Buying a Booster Box of Magic: The Gathering cards, while thrilling, is not for the faint of heart. Especially after the advent of Universes Beyond, even MTG Play Booster Boxes have become extremely expensive. For that reason, Wizards of the Coast created the Buy-a-Box Promo program to reward players for their dedication.
Sadly, this tradition, synonymous with Magic itself for many, will be leaving the game after Lorwyn Eclipsed.
Buy-A-Box Promos Leave Magic: The Gathering
On November 25th, in an update provided as part of the Wizards Play Network, it was revealed that the Buy-a-Box Program will end with Lorwyn: Eclipsed. While players can still expect a bonus card with their booster box purchases for Magic’s upcoming Standard set, that will not be the case moving forward.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, it does not appear that the Buy-a-Box program will be replaced by anything noteworthy, which only hurts players further. While the Buy-a-Box program hasn’t offered much value recently, it can still be a strong incentive for players to buy Booster Boxes. The Modern Horizons 3 Buy-a-Box promo, for example, was a Retro-Bordered Flusterstorm, which was worth $30 when Modern Horizons 3 hit the marketplace.
That said, recent Buy-a-Box promos are just main-set rares with new artwork, something that’s rarely interesting to a player. Due to this, it’s been quite some time since players have really cared about what the Buy-a-Box promo for an MTG set is. Regardless, this isn’t an issue with the initiative itself, but instead with the promos being selected for it. It’s a shame to see an entire initiative disappear when the cards supporting it could have been improved.
While Wizards of the Coast reassures store owners that new player incentives and initiatives will continue to benefit players, there is no confirmation of what these incentives or initiatives will look like.
Removing the Buy-A-Box program is the end of an era for many, and with no rewards to replace it in the near future, it feels like Wizards of the Coast is taking away yet another meaningful thing that made Magic: The Gathering special.
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