Last updated on October 30, 2024
Repel Calamity | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast
Play boosters combined Set boosters and Draft boosters into one product, partially to simplify the range of boosters on offer for a given Magic set.
However, we now have Value boosters in Bloomburrow, and these aren’t replacing anything. What are Value boosters, though, and how do they compare with Play boosters?
Let’s take a look!
The Difference Between Value and Play Boosters
Foul Play | Illustration by Campbell White
The biggest difference between Play boosters and Value boosters is that Value boosters contain far fewer cards. In total they only have seven cards, with zero, one or two rare/mythic cards. Play boosters contain 14 cards, with anywhere from 1-4 rares.
Play boosters are designed to be the go-to booster packs for most players, whether building a collection up or playing Limited. Value boosters, on the other hand, are designed to be a low-cost entry point. Only being sold in big box stores, like Walmart, I expect them to be hanging out near checkout for that couple of bucks of an impulse buy as you’re waiting to pay for your groceries (or for your kid to bug you to buy!).
Value Booster Contents
Value boosters contain the following:
- 3 commons
- 2 uncommons
- 1 wildcard of any rarity
- 1 card that may be a land, a traditional foil or a Special Guests card
Rare cards can show up in these last two slots, but, unlike other boosters, you’re not guaranteed a rare/mythic in your Value boosters. They seem to be for people on a tighter budget who just want a taste of the set. This is likely to mean younger players.
How Many Cards Are There in a Value Booster?
Value boosters contain seven cards.
Play Booster Contents
The exact makeup of Play boosters changes with each MTG set. However, they typically contain something like the following:
- 7 commmons
- 3 uncommons
- 1 land (basic or sometimes a non-basic, depending on the set)
- 1 non-foil Wildcard
- 1 foil Wildcard
- 1 advert card or token
These are the new “bread and butter” booster, and the ones you’re most likely to buy, whether you’re cracking packs to build up your collection or to play Limited. Unless you want all of the nice shiny things that come in the more expensive Collector booster, Play boosters are likely the ones you want to buy and open.
How Many Cards Are in a Play Booster?
Play boosters contain 14 cards, which is double that of Value boosters, but one less than the Draft boosters that came before.
Which Is Better? Value or Play Boosters?
The question of whether Play or Value boosters are better all depends on the price, really. Value boosters have received a bit of a negative initial response (understandably), but if they’re only $0.99? Then they’re likely to prove quite popular. This would be an absurdly cheap price for a pack, but it’s worth thinking about.
Of course, you can’t play Draft or Sealed with Value boosters, so Play boosters will always have that advantage. It’s likely that Play boosters will be the easy winner on overall value, but let’s wait to see how much they retail for.
Best Value Boosters
The first Value boosters are from Bloomburrow, there aren't any other available! They're not available anywhere online just yet, and we don't know the exact price. When that new info is out, we'll be sure to update this section.
Best Play Boosters
So far only three Magic sets have Play boosters:
Murders at Karlov Manor
Murders at Karlov Manor was the first set to make use of Play boosters. It had no bonus sheet, but it did have cards like Show and Tell in the Special Guests slot and cards from The List, which it sounds like won’t be the case in future sets.
MKM was generally not well received, but it does contain some great cards like Vein Ripper and the surveil lands, as well as cards like Slime Against Humanity at lower rarity, all of which have value.
- INTRODUCING PLAY BOOSTERS—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of multiple Rares and at least 1 shining foil card in every pack
- TRACK THE CLUES. CRACK THE CASE—Play detective as you collect evidence, don disguises, and identify suspects to decipher the deadly murder mystery at the heart of Ravnica
- PACKS MAY CONTAIN MULTIPLE RARES—Each MKM Play Booster contains 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of a special Borderless Mythic Rare card from Magic’s history
- SHINING FOIL CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Play Booster contains 1 shining Traditional Foil card of any rarity; in 20% of packs you’ll also find a Traditional Foil Land card (which may even be Full-Art!)
- MAY CONTAIN ART CARDS, A PLAY BOOSTER EXCLUSIVE—Now found only in Play Boosters, some packs also contain an Art Card showcasing a piece of art from the Murders at Karlov Manor set, sometimes with a foil signature from the artist
Outlaws at Thunder Junction
Outlaws of Thunder Junction was Magic’s shot at the Wild West genre. OTJ was all about outlaws, and it included a bonus sheet based on crimes, which includes some highlights like Thoughtseize. It also has cards from the scrapped “Big Score” mini-set, as well as Special Guest cards. Thunder Junction had mixed responses, but generally went down well.
- SADDLE UP FOR A WILD RIDE—Join Oko’s crew of deadly desperados as they plot a brazen heist in the frontier world of Thunder Junction, Magic’s first western-themed setting
- FUN TO OPEN. FUN TO PLAY—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of Art cards, Showcase cards, additional Rares, and a foil card in every pack
- THE BEST OF THE WEST—Each Play Booster contains 1–5 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of a Borderless Mythic Rare card from Magic’s history
- BREAKING NEWS CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Play Booster contains at least 1 Breaking News card, a reprint featuring new art and a front page news-style frame reporting the spell as a crime; do you dare become that spell-casting outlaw?
- SHINING FOIL IN EVERY PACK—Every booster also includes at least 1 shining Traditional Foil card of any rarity; in 20% of packs you’ll also find a Traditional Foil Land card (which may even feature a Full-Art Western Landscape)
Modern Horizons 3
Modern Horizons 3 was the first supplemental set with Play boosters. These are slightly more expensive than Standard-legal sets, but they consequently have some huge cards that are making inroads in multiple Magic formats, like Necrodominance, as well as the allied fetch lands. I expect these to be in print for some time, especially looking back at how long Modern Horizons 2 was in print for, but, price aside, these are probably the Play boosters I’d pick if I’m looking to open value.
- YOUR NEW FOREVER FAVORITES—Introducing a heaping helping of exciting cards for Modern, one of Magic’s most celebrated formats, plus the return of competitive favorites, there’s something for everyone to love in Modern Horizons 3
- POWERFUL CARDS FOR MODERN CONSTRUCTED, LIMITED & COMMANDER PLAY—Spice up your deck with powerful New-to-Modern cards, host a supercharged Booster Draft with friends, or discover Legendary Creatures with striking special treatments to inspire your next Commander Deck
- MODERN’S NEVER BEEN MORE MARVELOUS—Expand your horizons with novel twists on classic mechanics and more cards for beloved Modern strategies
- FUN TO OPEN. FUN TO PLAY—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of Art cards, striking alt-frame cards, and more
- MODERN MIGHT THAT SHINES BRIGHT—Both powerful and flashy, every MH3 Play Booster includes 1-5 cards of rarity Rare or higher and 1-2 shining Traditional Foil cards
Honorable Mention: March of the Machine
What’s that? March of the Machine didn’t have Play boosters? Well, if you look at the breakdown of the Draft booster packs, you’ll see that it’s very similar to the general layout of Play boosters, with extra slots for the bonus sheet and Double-Faced cards. While not officially a Play booster set, it was certainly a trial run at the concept.
- 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
Wrap Up
Display of Power | Illustration by Shahab Alizadeh
Value boosters are a stab at something new (although there are similarities with a booster tried way back in Conflux which was kinda similar). Magic could do with a cheaper booster pack now that Play boosters are the go-to for most, but whether this is the way to do it remains to be seen. Chatter is likely to go on for some time, but I doubt that they’ll have too much of an effect on Magic in the long run.
As previously mentioned, it’ll all depend on how much Value boosters end up costing, but I’m honestly not holding out too much hope on that front.
What about you, though? Are you with the majority and hate these? Or do you see some merit in a cheap booster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or in the Draftsim Discord.
I’ll catch you next time there’s a new booster!
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