3, Jan, 23

MTG’s Most Controversial Set Is a Surprising Sales Success

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Article at a Glance

Amidst the 22 major products that launched in 2022, there was a lot for MTG players to be excited about. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, for instance, was lauded as one of the best premier sets in years, for instance. Additionally, Dominaria United kicked off the Phyrexian Arc in earnest, giving Magic its next big story. Despite all these was to celebrate, however, 2022 also contained a few less desirable product releases. On top of myriad Secret Lair drops, 2022 also had one of the most controversial MTG sets in years; Unfinity. Featuring bizarre and downright dangerous mechanics, Unfinity was quickly lambasted by the MTG community. Despite all the negativity surrounding its release, however, the set appears to have been a surprising success. 

A Poor Reception

Night Shift of the Living Dead
Night Shift of the Living Dead | Unfinity

Having launched on October 7th, alongside the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks, it’s been some time since Unfinity’s release date. Initially, thanks to the building hype for The Brothers’ War, the set seemed to be forgotten about rather quickly. This made the set appear to be a dismal failure since discourse online was practically nonexistent after the launch weekend. Despite this perception, however, it seems that Unfinity not have been as bad as MTG players expected. 

While it has been some time since the set’s release, Unfinity has recently become the topic du jour on Blogatog. Amidst chatter about Magic’s overproduction problem, Tumblr user Coffeetime88 took the time to tell Mark Rosewater that “Unfinity was my highlight for Magic in 2022.” In their question, Coffeetime88 said, “I hope we see more Un-sets in the future! I think there’s a lot of untapped design space in Acorn/Silver Border, so I’m hopeful for the future of it.” While Coffeetime88’s question was a welcome ray of sunshine, unfortunately, Mark Rosewater didn’t have an all-too-positive answer. Stating, “I’ll keep making them if they let me,” it appeared that the future of Un-sets was in jeopardy following Unfinity. 

Given the initial reception to Unfintiy, Rosewater’s statement may not be surprising to some. Over on Blogatog, however, Question Marks were whipped up into a frenzy over the supposed death of Un-sets. Talldrinkofspook, for instance, appeared surprised at Rosewater’s reveal, asking, “what makes the next Un-set an if?” In response, Mark Rosewater confirmed that “Unfinity, at least out of the gate, didn’t do great.” Thankfully for Un-set fans, that’s not the end of the story, as Rosewater went on to state that ”Un-sets tend to have better ‘legs,’ so the product could still come around.”

A Sales Success

Knight in _____ Armor
Knight in _____ Armor | Unfinity

Following the confirmation of Unfinity’s middling reception, users such as Abzanhouseguest changed tack to ask instead, “what’s the most popular Un-set? Is it Unstable?” Launching in 2017, Unstable was by far the largest Un-set until Unfinity and featured plenty of awesome cards such as Crow Storm. Subsequently, it seemed to be a sensible suggestion that the set was the biggest and the best Un-set. Responding to this question, however, Mark Rosewater revealed the answer wasn’t entirely what players were expecting. “It depends on what metric you use. For many of them, yes. But for sales, Unfinity is number one by a pretty big margin.” 

After Rosewater’s previous comments and the damning player reception, it’s safe to say Unfinity’s sales success was somewhat surprising. Tumblr user Sobek16 was even taken aback enough that they had to ask again for confirmation. “I’m confused in your previous comment, did you say Unfinity was more successful in sales than Unstable by a pretty big margin?” Responding to this question, Rosewater simply confirmed, “Yes. The player base has grown considerably since Unstable’s release.” 

While this declarative answer from Roswewater helped to clear up what was being said, it didn’t totally eradicate confusion. This was highlighted by Thisisanuncreativeusername in a follow-up question that asked, “if Unfinity is the best-selling Un-set (by a wide margin), why would the future of Un-sets be uncertain.” Pointing out that Unstable’s popularity at the time ensured it got a sequel, Unfinity 2: Electric Boogaloo should theoretically be a sure thing, no? No. Unfortunately for Un-set fans, that’s not quite how it works, as Rosewater responded to state, “sets have to sell well relevant to sets around it.” Subsequently, it seems that hopes for a new Un-set in the future might be rather meager for now.

A Sticky Situation

Angel of Eternal Dawn Sticker Bomb
Angel of Eternal Dawn | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Alchemy

To try and get to the bottom of Unfinity’s relative failure, Theothin asked Mark Rosewater, “what are your takeaways from Unfinity’s reception?” As you might expect if you followed Unfinity’s hype cycle, Rosewater pointed toward a familiar foe as the problem. “My biggest takeaway was, what if we used punch-out counters instead of Stickers? I loved the gameplay of the Stickers. The logistics of using them were the problem.” With Stickers somehow being both too sticky and not sticky enough, it’s safe to say that they were a deeply controversial mechanic. 

Following Rosewater identifying Stickers as the problem mechanic in Unfinity, MTG players on Reddit were quick to pile on hate once again. Reddit user u/GXSigma, for instance, highlighted how Stickers were practically a lose-lose situation. “Stickers were a fun idea for a gimmick, but there was just no way to do them right. Too much glue and they risk damaging cards, too little glue and they don’t stick. Either way, you have to destroy the sticker card to use it, which we already know from Blacker Lotus and Chaos Confetti, Magic players don’t want to do. Maro should’ve known better.” 

While Stickers were obviously problematic, other users, such as u/DatBolas, noted that they were hardly Unfinity’s only problem. One major issue, according to u/DatBolas, was that Unfinity didn’t cater to the seemingly ideal casual audience. “I think there is a lot of room for an UN-set that isn’t mechanically super complicated. I get that part of the appeal is ’stuff you can’t do in regular Magic’, BUT the audience is also on the more casual side! Cards with gobs and gobs of text are a turn-off to people that get together to play a few times a year.” 

A Glimmer of Hope

Soul Swindler
Soul Swindler | Unfinity

From Rosewater’s statements, it appears that the future of Un-sets in MTG is bleak at best following Unfinity. Thankfully, however, another Un-set isn’t entirely out of the question. After Tumblr user, Nabistay praised the set and asked Wizards to “please do more!” Rosewater responded to say they’re not giving up. “If doesn’t mean I’m not going to do everything in my power to make another one. It just means there are challenges to overcome.” Subsequently, while Un-set fans probably shouldn’t hold their breath, another comedy-focused set isn’t entirely out of the question. Hopefully, whatever comes next following Unfinity will learn from its mistakes, in order to be a properly enjoyable experience. 

Read More: MTG’s Billion Dollar Brand Reveals Metrics Measured for Success

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