Is the Pack Bundle in MTG Arena Worth It?

Last updated on February 15, 2023

Jace, the Perfected Mind | Illustration by Chase Stone

Getting a good deal can feel pretty awesome. Discounts, freebies, bundles… anything that gives you more than what you put in. Preorder bundles on Arena try to do this, but are they really worth it?

All Will Be One’s Jace Pack bundle is here to throw that into question. I’ve never been a big fan of the guy in general, but maybe I’m biased. Maybe this bundle is actually worth it, and I just don’t like the look of the packaging.

Why don’t we screw our heads on right and take a look? It’s time to search for the answers behind those glowing blue eyes!

What Is The Pack Bundle in MTGA?

Arena has had a few different Pack bundles in the past, and it seems like Wizards hasn’t quite settled on a definitive product yet. ONE’s version is the Jace Pack Bundle, which is pretty much only appealing if you’re a hardcore collector that wants a head start in All Will Be One.

What Comes in a Pack Bundle?

The MTG Arena Jace Pack bundle comes with:

• 1 Jace, the Perfected Mind card sleeve
• 1 Jace, the Perfected Mind depth card art style
• 1 Jace, the Perfected Mind card
• 50 Phyrexia: All Will Be One packs
• 5 Golden packs

Pass Bundle vs. Play Bundle vs. Pack Bundle

These are the preorder Bundles for the set. The Pack Bundle is clearly meant to cater to players that want to collect the set but maybe aren’t as interested in grinding for their collection. It’s sort of a fast pass to getting as many cards in the set as you can, right off the bat.

The Play Bundle offers tokens for Draft and Sealed as well as Play-In points, and the Pass Bundle comes with the ONE Mastery Pass.

Why Do They Exist?

The Pass, Play, and Pack Bundles are clearly Wizards’ attempt to score a little extra money by offering more niche products. They’re great if your playstyle is as specific as these preorder Bundles, but you’ll be spending more money in the long run if you have a more well-rounded approach to Arena.

The Pack Bundle is what it sounds like: just a bunch of packs. Which seems great on the surface, except there’s not really a lot of substance to just buying a bunch of packs that come with a handful of exclusive cosmetics that you may or may not actually want. Not to mention that you could just buy Pack Bundles from the Arena Store, so there’s nothing all that interesting or unique here. The Play Bundle is best for those interested in Limited and competitive MTGA, while the Pass Bundle is aimed at those interested in Set Mastery.

Can You Buy More Than One?

While you can’t buy multiple of any individual preorder Bundle, you can buy all three if you want a full range of what WotC has to offer.

Are Pack Bundles Worth Buying?

Technically yes, Pack Bundles are worth buying in the sense that you get a little bit more than what you pay for. Packs are worth 200 gems each at about $1 for 200 gems, meaning 50 packs equals $50 worth of stuff. But then you also get 5 Golden packs, so technically you get more than you pay for. That’s also not counting the Jace card and cosmetics, if you’re into that.

Alternatives to Pack Bundles

Buy Codes at MTGACodes

You might be able to get a decent deal on packs from MTGACodes if you want as many as you can get your hands on. Sometimes they go for a little more than you’d pay in Arena, and sometimes a little less.

You can also peruse the cosmetics section if you’re hoping to get the Jace card sleeve and art style. There’s no official word on whether these will remain exclusive to the Jace Pack bundle, so it’s entirely possible you’ll be able to get them here sometime in the future. It’s worth a look at least.

Buy Packs in the Arena Store

If you’re not interested in Jace’s face or Golden packs, you can just buy regular packs from the MTGA Store. Your best bet is the 90-pack bundle, which goes for 18,000 gems or 90,000 gold. You’re better off saving your gems for event entries and using gold instead, but I won’t tell you what to do with your hard-earned currency.

Draft

If you’re halfway decent at Magic and have the time, your best bet to get cards and packs (and plenty of other goodies, too) is to enter Drafts. You can earn gems and packs if you win enough games, breaking even at five wins in Quick Draft, two in Traditional, and four in Premier.

Rewards and Mastery Track

You can still earn packs and gold to buy packs even if Limited isn’t your thing. Daily and weekly rewards net you gold and Mastery XP, and you earn packs and more gold as you advance on the Mastery Track.

Should the Price for Pack Bundles Be Lowered?

Yes, they should. While the Pack Bundles give you a little bit more than you’d pay for the contents otherwise, you’re not really get a whole lot of bang for your buck. It’s only just worth it, which makes it not a great bundle since you’re barely even getting a deal.

It seems like Wizards is testing to see how little value they can offer and still get away with calling it a “deal,” and I’m not particularly impressed with this offer. Try again, please.

Wrap Up

Gather the Pack | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk

WotC’s greed is starting to show a little, don’t you think? I like the concept of these new preorder bundles; offering something that caters to a specific kind of player instead of a broad collection of different things. But that only works when the bundle isn’t consistently tweaked to be worth less to those who pay for it and more for those that profit.

But maybe I’m judging Jace’s contribution too harshly. What do you think of his Pack Bundle? It might be worth the price, but is it worth the price? Is Wizards trying to pull some sort of weird mind trick on us? Probably. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or @ us on Twitter. It’ll be the highlight of my day, I swear.

Anyway, the glowy eyes are starting to give me a headache; I’m off to see what Koth is up to. Don’t mind the flames, nothing to see here!

Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, you’ll help Draftsim continue to provide awesome free articles and apps.