Magic: The Gathering's Biggest Product Failures

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Just go to sponsr.is/bootdev_tolarian and use my code TOLARIAN to get 25% off your first payment for boot.dev. That’s 25% your first month or your first year, depending on the subscription you choose.

[@rebeccachambers4701]

with mtgs prices itll becheaper soon just to print the cards yourself after you higher the artsist and mtg card mechanics team

[@residentgrey]

boot dot dev could possibly link with Schemaverse, which is a game entirely contained within a SQL database. It is a curious way to get better with it.

[@rebeccalatty2293]

BTW your Academic box is over priced at the 3 stores here my part of Canada $299.99 CAN I like the box not the price.

[@residentgrey]

@@rebeccalatty2293 That can be due to import duties and other reasons.

[@Casual_BackPacking]

I bought one of your deck boxes it was my 2nd carpet box . I perfer the single plastic boxes .

[@utkphilobio]

It's kind of shocking how many of these have happened relatively recently. And that's all while ignoring Magic 30.

[@g1sbi]

It's especially sad to see when other games like Yugioh or Pokemon just have the same old boosters and they work fine. It feels like Wizards is trying to reinvent the wheel for the sake of profits and it's failing spectacularly.

[@TheBrothers759]

I got to open a magic 30 pack for winning a pioneer tournament and got a 500$ dual, I'm happy with that product for that reason alone lol

[@lordrumfishsmagicarena271]

I don't mind mistakes, but a lot of these would have been fixed (or less painful) if the price point was just lower. A bad product at a low price doesn't sting so much. I'd even go so far as to say Magic 30th at regular draft booster prices would have been a smashing success.

[@g1sbi]

@@TheBrothers759 wait, a dual proxy from Magic 30 is worth $500? Wow

[@PajamaMan44]

@@TheBrothers759that’s sad

[@xBeauGaming]

The fact that you told customers not to buy a product you designed is the highest display of moral integrity there is. Thanks for always being a class act Prof ;)

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

[@dendostar5436]

He is NEVER going to let Double Feature go. And rightfully so.

[@Ghalaghor_McAllistor]

Never forget

[@ryansprenkle6356]

I unironically liked double feature and the card treatment. But I also accept that I'm the only one.

[@michaelsimmons8613]

To me its the wasted potential.

[@kylegonewild]

​@@ryansprenkle6356I'm glad you liked it but you deserved a better quality product as well. It could have been so much more.

[@ryansprenkle6356]

@@kylegonewild Yeah. I definitely enjoyed my time with it and I like the treatment, but it certainly wasn't without flaw. A more curated set would have been the move. It just spoke to me for whatever reason and I don't regret my purchase.

[@zipfooo]

I loved "Fat Packs" because you got 1. enough Basic Lands to build a couple of decks 2. spindown dice and 3. a pretty sturdy deckbox guaranteed. And Deckbuilder's Toolkits.

[@danacoleman4007]

how about a novel?

[@mattfrisone3961]

"They didn't ask me in any way to be involved in Secret Lair Ultimate Edition 2. I get it. That's understandable." I'm literally laughing out loud.

[@ThatWildcard]

What a weird business move to not deliver themselves to the slaughter

[@NecromancyForKids]

​@@ThatWildcardSlaughterhouses make money

[@thebloodybonecrusher]

The 20 dollar commander decks in kaldheim shouldve been the product that kept happening in mtg

[@Talthain]

Fully agreed! Heck I wish they would make a set of new starter commander decks at least once a year ( they were priced around $25).

[@bigpappasmoggie]

Absolutely not! Commander decks releasing with every standard set are nothing more than a cheap cash grab (with terrible singles that don't even justify the price) which also dilute the playerbase and kill formats. Look at modern horizons 3. Why does it need commander decks? Why does universes beyond need commander decks? They stop being special when they're shoved into every single product line. Hell, even secret lair has multiple complete commander decks! It's gotten to the point that commander has got its own masters product which had outrageous prices for the decks along with it. Commander decks should go back to being a yearly set of 5 and nothing more. Otherwise the fate of the game will be Magic the Commandering.

[@joshrivet4011]

@@bigpappasmoggie Absolutely not! [Insert new set of the era] decks releasing every [insert competitive format] are nothing more than a cheap cash grab (with terrible singles that don't even justify the price) which also dilute the playerbase and kill formats. Etc., etc., ad nauseam infinitum. Every format has the complaint and when the next format comes out, it will be hit with the same complaints.

[@Freshley369]

@@joshrivet4011there were (as far as i know) 26 different commander decks in 2023 including the secret lair one. make it 16 per year and release some modern/pioneer challenger decks to give an entry point into other formats without having to spent 300-600€

[@jpob5]

Nah the recent ones have been good value for the most part. $20 buy in sounds good but the decks probably weren't great (I haven't played them to be fair).

[@firefliesowlcity12]

The best magic product to me will always be the Commander precons simply because a friend of mine said "Hey do you want to play magic with my group?" And when I wanted to know how they simply directed me to my LGS. Within an hour of the conversation I was at the store, and then at their house joining their Friday Night Magic group with a ready made commander deck, and I think nothing is ever going to beat that ease of convenience for new players.

[@throwawwy53]

wish there were decks like this for 60 card formats too

[@QuantemDeconstructor]

Especially since a lot of precons have multiple "modes" built into them, for example my favorite precon, Kathril Aspect Warper, can go from self mill graveyard matters to counters matter

[@chrisjones6792]

They used to sell precons for good formats tok!

[@maximillianhallett3055]

@@throwawwy53There used to be. They, for the most part, weren’t very good, but they were fun and good entry points to new players. I think they got scraped because they weren’t getting enough new players to justify selling them. Everyone already playing swapped to buying singles.

[@kylegonewild]

​@@maximillianhallett3055 The starter decks were always trash. The challenger decks got discontinued but were better for getting someone new into the game.

[@WBenIB]

The recurring theme here is "this product would have been fine if it was reasonably priced." Aftermath boosters could have been fine if they were cheap enough, and honestly I feel like it could have been a good fit for Karlov Manor. A mini set to reveal the whodunit, released a month or so after the main set would have been fine. It would give the community some time to speculate on the mystery and look for clues, instead of just revealing the solution during previews. Granted, a return to the Block format would have been much better (oh, how I miss blocks), but the idea of small bonus sets isn't inherently bad. They just wanted to charge way too much for it, like they do time and time again with these failed products.

[@Joy_ffa1bd]

wouldve still been a massive waste of plastic tbh

[@tiraXpyrrha]

I feel that Aftermath booster would have been more than welcome in dollar stores. I probably would have bought a pack or two if I found them at Dollar Tree or something.

[@ryanderenbecker8837]

I dunno if they're ever gonna bring back blocks while the Internet is rushing to "solve" every format ASAP

[@seasnek7024]

Oooh boi 30th Anniversary will probably remain the worst mistake forever for me

[@LaserfaceJones]

100%, I lost a lot of respect for the main couple of people who were shilling it too.

[@DaRoachDogg1]

My heart goes out to you and your family.

[@4Nulla]

Don't jinx it.

[@mindlightwave]

I thought the cards having 30th edition on it was off. what about it is 30th edition, it's the 30th anniversary not release or print run.

[@happybrain2674]

its a top contender with firing employees on christmas.

[@GoDzJtFr]

One of my favorite products definitely has to be the Ravnica guild kits. Affordable decks that were playable and balanced right out of the box complete with new art for beloved commanders, high profile reprints for competitive formats, and new basic lands themed around the respective guilds? It was absolutely incredible

[@shmerelize]

I still beat myself up for not getting them at $80/5 Guilds

[@tanithschultz5716]

I agree! All the guild kits played amazingly well! Easily my number 1 supplement!

[@FoodKingWolfie]

Didnt they also come with pins? I got the Gruul kit and im pretty sure thats where i got my gruul pin. 😅

[@dashkatae]

@@FoodKingWolfieand sticker.

[@FoodKingWolfie]

@@dashkatae oh yeah! Mines on one of my binders!!

[@CarmenCards]

It doesn't escape notice that all of these products have been within the last 5 years

[@elijahwalker323]

I mean considering how much hasbros is pushing them to make more money, and release more stuff while also firing many of the people from wizards in the last 5 years.

[@benkse2010]

@@elijahwalker323 That is my guess, its Hasbro killing WoTC.

[@AlistairZands]

@@elijahwalker323 This. I feel a large part of the poor choices has been due to Hasbro, and so I do feel a small amount of pity when some commenters and content creators seem to pin in the blame solely on WOTC. I'm not going to pretend WOTC is not without its own flaws, mistakes, and poor choices, but Hasbro has all the real decision making power

[@fomori2]

@@AlistairZands Here is the thing though. They COULD have made money hand over fist if they had someone that knew anything about the game and was willing to point out why Hasbo's interference has, and will continue, to cost them revenue. Instead they have ignorant and incompetent executives all throughout the company. Believe it or not, talented corporate executives know when to listen to their subordinates in order to make EVERYONE money. The problem started long before, but wasnt helped one bit, when they thought a former cigarette executive was the right person for a gaming company.

[@wow_mango]

I noticed this too lol

[@bristowbruh]

"we dont do msrp anymore" is such a bs response to price

[@GreySectoid]

All that while "we don't acknowledge the secondary market" (while letting the secondary market to dictate the price). The selling out of Wotc has been rapid and sad to witness.

[@jacobyspurnger8488]

Just a note on these products. No. 3 throne of eldrane was the first product released by hasbro/wotc after chris cocks became the president of magic the gathering. He is currently the CEO of hasbro.

[@zackbonno3675]

That surprises me little. That dude is full of bad ideas that are supposed to boost the bottom line and I'm banking on this year ending his career between play boosters ruining the affordability of drafts, epilogue boosters returning for Assassins Creed and maybe even AI images in card(that one might already be there, but there's no proof yet)

[@PhoenicopterusR]

​@@zackbonno3675there's probably already AI, but I imagine it's more subtle things, or at least more subtle than the art that got called out in the DnD book.

[@BMoser-bv6kn]

@@zackbonno3675 Their experiments in revenue growing haven't and won't impact his job. Some of it, like pushing Universes Beyond, has been a complete and utter success. I get it, the MBA suits disgust me as they should any living creature with a pulse (vampires are bad for us, after all), but he's gonna be fine and dandy and richer than any of us will ever be, even if we enter into a sci-fi Star Trek future, no matter how good or bad Hasbro performs.

[@nickhughes8179]

Chris Cox is greedy garbage. He conceived Oko and forced Oko to print because he wanted $7+ packs of Eldraine. Uro was another one of his attempts at this with Theros. Melissa De Tora revealed in an interview that she wanted to fix Oko and give him a -1 middle ability, and Cox told her no. Nexus of Fate was another Chris Cox Cash Grab and a garbage design of a card. Chris Cox was clearly the high school jock turned fat office blob who still thinks he’s in his varsity prime and his scams and price gouging are his new methods to BULLY THE NUUUUERRRRRDS BRAAAAWWWWHHH!! I loathe that square headed douchebag

[@andrewmakar2035]

My Local game store in Sweden started just giving the Epilogue boosters to the last people in the draft/sealed events. The owner called them 'Nissa lottery tickets'. It was a running joke to us

[@Entropic_Alloy]

It is extremely telling how these are all very recent products.

[@xolotltolox7626]

It may honestly just be recency bias

[@philbuttler3427]

Yeah you and prof both have recency bias lol WotC have always been scumbags.

[@xolotltolox7626]

@@philbuttler3427 yeah, the absolute worst decision they have ever made(yes, worse than magic 30) was pretty much right at rhe beginning of the game, that being the reserved list

[@alanhersch4617]

@@xolotltolox7626 The reserved list isnt a product though. This is about the worst products, not worst decisions the company has made.

[@tc5589-1]

@@xolotltolox7626it’s not.

[@GaryX2k3]

We had someone at our LGS try to defend Aftermath by saying "You don't get commons in the packs, and no-one wants commons anyway, so it's fine" We firmly (and not very politely) pointed out that you're paying nearly the same as you would for a draft booster but for less cards. Despite defending them, this person didn't buy a single pack of Aftermath.

[@nanoglitch6693]

"No commons!" as you sift through literal piles of the same handful of cards....

[@U.Inferno]

"No-one wants commons." Some of the most iconic cards are common. Lightning Bolt. Swords to Plowshares. Birds of Paradise.

[@NecromancyForKids]

They're all common if none of them are common

[@thomasfleming8131]

Signature Spellbooks. Gideon's being a memorial to him was fantastic and it's a shame they stopped. I know the planeswalker focus was well out of hand by that point, but they were interesting ways to release cards tied to a particular character.

[@WestPictures]

I LOVED the Ravnica Guild kits! It is really disappointing that we haven't seen anything similar for other planes

[@Mirthful_Midori]

I'm struggling to think which planes it could work with, since Ravnica's guilds make it easy to pick a theme. New Capenna's houses seem like another good one, but that's all I can think of.

[@serpentofdays]

@@Mirthful_Midori Strixhaven houses, Tarkir clans... Lotta potential all over.

[@tthien93]

It probably spikes his blood pressure, but there's something about the Prof crapping on MTG products that just hits right

[@metalvisionsongcontest7055]

Put a crap counter on target product. It becomes brown Crap in addition to its other types and colours.

[@nickhughes8179]

Finds crap counter in anus, targets and applies to to Chris Cox’s forehead

[@Marlun42]

Props to you, dear Professor. Maintaining your integrity and being fully honest with your viewers about Magic products, even when WotC was, I'm sure, hoping that working with you they'd get preferential treatment.

[@tessajanes9626]

A note on biggest successes that may get forgotten: I was around when the original Collector's Edition (domestic and international) box sets were around in the 90's. For ~$50-100 you could have a complete gold border set of Beta. It was fantastic! For collectors and casual players alike it was an ambitious product, but very reasonably priced. Could you imagine the benefits for cube builders and collectors and EDH players now to be able to buy a (gold bordered) set of Arabian Nights, or Urza block at a FAIR price?! Now, collector's edition's price and availability are reserved only for the cabal, but as a product concept it is A++

[@Mirthful_Midori]

The really aggravating part about 30th anniversary was how it was dangerously close to actually being good. I could easily imagine them being either full booster boxes for a tenth of the price or even just the 4 packs, but for 20 dollars instead of the asinine price of 250 a pack they chose.

[@Bobby3OOO]

What’s “the cabal” mean?

[@diamondev1]

I really wished they made the 30th Anniversary as more of a drafting experience. It would of been nice to see how it must of felt opening packs back in 1993.

[@snakeman830]

Imagine the same product, but sold at normal booster pack prices and distribution. Having Alpha sealed and draft events would have been a slam dunk of a 30th anniversary celebration.

[@reytr0]

I want to live in that alternate universe 😢 being able to experience how the game was like before I was even born would've been so awesome

[@SunshineDeluxe]

I said when it debuted that they should've just reprinted Beta (with different backs in order to skirt the tournament legality and reserve list rules, of course), in the Beta packaging, and sold for $2-something or whatever the MSRP was for Beta. If they really wanted to make it different in some way, then just commission new art for each card, but with the same general theme of the original cards (like a Seb McKinnon take on the Stasis art, for instance). I know it wasn't made for draft or sealed or anything like that, but it would've been cool to play with packs that contained the Power Nine and the original dual lands, y'know? And then people could put them in their cubes, or Commander decks, or whatever else when they were done. Y'know that nostalgic feeling you get when you watch a classic old movie in a theater? Like yeah, the sound engineering is lacking, there's no CGI, and the dialogue sounds nothing like the way people actually talk, but you still get that feeling that makes you go "Wow, so this is what it was like back in the old days"? The 30th anniversary set should've left players feeling the same way.

[@AlainReyes]

Aww man, i should have been drafting alpha packs in 1993 and not losing time being born

[@tc5589-1]

I wish they’d taken the opportunity to simply remove the reserved list

[@MysteryMTG]

Their biggest failure is not continuing the Commander Anthology series. What an incredible product. To this day, one of the most value filled products ever released.

[@PieBandit]

why do you think they stopped it?

[@utkphilobio]

Even then, they always supplied that product in criminally-low numbers, leading to it getting scalped.

[@Mischievous_Moth]

Oh I'm sure they would have messed it up somehow by now.

[@__-be1gk]

Gotta love how they told the guy to say "Remember Commander Anthology?" when he was shilling the Secret Lair one

[@raiserofchickens]

I love my Commander Anthology box set. I picked it up specifically to keep the precons intact and so it qouldn't be disassembled for the pricey pieces. Unmodded Daretti out of the box is still an absolute beast of a deck.

[@paulhamilton7854]

I twice tried to get into MTG. The first time, I quickly bounced off. I purchased the Liliana v Garruk Duel Decks at Walmart on a whim. I loved the art, I was really curious to play, but my younger sister and I could not figure out the rules and strategy. But it was an easy product to pick up, it had everything she and I needed to play, and it is the best Magic product I can think of. The second time I managed to find a friend who already knew how to play, and I bought a Fat Pack of Mirrodin Besieged at Walmart. Again, it was an easy product to buy, it had bunch of stuff that I needed to get started playing (basic lands, spin down die, cheap deck boxes), it felt reasonably priced, it even included a gallery cards from the set so I could learn about other cards. I think it was a great product. I haven't bought an MTG product in years, and find myself confused by the variety of products. I miss what felt like a simpler set of products to choose from.

[@JayJay-kc4dn]

Try Lost Caverns of Ixalan decks, cards are beautiful (specialy Dinos) and ultra FUN to Play ;))) + i had some many epic pulls from boosters/collectors ( Alter art csverns, foil Mana crypt) next set boosterbox comming tuesday ;))

[@jonothanthrace1530]

The Fat Packs were amazing simply for having room to store several hundred cards in them.

[@titheproven954]

God I miss the gallery card books SO MUCH. What a clever product as well. Let people SEE all the cards so they know what more there is to collect and have an easy way to build decks in their head. I miss them.

[@K9affirmative]

Wotc: Here's the worst value product we've made so far, tell us what you think about it Prof! Prof: This is the worst value product you've made so far Wotc: why would the Professor do this?!

[@Douggarding]

It’s interesting that almost none of the products are inherently bad in and of themselves. It’s the abhorrent and obvious price gouging that makes them REALLY suffer. I don’t get ANY of the products listed, but I would have liked to have tried all of them had then been appropriately priced. In response to the question of what products were some of the best, I’d say as an antithesis to the fetch land secret lair drop from this video, the “Sheldon’s Spellbook” secret lair drop was a banger. Pretty much all great cards that I’m excited to have, with phenomenal artwork, amazing value when comparing the cost to the secondary market. AND a huge portion of the proceeds go to charity! All of my friends ordered one. Wizards! More like that SLD please!

[@bigpunk157]

Most products fail. Not enough reprints in normal product, and they continue to put more and more reprints only in more expensive products for the consumer. The value of sets over the years have gone down drastically as they release.

[@moshimeshowu747]

I mean, would you prefer the days when a standard deck was 300 dollars? I understand the complaint from people that treat magic as an investment that cards from recent sets do not hold value, but as a consumer, the cheaper the cards the better :)

[@dirtyfrench2926]

​@@moshimeshowu747No, we miss the days of normal priced sets with good reprints like Battlebond and Conspiracy (at least the first one, conspiracies possibly taking the rare slot felt bad in the 2nd one). These same reprint heavy sets get premium pricing nowadays.

[@cheeseitup1971]

​@@moshimeshowu747 How much are standard decks now? I don't play much Magic these days, but all I hear about is how a single copy of Sheoldred will run you more than a Pauper or Pokemon deck.

[@SwitchBladeEVO]

​@@cheeseitup1971 The popular Sheoldred goes for like $70+ USD. And you're talking it probably has 4 of them, whatever the most expensive legal mana rock is, etc. etc. Just to stay competitive, a standard tournament ready deck is probably in the $300+ range for the bottom of the barrel. I have only been playing for a year and expressly play Commander, but that has largely been because the other formats are just impossible to get into for new players. Pauper and stuff maybe, but they require a lot of intimate game knowledge. I have several constructed Commander decks now, as well as a couple pre-cons, and I've spent under $1000, including pre-release events and other stuff. My shitty Commander decks are competitive enough that I can regularly disrupt or shut down CEDH stuff, so idk where the issue ultimately is, but it seems like it stems directly from the lack of good reprints and stuff from WotC.

[@_mrcrypt]

I don’t know about “best”, but I REALLY liked those Guild Kits. You got a sticker, spin down, and a pin (which should’ve been on a post, instead of a clasp, but didn’t matter because it looked cool).

[@BlueGriffin20]

Actual jumpstart is one of the best products. I’ve also loved Battlebond and Conspiracy, though they were as popular overall.

[@Ganjau]

Remember the gift boxes for Battle for Zendikar, Shadows over Innistrad and Kaladesh? 5 booster packs and a massive storage box for like $25. I really miss those because I still heavily use the 5 I have

[@jamesmoore1476]

I picked some up on Amazon in the last 2 years or so because the price per pack was still decent and the boxes are cool!

[@golasticus]

I'm just about to start the video but I'm gonna lay it down here now: IMO Magic's biggest product failure is being greedy and releasing too much product.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I’m aiming for more specificity

[@Darkkent83]

Not too much but too much bad

[@lynnharper308]

Totally agree

[@golasticus]

​@@TolarianCommunityCollege having seen the video, admittedly my comment doesn't make much sense in the given context. However, I honestly wouldn't remember any of the products specified (except Magic 30th because who forgets that) if anybody asked me about them because of product overload. I do know why they're bad though now that you've reminded me of them because I've seen your past videos about them at the time. Also Prof noticed me omg

[@Tvboy777]

@@golasticuscult status unlocked.

[@SiusBleach]

The cheap commander decks were the best product WotC made. Working at an LGS and wholeheartedly telling people they can have competent precons that tied into the standard set well was great. They didn't feel like they wasted anything they spent already and they got cool decks

[@FanOfMostEverything]

Per the call to action, Planechase and Archenemy continue to be some of the most fun play experiences I've had with Magic. I still have fond memories of getting promo planes and schemes during prereleases. (And not so fond ones of some ending up in the washing machine...)

[@quincywilliams9860]

Don't mean to rub salt in the wound, but how did double-size cards end up in the washing machine?

[@Bubben246]

@@quincywilliams9860 Really big pockets?

[@FanOfMostEverything]

@@quincywilliams9860 At the risk of hitting TMI, I was a bit preoccupied after throwing up on them and forgot to check the pockets.

[@brandontaylor8011]

I once washed a backpack with an oversized Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres card in it

[@atingley0913]

On Best products: Dominaria Remastered. An outstandingly curated list full of nostalgia for us old fogeys. I'd even say a CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF HISTORY? Yea, absolutely Dominaria Remastered is what Magic 30th should have always been.

[@jollaffle]

Still thinking about the potential that could have been in a March of the Machine JumpStart where each pack was themed around a different plane during the Phyrexian invasion

[@pytawidmo]

The Beyond Booster name is ironically very applicable when you think about Beyond Burger being a burger without the meat.

[@alexandrajones4518]

This joke is vegetarian approved. Have a kale.🥬

[@ryanbolson23]

I will say, I started playing magic when the colored 35 card boosters were around and I loved them. Yeah I didn’t get much bang for my buck per say, but it helped a lot when I didn’t know what sets I should be buying, or when I pulled cards I didn’t have a use for. I started with a gifted Rakdos commander deck built from scratch, because I knew the deck was red and black I could buy red and black boosters to see if there were cards I could put in, knowing that the cards would be compatible. It helped open me to the ideas of opening packs and learning new cards without dropping me into the deep end.

[@Vok250]

Ok real talk. Has to buy the profs deck case. Don't need it, but the sheer respect of being honest when Wizards themselves asks you to collab demands my support.

[@hellojo1252]

My personal favorite supplement product would be the list. Even though there are valid criticisms people have the ability for me to win a few, at the time, set packs after a pre-release and get an Urza’s saga, a card I would never be able to afford, is why I’m positive on the list slot

[@AJSXenigma]

No surprises here, so I'll just affirm some of the best products instead: - Guild Kits: great reprints, desirable treatments, cool extras, and reasonable prices to boot. Some of the best precons ever. - Battlebond, Conspiracy 1&2, and Unstable: superb draft-focused sets that got my playgroup to stop playing commander and be excited to actually buy and play with boxes of Magic, and sold without markups to boot! These sorts of sets should really happen more often. - Jumpstart: already mentioned in this video, but packs you can open and play with lots of themes, exciting cards new and old, and affordably priced? Exceptional.

[@matthewrichards4078]

25:38 Honorable mention- Modern. Number 5. super lands/Masterpiece/artifact/relic? -ixilan/rivals. 4. Challenger decks, 3.Commander pre con , 2. Modern Masters, 1. From the Vault. for 5th, it made the sets wanted, people sought out the packs/stuff that came with them, boxes, AND even today the sets command as well as Innistrad/Mirrodin/Ravnica

[@andymanact1]

The best product has to be the Guild Decks. They were a fun out of the box experience against other guild decks and had great reprints for a variety of formats. Products like that would be a good Bridge between commander and 60 card precons because it could include powerful commander reprints while also being playable as a noncommander deck, just think of all the legendary creatures printed in those it was a great way to expand your card pool.

[@mbarker_lng]

Wasnt going to mention it, but you brought it up again at the vid's end. Concerning programming and development: Its doing people a real disservice to get them interested in programming via game dev. The vast, overwhelming majority of programming is repetitive and tedious data manipulation. Doing something "fun" like working in robotics, game dev, and cutting edge tech are collectively edge-cases. Just look around at everyday businesses and ask yourself "why are the computers there"? In almost all cases its to manage data; sales info, shipping, inventory, tax data, ect. Being a backend dev is particularly dull as you contemplate database design and query execution performance doing largely invisible work that no one 'sees'. I've been at it over 2 decades and I can't tell you how many young people I've met that quickly became disillusioned and regretful of their career choice just a few years in.

[@Hellheart]

I've been making my own video game for the past 16 years. It started on Unreal 2 now it's running on Unreal 4. And, maaaan, you're absolutely fuckin right! Game development is slow, tedious, subtly infuriating work. Checking for bugs from time to time is all you can do to break up the monotony. But, as the sole developer, you're definitely gonna miss a bunch of bugs. For clarification; I'm a doctor of biochemistry. I have no formal education or training in programming or game development. I'm totally self taught. Plus, I have a full time job, a wife and 4 kids (kids ranging in age from 23 years old to 7 years old), 2 dogs (a male Tibetan Mastiff named Lu Bu and a female Malamute named Fenris), 2 snakes (an Eastern Corn Snake named Fluffy and an Emerald Tree Boa named Jade), a bunch of African Emperor Scorpions, and a 300 gallon saltwater fish tank. So, my days are often pretty busy. Time alone to work on my game is scarce.

[@mbarker_lng]

@@Hellheart And just think: Game Dev is considered the less tedious area of programming. Incidentally, I started out in game dev myself (worked on thing like Civilization 2, Mechwarrior, etc.) and have also been building my own game the last couple years in UE 5. Only advice I can give is when you add each new feature to the game, test it heavily. If the bugs build up, they can start interacting with one another obscuring the real problem. Unreal in particular is an async, event driven system so this can happen frequently. DM if you want to network- Indy devs need to stick together!

[@jamboscience91]

Archenemy Nicol Bolas was one of the best products of all times!! I played it a lot with the 4 ready-to-play decks in that box, and we recently used the "schemes" deck to play archenemy 1vs3 games with our commander decks!!

[@nharviala]

I imagine the 30th anniversary would have been a monumental success if they kept the legality and list the same, but made it 4 bucks a pack and allowed people to buy it as any other pack (like in box form). Allow people to buy into nostalgia, drafts are easily affordable, and the cards not being legal matters far less!

[@nobodyimportant72]

A REAL return to the Alpha/Beta days right down to the price...

[@ecoKady]

They could've made them $10 / pack where people grumble, but you could at least see them as neat prizes or just a fun one-off pack opening. I'd have paid $10 once to see if I could open a Black Lotus!

[@nobodyimportant72]

@@ecoKady Wouldn't have been any worse than Collector's boosters.

[@snoozbuster]

When I first saw the announcement I missed the price and I was like "this seems like a cool idea what's everyone so upset about." It totally would have been chill if packs were 4-10 bucks, easy nostalgia bait or people opening them looking for commander proxies or cube cards.

[@RitariJorma]

I absolutely fell in love with Mystery Booster! It's the only set I have bought several boxes of, and I still occasionally think if I should get just one more while they still exist. It was also a blast to draft with friends! I wish they did a new run with a new card pool.

[@jamesmoore1476]

I was relatively new still when they came out and bought into them just thinking they would be cool to expand my collection. Never thought they would be so amazing even after the price started going up. I bought some of the event boxes recently just to get the mystery booster boxes + some other crap.

[@deltazero4685]

One of Magic's biggest products wins HAS TO BE Kamigawa, Neon Dynasty. Not only was the theme of cyberpunk ninjas so cool, it was the set that finally got ME into Magic after my best friend trying to get me into the game for eight years. Neon Dynasty, hands down. Very comfortable from when I was a new player, gorgeous and awesome cards, and awesome theme.

[@samogburn2662]

Agreed, it has to be one of the best sets ever. I was skeptical of the cyberpunk theme but they hit it out of the park

[@catlovingtrio]

Yeah, Finally a videogame without a battlepass or microtransactions, we don't have too many of those. Only: Stardew Valley Harvest Moon Fields of Mistria Sun Haven Hollow Knight Unworthy Red Tether Demon's Souls Dark Souls Dark Souls II Dark Souls III Bloodborne Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Elden Ring Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus Warhammer 40k: Space Marine Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War: Winter Assault Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War: Soulstorm Rimworld Stranded: Alien Dawn Going Medieval Oxygen Not Included Dwarf Fortress Frostpunk Frostpunk 2 Against the Storm Timberborn Surviving Mars Cities Skylines Project Highrise Sid Meier's Civilization Sid Meier's Civilization II Sid Meier's Civilization III Sid Meier's Civilization IV Sid Meier's Civilization V Sid Meier's Civilization VI Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Minecraft Terraria No Man's Sky Necesse Dinkum Paper Lily Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. Super Mario 64 The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past The Legend of Zelda: Ocorina of Time Pokemon Red Pokemon Blue Pokemon Yellow Pokemon Gold Pokemon Silver Pokemon Crystal Pokemon Ruby Pokemon Sapphire Pokemon Emerald Pokemon Fire Red Pokemon Leaf Green Pokemon Diamond Pokemon Pearl Pokemon Platinum Pokemon Heart Gold Pokemon Soul Silver Pokemon Black Pokemon White Pokemon Black 2 Pokemon White 2 Pokemon X Pokemon Y Pokemon Sun Pokemon Moon Pokemon Ultra Sun Pokemon Ultra Moon Pokemon Sword Pokemon Shield Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Pokemon Shining Pearl Pokemon Scarlet Pokemon Violet Pokemon: Legends Arceus Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness Pokemon: Let's go, Pikachu! Pokemon: Let's go, Eevee! Castlevania Super Castlevania Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Castlevania: Potrait of Ruin Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Prey (2017) Europa Universalis Europa Universalis II Europa Universalis III Europa Universalis IV Hearts of Iron Hearts of Iron II Hearts of Iron III Hearts of Iron IV Crusader Kings Crusader Kings II Crusader Kings III Victoria Victoria II Victoria III Jacksmith Papa's Pizzeria Papa's Burgeria Papa's Taco Mia Papa's Freezeria Papa's Pancakeria Papa's Wingeria Papa's Hot Doggerua Papa's Cupcakeria Papa's Pastaria Papa's Donuteria Papa's Cheeseria Papa's Bakeria Papa's Sushiria Papa's Scooperia Papa's Mocharia Papa's Cluckeria Papa Louie: When Pizzas Attack! Papa Louie 2: When Burgers Attack! Papa Louie 3: When Sundaes Attack! Chessformer Doki Doki Literature Club The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Kindergarten Kindergarten 2 The Wandering Village Metroid Super Metroid Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2 Metroid Prime 3 The Dark Egg Skald: Against the Black Priory Cult of the Lamb Enter the Gungeon (Technically the PC version has whopping totally of 1 microtransaction, but the consoles versions don't have any.) Risk of Rain Risk of Rain 2 Risk of Rain Returns Crab Champions Darkest Dungeon Blasphemous Blasphemous II Diplomacy is not an Option Dome Keeper Vampire Survivors Brotato 20 Minutes Till Dawn Spellbook Demonslayers Mon Bazou My Summer Car Don't Starve Project Zomboie Faith: The Unholy Trinity Fallen Aces Faster Than Light Half-life Half-life 2 Portal Portal 2 Garry's Mod The Sims The Sims 2 The Sims 3 Green Hell The Forest Sons of the Forest The Long Dark Hades The Witcher The Witcher 2 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Kenshi Inscryption Learn to Fly Learn to Fly 2 Learn to Fly 3 Manor Lords Master of Orion 1 Master of Orion 2 Kill the Crows Muck Noita Octodad Octodad: Dadliest Catch Outer Wilds Raft Cookie Clicker Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate Solium Infernum Spore Squirrel with a Gun Sterallis TCG Card Shop Simulator The Talos Principle Pong Space Invaders Subnautica Subnautica: Below Zero Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sonic 3 and Knuckles Sonic Spinball Sonic 3D Blast Factorio Satisfactory Hydroneer Foundry The Planet Crafter This War of Mine Surgeon Simulator Moonstone Island Secret of Mana The Binding of Isaac Bloons Tower Defense Bloons TD 2 Bloons TD 3 Bloons TD 4 Bloons TD 5 Bloons TD 6 Bomberman Battlebit Remastered Undertale Total War: Shogun Total War: Medieval Total War: Rome And several thousand more. These things are in such short supply these days, and I'm truly grateful for another one from Boot.dev.

[@FreyaTamiyo]

These looks back into time have been fun!

[@jiratrello]

Imagine how iconic magic 30 would've been if it was a whole booster box of draftable first edition/reserve list/early card proxies for a reasonable price

[@kiaayo]

*They sent the Pinkertons after a youtuber who opened Aftermath boosters ON ACCIDENT HE WANTED NORMAL MOM PACKS BUT THEY SENT HIM AFTERMATH ON ACCIDENT.

[@themadstudent]

Conspiracy and Conspiracy: Take the Crown. Both had masters level reprints in standard priced booster packs. It really felt like a $4/pack master's set, and I wish we would see that more often.

[@tomcorbett6089]

It must be bleak and depressing to watch the game turning to mismanaged pop culture trash, when you've tethered your entire life and livelihood to it. You have my respect for ploughing on, Brian.

[@MagusFlorren]

🎊 such charm and composure. Even when discussing big product failures like this. I admire this gentleman

[@ElPanadero18]

Ixalan commander decks seem to have started a new era of reasonably priced, well-crafted precons with one very high-value reprint. Definitely one of the best products imo.

[@grahamcrackergaming630]

Aftermath Epilogue boosters were priced to retailers to sell at ~$4.75! More than a draft pack, for fewer card designs and low-power cards. They don't have an MSRP but they charge retailers an amount that suggests an expected retail price that is in line with other industry-standard margins. For awhile I thought Aftermath was just a set that cut out the commons. But with so few card designs, it's not really that. Would have been closer with ~80 uncommons and ~80 rares. Also could have included more pack fun like foils/alts/showcase/list/bonus sheet cards. Would have liked a chance to get an 11th treatment of Elesh Norn (ha).

[@micahcriscuolo9480]

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit but I kind of like the grayscale artworks on the Innistrad Double Feature😅

[@madeoutofstring]

Me too. But looking at the clip laying the cards side by side, I agree that would be a nightmare to play. As a new player I already have enough of a time organizing my board state and remembering my triggers 😅 Could I work through it for the aesthetic? I don't have enough time ony hands. 😅

[@Crushanator1]

I feel like they'd be very nice as a single copy alt art within a commander deck, but as a draft format it looks miserable

[@Fealuinix]

WotC in the last few years: "I sacrifice Gilded Goose to Ruthless Knave for two treasure tokens." Best non-draftable products though? 1. Jumpstart and/or Jumpstart 2022 (Duh) 2. Commander's Arsenal (Was a bit expensive, but a pretty good deal at the time) 3. Ravnica: Clue Edition (Seriously, I've been enjoying mixing Clue into Commander every now and then) 4. Guild Kits (Look, I just like Ravnica, okay?) 5. Unsanctioned (Proto-Jumpstart. Some of the half-decks were a bit clunky, but it wasn't a bad product)

[@narojii4770]

As a new magic player around the time of the brothers war. I absolutely loved double feature.

[@Shinius]

I'm still baffled why "4 boosters of proxies for $1,000" could EVER pass any kind of internal scrutiny. I swear it had to be like 1 top level person who said "we're doing it" and then no one under them could refuse.

[@AnimeImports]

Greed

[@hausu3163]

Truly INSANE

[@refreshdaemon]

MOM:Aftermath reminded me of Fallen Empires with the smaller booster packs and cardpool, duplication within the packs, and the resulting tanking prices. I'm surprised they didn't see the resemblance between the two products when they were conceiving of it since it was such a failure of a set.

[@vitorduraes8212]

I am a relatively new player to magic comparatively to many others, having started my MTG journey in 2019, when the first throne of eldraine set launched. It is somehow both very surprising and oddly terrifying that most, if not all the entries on this list have been released since I started playing, that all I have known is the overpricing and greed... I love magic, and I am thankful for all it has allowed me to do in these years, but sometimes I wish things were different, and that the players weren't being milked for all that they're worth...

[@SwitchBladeEVO]

As someone who started on the Commander Masters pre-release event last year in like July, my entire experience with MTG has been "Why this shit so expensive!?" so I feel that. After having a better understanding of card pricing economy and the other formats besides Commander, it really all comes down to WotC capitalizing on infinitely rising costs of second-hand selling to justify higher prices for sets that include reprints and other "goodies" they think they slipped in, because they know people are going to buy them to stay competitive. Wild experience. I'm borderline obsessed with Magic, but man is the economy of the game just fucked. Lmao

[@DreamDaddie]

You’d think that this video would be way longer. Then the Prof would have to change the title to ‘Magic: the Gathering, how much time do you have?’

[@robbielast6118]

I remember the old Berlin tournament proxy decks that were released. They were really cool as it gave kitchen table players a way to experience high level play style decks.

[@neivafrost]

The Walking Dead Secret Lair deserves an honorable mention here. I think the vitriol from that release among Magic players was the only thing comparable to Magic 30. The backlash was so bad that they had to scramble to create Universes Within to remedy it. If you don't remember, Secret Lair TWD was the first Universes Beyond release (as a bonus, the world of the Walking Dead very much does not match the flavor of Magic), AND the first time Wizards printed exclusive new tournament-legal cards in a time-limited Secret Lair. I guess it wouldn't be considered a product failure by Wizards because it sold well, evidently.

[@Vok250]

Good price tag for the AC beyond boosters? Yeah right. No MSRPland. They are selling for $30 more than a normal set bundle here in Canada. $70-90 for an AC bundle, but only around $50 for set bundles.

[@isaachass6159]

I miss the deck builders toolkits

[@tirexius]

I'm still using the land from those. I don't know how new Magic players are able to get a ton of lands without the secondary market or taking them out of commander precons

[@jpob5]

@@tirexius They sell land stations now but they don't have the value of the deck builder's toolkit.

[@nathanjohnson6910]

Mordern Masters 2017 was such a great time. Fantastic reprints, great limited environment, and it didn't cost you a arm and leg to get a box to play with friends.

[@CyberBuster93]

9:28 When someone asks me how much I've spent on magic throughout my life xD

[@_Olorin]

My two favourite products: - The original jumpstart. It was a great for quick games, introducing new players to the game and get some cool unique cards. Plus, making a traditional cube after you're done playing with the jumpstart packs worked really well. - Challenger Decks to get new players up to speed in terms of power to be able to at least play in an already more experienced group. I introduced several new players to mtg and they all got challenger decks and everyone is happy with them as a base to be upgraded later. Plus those decks were cool to play even as a non-beginner and had some really cool cards. Even though I make my own decks, some challenger decks still make me want to buy them to get into new archetypes and playstyles.

[@HexiiSky]

if magic 30 showed us anything.its that proxies are allowed on table top and thats canon to me

[@Rapteir1211]

I find it very amusing that, when talking about the Aftermath Epilogue boosters, there's a copy of Tolarian Contempt being pulled in the background. Very fitting

[@alyindar]

Everyone noticed how many of those "fails" have come out in the last couple of years, right? 30th anniversary, set jumpstart boosters, double feature, MoM aftermath... Definitely tells a story of WotC's greed escalating, and product quality declining.

[@philbuttler3427]

Yep. They know people are gonna buy it anyway why bother?

[@NecromancyForKids]

Because they used to make sets that were just sets, and products based on the play experience. Now it's literally just about money.

[@michaelparrott7142]

There was fallen empires that thing was long ago and crap

[@4ll3sb4n4n3]

One of my favorite supplementary products of MTG is Planechase Anthology. Bought it when it came out and had a blast with my friends. The decks are fun and well balanced imho and then you get to crazy plane effects. I play MTG to have fun, planechase Anthology is fun.

[@RyuDouro]

Whenever I have the urge to buy magic cards, I see 9000 videos saying otherwise. Thanks for saving my money.

[@MetagrossTCG]

Hey Prof, just wanted to say that even when Wizards is failing with bad products and corporate greed. Your enthusiasm for Magic still gets people to enjoy the game. I built my first ever Commander deck to play with my students in our school gaming club and I’ve even started seeing a couple of friends for a weekly Commander night at my house! I’ve played all of the big three card games, Pokemon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh, and now Magic and I would say without your videos I probably wouldn’t have ever thought to try Magic. Thanks so much!

[@Lifelurker]

This video made me subscribe, refreshing to see a content creator not bend backwards for the game they cover. Good form.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Cheers!

[@AnimeImports]

Yup he's get for always giving his actual opinion.

[@AZombieWizard]

I got a box of Aftermath for $25 and that's the most I'd ever pay for it. By the time I finished opening them I had like 10+ copies of a ton of junk cards. Disaster of a set

[@Jaskaran158]

Magic's biggest failure will be trying to adhere to the infinite growth that the Hasbro execs expect out of their cash cow they see the game as.....

[@culturegeekgaming2390]

i didn't know what double feature was, i asked to the seller: is it a booster with only double sided cards ? (the day/night cycle) It would have been a great idea, and i would buy some, even at a higher price, you get kind of twice of the cards, enjoy the gameplay mechanic of innistrad at it's best, with a lot of it, and fun to play as the game change more. Nope, it's a lazy lower and dull quality reprint,unreadable, for twice the price, while you would better buy 2 regular boosters(one of each edition, crimson vow and midnight hunt), yeah ! "shut up and take my money !" It make me thinks of an in-between step for an illustrator, like drawing a black and white sketch, to place lights, before the final complete colored illustration, but no, that's a "special treatment"

[@savannahlion3081]

Happy Easter Weekend ! 🤘🐰🤘

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Same to you!

[@nkling02]

I think one of the best supplemental products that magic has delivered us over the years, Is from the vault.. Although the quality of the card selections lacked over the years, The early ones were banger. However, wizards of the coast changing the reprint policy and foil procedures for the vault itself, Change the price and cards used for future sets. I initially really love them and have bought some of the beginners. Keep up the good content professor!

[@HexiiSky]

considering the pinkertons are hired corporate robots. and they marched to that content creators house. and now it being #1 on this list.... would that be the aftermath of the march of the machines 😂

[@ethancrawford1990]

OG commander legends and OG Jumpstart coming out so close to each other was truly the best few months of Magic I’ve experienced in my time playing

[@ericfortin559]

At least Innistrad: Double Feature finally let everybody empathize with color-blind players.

[@Squatch_needs_no_heroes]

I love it when he just goes off.

[@pigfish99]

The guild kits were arguably one of their best modern ideas. A good 2 color deck, with some added bonuses.

[@willjackson5885]

Fun to play against each other maybe, but they weren't “good” decks lol

[@VancouverJeff]

I would like to see a similar release with the Bloomburrow “guilds”. 😃👍🏻

[@danacoleman4007]

The throne of eldraine deluxe thingy is currently selling on various websites anywhere from $500 to over $700😂😂😂😂

[@6nodder6]

My girlfriend accidentally bought epilogue collector boosters thinking they were a good deal for us to open together :(

[@NexusVFD]

Laying off a bunch of their staff right before xmas is probably one of their biggest failures I'd say. Not only did it leave a bad taste in my mouth, it's what solidified me deciding to no longer purchase sealed product for Magic the Gathering. I was really enjoying where they were going with anime art cards, mainly cos of how many people it upset, but also cos it combined something I loved with a card game I thoroughly enjoyed on a casual level. I will say, one of the products I wish they hadn't stopped making is the Gift Boxes cos at the price of a fatpack you got almost as many packs, some dividers with beautiful artwork of the lands in the set, and a pretty sizable storage box and for someone who loves to crack packs like myself that was a blessing.

[@hearmth6618]

0:39 Randomized Magic the gathering products nowadays: 🗑🔥

[@garethhughes4437]

For me, the product I liked the most in terms of supplemental products was Conspiracy. I loved that set, loved that it was designed for Draft (I am not much a of a draft player either) and I wish that they had done more than 2 of them. Even bloody Un sets got more than 2...

[@philipwharton7444]

30th anniversary is the closest paper magic has come to selling you nfts....

[@jamesmoore1476]

True, but at least you get some cardboard! You actually own a physical object. You can flick them around the room, someone said bookmarks, uh feel the buyer's remorse every time you see the thing...

[@leadpaintchips9461]

I left MtG a *long* time ago. Keeping up with standard and FNM when a new set was released every three months or so was so draining on what little income I had, I had to bow out. Even back when I played, trying to find a game even in extended was rough. Playing a game against another middling, not particularly netbuilding or getting lucky, deck was rough and forget about having a chance at winning if your favorite deck was rotated out of extended. Sets and blocks just rotated out too quickly, and the value (both monetary and value in playing) plummeted too fast for me to keep up. All that said, I like the 'standard' format though. 60 card minimum, up to 4 copies. Enough consistency so that I could actually build a deck and have a reasonable chance of hitting my gameplan without needing to flood my deck with tutors, enough variety that it wasn't the same steps every game. Got a friend who brought over his Universes Beyond 40K decks a couple of weeks ago, and I'm a huge 40K lore nerd. Realized that Commander is just EDH officially supported and tweaked by WotC. Wasn't a fan of how inconsistent the game was with only one copy of each card and 100 deck minimum. The Exterminatus and Triumph of St. Catherine sorely tempted me though (I'm a SoB and Inquisition simp), and if there was a pure Inquisition or SoB I probably would've bought it out of hand. This last weekend he gave me the Fallout Mutant Madness deck, and ended up having fun with how quirky it was, specifically the rad counters and the interactions that the deck had with them. So much so that I ended up buying the Forces of the Imperium. I'm warming up to the idea of the Commander format, but I don't think I'll have as much fun as I would having a massive pile of random cards from several blocks and scraping new and different decks out of my collection.

[@twolf7448]

From the Vault's were amazing, I miss those. I hate Secret Lair's (or anything that bypasses LGS's). And annual commander decks. I hate having multiple pre-con cmdr decks with every set now. There are others that started good, but then turned to poop in later iterations :( (Ie: duel decks, the og ones were great, the last 4+ before they stopped making them, were poop). They always seem to start good with these things but then they just overdo it, or make them bad in some way that the product no longer has any value (either in play-ability or collect-ability) . Happens every time. Just wait, LotR was so good, that they think they have a gold mine in UB products now, that they'll do the same thing, overdo it to point of where it's worthless and un-fun and no one buys it. I don't gamble, but I would bet on this, especially so long as the 2 boneheads are still in charge at Hasbro/WotC (Mr.C and Ms.W)

[@nickhughes8179]

Tetris taught me to maximize making use of limited space and resources all while up keeping quick reflexes

[@DarthDarthBinks]

I’m magic’s biggest failure

[@TheHurricaneYeah]

You play Elk Tribal too?!

[@collinchase4236]

Imma need that deck list chief ​@TheHurricaneYeah

[@Kazutoification]

It's so wild watching the progression of the Professor through the years!

[@scar6822]

WOTC has done amazing work with Universes Beyond commander decks. All of the decks felt very flavorful for the most part. The art for these sets are so good and capture their respective universe so well.