Heliod, God of the Sun | Illustration by Jason A. Engle
I’ve probably told this story somewhere on this website already, but what the heck. A few years ago, I bought what I contend to this day is the best booster I’ve ever opened. It was a Wilds of Eldraine Set Booster, and the highlights were Beseech the Mirror, an Enchanting Tales Smothering Tithe, and, because this was in the days of The List, The Meathook Massacre. To me, that was a God Pack, but Wizards of the Coast has announced actual… honest to goodness… God Packs. Yay.
Yes, starting in 2027 (for in-universe sets; Universes Beyond waits until 2028), your boosters have a chance to be God Packs stuffed to the brim with rares, mythics, and Booster Fun treatments. I’ve got the lowdown on what we know so far.
What Are God Packs in MTG?
Hazoret the Fervent | Illustration by Joseph Meehan
God Packs are a booster innovation that comes to Magic in 2027. Booster Packs (formerly Play Boosters) and Collector Boosters have a chance to contain entirely rares and mythic rares, including Booster Fun treatments.
The idea is to provide players and collectors with those big fish, booster-cracking moments we all like to tell. To use the cliché, “all hits, no misses.” God Packs have come to other collectible trading card games like Pokémon, and now it’s Magic’s turn.
Journey into Nyx also featured God Packs in a more literal interpretation: They contained all 15 of the Theros god cards (at the time).
What Types of Booster Packs Can Have God Packs?
Both Booster Packs (formerly Play Boosters) and Collector Boosters of in-universe sets can be God Packs starting in 2027. God Packs are coming to Universes Beyond boosters in 2028.
If you’re ever in front of a display and want a quick way to remember, anything sold as Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, or Play Booster won’t contain God Packs.
God Pack Contents
God Packs in both booster types are full of rares and/or mythic rares and Booster Fun treatments, but the exact breakdown is slightly different.
Booster Packs
God Packs found in Booster Packs contain:
- 1 God Pack celebration card
- 10 non-foil rares and/or mythic rares
- 2 non-foil Booster Fun rares and/or mythic rares
- 2 traditional foil Booster Fun rares and/or mythic rares
Collector Boosters
God Packs found in Collector Boosters contain:
- 1 God Pack celebration card
- 1 foil land
- 3 foil default frame rares and/or mythics
- 3 non-foil Booster Fun rares and/or mythics
- 5 foil Booster Fun rares and/or mythics.
What Are the Chances of Opening a God Pack?
The stated odds of opening a God Pack among regular Booster Packs is 1 in 1,000. That adds up to almost a 3% chance in a booster box, and about 16.5% in a 6-box case.
For Collector Boosters, the odds for a God Pack are 1 in every 300. The odds of a God Pack in a Collector Booster Box are a hair under 4%, and they hover between 61-62% in a 24-box case.
I know that seems counter-intuitive: A carton has 24 12-booster boxes, so 288 boosters. That’s just 12 short of 300, so surely the odds are much higher, right? But no, each booster you open is its own event that doesn’t care whether you’re “due” to open a God Pack or not. The odds that a booster isn’t a God Pack still weigh heavily every time you crack a booster.
What Sets Have God Packs?
The first sets to have God Packs release in 2027, and they are:
The first Universes Beyond boosters to feature God Packs will release in 2028.
Journey into Nyx from 2014 also featured God Packs that contained all of the Theros gods, but that’s a different kind of God Pack from what we’ll see in Magic going forward.
What Is a God Pack Celebration Card?
A God Pack Celebration Card is a booster insert that announces that you’ve opened a God Pack. The preview images shared in Wizards’ announcement show a gold-colored card that reads, “You Did It!” in large text, and “Get out the toploaders, you opened a God Pack.” Comma splice and all. The preview image also shows the name of the set, along with the usual collector number and copyright information we find at the bottom of Magic cards.
The immediate response from the community was to riff on the layout, and the somewhat pandering messaging of the preview card. Naturally, some folks have coded image generators to let you mess around with the format.
What If You Open a God Pack in Limited?
The exact handling is up to the event host; at Regional Championships and on the Pro Tour, God Packs must be removed and replaced. In all other settings, it’s best practice to check with the event organizer beforehand. If you can’t or forget to, call a judge to your table immediately so that they can guide you.
In their announcement on the WPN website, Wizards presents a recommended protocol to follow, but they leave the actual handling up to individual stores and event organizers. The proposed handling is to let the player have a moment of glory, remove the pack from the event (the player who opened it keeps it), and replace the booster at no charge.
Will God Packs Make Booster Packs More Expensive?
We don’t have MSRPs for any of 2027’s sets at the time of writing, so we don’t know if there will be price adjustments from an initial supply standpoint.
My gut instinct is that the impact will be felt on a set-by-set basis. Spider-Man probably would’ve faired the same even if it had God Packs, but Bloomburrow would still be a hit that would be hard to keep in stock, and whose boosters might climb in price due to popularity.
God Packs do have the chance to lead those who have a lot of credit or liquidity to buy up a lot of sealed product at once, but the odds of pulling a God Pack are so slim in Booster Packs (16.5% in a whole case of Booster Boxes) that it would be utterly foolish to go chasing this particular dragon. The odds aren’t terribly great for Collector Boosters either, but someone could use bad math to convince themselves to buy a case of Collector Boosters, thinking it’s a near guaranteed hit (288 boosters with 1 in 300 odds, right?!).
If players and collectors like the Booster Fun treatment and rares previewed ahead of Nauctis, there may be more of a feeding frenzy than usual for sealed product, but the true test will be when we start to open God Packs, especially when content creators start to open them on streams. God Packs are supposed to be all hits, no misses, but what if your God Pack is a dud? Will your celebration card read, “Oops, all bulk! Better luck next time.”
Wizards needs word to spread positively after these hit the market. They want those, “Oh my God, someone at my Prerelease opened a God Pack and it had…” stories. They want “poggers” moments to spread virally online. They want people’s reactions to opening God Packs to drive interest in the product and lead to more sales. They’ve even teased that it’s mathematically possible for two copies of a set’s Headliner to show up in the same Collector Booster God Pack (cheeky).
Collector Boosters will be more affected by losing three card slots. You’ll pay the same amount of money, or perhaps more for fewer total cards, which in turn puts more pressure on each slot to be a banger.
Wrap Up
Reidane, God of the Worthy | Illustration by Jason Rainville
I dislike that God Packs feel very geared towards the content creation side of the game. Not the gameplay side: The consumerist, pack opening side. Wizards says as much in the announcement when talking about how Collector Boosters are changing in general, but God Packs don’t feel like they’re made for me (unless I start opening boosters on TikTok or something). And for those asking whether opening packs of Magic: The Gathering counts as gambling, God Packs aren’t going to help anyone argue that it doesn’t.
What do you think about God Packs? How do you think they’ll affect product sales and availability? Let me know in the comments below, or bring the discussion over to the Draftsim Discord. If you want our reactions to Wizards announcements, set news, and much more straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter, The Daily Upkeep.
Until next time, uh… fine, sure, “Happy hunting!”
Follow Draftsim for awesome articles and set updates:
Add Comment