Magic Goes (Back) to MSRP . . . Sorta

Treasure token card art

In the beginning [of Magic], there were MSRPs ("Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price"). This price was printed on the pack or starter deck directly, so it was clear to consumers what Wizards expected vendors to charge. Of course, a given store didn't have to follow that, but if one was marking things up, people would know immediately.

In 2019, Wizards stopped offering MSRP for the reasons they listed in this article. That led, not surprisingly, to price variation and frustrated customers.

In 2024, Wizards announced a return to listing MSRP for Magic products. That article lists suggested prices for Foundations, Innistrad Remastered, and Aetherdrift. And subsequent releases get their own "Collecting _____" articles that include MSRP. Three other examples of recent and upcoming sets:

Final Fantasy:

MSRPs for Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY will be set as follows:

• Play Booster: $6.99
• Collector Booster: $37.99
• Commander Deck: $69.99
• Collector's Edition Commander Deck: $149.99
• Bundle: $69.99
• Gift Bundle: $89.99
• Starter Kit: $19.99

Edge of Eternities:

MSRPs for Edge of Eternities will be set as follows:

• Play Booster: $5.49
• Collector Booster: $24.99
• Commander Deck: $44.99
• Bundle: $53.99

Marvel's Spider-man:

MSRPs for Magic: The Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man will be set as follows:

• Play Booster: $6.99
• Collector Booster: $37.99
• Bundle: $69.99
• Scene Box: $41.99

A few observations:

- Intellectual Property sets (called "Universes Beyond") cost much more; one pack is 27% more than a 'in-world' Magic release; Bundles are 32% more. As I've said previously, there is an upward trend in Magic doing IP-based sets; perhaps profit margin is one reason why.

- Though MSRPs are back, that has not stopped vendors from upcharging from the outset. Or scalpers from buying up stock from [say] Target and upcharging online. (In one local game store, I saw Final Fantasy Commander Decks selling for $90 today.) It is exasperating.

- From my prior point, do your research before buying. TCGPlayer is a good place to check for market value of a given product, regardless of MSRP. Sometimes product value swings in consumers' favor. If you know where to look.

There are two points to remember as you navigate this world:

- Buying singles is always the cheapest way to collect.

- A given product is only worth the value people are willing to pay to get it. Be patient, shop around, and don't give into the hysteria. Or scalpers.

Magic Goes to Space

This month, I'll post somewhat random reflections on Magic. Today: Magic in space.

Ten days ago, the latest Magic set, Edge of Eternities (EOE), was released. This is the first time Wizards released a futuristic sci-fi set [I don't count Doctor Who], and as you'd expect, this one focuses on space. I won't do a full set review here, but will highlight some new card subtypes or abilities featured.

Spacecraft

A new type of artifact, spacecraft require 'charging' (the game ability word is "station"), whereby you tap creatures to put counters on the artifact, and once it has a certain number, it becomes an artifact creature (enabling it to attack/etc.). Some spacecraft have abilities that benefit your side before they become creatures (see Lumen-Class Frigate below). There are 22 spacecraft in this set.

Planets

A new type of land, planets enter tapped. They have basic mana-producing capabilities, but like spacecraft, they can be 'charged' to trigger a better ability. There are five planets in this set.

Warp

Warp is an ability. It offers a different casting cost to cast the card from your hand; if you do, it goes into exile during the end step, and can be cast later from exile for its normal cost. Warp is away to temporarily benefit from an ability earlier in the game, but have it as an option to return later.

Ignoring the mechanics themselves for a moment, my mind immediately goes to the future of the game. Introducing spacecraft and planets sets up Wizards for more forays into other Intellectual Properties. Will we see a Star Wars Magic set at some point? Or Star Trek, or Babylon 5, or [pick your sci-fi show of choice]? 

Coming back to the mechanics, does the flavor or spirit of the mechanics introduced here lend itself to such forays into other IPs? In other words, would playing a Star Destroyer but then having to charge it before it can attack fit with the Star Wars theme? I'm not sure. But I think/hope Wizards does plan such things in advance, because once you introduce a card subtype, it is very hard to alter it. As they have made pushing boundaries and exploring more IPs a stated goal, my mind immediately reads into new abilities and sees if they hint at what is to come.

Farewell, March of the Machine: The Aftermath

 Rounding out standard rotation month, today I look at March of the Machine: The Aftermath.

Released in May 2023, March of the Machines:the Aftermath (MAT) is exactly what the name indicates: the conclusion of the battle started in ONE and continued in MOM. This micro-set has only 50 cards and came in smaller booster packs (called 'epilogue' boosters, they had only 5 cards), though each card had various versions (frames) which swelled the total set to 230.

With such a small card base, there weren't any real themes other than 'legendary matters'; this was considered an extension of the March of the Machines set.

Favorites

Most are multi-colored legendary characters that either saw use in my legendary deck or are fun commanders.

Good Riddance

Here, only Nissa annoyed me, and she heralded landfall shenanigans that got out of hand fast if you didn't deal with her promptly.

General rule: when Wizards releases a micro-set, don't bother buying packs. Buy the singles you want. There is nothing here of sizable value that warrants the blind buy.

Farewell, Phyrexia: All Will Be One

Continuing rotation month, today I look at Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

I knew something was off . . . I skipped this one and went right to March of the Machines last time (which foreshadows how I felt about this set). Anyway . . .

Released in February 2023, Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE) is the invasion by everyone's favorite bad guys . . . told from their point of view.

The mechanics in this set revolve around the bad guys:

- poison counters, which is an alternate win/lose condition (you lose the game if you get 10 poison counters)

- proliferate, a returning mechanic, where you add a counter to a creature (or opponent/etc.) of a type they already have on them (here, usually poison or oil counters)

- toxic, which is related to poison counters

- corrupted, which heralds an ability that triggers based on an opponent's number of poison counters

Favorites

I don't care for the Phyrexians, which is why I forgot about this set. And yet, there are a handful of cards I used and will miss. Vanish into Eternity is a nice removal spell. Karumonix is a cool rat. I used Phyrexian Arena, Phyrexian Obliterator, and Sheoldred's Edict in a fun black tempo deck I ran. Cacophony Scamp is great in red burn decks. Glissa was good in my legendary deck, and Darkslick Shores is an example of the useful non-basic lands featured in this set.

Good Riddance

All of the cards I will not miss all center around control decks that lengthened games.

I don't mind poison counters, but for whatever reason, this set is (yet another) that didn't do it for me.

Farewell, March of the Machine

Continuing rotation month, today I look at March of the Machine.

Released in April 2023, March of the Machine (MOM) continues the story arc begun in Dominaria United. After the Brothers' War, the Phyrexians come and shake things up with their machine; the multiverse opposes them as everyone bands together.

This set features a new card type: battle. A battle is kind of like an enchantment that is played on your opponent's side of the table. It has an initial value, and when you attack, you can choose to attack it rather than the other player (or a planeswalker they control). If your attack succeeds, you remove that much damage from the battle, and when it hits zero, it transforms and comes over to your side. See below example.

The mechanics in this set included:
- Incubate, which allows you to place and grow tokens on the battlefield
- Convoke, where you can tap creatures to help pay for spells 

- Backup, which adds +1/+1 tokens to another creature when a creature with backup enters

The main themes in this set are Phyrexians (61 cards) and "team up" legends, featuring two classic legendary creatures on one card (18 cards). This set also featured a supplemental collection called "Multiverse Legends," which had 65 variant-frame creature cards from Magic's history. (And, as before, there were also different frames for these, making for 261 cards total. Sheesh.)

Favorites

As with last time, this set didn't do much for me. Faerie Mastermind was nice; Etali was popular. Four green cards (two of which were battles) were intriguing. I did like the two hero cards; two examples below.

Good Riddance

Only one card jumps out: Sunfall. Exile all creatures and then incubate X, potentially granting you a big creature, was very annoying.

Yet another forgettable set (for me).

Farewell, Brothers' War

Continuing rotation month, today I look at Brothers' War.

Released in November 2022, Brothers' War (BRO) continued Magic's 30-year celebration by looking at past classics. Here, the focus was on the brothers Urza and Mishra and their artifact armies.

The mechanics in this set included:

- Prototype, which allows you to cast an artifact creature card for cheaper cost (and lower power/toughness).

- Unearth, which allows you to cast a creature from your graveyard for its unearth cost. It gains haste and is then exiled at the end of turn.

- Meld, which allows you to take two cards on the battlefield and merge them into one

- Powerstone tokens, which tap to add one colorless mana (which can be used only to cast artifact spells).

The main theme in this set is artifacts. There were 77 artifact cards in this release, from the 'traditional' colorless artifacts to colored artifacts (and some that were either, if they had the prototype ability). This set also featured a supplemental collection of retro frame artifacts—63 artifact cards with the old frame that drew from Magic's history. (Even these retro artifact cards had three variant frames, making for 189 cards total. Sheesh.)

Favorites

I don't have a ton of favorites from this set, and oddly, no artifacts caught my eye. That aside, Lay Down Arms is a nice removal spell (if playing mono-white), Loran's Escape a great evasion spell, and Recruitment Officer and Siege Veteran were good in soldier decks (I ran both a white/blue and white/red soldier deck based on this release). Gix was great in my black tempo deck. Go for the Throat is a staple removal spell. I loved Mechanized Warfare in my burn deck. Awaken the Woods is fun in my casual dryad deck. And Bushwhack is a flexible staple.

Good Riddance

Not a lot here, honestly. I had to dig deep. Union of the Third Parth was annoying only because it showed up in control decks that made for a long game. Phyrexian Fleshgorger pointed to the same. And I had a love/hate relationship with Monastery Swiftspear, running it myself in my burn deck while loathing when I saw it in others'. 

In sum, this set didn't do much for me, and wasn't as memorable as I wished. I think the retro artifacts were the best part.