Oops, all commons! Wizards SOLVES the booster pack crisis!

After years of mixed results with new types of Magic: the Gathering booster packs, Wizards of the Coast has finally cracked the case!
We may not be carrying value boosters at our Manhattan store any time soon, but if you’re looking for other Magic products, including Bloomburrow preorders, you can check us out at MontasyNYC.con
#magicthegathering #magiccards #magictcg #lgs #localgamestore #tradingcards #tradingcardgame #tcg #collectibles #wizardsofthecoast #wotc

[@dekdenfor9770]

The fact that they're calling it a "value pack" feels like it SHOULD be a parody, but somehow isn't

[@hviring7441]

Since you can’t find value in the pack, they’ve put it in the name 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@solbradguy7628]

I can't imagine buying a pack that doesn't even have a single rare. Buying packs already kinda feels like a scam compared to buying singles (which also feels like a scam compared to proxying with the prices of singles these days). But we do it for the fun of opening packs and for a chance at a valuable card or two. Unless I was really after a certain uncommon and didn't want to buy a single for some reason I could only see buying those rareless packs if you were just starting the game and wanted to begin building a collection. Like your collection is so small you just need *something* to get started. The idea of those cheap 2 rare 100 card value packs is really cool though. Seems like a good deal for newcomers.

[@MrBongie]

Kudos for the "Bulk" packs you sell. Value pack probably as initial idea was something okayish, but Hasbro being Hasbro probably twisted it into something just to pump up those sales numbers. If they wanted to do something cool they could just do Pauper booster. It would be filled with commons, but maybe some of them would have alternative art, be full art or what the heck even be serialized but for much bigger number like 2k.

[@vaazon]

I would love to see theme boosters such as angel boosters, elf boosters, artifact boosters etc. it would help out with tribal collection and artifact lands could be reprinted again. All are sold out in the shops located in my country. Cardmarket is the only viable option but the shipping cost isn't worth it for a few cards :3

[@timgalivan2846]

This is a great idea, it wouldn't hurt them to do some exclusive art for commons in these packs

[@tauntdragoon]

@@vaazon they had theme boosters but they never sold enought to make them worth it for people cause it was 1 rare and 34 common and uncommon for about twice the price of a draft booster most place had them price at $13-$15 but they were all color theme of some were guild them like a Simic theme booster but it was tied to the set it released with like adventures in forgotten realms had theme booster the last one was streets of new capenna

[@jirkau555]

They already did this back in Alara, for 2 dollars, and it failed. Fallen Empires back in the 90s was the same thing. Why can't they just learn

[@Mil89GR]

WotC/Hasbro think that people will forget and new players will get scammed by it.

[@DarkAvatar1313]

They are trying to get Magic bigger in big box stores like Walmart to try to get normies to buy them for their kids.

[@riddler356_fuck_you]

Iirc one of the biggest things with fallen empires was stores getting everything they ordered, rather than the usual massive cut in what they got vs ordered, like ordering 10 but only getting 3-4 because more demand than what is printed, then fallen empires game out and they got all 10 leading to massive discounts in order to offload excess unexpected product. Of course not ignoring the fact they were small boosters, and wasn’t many decent cards (if any, but my fave green card, pet card & fave fog (same card) was from Fallen Empires as Spore Cloud)

[@BotWatts]

with a few caveats it could be a good product, those are (imo) 1 dollar or less wildcard has actual good odds (1 in 2?) of rare/mythic located at checkout stands in big retail stores, not presented as a magic product to open in bulk, but basically the mtg equivalent of a 1 dollar scratcher at the gas station

[@AwkwardDreamer]

I'm still mad they lied about there being 'too many types of boosters' as the reason for squishing draft and set boosters into one only for them to turn around and shit these out lol XD

[@Morkins324]

The real reason for getting rid of Draft Boosters and merging them with Set Boosters has been explicitly stated by Mark Rosewater, and that is that Draft Boosters didn't sell anymore and the option was either killing draft entirely or rework Set boosters into something that could be drafted. Consolidating the product line was an additional benefit, but it wasn't actually a driving force in the decision. The decision was made by the fact that nobody was buying Draft Boosters anymore. It turned out that a significant portion of "Booster Pack" sales was from people buying them to open them, and as soon as there was a divergence of those sales into a separate product (Set Boosters), the traditional Draft Booster just wasn't in demand anymore. Value Boosters are not ever going to be fitting in that same niche. Value Boosters are likely going to be $1.00 Scratch Off lottery tickets that they can try to sell you in the line at Grocery Stores or Gas Stations. 1/300 chance to open a Bristly Bill, Spine Sower equivalent chase rare from the new set. Good value? No, but neither are $1.00 Scratch Offs. The bet is that there is a bigger niche for low cost gambling than there is for Booster Draft. And the reality is that they are probably correct.

[@CSDragon]

That wasn't what they said though. They said that Set Boosters were outselling Draft Boosters by orders of magnitude, but LGSes were expected to stock both of them. Meaning that LGSes were having to buy a lot of draft product they couldn't sell and losing money. Wizards knows that draft is still popular among their dedicated players though so instead of just chopping draft boosters they made set boosters draftable and changed the name. LGSes won't be expected to carry Value boosters though. They're for junk distributors like Wamlart

[@AwkwardDreamer]

@@CSDragon That is what they said lol (paraphrasing of course). Outselling draft was just one of many reasons given (of 6 core issues). Problem #1 - Set Boosters eclipsed Draft Boosters (this is where you stopped reading) Problem #2 - It causes inventory problem (tldr: too many types of boosters) Problem #3 - It began the abandonment of Draft Boosters (tldr: too many types of boosters) Problem #4 - It causes confusion in the marketplace (tldr: too many types of boosters) Problem #5 - It makes some Magic boosters less desirable (tldr: too many types of boosters) Problem #6 - Every booster buyer wasn't getting all the cool stuff (tldr: this is more a part of problem 5 than anything but is still 'too many types of boosters) The point is, when you read the WHOLE article, it's clear what they were 'blaming' the switch on and now they're walking it back. But you know what, replace 'draft boosters' with 'value boosters' and read through the article again and tell me they don't create the same 'problem' they tried to 'solve' in the first place.

[@jots083]

I see this as a market test. Bloom burrow is cute. if you put it in the collectable isle or check out lane of a big box retailer, they might get a lot of impulse sales from kids pestering their parents. They may hook a few people for life but it’ll sell a lot of cardboard to the kids that buy Pokémon cards to collect them and never learn to play the game if they price and place it right. I know I would’ve been a sucker for a product like that back when I was in 5th-6th grade.

[@sbkscuify]

Just found you on YT. I think your store made packs are great. I used to buy something similar at target. Had some shrink wrapped cards and a random booster or something like that. I wasn't worried about whether the cards were of any great value. I just liked the fact I could get a fat stack of cards to enjoy and learn with. Plus, a lot of the cards were new to me. So, the enjoyment factor was high.

[@LordMorde]

i love lgs grab bags. back in my hometown there was a guy that allowed you to put a binder or card box in his shop to sell for store credit. i pulled a demonic tutor out of a 6$ pack of 40 uncommons that someone had thrown in there.

[@shakyrob6512]

Yeah that bulk pack idea is pretty darn smart. Crack some cases. Put the value/desired cards in the cases/binders. Then instead of having bulk bins collecting dust and being handled but rarely picked... Bunch those cards up and sell them at a set price.

[@DetroitTyler]

I call it Fallen Empires 2024

[@A.I.Friends]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy people's bulk?

[@davidsantiago7808]

No, unless they're buying them for like a penny a card it wouldn't.

[@johnbts9216]

Wait for Wotc to solve the player problem by replacing us all with robots😂

[@Sephiroth517]

3€ a pack, 11 commons, 3 uncommons, 1 rare, no mythics, no foils, wo wilds, no tokens, no basic lands.... They had it right, right from the beginning... then came Hasbro and the slow downfall....

[@kewanzahedinour7304]

Good idea, lets people actually have some cards for playing. Maybe even go for a "Sealed" event with that

[@ekolimitsLIVE]

They are testing the market for sure. Not something too many people will buy but I can see a lot of big box stores getting stuck with them and a lot of uninformed buyers buying them for kids. Ultimately it will erode trust because people will buy the wrong thing and get mad

[@Null_Experis]

The value booster should just be classic draft core set. 16 cards. 4 lands. 1 rare 2 uncommons 8 commons 1 random card that can be any rarity and might be foil Price them at $16 for a 2 person draft set of 8 packs, $65 for 33 pack box (good for 8 players to draft, 4 packs each+1 bonus one for the "prize" pack, specially marked, that contains the same card spread but the random slot is guaranteed rare foil and 1-3 other cards will be foil) It should be made from cards all legal in standard rotation, and be sold as an introduction/quick draft and play set.

[@MrRsErik]

the only way i can see something like that be Value is if it was taking many many staples and putting them in a common form for people on a budget to get mass amounts of staples without buying from 3rd partys. in yugioh this would be like raigeki, harpies feather duster, dark hole, mystic space typhoon, all the pot cards, max c, the rest of the hand traps... so on and so forth. for magic this might be like Senseis divining top, sol ring, maybe the one ring, and general cards that are played in most decks of popular formats.

[@TaIathar]

So, real quick, let me explain how this is gonna play out. The packs won't sell. Wizards will realize the packs aren't selling. Wizards will pull an "I told you so" on social media regarding the players calling the packs full of rares "unfair" and "reducing the value". Wizards will stop selling Value Packs. Value Packs become a collectible item that nobody has because nobody wanted them except collectors in the first place. Value Packs are now "valuable". Big scheme. Very good. A+ Wizards. Fantastic job. As a bonus, everyone will have extra money from not buying Value Packs so when the next set comes out #soon (probably around Sept/Oct/Nov), everyone will have extra money to spend on it including those saving up to buy cards as a gift for their friends/family members.

[@mmorpgplayer99]

one of my local stores put play sets of commons of a set into a box that you can buy for 10$

[@advid01]

I miss the days where 4-5 sets were released in a year. long gone are the days of, it's been 2 weeks and we've gotten 3 new sets, now it's literally a new set every time you blink. the new set with it's cute fluffy animals looks fine, I had a friend who loved playing a squirrel deck, back when there were only a handful of squirrel cards in all of magic. they are just doing too much at WoC, no one has time to savor the new set, take the time to smell the roses, before 5 more sets are announced. I remember the joy of opening a new pack, getting some random rare or mythic card and thinking "Wow, i'm going to build a deck around this one thing" how is anyone supposed to do that with commons and uncommons?

[@Hyperbuzz10]

Seeing as it's for big box stores, I can't help but think Great Value pack as if it's some custom Walmart exclusive repack 😂

[@VulcanHeStan]

A place near me has 10 dollar paper bags that are full of various bulk cards, and they include a number of rares that altogether are equal to 10 dollars market price. They use it to basically dump a random selection of commons and uncommons, and I've bought quite a few. Managed to get some really ncie cards without having to wait for the process of ordering singles, and technically speaking you never "Lose" value on it, and it keeps their Standard Boxes relatively clear.

[@nickd6303]

Mj holdings and who ever else that does the big store distribution will likely use these "value" packs in their repack products.

[@EgonCom]

If I want only commons or uncommons, I would go just to second hand market and buy them in bulk for waaaaay cheaper.

[@darkrulerbob]

If you dont believe thst wizards execs arent printing rares and selling them on the secondary market, i got a bridge to sell you.

[@hyoroemongaming569]

Take your pill

[@davidsantiago7808]

If that was the case We would see a lot more of the good stuff like numbered series on the market. Also the profit from that is probably so small compared to the money they get from being shareholders it's just negligible.

[@Thavleifrim]

i mean this is filmed in a game store so yeah its not a scam on you, or any of the people on reddit who are upset about it, It's a scam on parnets and grandparents who think they are getting a good deal for their kids for Christmas or a birthday. It's the magic equivalent of those gamestaion 99 games in one consoles that used to be everywhere.

[@Astronomater]

my lgs sells grab bag packs for a buck. i doubt value packs will sell for that much.

[@Aaackermann]

"Wildcards" can be a card of any rarity. Even Rare or Mythic.

[@wlyTheEverydayWorld]

Kinda nice for Pauper players. You could do Pauper drafts with them, ha

[@butdoesitscrub3457]

I think they're trying to ride that pokemon dollar store pack hype.

[@Joker22593]

Kmart went under about 20 years ago.

[@Itachi45481]

Cool that’s a smart idea plus you have less bulk in store and wizards you just need one type of pack you collectors packs that’s fine but two is enough

[@XCATX25]

Question: why would MTG listen to such a complaint as "it lower the values of cards", who cares? speculators care, that's it

[@timgalivan2846]

The problem people are having is that the value boosters are not for them and some people have trouble getting out of their own perspective. If you are a collector and you follow magic intensely and you're buying boosters to hit rares, you're basically gambling for those high value rares, otherwise you'd just buy singles to build your deck, much more cost efficient. These packs have 2 target audiences. 1. Kids who don't have lots of income, if you ask mom to buy a 2-3 pack at walmart, mire likely to get a yes from mom than if the pack is 6-8. They don't care or even have a concept of card value, they're young and just want to play this cool card gane with their friends. 2. People who love drafting. If you want to have cheap draft nights with your friends at the dining room table, you can do it with these packs more frequently at a lower price point. Of course all this depends on them actually turning out to be affordable and not just 1:50 less than the other packs. We will see

[@918_xDx]

Taking a page from YuGiOhs Lite 3 card packs and the pokemon dollartree packs LoL

[@magusofthebargain]

I can tell you're being sarcastic when you say they have finally cracked the code when it comes to boosters. However, I do believe that "Value" boosters with no actual value will have an extremely positive effect on the secondary market. It introduces more value to people by making rares more rare. This is the opposite of a money grab. This is a long term investment in the longevity of the value of Magic the Gathering cards. I'm very excited to see how these "Value" boosters pan out. Do I intend to buy one? no. However, your grab bags might see an uptick in sales when people realize that you are giving them much more value than these new "Value" boosters. I definitely recommend continuing to make those grab bags, as we will see the cute animals in Bloomburrow bringing a lot of new people to this game.

[@qromaxwell6548]

I only play with Commons and Uncommons so this is great

[@acmecondorsrealm8357]

You have so much stuff that's not online in your shop.....

[@orion6997]

Yeah Value Boosters are just a scam ngl. I hope its gonna be the worst product ever so they don't even think about continuing that shit.

[@JamesWanders]

Seriously though this was going to be about a bunch of mis-collated packs going out with only commons. But no, just yet another example of Wizards not understanding their player base. Kinda wish it was the first thing. The fallout would have been fun to watch.

[@mmohobo1150]

If the boosters cost anything over 2 or 3$ it’s to much if it was 1.50 I would buy some just to collect commons and uncommons for sets just for the fun of opening packs

[@DJVinyl]

Oops all commons! Pauper players: 😎

[@jeremiahchamberlain4179]

The wild card can be any rarity but fairly stupid idea the value pack

[@walterwalker2978]

if you think wotc isnt selling their own stuff on the aftermarket, i'm sorry, but you've lived a sheltered life

[@Beckola44]

The Value Pack is an Aftermath and Assassin's GREED RIPOFF only worse. They are preying on young kids and grandparents to buy them. Wizards thrives on going CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP on some of their products. Look how bad the card quality has gotten. Thank you for the video.

[@tauntdragoon]

yeah these Arnt going to be worth it for new players either 7 card pack of just uncommon and common cards and they most likely going to be retailing for the same price as the play boosters or close to it like a play booster being $7 and the value booster being something like $6 part of the fun of opening booster is pulling that super rare chase money card like when i got back into magic was right at the end of strixhaven and i got a prerelease and a bundle and opened it and pulled two old gnawbone and i was like yeah cool then this other guy bought like 2 collector boxes and 3 set boxes and didnt pull a single one and he was trying to get me to sell him one but those are usually the power house cards but they claimed part of why they did the play booster cause there was to many different products but yet now they are coming out with even more types of boosters you have play booster beyond booster collector jumpstart booster now with foundations they're going to have a beginner box and starter collection and i just heard making a new mystery booster on top of the bundles and decks

[@Izlr88]

It's a Chaff Pack

[@robertsunderman9534]

I'd happily buy these if they created a halfway decent limited experience (and were significantly cheaper). I doubt they will though, and I'd need to have people to play it with anyway

[@Bluemortal001]

this is the exactly reason i dont buy anymore. forget it. think of more ways to SCREW YOU... as the consumer. just do a REGULAR FREAKING pack like 1995 again. enough is enough

[@thewatched8280]

K mart is dead, only 12 remain.

[@foilmajestic1168]

Great video

[@aDSdl_l]

WOTC is suffering from greed creep

[@JeromeDoyle]

making rares 'rare' again

[@DarkBladeFury-xc8jh]

$1.00

[@Castnine]

I think these could be good for limited play. If i could paper draft for $3 idd draft alll day long edit: wizards greed wont allow it to be $1

[@OmneAurumNon]

I had a similar idea, but it's only 7 cards, so realistically you'd need six of them to draft. So they'd need to cost 50 cents for you to draft for just three dollars

[@SoulisStar]

You forgot to add ToysRus with K-mart lol. Such a weird crazy product.

[@Reb10999]

I uad a comic/card shop in the late 80's into the early 99's. I'm cringing at the stock laying on that shelf. Money that is tied up into stock that will never sell. Frightening.

[@collinbeal]

The stuff literally is on display for sale with price tags. Are they supposed to order on demand for each individual customer? What are you even talking about?

[@Reb10999]

@@collinbeal tell me you've never ran a shop without telling me you've never ran a shop profitably.

[@milfslayer331]

Garbage TCG