Unfortunately, prerelease events for Lorwyn Eclipsed were a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, MTG players are loving the set, as it’s a nostalgic and powerful blast from the past. On the other hand, however, there were issues with archetype visibility and promos that limited enjoyment for some.
Thanks to a production snafu, problems with Lorwyn Eclipsed’s Prerelease promos were especially prevalent. Rather than getting Lorwyn cards in their Prerelease Packs, some players instead found Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards. This, in turn, led to almost every single rare and mythic card from the set being spoiled early.
While the TMNT MTG leaks dominated the weekend’s discourse, that wasn’t the only problem with Lorwyn Eclipsed Prerelease promos. Ending a decade’s worth of tradition, Wizards decided to remove the stamp from Prerelease promos for this set. While MTG Designer Gavin Verhey has since explained why this happened, many players still aren’t happy about it.
Promos B’ Gone
Technically, Wizards of the Coast first announced that the promo date stamp would be disappearing back in September last year. In the Collecting Lorwyn Eclipsed article, Wizards quietly announced the removal of this feature that’d been around in one form or another since 1997. At the time, MTG players were more distracted by the price hike coming with the set, allowing this news to slip under the radar.
Once prerelease events rolled around, and players discovered these stamp-less promos, however, many were left feeling disappointed. To shed some light on the situation, MTG Designer Gavin Verhey recently explained exactly why this change was made. Unfortunately, since the gameplay problems with prerelease promos were solved in 2015’s Battle for Zendikar, the reasoning is rather disappointing.
According to Verhey, part of the reason that date stamps on Prerelease promos were removed was due to delays. This proved very handy in Lorwyn Eclipsed’s case, since it was delayed from 2025 to 2026. While it’s unclear whether the delay forced this change and a potential reprint, it does make sense to want wiggle room.
On top of this, Verhey claimed that MTG players simply weren’t too jazzed about the year stamp that’s been on promos since 2021. Factoring in the problem retailers have managing these unique promos, Wizards decided it was time for a change. Now, instead of getting a date or year-stamped card, MTG players can just find an extra foil rare or mythic in Prerelease Packs.
Gone but Not Forgotten
While Verhey claimed that the year stamp promos weren’t beloved during the video, it seems many players didn’t get this memo. Reacting to the Good Morning Magic video, MTG players were quick to mourn the removal of these promos. As many players like Stereophonic pointed out, these promos felt like keepsakes and time capsules of the memories made at Prerelease events.
Similarly, in the YouTube video’s comments, many shared how players at LGSs were disappointed with this change. Admittedly, these comments are just vibes and anecdotes, but the financial side of prerelease promos does back up this assessment. While naturally rarer, these promos are almost always more expensive than their normal counterpart, showing they’re in demand as collectibles.
Beyond this, some players pointed out that while something is being taken away, nothing is being given in return. Sadly, this seems to be a running trend, as Wizards also removed the Collector Booster Sample Pack from precons for Lorwyn Eclipsed. Due to this happening at the same time, it’s hard not to see removing promo stamps as a cost-cutting measure, even if that’s not the case.
Realistically, while it does seem that a lot of MTG players are disappointed right now, Wizards does have the data. Thanks to player surveys and market research, Wizards knows what the average MTG player actually wants. While this may make Verhey’s statement correct, it still stings that something beloved is being taken away from enfranchised players.
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