Last updated on January 17, 2024
Obsessive Collector | Illustration by Reiko Murakami
Recently, Wizards of the Coast announced their plan to consolidate Draft boosters and Set boosters into a single product called Play boosters. These new packs are designed to help solve some of the inventory and sales issues that stores are having when there are three different boosters to choose from.
According to Wizards, players are overwhelmingly choosing to buy Set boosters over Draft boosters because of the increased possible value in each pack. However, stores still need to stock Draft boosters to run Limited games. The result is that some stores get stuck with leftover Draft boosters. Play boosters represent an initiative to take what players like about Set boosters and add it to a draftable pack, making it appealing to players and saving stores the trouble of buying two different products.
It’s great to see Wizards making moves to try and help out stores while also giving players what they want, but with change often comes initial confusion. With more chances to get rare cards in draftable boosters, some players are probably wondering if it’s still worth buying the more expensive Collector boosters. I’m going to quickly break down the differences between these packs, go over what’s inside, and talk about which is better between Play boosters and Collector boosters.
The Difference Between Play and Collector Boosters
Collector Ouphe | Illustration by Filip Burburan
Play boosters are a new type of draftable booster pack. These packs are color balanced to ensure a good Limited play environment. They include 14 cards and can contain up to 4 rares. Unlike old Draft boosters, they now have a chance to get cards from The List and art cards.
Collector boosters are premium priced booster packs with more guaranteed rares. Though collector boosters don’t have a single standard across all sets, most recently they’ve contained 5 rare cards, sometimes with a chance at more. These packs also include more foil cards, special art treatments, and chances at set-specific art styles like the anime style Enchanting Tales from Wilds of Eldraine or the Brothers Hildebrandt cards from the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Special Edition.
Play Booster Contents
Play boosters contain 14 playable cards and one card which is either an ad, a token, a helper, or an art card. Notably, old Draft boosters contain 15 playable cards, while Set boosters only have 12. The exact contents of each pack are as follows:
- Slot 1-6: Commons: These are six guaranteed common cards from the main set. They have a chance of being Booster Fun styles from the given set. These are no longer thematically connected to uncommons the way they are in Set boosters in favor of color balancing the packs for drafts.
- Slot 7: Common or The List: This slot has an 87.5% chance of being another common from the main set. The remaining 12.5% of the time, this will be a card from The List. The List is being re-examined now that the cards are included in draftable packs, but these cards still aren’t Standard legal. This slot may also be a new Special Guest from The List. Special Guest cards are reprints with new art to fit the world of the set in which they’re found.
- Slot 8-10: Uncommons: This slot is three uncommons from the main set. These aren’t connected to any commons like in Set boosters, but they’re possibly Booster Fun versions.
- Slot 11: Rare or Mythic: You’re guaranteed one rare or mythic in each Play booster. About 86% of the time, this slot contains a rare, and around 14% of the time you get a mythic rare. These are from the main set and may be a Booster Fun variant.
- Slot 12: Land: You get one basic land or common land in each Play booster, though this depends on the set. In the first Play booster set, Murders at Karlov Manor, you get a basic land. 80% of the time this land is non-foil, while it’s a traditional foil 20% of the time.
- Slot 13: Non-Foil Wildcard Slot: Wizards says that this card can be “almost anything from the main set.” It can be any rarity, so it’s hard to say what they mean by “almost anything,” but reading between the lines it seems as though certain cards won’t be available in wild card slots. These can also be Booster Fun variants.
- Slot 14: Traditional Foil Wildcard: This card is the same as the previous slot except in all the Pringley goodness of traditional foils.
- Slot 15: Miscellaneous Helper Cards/Ads: This is where you’ll find things like tokens, instructions, or placeholder cards for double-faced cards. 65% of the time it’s a token, helper card, or an ad. 30% of the time this is an art cat. There’s a 5% chance for this slot to hold a signed art card.
Collector Booster Contents
The exact contents of Collector boosters change subtly from set to set, though there are some elements that seem pretty locked in at this point. Most recent Collector boosters have had 5 guaranteed rares, some with the chance of getting another in a certain slot. Most have also dedicated three slots to the set’s specific bonus cards. For example, March of the Machine gave three slots to Multiverse Legends cards, and Wilds of Eldraine included three dedicated slots to Enchanting Tales, with an additional chance to get a fourth.
When trying to determine what exactly is in each Collector booster, you should check out the “Collecting” articles that Wizards releases for each product. The article is titled “Collecting [insert product name here]” and gives detailed breakdowns on what each Collector booster contains.
Which Is Better? Play or Collector Boosters?
It’s important to take this next part with a grain of salt because we don’t yet know exactly how much Play boosters are going to cost compared to Draft or Set boosters. Boxes contain 36 packs, and the price per pack will undoubtedly go up from where Draft boosters are, but I’m not sure by how much. That said, here are my thoughts.
A Collector booster guarantees five rare or mythics, whereas a Play booster guarantees one, with a possibility of more. If a Collector booster still costs roughly five times the amount of a Play booster, my recommendation is to stick with Play boosters. You’ll have a shot at more rares, and you can still play Limited with them. I personally buy a box of Draft boosters from sets I enjoy and keep them around to redraft once they’ve gone out of print, an added value you can’t really get out of Collector boosters.
Even if Play boosters end up being slightly more expensive, and a Collector booster is a bit of a deal for five guaranteed rares, I think I’d still lean toward Play boosters. Opening a pricey Collector booster and getting a bunch of junk rares is still a possibility, and I’d rather have the extra cards that come from opening multiple Play boosters.
That said, there are some times when I think a Collector booster is the way to go. If you’re strictly into collecting Magic and not playing it, Collector boosters can be a nice alternative. You do get a few less slots of draft chaff in a Collector booster, so if storage is an issue and you’re just chasing value, these may be the best option for you.
Additionally, Collector boosters are a fun gamble if you want to chase serialized cards and you have the money to do so. That said, I wouldn’t bank on getting a serialized card or see buying one or two Collectors boxes as any sort of serious investment. At the end of the day, you’re gambling, and you’re very likely to lose. If you want to open it for the thrill, that makes sense, but I wouldn’t call it a smart purchase.
Ultimately, there’s a level of subjectivity here. I know some players love Collector boosters and as someone who bought multiples of the Ponies: The Galloping 2 Secret Lair, so I can’t lecture anyone about wasting their money. But if you’re struggling to make the decision, I’d recommend Play boosters.
Best Play Boosters
It’s impossible to say which Play boosters are best at this point in time, since none have come out yet. Check back once a few Play booster sets have been released!
Best Collector Boosters
March of Machine
March of the MachineMarch of the Machine is a good choice for Collector boosters thanks to the special cards in the set. There are some very solid gets from the Multiverse Legends like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. These packs also have three slots that possibly contain serialized cards. You can get serialized versions of Multiverse Legends cards or Praetors.
- 12 March of the Machine MTG Collector Boosters—get direct access to the coolest cards
- 15 Magic cards + 1 foil token in each booster—including 5 cards of rarity Rare or higher and a total of 10–12 Traditional Foil cards
- 1 special foil in every pack—get at least 1 Halo Foil, Foil-Etched, or Double Rainbow Serialized card in every pack
- 3 foil Multiverse Legends in every Collector Booster, including 1 of rarity Rare or higher
- 1–3 Extended-Art cards and a legion of other special treatments in every pack
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
While I’m not crazy about the upcoming Special Edition Collector boosters, the original Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earthLord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Collector boosters are some of the best that Wizards has to offer. In terms of rares, there are five guaranteed with a chance of getting up to 7, though you’d have to be pretty lucky to hit that kind of pack.
There are also a lot of goodies in these packs. You have the Lord of the Rings box toppers with awesome reprints like Ancient Tomb. There are the elven rings, serialized or otherwise, which are both really cool and valuable. There are also scene cards which are fun collectible pieces from this set, especially if you’re a LOTR fan. These also have two slots that might give you the very sought after Nazgûl. This set also has pretty decent value thanks to cards like The One Ring and Orcish Bowmasters which have made a splash in Modern.
- A PRECIOUS GIFT FOR FANS—These Special Edition Collector Boosters celebrate decades of fandom and love for The Lord of the Rings with packs full of special treats for fans, including more Lord of the Rings-inspired cards, plus exclusive alt-art and special treatments
- BROTHERS HILDEBRANDT CARDS—In some packs you may find a Borderless reprint featuring fan-favorite 1970s The Lord of the Rings art by beloved fantasy artists Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
- MAY CONTAIN SERIALIZED CARDS—Some packs may contain a Serialized version of a Borderless Poster card, with art and text styled after concert posters, or Serialized Borderless Realms & Relics cards representing items and locations from across Middle-earth (Special Edition Collector Boosters do not contain Serialized Ring cards)
- SPECIAL FOIL CARDS—Full of special foil treatments, every Special Edition booster contains 5–6 Silver Foil cards with a unique metallic sheen and 2–3 Surge Foil cards with a rippling shine
- MAGIC MEETS THE LORD OF THE RINGS—Experience the beloved story of The Lord of the Rings through the gorgeous art and thrilling gameplay of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game
Wrap Up
Sin Collector | Illustration by Mike Bierek
Whenever a new booster type is introduced, it’s worth taking stock of whether to change your buying habits. For many of us, we’re likely being forced to as many players were buying Set boosters before this change. Personally, I think anyone buying Draft and Set boosters will be perfectly happy with the new Play boosters, and I won’t mind getting 36 packs instead of 24 even at a slight price increase.
What do you think of Play boosters? What other moves could Wizards make to help stores? Let me know in the comments or on Draftsim’s X (formerly Twitter).
Thank you for reading and see you next time!
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