An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Popular collectible card game Magic: The Gathering is celebrating its 30th anniversary by releasing packs of cards that cost $999. It’s called Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition and will contain some cards that haven’t been reprinted in decades, all with their original art. Nine hundred ninety-nine dollars will buy a collector four sealed booster packs. “Each pack contains 15 cards, 13 cards in the modern frame — 1 rare, 3 uncommons, 7 commons, and 2 basic lands — plus one basic land in the retro frame, one additional retro frame card, and a token,” according to Magic’s website.
These cards are purely collector’s items. They’re not tournament legal and have different backing than the original cards. It’s also a limited edition print run. Magic publisher Wizards of the Coast hasn’t said how big that run will be, just that it’s limited and that card shops will receive a limited supply with the bulk of the cards being sold online. The set includes reprints of cards, some of which haven’t been reprinted in decades, including the Power Nine, nine powerful cards from the early sets that include the iconic Black Lotus and Ancestral Recall. These were some of the earliest cards to be restricted from tournament play because they were overpowered; they were eventually discontinued. A Black Lotus sold at auction in 2021 for $511,000. This new limited edition Black Lotus won’t likely reach those lofty pricing heights. Again, these cards can’t be used in tournament play and are only meant to be a collector’s item. Customers will be buying packs in sets of four for $999, so they’re paying $250 for a booster pack they can only ever display and never play with. The community is upset.
