So This Grinds Me....

WTF is this?

 Let me explain. I know this is a newer MTG set released just last month or end of July maybe, and I know it is a really cute set that focuses on the critters of the forest, in simple terms (no not just forest, but fantasy and critters cross paths here). The set itself is cute and my daughter loves the look of many of the cards, but that's not the reason for my reaction.

"VALUE PACK"

I picked this up at Walmart because my local card store - 401games - is smart enough not to touch these things.

Here is some history....

For the longest time, there was only one type of booster pack - 15 cards which would include basically 1 rare, 2 or three uncommons and the rest commons. These then started having foils, other insets, etc, but Wizards of the Coast then did a couple things...but for these packs, they were roughly (and I will use 401games pricing) 3 packs for $10, then basically $4 each.

They created Collector boosters which are much pricier and all foiled. These run around $30 a pack give or take depending on the set - I get the market for these, and they are not my today issue.

The original boosters were taken away and replaced by SET and DRAFT boosters which were 12 and 15 cards respectively with the supposed thinking SET were for those really collecting sets and would have more "special" or rare cards while DRAFT was more for play. When this was done, roughly, the DRAFT were sold for about $4.50 - $5 a pack and the SET for $8.

Not long ago, Wizards said, it was confusing, let's go back to one pack - PLAY boosters which have 14 cards and would sell for about $6.

So these pack changes took place and essentially we went from 15 card boosters for $4 to 14 card booster for $6. I get inflation, but still that is a bunch of a hike in a short period of time.

So where the VALUE booster comes in is with half the cards - 7 - and you get essentially half a pack and lower odds for getting "special" cards by the quick look at it. As these are sold more so at your Wal-marts and not LCS, the price for this was $5!

Am I stupid to buy it? YUP! Do I feel that I need to for my pack collection? YUP! Am I going to buy them, but hope this doesn't last and they go away quickly? YUP! Is it the first time they have done this? NOPE!

I have a few packs from the early 2010s when they had 6 cards in a booster pack for about $2 each which had a basic land, 3 commons, 1 uncommon, and one card that could be a rare or mythic in every 3 packs. I don't know what sets these were around for, and don't have many of them (I think packs from three different sets), but they just seem like a way to exploit young kids, impulse buying or those without LCS options.

On the other hand - they are still going to get me, whether I like it or not...