Unpacking Magic: The Gathering's New Play Boosters
Posted by Magic Madhouse on 27th Dec 2024
Starting with this year’s Murders at Karlov Manor, Magic: The Gathering went through a big change. We said goodbye to Draft and Set booster packs, which had served as the backbone of each set release for almost four years, and said hello to the brand new Play boosters.
Starting with this year’s Murders at Karlov Manor, Magic: The Gathering went through a big change. We said goodbye to Draft and Set booster packs, which had served as the backbone of each set release for almost four years, and said hello to the brand new Play boosters.
Attempting to bring together the best of both Draft and Set boosters, Play boosters have proven controversial since their debut. But if you love cracking packs or playing limited, they are the best way to go. Here’s everything you need to know about Play boosters.
Evolution From Set And Draft Boosters
Starting with 2020’s Zendikar Rising, Magic had three key types of booster pack: Draft boosters provided a balanced pack intended for limited formats like Draft and Sealed, Set boosters focused on alt-art treatments and the pack cracking experience, and Collector boosters were all-out value with exclusive art and a huge number of rares and foils.
Unfortunately, three different booster packs caused problems. Players struggled to understand the difference between Set and Draft boosters, and the fewer rares and alt-arts would make Draft packs harder for shops to sell outside of limited play. Why buy a Draft when a Set can give you better cards, after all?
And so Set and Draft boosters were combined in Murders at Karlov Manor. The idea was to combine the better pack opening experience of Set boosters with the made-for-limited playability of a Draft.
The Benefits Of Play Boosters
Play boosters contain 14 cards, rather than a Set booster’s 12 or a Draft’s 15. You’re more likely to get different art treatments, and bonus sheets like The List and Special Guests, while rare, can still be found. However, there is a more standardised rarity distribution too, ensuring the packs are playable for drafts and sealed events.
In limited, the move from 15 card packs to 14 has had a big impact. The biggest is in the number of ‘draft chaff’ common cards a set has, which are designed purely for the limited format and can be frustrating to pull for anyone else, has been reduced. Cards feel more impactful as a result, with even commons having a big role on the viability of various limited archetypes.
Play boosters have also made limited formats a bit more unpredictable. As mentioned, things like The List and Special Guests can show up in packs, meaning they too are legal in the format’s limited environment. These extras are reprints from older sets, or Universes Beyond Secret Lair cards making their in-Universe appearance, and are usually highly desirable and explosive cards.
This actually increases the number of possible rares and mythic rares packs have compared to an old Draft booster, giving you more to build around and better bombs to find when drafting. Pulling a Ledger Shredder in a Bloomburrow draft, for instance, could push you further into a Bird Kindred strategy, or it could just be an exciting pull when cracking packs.
Bundles have also been made better with the shift to Play boosters. For a few years, bundles only contained Set boosters which made them ineffectual for sealed play. With them being replaced by Play bundles, they’re effectively limited decks in a box, and you can crack and build your deck right away.
But, of course, the biggest benefit of Play boosters is it’s simplified the range of packs available. I used to be a big fan of Set boosters, and would feel slightly underwhelmed on winning a Draft pack instead. Now that everything is under one name, I’m happy no matter what. It also takes some of the decision making away from when you’re buying packs – “do I buy the pack that lets me draft with a friend, or do I buy the one that’s more fun to open” was a serious concern, but now you can buy a pack and decide what to do with it later on.
Expected Impact On The Magic Community
That being said, Play boosters have had some teething issues in the sets since its debut. Players have found that sets that lack a dedicated bonus sheet, like Murders at Karlov Manor and Bloomburrow, feel more like a bad Set booster than those with lots of chances for extra rares, like Outlaws of Thunder Junction and its multiple extra sheets.
This problem was made worse in Bloomburrow, when the rarity of alternate art showcase cards was drastically reduced. Instead of guaranteeing at least one per pack like in the Set booster days, you’re now lucky to find more than a couple of alt-art cards in a Bundle box. For those who didn’t vibe with showcase frames this is a good move, but it is a shame to see such gorgeous art be so hard to come by.
It's still early days to see how Play boosters are going to affect limited play, but so far the higher number of rares and lower number of ‘chaff’ commons has proved controversial in limited formats. You need commons to maintain a balanced environment, and pushing people to build around big, swingy rares could make future sets feel more and more alike. That being said, I personally have loved Thunder Junction and Bloomburrow’s limited formats, and even have a lot of time for Karlov Manor.
The biggest point of criticism from the community, though, has been the price of Play boosters. Costing the same as an old Set booster, which was roughly £1 more than a Draft pack, the introduction of Play boosters has also meant a price hike for limited players. In-store events have become more expensive to compensate, and even those wanting to just get a box for them and their friends have seen the price shoot up by almost £30 as a result.
It's too early to tell how Play boosters will change. Perhaps we’ll see more and more of the Set booster elements scaled back, with alt-art and splashy rares being too much for limited play. Or perhaps Wizards will find the balance, and give us packs that really do do it all for everyone. There’s a lot to enjoy about them, so here’s hoping Wizards manages to pull it off.
You can buy Play boosters for Murders at Karlov Manor, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Bloomburrow, Modern Horizons 3, and pre-order Duskmourn: House of Horror on Magic Madhouse today!