The usual fast-paced spoiler season that Magic players are used to has taken a very small pause. The two weeks following the release of Murders at Karlov Manor have been a bit quieter, but it’s only a matter of time before things get back to normal as Fallout spoiler season starts next week.
With four Commander decks and Collector Boosters, players will soon see what MTG’s newest Universes Beyond crossover is really made of. While we saw some new cards during Fallout’s first look, the awesome power of the cards revealed only served to whet players’ appetite even further.
It’s also no secret that, lately, supply changes have been made to MTG products. This has resulted in limiting product supply and, even if unintended, making them a lot more collectible. The recent changes to Secret Lair drops are a great example. While the given reason for these changes was to speed up shipping times, a sacrifice in availability certainly makes these products more desirable.
Reportedly, the supply changes for recent MTG products aren’t just affecting Secret Lair. Fallout Collector Boosters have become Magic’s hottest product and they aren’t even on shelves yet!
Collector Booster Boxes Skyrocket!
To recap, aside from four new Fallout-themed Commander Precons, Fallout also offers Collector Booster packs. There aren’t any Draft or Play Booster-esque products with this release.
Collector Boosters for Fallout primarily offer premium variants of existing cards in Fallout Commander decks. Alongside these, there are also a series of Fallout-themed MTG reprints that are only available in Collector Booster packs. These cards would otherwise be too strong for Commander precons, but the flavor was irresistible for Wizards. Wasteland is a good example of this.
Additionally, serialized chase cards have been confirmed to return in Fallout Collector Booster boxes! You can find the seven Bobbleheads in Fallout Collector Boosters with the serialized double rainbow foil treatment.
Despite the interest in what content the Collector Booster packs have to offer, they are already skyrocketing in price. According to TCGplayer, these boxes have increased by $100 in just nine days! While the market average for these boxes has increased from $241 to $307 in this timeframe, boxes are consistently selling for around $350 as of the writing of this article.
Why are these Fallout Collector Boxes increasing in price so much before even hitting shelves? Reportedly, the reason is due to Collector Booster boxes having an “abysmally low print run.”
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Extremely Difficult to Find
According to a few different local game store owners, supply for the Fallout Collector Booster packs is extraordinarily low, and that is the most likely reason why these boxes are spiking in price:
“My shop is with Southern Hobby and we’re pretty high up on their tier so we usually get what we ask for. I asked for 40 collector boxes and we’re only getting 12. My rep said most stores are just getting 1-2, and the highest of his clients is getting 15, another getting 14, mine at 12 and then goes downhill from there.
Anyone else facing similar numbers? Do you think there will be a price correction/spike when this is fully realized? The price has risen from ~$245 to $275 just in the last 3 days. Sealed cases are out of stock. I was considering buying at the $240 range to have more for my players, but that ship has sailed and I don’t want to get in higher than that.”
Heaven Denied
Some of this discussion kicked off when Southern Hobby started discussing just how little product LGS is getting. The conversation continued on the Alpha Investments YouTube channel, where incredibly low allocations of Fallout Collector Boosters were referenced as a big contributor to these skyrocketing prices.
The elephant in the room, however, is whether or not a second print run is coming. LGS having issues getting ahold of products at the release of a new set is not unheard of. In fact, with all the delay issues as of late, it’s almost become an expectation. In many of these cases, while there was an awkward bottleneck at release, a big print run was eventually released which dropped spiking prices back down to expected value:
Dude_Serious
“Nope. Happens every set. “Can’t get our full allocation, set is underprinted!” Then the second wave hits and they are available for literal years.”
There is a very real possibility, especially considering the established patterns, that this trend will happen again. Initial scarcity pushes prices and, once the next print run of Collector Booster cards hits the market (if there is one), demand may be sated quickly, dropping prices as a result.
This means that buying in on this sky-high Fallout Collector Booster Box spike could be risky. If a second wave does come with a much higher print run associated with it, these boxes may plummet. If not, prices could keep rising.
Either way, players have been shocked by the sudden $100 rise of the Fallout Commander Collector Boosters, and many, for obvious reasons, are less than happy about it. Preorder cancellations are a concern that many have in the coming days.
What About the Commander Decks?
As of the writing of this article, the Fallout Commander decks are losing value. Across the board, all four Commander decks have lost value starting around the end of January. If players get excited over the new spoiler cards shown off this coming week, that could change. Alternatively, if players don’t like the cards being shown off, prices could plummet further.
For now, though, Collector Boosters seem to be the only Fallout product that is making major price gains. Whether these spikes will be a flash in the pan or a price readjustment is something only time can tell.
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