ever been to a casino then you know how hard it is to walk away from a slot machine or table when you’re “hot”. But the house (Hasbro/WOTC in this case) always wins.

[@jthom0027]

Its not just MTG they are ruining. Check the prices of almost any sports card box that's come out this year. Its crazy. The finance people get mad because they don't want too much info getting out and educating people to not purchase their scalped products.

[@upstarter]

My double boosters box wasn’t NEARLY this good. Not even close.

[@chasebox9815]

Same bro, too bad I don’t have the money to buy another one :(

[@m3gaschmeat324]

I only made like 130 back on mine. I literally pulled the worst mithics

[@CapsFan117]

Mine was pretty insane pulled a Mana Crypt and a Foil Mana Crypt in one pack. Pulled an Urza's Power Plant and an Avacyn for my Box Topper.

[@only1sn1not1taken]

I got 2. First one was great. Second one was TRASH!

[@Illusive1313]

@@m3gaschmeat324 I had decent mythics (Karn, Avacyn, Ensnaring Bridge, Batterskull and Dark Confidant), but not a single rare above €3 and my box toppers were Phyrexian Metamorph and Meddling Mage. I'll never ever buy sealed product again. €260 for the box, ~€190 in return. Friend of mine bought three boxes and got shat on by the box toppers in two boxes. Double Masters is so incredibly top loaded that you simply can't break even if either your mythics or toppers suck (or both). Prof got super lucky with the first box, though he still got carried by the Force of Will and SFM topper.

[@Duskraven377]

"It burns like greed incarnate." That's pretty much all of MtG at the moment.

[@edoardohutha694]

“Charge less Print more Just let them know the msrp they’ll be buying for”

[@mattwebb7325]

“You want to get ahead? Companies run by greed just wind up dead...” WOTC: “AYE YO YO YO YO”

[@jankjabronie]

Mr. The Professor, could you do a video on your thoughts on Wizard's removal of MSRP from MTG products? I am no legal expert, but it seems like they are acknowledging the secondary market and denying it exists at the same time. In the legal battle to determine if MTG isn't gambling Wizard's, from my recollection, had to deny their agreement or acknowledgement of the individual value of the cards assigned to them by the community. Now with double master's the "finance" department doubles the price of Double Masters. The reason as you stated, better cards mean bigger prices. I have a feeling they are building the case against themselves. Most of the cards do not feature new artwork. Unless an artist contract is for a specific amount of printings these cards cost them no more than the fixed costs of materials and shipping. By creating a product that has random assortments of cards with individual values they acknowledge (and using that as a reason for price) appears like a good argument for a legal case against Wizard's. I hope to hear your thoughts on the matter in the future.

[@Highstar7331]

Im genuinely surprised I haven't heard anyone starting such a case by now.

[@jankjabronie]

@@Highstar7331 tl;dr Gary has shadowspear equipped and can prove Magic is gambling (imo). Did a little reading on my lunch break. There was the case in the 90's that tried to use federal gambling/racketeering laws as cause to label MTG as gambling. The case failed due to judges seeing it as a state law problem and not applicable to the federal laws that focused on mafia style gambling fraud. Meaning that their is no blanket decision on MTG not being gambling in the states. Only that their is no case law or precedent. This makes their defense somewhat hexproof. Something I thought about in reading the defence, Gary. The defense argument was that the cards, like baseball cards, are equally destributed and have equal potential for collection and play. The idea being that cards do not have more or less value. And that the rarity of the card is more of a sweepstakes and not one being more valuable than another. My thinking is that they acknowledge power level and what rarity means for the game and desirability of a card. In Theros: Beyond Death they reprinted Gray Merchant in uncommon to balance power of the set. By showing they understand the power of a card means they understand the playability of a card over another. That all cards are not equally desired, wanted, collected, or played. That this is evident in market demand and context of gameplay. And being the designers of the game they should know what would be considered strong in the game they design. If that wasn't the case then they took their cue from the secondary market and agreed with Gary's play value as defined by its market value. It seems to me that they have undermined the principle of their defense. Why change a cards rarity if rarity is meaningless in gameplay terms and collector demand?

[@mrstizzle9049]

Courts have already said the booster pack model of distribution isn't gambling

[@brianmcgrane8473]

The Prof's shameless stabs at Wizards never cease to give me a laugh.

[@corriedebeer799]

they deserve it though

[@grantmccoy6739]

These sets should actually cost less than a regular set, because they are just reprints. There's no new cards designed, only several new art commissions. Production costs are almost entirely manufacturing costs. It's incredibly prohibitive and pretentious in my opinion.

[@WystandeValera]

"Charge less, Print more" would be a great mantra

[@KingGameReview]

The thing is, they already proved they could do a great reprint set for a low price. Mystery boxes just came out a couple months ago.

[@johnmack6218]

Agree! Double Master made me want to open a Mystery Booster box. Do you think they will print a 3rd run?

[@KingGameReview]

@@johnmack6218 I doubt it. It was too good of a value. I got my box for like $90, and it had incredible cards. Such a fun product.

[@brokenphantom3g]

Wizards is doing alot of experimentation this year with pricing and pack styles. We've got collector boxes, the VIP boxes for the already double priced Double Masters, Jumpstart, the Mystery Box, and the new Set Boosters for Zedikar Rising all make me think Wizards is just going whole hog all on trying as many different kinds of things at once, and waiting to settle on which one makes them the most money for their investment of time/capital as the "way to go forward". I just hate that they're using their fanbase as guinea pigs for this during such a huge economic crunch... I get that they probably had most of this in motion well before the pandemic, but going ahead with all of it anyway instead of shelving some of them speaks to a callousness that overshadows their typical greed.

[@KingGameReview]

@Nick Fanchette for sure. And I'm still waiting on my jumpstart preorder....

[@kristijanlackovic981]

Mistery was the best its terrible they didnt print a lot and just pushed too many other products

[@nicksegreti8133]

The amount of dud packs makes me feel sick.

[@dorsalfin22]

I agree. Not even $2-$5 staples in about half the packs. I don't care if I don't get my money back in one big chase card. Like many players, I love limited and I love commander. I would be very happy with a plethora of cards in that range that I know I would use in decks. It really is a shame that this set, while having some amazing reprints, is all about THE BIG REPRINTS. And if you miss out on those your pulls are just horrible. I cannot even justify playing limited with this set with my family, let alone buying a whole box like we do for standard sets to play with.

[@amybrooks4669]

@@dorsalfin22 The limited environment in this set is honestly fantastic, if you can do phantom drafts on MTGO I would highly recommend it.

[@ccggenius]

@@dorsalfin22 Obviously you just need to scale up the KIND of limited you're playing. I assume you can overcome variance if you're playing a box league, and you can DEFINITELY overcome it if you're playing a box league with cases of the VIP boosters. I mean, that's clearly an egregious waste of money, but you have to admit, it'd probably be really fun if money was no object.

[@dorsalfin22]

@@ccggenius Usually when I play limited it's with a booster box so that way if someone in the group gets a bad limited pool, they can try again. My pod is also full of general board gamers and since they're not all enfranchised MTG players, I like getting the boxes for everyone to play together. But unfortunately this set is out of my range. Definitely buying up singles though and looking forward to another printing of Jumpstart. That set is amazing for all of us because we can play with so many people who do not usually play magic.

[@NIRDIAN1]

Yeah really makes buying a single pack "as a treat" just not a feasable option at all. And a 70€ Winston Draft is also not really in the books for me either so... Skip. :/

[@ethancooper1056]

Is there a reason they have bad cards in these sets? It really feels like the collecter boosters/the masters sets are only worth it if they cut out the chaff. I mean, I get booster packs are fun, but for $330 they need to guarantee the purchase is actually worth that...

[@eicha41624]

Because they can do it and people will buy it anyway

[@EgoBrain88]

Their reasoning is that people will draft the set, and the chaff cards can often be good in that limited setting. That reasoning is very stupid.

[@corriedebeer799]

the chaff makes a limited environment

[@GatheringTheMagicYT]

Booster box game time already 😂 literally always love these so much! Plus glad you support your LGS too 🙂

[@tinosdragatsis]

31 minutes only. You will not make a lot of money on these boxes. So always buy the singles.

[@bluelotus2979]

So glad I did that. Got so many great commanders for cheap.

[@superCattaz]

>opens video. >first mythic is fow. >closes video.

[@Polmax2312]

I know, right? I opened 2 booster boxes and 16 vip boosters and god zero fow((( only card I really want from 2XM((

[@joeshmoe66]

@@Polmax2312 I wanted a complete set of foil Urza lands and my first two boxes didn't do the trick(Only got one). I have two more booster boxes on the way.

[@Polmax2312]

joeshmoe66 luckily I managed to pull the full tron (without karn to complete the panorama) on my first try. But getting full playset of 12 lands gonna be hard... I ordered singles cause I expect foil panorama tron to skyrocket.

[@ashleejacobsen7614]

@@Polmax2312 I wanted the swords and fow, still waiting for my box but the 6 vip I got were ok, 2 swords,karn and blight steel

[@NIRDIAN1]

@@Polmax2312 For that 2K you could've just bought a stack of FOW, but ok...

[@XinZ1138]

The more I watch you and Vince the more I’m convinced you two are the exact problem you blame on MTGfinance constantly. Your disgust with VIP packs really hit this home.

[@technole]

Yes. Just another one sour they are getting priced out of products. His constant bickering about CEs/VIP is really nauseating.

[@jeffnosdivad3080]

Force on the first pack, ffs.

[@MintyMagicMTG]

Overall value didn’t go up with Vexing Shusher? Wouldn’t have mattered but I didn’t look to see if others got missed

[@hitthegoat]

Any person who says the insane price of double masters is justified because of the cost of cards in the SECONDARY MARKET should immediately be disregarded because that is not a valid argument. The secondary market should not influence the cost of the base product. It should be based on production costs alone. If it costs more to produce, then sure, increase the price. But if it doesn't, there's no excuse to increase the price, especially not by this much

[@angreed66]

The ultimate price presented to consumers is dictated by sellers which is dictated by how much consumers are willing to pay for the product. Prices are always determined by what people are willing to pay. If the cost to produce an item is less that what people will pay it becomes discontinued.

[@anokosecret9963]

My prediction: the box toppers save each box, each time [EDIT]: I'm (un)pleasantly surprised! Though i don't like this product and they way it is priced, along with some of the upshifted cards and wide-ranged price of boxtoppers, the value does seem to be there. I'll not be buying packs or boxes, but i look forwards to the way the singles market is going to get some nice rares dropped in price.

[@StayNPlayGames]

PreVideo, and I must agree. Maybe 1/6 boxes would have enough valuable foils, rares, & mythics to recover the cost, assuming Prof makes it to Box 6

[@jfmedits1577]

the force of will pack one lmao

[@kellymorales6997]

Alot of boxes are missing the box toppers according the game store I ordered mine from. My topper was missing and Wizards still hasn't address the issue, it's been about a week since I submitted my claim regarding the missing box topper.

[@solorider66]

I think the one that hit me the most throughout this whole vid were the Sen Triplets, and well most of the other Mythics; however, Sen Triplets was like 20-30 bucks not too long ago. Now it's only $10... That's insane. I get that there were other huge drops in prices, but I don't know that exact drop because, well, those cards were already over $70 at least and I don't even look at those cards to buy.

[@GlichCentral]

The comments sections says there are 5 comments, but none are being displayed? I’m confused. Also, my first time being within a minute of the video’s release, so that’s cool.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

When a video first gets posted, KZbin has itself a little heart attack and needs an hour or so for everything to properly sync up in terms of displayed views, comments etc

[@wrkkvikrmvh1023]

@@TolarianCommunityCollege that is the best way I have ever heard it described

[@asaffin1]

I love this set. And I'm so goddamn mad that Wizards decided I'm not allowed to experience it because my paycheck isn't high enough. To be completely priced out of my favorite game at this point, not just with this set but with almost every non-Standard product these days, has left such a raw wound that I'm pretty sure Magic is dead for me. I've been looking forward to all the new EDH releases we were supposed to get this year, but I can't imagine how I'm going to pay for them.

[@MidgarMerc]

Edh doesnt care about sealed product unless it's a precon. Buy singles.

[@darthemphatic4654]

And definitely make the tough trade decisions

[@ComradeQuestion42069]

Proxies!

[@darthemphatic4654]

I support proxies if you own one real one or if you are temporarily play testing to decide if you want to buy.

[@asaffin1]

That's the problem with proxies. Everyone has their own rules and requirements and if yours don't match with mine then we can't play.

[@JustforKikX]

My feeling on it is this: buy singles. The fact that they jack up the price for "new art" or fewer commons is BS to me. I built a Balan deck the other day and I went to my LGS and bought all the swords with regular art for a little over $100? The art is cool, but I'm not dropping 300 dollars on this set.

[@vasylpark2149]

"Oh stings just a little." Love the snark, and love calling it. 1:30 I dont think hes gonna make 330. Edit: I was wrong.

[@thescribe509]

When I saw the first pack I was like "You already did better than 70% of people who bought this farce" Buy singles. The price on these cards will not realistically reduce because the opportunity cost is so high. But that means the market value of the cards will not depreciate much as a result. You will not lose value on the singles market because of how bad this product is. Just buy singles.

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

0:12 I was looking away when I heard this and legit thought he got bitten by a spider or something...

[@Pterrordon12]

I agree with you, saying that "Market value economics" is the reason its expensive is not legitimate. Good deals can exist?

[@corriedebeer799]

Market value is basically only what people are willing to pay for it. Not what SCG has arbitrarily declared it to be

[@RedCoat1016]

I think that it’s simply the fact that this is a product that attracts hardcore collectors and players, and no matter what, there will ALWAYS be people willing to spend whatever they have to in order to get the best cards. WoTC knows their audience, and they will continue to price their future “collector sets” (masters, secret lair, etc.) accordingly.

[@lazarus8472]

WOTC: Prints standard cardboard at standard price. Charges normal prices. WOTC: Prints masters cardboard at standard price. Charges double the price WHY? Reasons. THX MTG Finance.

[@supereece9000]

if there's one thing i've learned from watching box openings of double masters you either need to a)pull a force of will from the box in order to fit into the realm of making your money back or b)your box toppers need to be amazing.

[@raze956]

man, dont be sad about those mtg finance clowns. they are too afraid to bet on bigger scales against skilled other competitors on like, the stock market for example. instead they ruin alot of prices on a cardgame thats aimed at teenagers/young adults, for just few hundreds or small 4 figures, if at all. who can take such people serious?

[@corriedebeer799]

the real irony is that the real money is selling cheap, 50 cent, bulk rares to filthy casuals. There is way more money in casual cards at all ends of the spectrum than staples.

[@raze956]

that is interesting to hear. im actually curious about the statistics of some of the bigger single sellers, i wonder how much jank vs staples they actually sell? would love to have a view on that. also, i do buy alot of jank and bulkrares as well, since im a collector and buy cards for art i think beautiful. chronostutter from m15 for example, absolutely worthless but amazing to look at. the hourglass, the statues that hold it, the background.. it just amazes me. there are alot of cards like that and as someone whos into art i love collecting those pieces. this collection is mostly worthless to almost any buyer, but to me it is one of a kind.

[@corriedebeer799]

@@raze956 Simple SCG will sell you a 1000 rares for $140. As a industry standard you will get 8 - 10 cent per bulk rare. So at the worst you cash out and you loose 60 bucks. You can easily sell decent enough casual cards for 50 cents, which is 3 times more than you bought it for. Nobody feels ripped off from 50 cents rares even if you make a tidy profit.

[@corriedebeer799]

so basically even if 800 out of the 1000 rares you sell back to SCG for 8 cents each if you sell the other 200 @ 50 cents you up 24 dollars

[@corriedebeer799]

@@raze956 SCG is also stellar with there bulk deals. They consider anything that they have an overstock off as bulk material. You can sometimes get really nice casual cards in those deals, they dont mind it if you get some sweet cards in your bulk

[@camdenharper7244]

So many of thr junk rares in this set are great cube cards

[@sethlarson9433]

There’s a line, is this a game for everyone / is this a collectible? Hasbro wants it to be a collectible but fans of MTG want it to stay a game. WOTC is in the middle trying to make stuff that will appease Hasbro and hopefully be considered passable to fans. But I’m just commenting for chance to win a ...oh wait he didn’t give anything away this video? I’m outta here.

[@corriedebeer799]

is Hasbro going to buy the products or are the players going to buy it? Why does it matter what HASBRO wants? They have to cater to what there customers want, just like any other business.

[@sethlarson9433]

Corrie De Beer they are selling to their customers, the collectors, at $330 a box. I’m suggesting this isn’t a product for players. If this where for the players - it wouldn’t be priced with the collectible secondary market in mind. After all, it’s just paper.

[@Thomas-vn6cr]

Don't think I'll ever see a force of will in my entire life outside of a trade binder.

[@KnowArt]

haven't playing in a while. Fatal push under 2?! Obliette? And some I can't remember. It looks like wizards is actually doing some good reprints?!

[@DuzyPies]

My entire view on expensive magic cards boils down to "Why should I have to pay thousands of dollars to play a game with all of the pieces?"

[@fernandobanda5734]

You don't

[@melonboi927]

@@fernandobanda5734 you do.

[@fernandobanda5734]

@@melonboi927 There is all sorts of Magic that can be played by avoiding cards with outrageous prices, or at least having to have many of them. It depends on who you can play against and what you want to play.

[@Narstrand6]

Exactly how I felt some years back, after having spent waaay too much money on this. It was like I suddenly woke up from hypnosis and realized that I can just buy games that come with everything you need, for less than half the price of a booster box. Turns out that board games isn't just a cheaper hobby, but it's also more fun, more balanced, (often) less luck based, and you actually sometimes feel like you're supporting underdogs who deserve your money.

[@fernandobanda5734]

@@Narstrand6 What limits you from enjoying some form of "closed" Magic? For example, a Duel Deck or Jumpstart is an entire game. Why is it bad that you don't have EVERYTHING? Can't you pretend that what you have is everything? Cubes and set decks work the same way, but they probably need more investment.

[@draytonyork4811]

I agree completely, Wizards should make these sets cheaper. They control the supply, so they see the demand, and adjust the prices to see fit. They can make it cheaper for everyone to play this wonderful game.

[@stephenr465]

Hey prof, I've realized recently more than usual that mostly everything good seems to be pushed to mythic, leaving the cupboards a bit more bare at the rare level. Noticed that with m21 too. Thoughts?

[@MrBRAHvoh]

Professor...you are speaking the truth! I feel you on the buy singles ideology. It would be a shame for someone to spend that much money and end up with box #2. Much love to your channel and appreciate what you do for us 🙌🏽

[@tbone6704]

A playback speed of 1.5 makes for happy campers.

[@Miss_Comesalot]

Boy, I sure am glad KZbin gave me no notifications about this video despite being subbed and having the bell set to "all"... :(

[@nickyerick3454]

Epic video, Prof! Only 12 seconds in, but it's great already!

[@GatheringTheMagicYT]

😂😂

[@doctordistracto8390]

I'd be interested to see a booster box game where the stop point is when any box is completed and your total spent across all boxes is greater than than the total value of cards pulled across all boxes. I think you'd see a lot of games where it ends on box 1 or doesn't end until box 17 or something. No offense but even counting 98% of the cards as 0s everyone always cracks a $500 box and then a $300 box and says "see that's why you don't buy $300 boxes." Like okay I guess if someone is only buying one box, but you're still almost an entire free box ahead. Also I don't think there's ever been any other card game where everyone walks away from the game completely and refuses to buy the product unless the hobby pays for itself right out of the box. I can't complain about mtg finance people and then refuse to explore my hobby in any way other than the way they do.

[@DarthSid]

Hilarious! Your intros keep getting better and better! Thx! :)

[@orzhovmdw]

Boxes are gambling that is legal!! It is Fow or Mana Crypt or bust. Better to buy singles you need

[@leemansius6078]

A set isn’t official until the Professor plays the booster box game.

[@tonyandchachi8102]

18:07 you forget to add the 7.08$ to the total

[@BigDamnVanguard]

The first three packs of the first box were literally worth more than my entire box. The variance on this set is insane.

[@bradensorensen966]

Not gonna lie, I nearly doubled my money with double masters. With the regular booster box, NOT VIP!

[@ej3ae]

I can’t help rewatching the intro 😂

[@ApoEdvarg]

There's something that puzzles me: why prices are so much higher in US than Europe? On CardMarket a box was (I suppose it still is) available for 230 to 250 euros, more or less 270-290 dollars. Why the gap of at least 40 bucks if not 70?

[@oliver5732]

Have you seen the singgles prices Prof uses in the video? The box might be more expansive, but so is everything else on the US Market. Shipping costs between US and EU mostly keep those markets seperate.

[@ApoEdvarg]

@@oliver5732 mmm ok, but we still need to take into account the change between euro and dollar for the singles (probably they're still more expensive though). In any case, why do you think the US market is clearly more expensive? I mean, people here are less willing to pay high prices? It can't be a supply issue I suppose (no idea of the ratio between printing in US and in UE).

[@melonboi927]

Charge less, print more, Charge less, print more. Flood the secondary market. Kill mtg finance.

[@wrkkvikrmvh1023]

Don't forget the lower prices would attract more players (on the basis it is more affordable), thus potentially increasing profit down the road assuming they don't do it like chronicals again

[@jayjayhooksch1]

@@wrkkvikrmvh1023 No, that's not how it works. Collectors and investors make up a huge portion of the market. Charging less and printing may get more players into the game, but it gets waaaaaay more collectors, investors and stores out of the game. Thus, lowering profits. Players can play online just fine, for very cheap. If you want paper magic to survive, it needs to appeal to both players and collectors.

[@wrkkvikrmvh1023]

@@jayjayhooksch1 exactly why I said potentially, that way I am saying it's possible, but at the same time not saying it will happen (leaving room for it not to happen) And you never know, it could happen just the way I said it could, or it could go the complete opposite, and if I'm being honest I really don't care if it does happen how I said it could, although it would give me more people to play with but that's beside the point

[@Crisis941]

This literally came out seconds after I went looking for it. Been really looking forward to this one Professor.

[@deadkid2012]

you passed up some commons that were even worth some money, Urza's and Pongify

[@CrimsonHiroX07]

WotC is acknowledging the secondary market without actually admitting they're acknowledging the secondary market. Warning: Wall of text incoming. Let us look at the upcoming Zendikar Rising set booster packs. You get less product for a higher price. WotC is saying the higher price is justified by the greater value you'll be getting because the cards are more concentrated in what "people want" when opening packs for desirable cards vs opening packs to draft. However, given that they themselves have provided statistics on the probability of what comes in which slot, you are left with the question of, how much better will these boosts that cost me more be than the slightly cheaper booster? The odd's are not favorable and if someone did the math for it, they'll see that these Set Boosters are only worth it the "extra value" roughly a thousandth of a percentage of the time given current (standard) history in set value monetary. However, if WotC is using the term "value" to define the frequency of rarities appearing, then yes it is "worth" more as uncommons may appear more regularly in addition to the roughly 5% increase in getting an additional rare per pack. Despite the provided odds, one more realize that a mere 5% cannot justify the extra asking price of the booster. You go from 15 cards (14 excluding the land) to 12 cards (11 excluding the land) with a 5% chance that the extra rare will hopefully make up the difference, much like how 2XM is very dependent on the box topper based on average EV. tl;dr: Don't buy things that give you less (standard-legal) product that cost more money. tl;dr pt2: Also applicable to WotC's parent company's other subsidiaries products.

[@tbone6704]

It really is nice to see so many playable cards in a set like this.

[@stevenkurinec4194]

Professor, the market argument falls flat on this case. The invisible hand off the market does govern the price of singles very much so, but that's only because there are so many sellers to compete with one another. The sealed product from wizards is actually outside the market since wizards is the only supplier of it. If you really want to see the market change prices of sealed product you need to watch the sealed product price change months down the line from release. Wizards has a monopoly on sealed product which is why they aren't governed by the market, contrary to what MTG finance people might think.

[@aR0ttenBANANA]

Exactly, I always find that argument weird because by definition it doesn't even fit the MTG case. Prime example being the reserved list. They have no more intrinsic value than any card printed in the current year but they've been arbitraly made so by not being obtainable through official WotC ways. If the reserved list didn't exist, sure some of those cards would still be more expensive than others but they wouldn't reach the inflated numbers that we see today.

[@GrandpasMagic]

As I watched this video, my wife went out and bought me 1 pack and I just cracked a foil oubliette.

[@mrstizzle9049]

I think the real problem is no matter what wotc does, people are gonna complain.

[@m.f.634]

First (lol ok, third) :D

[@myne5689]

Hi, can you please help me professor or people of the comments! I'm looking for either the best 9 pocket sheet protectors or 9 pocket binder. The pages have to be clear though because I want to see the back of my cards. I also want to be able to sleeve them with double sleeved dragon shield's. Can I use the platinum series 9 pocket Pages if I don't put two cards in and only one sleeved? I know they're designed to be sleeveless. Thank you!

[@Scantronimus466]

“Buy singles” Doesn’t solve the problem, really. Buy *proxies* of expensive cards.

[@ashleejacobsen7614]

To play in a tournament though u need genuine cards

[@Scantronimus466]

Ashlee Jacobsen I don’t know much about competitive play - do they actually check everyone’s deck ahead of time to make sure all the cards are genuine? Or is it just checked/enforced if they have reason to suspect someone might be using proxies? Anyway, true, it doesn’t work for official competitive play. But the majority of the current price spikes are due to EDH, which doesn’t have official competitive play and you don’t really *need* official cards. And the cards - like fetches - that are needed for competitive formats would get cheaper due to decreased demand for official versions if EDH players used proxies.

[@ashleejacobsen7614]

@@Scantronimus466 yes they do, even some 'casual' tournaments they check your decks

[@ashleejacobsen7614]

@@Scantronimus466 there is talk of them turning edh into competitive the wpn has been talking it up all year, just you know 2020 through a spanner in the works.

[@Scantronimus466]

Ashlee Jacobsen I hadn’t heard about any push to make EDH officially competitive - cEDH is getting bigger, but that’s more using “competitive” as shorthand for “high power”, nothing official. Can’t imagine that bodes well for the existence of the Rules Committee, if that’s the case. At any rate, it still doesn’t change the point that casual players - the majority of EDH players - can get away with using proxies just fine.

[@tiagomagalhaes7032]

When he got the Force of Will in the first pack, it was pretty much guarantee it would turn a profit lol. Really wish I could get one of these boxes, because I love the cards and art themselves, but can't really justify paying that much money.

[@limoeition]

Bought a mystery booster today. Will I ever learn?

[@jacobhare3900]

No i never do and nor will you

[@sirqcumber5088]

IIITTTTSSS TIME TO PLAY THE BOX TOPPER GAME!!!! (And worthless jank).

[@johncreekpaum4998]

Second box yes, first box was extra lucky in getting a good box topper but not needing it.

[@trumpetperson11]

"It's more expensive because it has more valuable cards in it". You mean the cards that are artificially held up in price due to this absurd pricing scheme? Do people not understand that the card prices follow the box prices and not the other way around?? For example, if this was printed for 10 cents, all the singles would be worthless, even if they were previously the "more valuable cards". You will never have a set where boxes are much less expensive than the cards inside them, on average (so long is there is a consistent supply of boxes), since the card values would start to fall if the boxes are priced low. I'm so sick of this "more valuable card bs. Its a piece of cardboard that is intentionally kept scare to drive up the prices. Its only "more valuable" because the company selling it to you has decided that it is. And its just unfortunate since in the normal market world there would be another competitor brand that could sell you a similar product for a lower price to drive down prices. While there are alternative games to go to, there obviously are no other companies that can make magic cards. This allows WotC and Hasbro to be as predatory as the want with their pricing scheme, so long as it can make money. It seems that they no longer care about building the player base for the future and would rather sell 10 units for $500 each than 50 units for $100 each. It's almost like the business scheme of someone who wants to get out of the industry soon and just take a cash out.

[@totallycarbon2106]

This is why my causal commander pod encourages people to use proxies for any non budget decks.

[@mrstizzle9049]

Card prices follow the demand for the card vs its availability not box prices

[@trumpetperson11]

@@mrstizzle9049 Yes but if it were not on a limited supply, the supply of the card would be impacted by the box prices, since more would open the boxes if they were cheaper.

[@mrstizzle9049]

I agree opening more boxes would lower the cost of played cards even more however flooding the market is also bad for the game, there is a balancing act. I was just saying a card like sundering titan has a similar number of printings and same rarity as cyclonic rift, but since it sees very little play is under $1, where rift is around $40. The cards are ultimately only worth what players are willing to pay for it.

[@trumpetperson11]

@@mrstizzle9049 Sure, they can't make all cards worthless, that would prevent them from ever wanting to release product again. But other than that kind of drastic shift, I don't see how cheaper cards would influence the game play. Sure, the finance people and people who collect cards would take a hit. But for most people, this hit would be all worth it to know that, from now on, they would always be able to buy any deck in any format for an affordable cost. I argue that, while it might drop some of the old collector players off the game, it would bring in way way more people who were previously price gated from the game. I'd once again argue that this is beyond healthy for the game itself, and anyone who claims otherwise is probably just worried about their own ecconomic investment, but uses the term "game health" to seem more inclusive. I'll tell you as someone with a lot of money tied down in this game. I would, in a heartbeat, give away my entire collection to make the game substantially more affordable in the near future. I understand that if single prices drop too low, it would no longer make sense for people to buy direct wizards products, but we aren't talking about everything being 5 cents. If every card was around $2 and the pacts were $1, could you imagine how easy it would be to both, build a deck, and also play in a draft. Obviously, I'm not economics major, but I do believe what I'm talking about it quite basic economics principles. While my exact number might not be perfect, I do think that the pricing scene of wizards is predatory towards the player base, especially the kids it was originally made for. This kind of system is made possible by people who continuously make excuses for a major corporation. You say that it is a balancing act, and while that is somewhat true, I'll let you in on a secret. Wizards isn't going to be doing any kind of balancing any time soon. With the recent products it has gone no where but up, and it will continue so long as people buy these products because "the have value", value of which is once again heavily impacted by the distributor itself.

[@michaelhunker6025]

Hey Prof great video! Love you pack openings they satisfy my urge to crack packs for no value. Also I noticed at 18:07 you didn't add the value of the foil Vexing Shusher to the total. It would have made the total box value at $305.07 still not enough for a third box. Look forward for your next video!

[@couver2997]

The difference in the boxes was so sharp! I do love opening boxes when you get a box like box #1. But Profs advice of just getting singles is the way to go. It sucks when you end up with a box like box #2.

[@DarkAngelyes]

Thats why i dont this boxes. If I do. Its from a local game store and i do it mostly to help their bussiness. But I would rather straight up steal thw booster packs/boxes from multi-national multi-trillion dollar corporations who have destroyed small bussiness for decades by the fucking DOZEN. I would literally walk in. Grab 20 packs from wallyworld nd walk out.... It feels like justice..

[@nicholaseikelberry8009]

This is a perfect representation of this set, and MtG boxes in general. Box toppers and a couple cards drive the entire market of the set. WotC is getting incredibly close to gambling, and $330 is just way too expensive. What was wrong with $200 for the "premium" sets? Still too much imo, but it's better than $300+...

[@pyroki9296]

Given how old the video is, I feel I can give spoilers freely. The first box would now be worth $600 following the professor's rules, a $120 increase. Second box would now be worth $367, a $70 increase. Just giving this info for those who want to consider for the double masters 2022.

[@connorharrison7160]

When you opened that Vexing Shusher, you did not add the ≈ $7 to the box total

[@HVjugo]

Double Masters was the first box of a master's set I cracked, and I did get my money's worth (barely). Most of the rares, uncommons and even commons will go to my decks, but even with that feeling of "getting cool cards" I can't wash out the fact that I spent so much for just one box. I hope someday they realize that the rising prices are really hearting them in countries like mine (Argentina), because this time I was the only one able to buy a booster box in my LGS and it's a real shame given the quality of the set, and the hardships that small shops like this one is having...

[@GrandiaKnight]

Blight Dragon and Doubling Season in one pack! Two of my favourite cards!

[@DMetaMonty]

I bought one pack of double masters to try my luck. Got a foil Avacyn. I'll just buy singles now.

[@RoboCobeh]

I'm really sick of limited formats being injected into the game as an excuse to make packs intentionally shitty. Limited balance should be barely any of the concern in a reprint set... If it should even be a concern at all. "I got all of these great cards that have uses all over Magic, but the draft experience is abysmal!" -Said no one ever (and at this rate never will)

[@mu4990]

Well...you were more than $150 up after the first box, then you were only $30 short on the second. So in reality, you could’ve gone for a third box still $120 up on the house. Why be disingenuous? You were still up.

[@or0126]

Its crazy how voletile this set is. Almost all packs are 2-4 dollars And some are crazy 30+ dollars. Its a huge gamble to buy a pack

[@XxRAAMxX]

I will say me and a friend usually buy a box and split the cards we pull (in a fair way). Our double masters box was a good one but I have to admit if our box was your second box it would’ve felt devastating. Singles are the way to go for sure which is why I lean to it more the longer I play this wonderful game.

[@anarchond]

27:34 again.... Double Masters was 280 preorder, 300 at release..... Ultimate Masters had an MSRP of 335 at release, making Ultimate Masters the most expensive Masters set.

[@ThunderfallFilms]

25:20 isn’t Mishra’s Bauble worth like 3-4 dollars?