Ever since its surprise announcement at MagicCon: Amsterdam, MTG players haven’t been able to get enough of Mystery Booster Commander Edition. Not only are many of the new mechanically unique cards fantastic build-around options, but there are plenty of insane reprints, too. Thanks to this, there’s already an incredibly high level of demand for the set; however, that did spawn some serious concerns.
Given how quickly Mystery Booster products often sell out, it was feared that Commander Edition would suffer the same fate. If this happened, then the new cards could be obscenely expensive, limiting the availability for most players. While this was a massive concern initially, thankfully, it seems MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, has a solution.
A Notable Increase
Responding to the concerns of players on Blogatog, Mark Rosewater recently outlined three potential solutions to the Mystery Booster supply issue. While it’s still early days and exact demand is unclear, this has instantly done a lot to ease fears. Depending on how quickly Wizards can implement any of these solutions, there may be a lot more supply available than expected.
1) Whenever we print any functional new cards, we’re very careful with the amount we print. We have certain minimums, to make sure the larger ecosystem has enough cards.
2) There’s some discussion to be had about how many Festivals in a Box we print. Upping this number is the simplest way to allow more players access.
Mark Rosewater | Via: Blogatog
Given the printing minimums and the ongoing discussions, Mystery Booster Commander Edition almost certainly has a higher print run than usual. Ideally, this should mean the next Festival in a Box is more widely available; however, demand could still surpass expectations. From the sounds of things, if this does happen, Wizards will simply print more for the next Festival in a Box release.
At the very least, this should mean that any supply issues are just temporary, as the next wave of product wouldn’t be far away. With MagicCons scheduled for November of 2026, then February of 2027, we’d only be waiting a few months. Even if this fails, however, it seems Wizards has one more major trick up its sleeve.
3) Following past Mystery Boosters’ history, there might be a window after the exclusivity of MagicCons (again, the organization paying for them) to provide stores some access.
Mark Rosewater | Via: Blogatog
Should demand issues continue even after multiple MagicCons, it appears Mystery Booster Commander Edition could get a retail release. Admittedly, this might not be the biggest release, with stores only getting “some access,” but still, it’d be an improvement. Notably, however, it sounds like MagicCons would have to get their fill first, so this could take years.
A Waiting Game
Ultimately, it remains to be seen just how much of an issue supply is for Mystery Booster Commander Edition. Potentially, the first Festival in a Box and MagicCon will deliver more than enough supply, although that does seem unlikely. For better or worse, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but it does sound like there are some sensible safety nets in place.
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