Magic: The Gathering (MTG) sets to start off it’s 30th anniversary in style, with a limited reprint product that gives players access to some of the rarest and most expensive cards in the game dating all the way back to Wizards beta set that released in 1993, with the very fair and reasonable asking price of USD$999 (approximately AUD$1,560, depending on the exchange rate).
They’re not tournament legal, there’s not a guarantee you’ll get one of the few ‘good’ cards in any of your packs, and they’re in very small supply, but… I don’t even know where I’m going with this sentence.
The 30th Anniversary Edition box will be comprised of just four booster packs, each pack including 15 cards, 13 of which will have the ‘modern’ framing treatment to blend in with Wizards current set releases, while the remaining two cards in each pack will get a ‘retro’ frame treatment (the same kind of thing they did with last year’s Time Spiral Remastered set).
Just to make sure you’re keeping up, that’s over AUD$1500 for 60 cards. In terms of rarity, the release is staying faithful to the original beta release with no inclusion of a Mythic rare, so you’ll instead find in each pack: one rare, three uncommons, seven commons, two basic lands and a token.
There’s also the added ‘excitement’ that approximately three in ten packs will include a rare retro frame card in the place of one of the two retro frame cards (so in some form of miracle, you could pack two proxy unplayable Black Lotus cards).
I am still completely baffled as to who these cards are specifically meant to be for. The reprinted cards are presented as collectible items that are illegal in all forms of official tournaments and play, so why should any player fork out $1500 for some cards that they could very easily just print off/proxy themselves? Anyone currently in the Magic scene who wants to include something like a ‘Black Lotus’ are using proxies anyway due to the astronomical prices, so why should they take the $1500 gamble at potentially packing one?
The 30th Anniversary Edition will only be available through the official Wizards of the Coast site starting November 28, and for anyone who decides to purchase them; will arrive at some point in 2023.
I’ll leave you with this: I just quickly searched through Officeworks and found I could get myself an Epson printer for $55, a ream of 500 pieces of paper for $5.99, a handy pair of scissors for 99c, and if I really wanted to treat myself – I could go to my local game store and pick up some card sleeves for $15. I could print, cut out and sleeve a proxy of ‘Black Lotus’ for $76.98. Don’t pay $1500 for boosters.
