Week two of Tarkir: Dragonstorm previews is now fully underway, with spicy new spoilers dropping left and right. Reception to the set so far has been hugely positive from every corner of the Magic: The Gathering community. That said, no product is ever perfect. After taking a closer look at the Collector Booster exclusives for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, many MTG players are unhappy, to say the least.
This is primarily due to the set’s Dragon’s Eye full-art basic lands. Many players loved these at first look but were quickly disappointed by the fact that they can only be found in Collector Boosters. This isn’t an isolated issue, either. Tarkir: Dragonstorm may be the most noteworthy example of the Play/Collector Booster divide to date, but it’s far from the first. As Wizards cordons off more and more content for high rollers only, is Magic at risk of alienating large chunks of its player base?
The Tarkir: Dragonstorm Dragon’s Eye Land Problem
Players have been discussing the Dragon’s Eye lands since before they were even officially revealed. An early leak got these lands in front of players before the Tarkir: Dragonstorm debut dropped last Tuesday, and many were quick to praise them in the comments.
“These go hard. I like that WotC is doing more full art basics and making them unique for the planes they’re representing. These are super different and very well executed.”
Biggesturtle, via r/MagicTCG
This was a great start for the new lands, but unfortunately, reality came crashing down soon after. During the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Debut, it was revealed that these lands would be Collector Booster exclusives. Naturally, players were less excited about that side of things. One player, twincanine, even took to Blogatog to express their disappointment.
“Hello Mark! i just wanted to pass along a note that i am extremely disappointed in the dragon’s eye lands being collector booster only.”
twincanine
This sentiment is totally understandable. Magic: The Gathering players have always been fond of full-art lands since they allow for an extra slice of customization in formats like Commander. Unfortunately, this customization is even more important here, as Dragons are one of the most popular typal archetypes in Commander. As such, these Dragon-related lands will have much more demand than usual.
“Yeah as someone who wants to run the dragon’s eye lands in my dragon deck, I’m not looking forward to shelling out for 15 of these at the same price as the ONE oilslick lands. Oof.”
venort
Comments like these aren’t isolated incidents, either. Players have been criticizing this decision across social media since last week. Responding to twincanine’s comment above, Head MTG Designer Mark Rosewater acknowledged this trend.
“That is a common sentiment that I have been getting. I will pass along this feedback to the proper people.”
Mark Rosewater
This comment is reassuring, but it’s hardly a guarantee of future action. Most signs point toward Wizards doing more of this sort of thing in the future, not less.
A Tricky Trend
Locking a cycle of spicy full-art basics behind Collector Boosters is annoying, but it’s hardly without precedent. Over the last few sets, Wizards has gotten more and more comfortable keeping things aside for players willing to pay more. Tarkir: Dragonstorm has the biggest selection of Collector Booster exclusives yet, but it has been steadily building for a while.
Serialized cards and Extended-Art cards have always been Collector Booster exclusive, and most players would agree that this makes sense. Starting with Bloomburrow, however, Wizards started adding bolder art treatments that could only be found in these pricier packs. The anime art animal legends kicked things off, leading to a string of Japan Showcase cards in almost every set since. Tarkir: Dragonstorm has the Ghostfire/Halo Ghostfire treatment instead, which fills the same role.
“They specifically made booster fun to bring some of the fun from opening alt treatments to the common man and not just collectors cracking whole cases. Then they made set boosters to differentiate between draft boosters and boosters for cracking. Then they merged both. And now they are phasing out alternate treatment from play boosters, so we’re ending up with draft boosters at the inflated cost of set booster. Probably this was the plan all along.”
TsarMikkjal, via r/MagicTCG
On top of these, Tarkir: Dragonstorm also has the Dragon’s Eye lands and Dragonscale Foil fetches. This is a clear escalation of Collector Booster real estate in a direction that players are evidently unhappy with. It might make sense to keep special full-art basics for Collector Boosters since there’s no functional advantage to owning them. That said, it’s still disheartening for the player base.
From a business perspective, it makes sense for Wizards to keep locking more cards and treatments behind the Collector Booster wall. The morale cost of doing so, however, should be factored in as well. The way things are going, preview seasons are going to be largely stuffed full of fancy cards that few regular players will ever actually see.
A Matter Of Taste
Of course, as with all topics in Magic: The Gathering, there’s another side to this coin. The volume of Collector Booster exclusives in Tarkir: Dragonstorm may rankle some, but for others, it’s actually a blessing in disguise.
“I like that the weirder treatments are in separate boosters. Give me regular lands in my regular packs.”
llanowarminotaur, via Blogatog
This is a valid point. The Dragon’s Eye lands, as much as many players love them, are undeniably more experimental than most. Most basics in MTG at least try to portray the environment they represent. These, instead, take a more abstract approach. Viewed through this lens, it makes sense to keep them confined to Collector Boosters.
This is doubly true when you consider the mixed reception Booster Fun has received of late. Aetherdrift got a ton of criticism for its graffiti-inspired visuals, which to many didn’t really “feel” like Magic cards. The Japan Showcase cards have received similar comments, with many comparing them to the likes of Pokémon cards rather than Magic. Just a week in, there are already threads about how the Dragon’s Eye lands, too, look “horrible” and don’t compare favorably to the more standard full-art basics in the set.
With so much controversy around offbeat card styles, the decision to shift more treatments to Collector Boosters makes a ton of sense. When wacky styles are opt-in rather than the default, players have a lot less to complain about. The aesthetic experience of Limited takes less of a hit, too, which is great for those invested in the tone of the game.
Despite Rosewater’s response to this controversy, I think it’s unlikely that we’ll see a reduction in Collector Booster exclusivity going forward. As long as players keep buying them in volume, such change is a long shot at best.