It’s no secret that a lot of MTG players don’t like Universes Beyond. Whenever a new set, Secret Lair, or Commander deck there are always naysayers bemoaning the death of Magic. That said, as time goes on, positive voices have been increasing rapidly, and there’s no denying the numbers back it up.
For better or worse, nothing sells nearly as well as Universes Beyond sets do. The Final Fantasy MTG set sold $200,000,000 worth of product in one day, a record-breaking feat that previously took six months. While this success is undeniable, and the hype for future sets like Avatar: The Last Airbender is clear, Universes Beyond isn’t faultless.
Seemingly in an effort to fix that once and for all, MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, is asking for feedback. Following yet another critical post, Rosewater is asking what needs to change to make players accept the positives. Unsurprisingly, after being given the opportunity to complain, MTG players were more than happy to share their opinions.
“This is a question to all the Universes Beyond naysayers. Is there anything that can happen with the product where you can accept that it’s had a positive effect on Magic as a whole?”
Mark Rosewater
A Cost Too Far
Taking to Blogatog and Reddit, MTG players were quick to identify a few clear faults that are standing in the way of Universes Beyond being truly beloved. Unsurprisingly, one of, if not the, biggest talking points was the price of Universes Beyond sets and products. Sadly, this isn’t just a scalping problem, as Universes Beyond products are naturally more expensive.
For an in-universe set like Edge of Eternities, a single Play Booster should set you back $5.49 at MSRP. In comparison, a Final Fantasy Play Booster has an MSRP of $6.99, a 24% price increase. Sadly, the difference between Collector Booster pricing is even more extreme. Edge of Eternities Collector Boosters are $24.99 while Final Fantasy’s are $37.99.
Obviously, this price increase makes Draft and Prerelease events more expensive, but the problems don’t stop there. Because packs are more expensive, the cards inside typically are too. This is especially true for staples, which break out in multiple formats. Vivi Ornitier is the perfect example of this, as he’s currently selling for $38 a pop.
Since Universes Beyond sets are now Standard legal, MTG players don’t have much choice but to pay these prices. Overall, this makes Magic more expensive, and the game isn’t exactly cheap in the first place. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that many MTG players identified it as a major issue.
Of course, it’s impossible to ignore the effect of scalpers as well. While products like Play Boosters and Commander decks can be reprinted, Collector Boosters are one-and-done. Even outside of this product with its exclusive treatments, scalpers can simply make getting a hold of packs and cards more difficult.
Unreasonably Rare Reprints
As if one price problem wasn’t bad enough, Universes Beyond cards are notoriously difficult to reprint. The vast majority of Universes Beyond cards are highly specific, requiring new names and artwork to fit other settings. On top of this, there’s also the unknown potential for legal issues surrounding the reprinting of cards.
Currently, there are some obscenely expensive Universes Beyond cards, due to their power and rarity. The One Ring is the classic example of the former, being a Legacy, Vintage, and Commander staple. The Fourteenth Doctor, meanwhile, exemplifies the scarcity of Universes Beyond cards, being from a Secret Lair drop.
With prices sitting at $56 and $93, respectively, it’s safe to say both these cards are in dire need of reprinting. Even outside of a financial perspective, many players feel Universes Beyond cards still stand out too much. While these players might not hate the product line’s existence, many players, Commander players especially, enjoy having cohesive decks.
Sadly, Wizards of the Coast has made reprinting these cards harder and harder recently. Back in 2023, Wizards quietly killed off The List, removing the old source of Universes Within reprints. Following this, Mark Rosewater has recently revealed that future reprint-filled Masters sets are unlikely. Now, it seems that there’s no suitable place for Universes Within reprints, or reprints at all, for that matter.
Notably, Wizards has reprinted a few Universes Beyond cards since The List went away. Raise the Palisade, for example, was reprinted in the Everyone’s Invited Secret Lair Commander deck. Similarly, lands from the Fallout Commander decks like Sunscorched Divide have been reprinted in recent Commander decks. While these reprints are notable, it’s hardly a viable solution to the sheer number of needed reprints.
The Sad Reality
On top of these issues, there are understandably also concerns about the sheer number of MTG sets being released. This is especially troubling for Standard players, who now have to pay attention to six sets per year. Unlike Commander players, there’s not really an opinion to ignore these sets, as each one could potentially warp the meta.
Unfortunately, while all these are major pressing concerns that should be addressed, it’s unlikely that much can be done. The price of Universes Beyond sets, for instance, is likely set in stone due to the need to offset licensing costs. Similarly, the overabundance of sets has proven to be what the silent majority of players want. Notably, neither of these details has stopped Universes Beyond sets from selling like mad.
In theory, the lack of Universes Beyond reprints is a genuinely solvable problem. If Wizards brought back Masters sets, or expanded Through the Omenpaths, there’d be an easy avenue for reprints. The problem here is that Wizards has reportedly looked into this, and the demand for Universes Within reprints simply isn’t there.
As a result, there’s a non-zero chance that none of these issues will get fixed in the future, or at all. While this sounds all doom and gloom, it’s worth remembering that Mark Rosewater is asking for feedback here. Potentially, this could lead to Wizards genuinely listening to players’ requests and concerns to improve Magic.
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