Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond sets have undergone a number of important changes over the last year. This makes sense, given that in order to maintain MTG's position as one of the best card games, it's within the interests of Wizards of the Coast to bolster Universes Beyond – likely one of the most attractive points of entry for new players.
Not only are Universes Beyond releases now legal in Standard format, but they also comprise half of the total release calendar for 2025. These changes should spell good things for attracting new audiences to Magic – in particular those who might not be interested in the game at all if it weren't for the IP crossover. However, this investment in tie-in sets does come at a cost.
No doubt licensing massive properties to create sets like MTG Final Fantasy and MTG Marvel's Spider-Man comes with additional expenses in production. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter appears to be that at least some of that extra cost is being passed to the player.
According to a recent comment from Magic's Lead Designer, Mark Rosewater on his Tumblr, the inflated price point we saw on products from MTG Final Fantasy is not an anomaly. When asked, "Is an individual Final Fantasy Play Booster intended to be the same price as Aetherdrift?" Rosewater replied, "No, Universes Beyond Boosters normally have a higher MSRP." The recent previews of the Spider-Man set confirm this. It's a Booster-based set so we didn't see the same 40% increase on Commander Deck prices, but price tags on everything else are still pretty eye-watering.
For example, the next canon set to be released, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, sports an MSRP of $24.99 on its Collector Boosters. Meanwhile, Collector Boosters from both the Final Fantasy and Spider-Man sets cost $37.99.
The $1.50 increase on Play Boosters, while far less impactful on your wallet, is what's more likely to create waves on the game as a whole. Whether you're constructing decks for Standard or playing a Limited format, this change will ensure that half of the releases this year will be rocking a more premium price. And that's before we even touch on the potential of scalping and price gouging – issues that, judging by the rate at which MTG Final Fantasy's pre-orders sold out, players should be vigilant about.
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