Last updated on March 4, 2024
Pack Leader | Illustration by Rudy Siswanto
Big changes are coming to Magic: the Gathering’s booster packs, with both Draft and Set Boosters being replaced by the new Play Boosters when Murders at Karlov Manor releases in February 2024.
Whilst there’s much discussion over whether this is a good or a bad thing, and I’ve already covered how this will impact Limited play in a separate article, today we’re going to look over what, exactly, the difference between Draft Boosters and Play Boosters are.
Let’s check it out!
The Difference Between Play and Draft Boosters
Play of the Game | Illustration by Jung Park
In short, Play Boosters are like Draft Boosters, but contain one fewer playable card, and have the potential of containing up to four rares, rather than the one rare that most Draft Boosters currently contain.
Play Boosters are a combination of Draft and Set Boosters, bringing the enhanced ‘Booster Fun’ experience of Set Boosters to a type of booster pack you can use in Limited MTG formats like Draft and Sealed.
Play Booster Contents
Play Boosters have a guaranteed one land, six commons, three uncommons and one rare/mythic in each booster. This makes up 11 of the 14 cards in the pack. The remaining three slots are more variable, and each have the potential of being an extra rare. First of all, there’s a slot that will normally be a common, but 1-in-8 boosters will replace this common with a card from “The List,” which can be of any rarity. The final two slots are “Wildcard slots” (not Arena wildcards), and can be any card from the main set, with one of them being a guaranteed foil. As far as we know right now, these Wildcard slots will not be from supplementary products, such as Commander decks.
But who are Play Boosters for? Well, they’re for pretty much everyone. If you’re not wanting to splurge out on a Collector Booster, but still want to open some MTG product, Play Boosters are going to be for you. Similarly, if you’re wanting to play Limited (because you have amazing taste in your Magic formats!), Play Boosters are also for you. We no longer have this split in the playerbase of whether you’re a Set Booster or Draft Booster person.
Draft Booster Contents
Draft Boosters are the type of booster that you’ll have played with if you’ve ever drafted, with 10 commons, three uncommons, a rare and a land card. Sometimes (around 1-in-3 packs) you get a foil instead of a common.
These boosters were the primary packs that existed since the advent of Magic, until Collector Boosters appeared in 2019 and started expanding the types of boosters you could buy.
Which Is Better? Play or Draft Boosters?
Wizards clearly think that Play Boosters are better, and there’s a lot of reasons why. Firstly, there’s more opportunity for booster fun style alt-arts and foils. There’s also the chance to open more rares, with the average pack containing around 1.4 rares instead of only 1.
One downside to Play Boosters, though, is the price. Previously, Set Boosters were around $1 more per pack than Draft Boosters. Play Boosters will be roughly the same price per pack as Set Boosters, making them more expensive than Draft Boosters. This will also affect the price of playing Limited formats, and it’s the biggest downside to Play Boosters overall.
Best Play Boosters
Murders at Karlov Manor will be the first set with Play Boosters, so we can’t really comment on what the best ones are yet! It does seem like we’ll get Play Boosters for supplemental sets going forward, though, so expect to see Horizons and Masters sets also having Play Boosters (although this is still to be confirmed!).
Best Draft Boosters
Whilst the best Draft Boosters are pretty closely linked to the Limited formats they’re from, and therefore fairly subjective, here are a selection of the best ones that are still generally available at reasonable prices.
Dominaria United
Dominaria United was one of the most popular Limited formats in recent years. A super well-balanced set, with plenty of nostalgia of Magic’s original plane thrown in to boot, this is in many players’ all time favourite sets.
- 36 Dominaria United MTG Draft Boosters + 1 foil Box Topper card
- Best boosters for drafting Dominaria United
- 15 Magic cards per booster
- 1 Legendary Creature in every pack
- 1 Traditional Foil card in 33% of packs
March of the Machine
This is a bit of a cheeky one. If you look at the makeup of a March of the Machine booster, it’s very similar to the proposed make-up of a Play Booster. It’s clear that MOM was used as a trial for Play Boosters in Limited.
- 36 March of the Machine MTG Draft Boosters—the best boosters for drafting March of the Machine
- 15 Magic: The Gathering cards per booster
- At least 1 Multiverse Legend card in every pack
- 1–2 cards of rarity Rare or higher in every pack
- 1 Traditional Foil card in 33% of packs
Time Spiral Remastered
The first paper release of a Remastered Magic set (MTGO had some previously), Timespiral Remastered was an extremely fun draft set. Since then we’ve also had Dominaria Remastered, which was another great set, and we’re also due to get Ravnica Remastered in January 2024 (which, coincidently, will be the last set with Draft boosters). Clearly these remastered sets are popular!
- 36 Time Spiral Remastered (TSR) Magic: The Gathering Draft Booster Packs
- 1 card with a retro Magic frame in every pack
- Reprints of the most memorable cards from Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, and Future Sight
- 36 assorted rare and mythic rare cards per box
- 15 Magic cards per pack
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Another recent set that’s loved by both Limited players and fans of flavourful Magic sets, this return toKamigawa 2000 years after the first visit was exactly what some players were looking for.
- 36 Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty MTG Draft Boosters
- 15 Magic cards per booster
- Ukiyo-e Land in 33% of Draft Boosters
- Just draft, add lands, and play
- With cyberpunk cards full of color and chrome—the future is bright in Kamigawa
Modern Horizons 2
Although Modern Horizons sets have had a mixed reception (and Modern Horizons 3 is sure to have one too) for Constructed formats, they’ve been incredibly popular Limited formats. Given the opportunity to open some spice such as a fetch land, or an Evoke Elemental, Modern Horizons 2 packs are still surprisingly cheap and available.
- 36 Modern Horizons 2 (MH2) Magic: The Gathering Draft Boosters
- 1 New-to-Modern reprint in every pack
- 1–2 Rares and/or Mythic Rares in every pack
- Just add lands and draft with up to 12 players
- Introduces powerful cards and beloved reprints to the Modern format
Final Thoughts
Play with Fire | Illustration by Svetlin Velinov
For better or worse, Draft Boosters are going away and we’re getting Play Boosters in their place. Play Boosters do have a lot of advantages over Draft Boosters, but the increase in price is going to be a bitter pill for some people to swallow. How they affect drafts is also going to be something we’re going to have to judge once we’ve got them in our hands and have played with them a bit.
What do you think, though? Do you like them? Are you intrigued to see how it affects Limited formats? Or is the price increase enough to stop you playing prerelease (I honestly hope not)? Whatever your thoughts, let me know down below. And until next time, may all your boosters, no matter which one you’re opening, be fun!
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