The new Beyond Boosters introduced to MTG yesterday have caused players, and ourselves, some concern.
While Magic’s adjustment from Draft and Set boosters to Play boosters has been somewhat contentious – based mostly on the price increase – MTG fans are at least getting hold of the same number of cards that they otherwise would have in a Set booster.
Now, a new type of MTG booster is once again coming under scrutiny, and we are concerned that this new product may be erring too closely to a recent Magic flop.
Beyond Boosters continues the Aftermath problem
The recently-announced Beyond Boosters have an uphill battle ahead of them. For starters, MTG fans are already wary of Universes Beyond products stealing the spotlight from regular MTG in-universe releases.
While existing Universes Beyond sets like Tales of Middle Earth and Doctor Who have been creatively designed and show a real love of the material, there’s always a chance for pure cash-in crossovers to rear their head.
While some MTG fans may have been willing to wait and see what Beyond Boosters would be like before passing judgment, alarm bells have now begun to ring.
It has been revealed through the WeeklyMTG stream that Beyond Boosters would contain just 7 cards. Changes were made to the product following the overwhelmingly negative reaction to Aftermath’s Epilogue Boosters, but the product was already close to final release at the time.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath failed to excel
MTG’s March of the Machine set was the culmination of the Phyrexian War arc. With so much Magic story building up to this climatic event, all eyes were on March of the Machine to see if it could stick the landing.
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While MTG fans may have had quibbles around the story’s resolution, most came out in favor of the set’s excellent mechanics and team-up cards.
Unfortunately, the same positive sentiment cannot be said to have occurred around March of the Machine: The Aftermath. This set is unique in many ways, featuring only 50 cards, with its boosters containing just 5 cards. Additionally, March of the Machine: The Aftermath was not draftable.
It seems that the intent behind March of the Machine: The Aftermath was to wrap up the story of the Phyrexian arc and provide both some closure and a hint at what was coming next for many planes and characters.
While this type of micro set could have been an interesting addition between premier releases, the player reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with particular ire focus on the lack of card variety and the small number of cards per pack compared to their price.
Beyond Boosters release in Universes Beyond Assassins’ Creed
Universes Beyond: Assasin’s Creed is set for release in Q3 2024. With the boosters drawing from 100 cards, it may be that the added variety and slight increase in pack size is enough for players to respond more favorably. We’ll know for sure once 2024’s second Universes Beyond set hits stores, following the March 8 release of Universes Beyond: Fallout.
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