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Magic: the Gathering - Gaming Accessories

Up Your Game with high quality Ultimate Masters accessories from Ultra PRO

Through the Breach, Illustrated by Randy Vargas

The last official masters set for the foreseeable future has generated a lot of controversy. Packs and boxes are without a doubt expensive and being unable to afford a product feels bad.

First things first - I can't afford a box. Strictly speaking, I could probably budget for one but even then buying boxes is not a good idea. This is really just a super fancy loot box. The best way to spend your mtg dollars has been and always will be on singles.

The spoilers for this set are pretty insane and chock full of staples. I identified 20+ cards that I would like a playset of and this is why buying a box doesn't make sense; I couldn't possibly open what I want and I'd rather make sure I do.

The list

These are the A-list cards that I'm watching to make a price index for the set. These are all cards I want 2-4 copies of.

The methodology

I began watching these as soon as I got back from Eternal Weekend. I took a look at their low, mid and market prices at the time, checked the low before and during the last reprint and used this information to determine a baseline of what we can see in terms of a target price. I then checked prices at the start of each week and looked for the cheapest copies regardless of printing but while being LP or NM (Note: Many NM cards are listed as LP to avoid problems with ratings).

The findings

Within the very first week, these cards dropped over 20%. Each week since we've seen an average of 4.5% additional reduction. As of 12/3/18, we're at a 35% average reduction in the prices. The card with the lowest change in price is Karn at 12% and the largest change is Through the Breach at nearly 65%.

The future

These reductions are before the set has even released. The prices are expected to fall much more once the set is being opened and we reach peak supply. Seasonal factors also mean that we should expect to see quick steep reductions. Prices tend to drop through November and into Christmas before rebounding in the new year. People are spending money on presents and often sell cards to make up the difference.

I would identify cards you want to get and then set a priority list. Prices should be lowest between Dec 20th and January 20th. You may not hit the actual price floor, but we're already seeing such steep discounts that you'll still be saving a good bit of cash.

The Vorthos Cast is back with all the flavor news your ears need to hear. The biggest story out of last week was the boycott of future Grand Prix/MagicFest events my a number of Magic artists. We also talk about the soon-to-be-released Chandra comic from IDW and the remaining flavor gems from Ultimate Masters (out this Friday, 12/7).

If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast!

Okay, first: THIS is what we should have gotten instead of Iconic or Masters 25. The mythics already look pretty sweet overall.

Still...

I’ve seen some defenses for it and to be honest? Yeah, no.

The main one I see is ‘Well it might not be for you’. Even the actual announcement said the same thing.

Here is the thing. No.

I want you answer this: What was the purpose of Masters? Why does it exsist?

The main failing has been two fold, especially with Masters 25: Few needed reprints and a steep asking price.

The stated goal of Masters from the very beginning, the primary reason for it to be is Reprints. Why do we need reprints? Because the current stock in circulation is getting more and more expensive, and thus constantly raising the bar of entry for Modern (and other formats, but that has been the primary focus of the master sets).

If you do not reprint the right cards and enough of them, then the product will do basically nothing to the cost. I mean, just look at Tarmogoyf. It’s been printed in 3 (soon to be 4) of the master sets, and it’s still over 60 bucks for any of the regular printings (not worrying about foils cause those are always going to command bonker pricing).

So, here we have a master set, with what looks to already be a really neat set of reprints (man lands not withstanding), BUT, it’s going to be printed in low quantities AND at a much higher MSRP... but why?

@wizardsmagic: The issue with masters, even the good ones, is the low print rights and the high prices. 10 bucks a pack is -not- conducive to getting more reprints in the wild.

And now you are expecting 15!? For the same product?

Also, for those talking about this being a ‘premium’ product: No. It is not. The Topper is a premium... but only in style. it is the buy a box for this set, so it SHOULD NOT FIGURE INTO THE COST.

Here is the thing: when figuring out the value, you need to first consider that this is a -retail- product. We can argue about the Mythic Edition on this line, but not here. This is a Masters set. It SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT REPRINTS. Not special printings. R-E-P-R-I-N-T-S.

This product is already a massive failure. The sad thing though? Is it’s still going to sell like gangbusters.

At this point, it’s good wizards are shelving this product. They can’t seem get away from trying too price gouge us or make draft the primary goal rather then the reprints. So, I’m all for them finding a new avenue for needed reprints. My suggestion? More things like the Guild kits and more reprints included in Commander product. Precon stuff where we know we are getting the supply. Stuff that would be good to print a good amount of so that the needed reprints get the circulation they need. Hell, I’m all for a return of the Dual decks... if they can get back to making good ones (don’t even need to be great, just nice reprints and balanced decks)

...there is more a rant in me then this, but I’ve had this in my craw all day and I’m just worn out.

Also, for the record: IF you do buy this product, I’m not judging you. Again, it looks sweet so far, the biggest issue is the price and low quantity printing. It’s pretty much going to fly off the shelf anyway, if for nothing else then those toppers. Hell, I’m waffling on grabbing it myself. I feel horrible about it, and I reaaaaally shouldn’t, but it is a debate I’m having with myself.

The point of this rant isn’t to be negative toward your consumer choices, but to point out that the frustrations being felt isn’t because of who this product is or isn’t for, but that even for those it is for, especially for them, it’s still way way overpriced. That’s all. Everything else about UMA is looking awesome.