Masters Sets MSRP
Economics forum
Posted on Feb. 28, 2017, 1:55 p.m. by ABadMagicPlayer100
If the goal of Masters sets, i.e. Modern Masters and Eternal Masters is to make older formats more accessible, why is the MSRP twice that of a normal booster box or supplemental product? Less cards for more money doesn't seem to me like it should significantly impact card prices, and the reality is that the cards in Masters sets are likely the same cost to print as other products. If you have any insights on this, please explain.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #3
Because buying boxes and packs is NEVER designed to get you the cards you need to play constructed formats with. The price change in singles is what you're looking for if you're looking to get into modern. If you like gambling, the stakes are higher in the masters sets sealed product, but so are the potential rewards.
February 28, 2017 2:45 p.m.
ABadMagicPlayer100 says... #4
Perhaps I should rephrase: I'm aware of what you're both saying but...
From the perspective of a drafter: why's it gotta be so damn expensive
From the perspective of a commander player who wants his fetches and Damnation: I don't see a huge price change and the high price seems to be the root cause
Bottom line is, WotC's stated intent for masters sets is to make the older formats more accessible, so how can they justify charging twice as much as necessary?
February 28, 2017 4:06 p.m.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #5
As a drafter: because you're drafting a set with (in theory) lots of high-value cards. It's the same as if you tried to draft Rise of the Eldrazi now - those cards are higher value, so the draft is higher value.
As a commander player: the price changes are actually usually quite significant, if only for a short time before they begin creeping back up. Here's a good article on the subject: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/modern-on-sale
I get what you're saying, but although WOTC's intention is to make eternal formats more accessible, that unfortunately doesn't mean "cheap" ... just "slightly cheaper."
February 28, 2017 4:24 p.m.
Don't forget their is a guaranteed premium foil card in every pack as well. A guaranteed premium card increases MSRP of the booster packs, which in turn increases the overall cost of a booster box.
By definition, cards are being made more accessible because their supply is being increased. However as we've seen with past master sets the price change for the most sought after cards is typically minimal and short lived. As Magic grows in players (which it does continue to do) the increase in supply tends to do more for stabilizing than lowering prices because the extra supply usually helps fill the slow growing demand from the increase of players/play rather than inflate surplus. There are a lot of variables that go into how much a reprint actually affects the price of a card.
February 28, 2017 5:07 p.m.
KillDatBUG says... #7
Because the cards in it are worth a lot more? Just based off what we've seen so far, MM3 has all 5 enemy fetches, Snapcaster, Damnation, and Path at UNCOMMON. Do you really think they'd charge $4 a pack for that? Hell no. If they did, then Wizards would lose money. It's really as simple as that.
February 28, 2017 11:16 p.m.
ABadMagicPlayer100 says... #8
KillDatBUG except that's not true. The value of cards on the secondary market does not effect the profit wizards makes. The cards are not inherently worth anything, and in fact would be worth less if they were printed in a lower price set. In other words, WotC would make the same or possibly even more money than any standard set or other supplemental product if MM3 was cheaper.
March 1, 2017 12:44 a.m. Edited.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #9
Wizards would lose money in that they are selling a more valuable product at the same price. No, they don't LOSE money. But they're not making money they could, which is the same thing.
March 1, 2017 12:48 a.m.
ABadMagicPlayer100, here's a thought experiment: Wizards has indeed set the MSRP of Modern Masters 2017 to be the same as that of a standard release, but the value in the box remains the same (lets say we can expect roughly $240 of value in singles per box). You are a LGS who has an allocation of twelve boxes at $70 each. Each box presents you with a choice: do you open it to sell the singles or sell the sealed box itself? If you want to stay in business, the answer is open the box to sell the singles every single time...
If the set were stuffed with value the way it is but only sold at the price of a standard box, customers would likely never have the opportunity to buy a box, draft, etc. because stores would stand to make significantly more money opening the boxes themselves.
March 1, 2017 6:42 a.m.
ABadMagicPlayer100 says... #11
But wouldn't the cards be worth less due to being printed in a cheaper set? In addition, opening more boxes raises the supply and lowers the price.
Anyway, there's endless hypothetical scenarios we could go into, but it all comes back to Wizards not being honest with their customers. They claim to want older formats to be accessible, but in reality they only want to make an easy buck.
March 1, 2017 12:13 p.m.
insertcleverid says... #12
They could, as you are suggesting, set MSRP to $4 a pack and tank the prices on all of these cards. That would make the format more assessable. No doubt. Unfortunately, they wont make more money doing this. They'll sell more packs, but eventually the market will find an equilibrium at which the cards are so devalued that its no longer worth it to open a $4 booster, just like standard. More importantly, no one has mentioned - that I noticed - the other half of the equation. WOTC also has to balance a new customer's desire for them to make old formats more accessible against the existing value of their loyal customer's collections, as well as the inventory of the LGS' that host the events you play in. Thay cant just nuke the value of everybody's holdings so Lily gets down to $20. Sorry, but be honest, how long would you continue to be a loyal customer if WOTC made the mechanism by which a new player joined a format be the devaluation of your personal collection's value? Forget building equity. Now imagine if this process repeated every year, so everyone who came before you was even LESS likely to retain equity? No. You'd be an idiot to invest in the community long term if that's what became the norm. They did that once, by the way, reprint a ton of valuable cards at low MSRP...just once. The resulting devaluation of the secondary market threatened to make magic the next Beenie Babies bubble. The only way to restore their customers' confidence in their product was to introduce the reserve list. Today they design reprint sets to temporarily lower the cost of staples and at the same time create an enjoyable draft format, just to give customers an additional reason to crack a pack aside from the EV. Its a win-win-win. You have 2-4 weeks to buy the format staples at reduced cost. You had all the time in the world to prepare for this. Is it not good enough? Sorry :( Maybe modern isn't your game. No offense. Next time you feels bad about paying $400 for a playset of a modern staple think instead "at least Im not buying into fucking reserve list formats."
Boza says... #2
If you think the goal of Masters sets is to make older formats more accessible, instead of say, making Wizards some easy money with the barest minimum efforts, then I have news for you.
February 28, 2017 2:02 p.m.