On the day I go to start my first ever blog, Wizards drops a complete bombshell, a new Black Lotus card. Now, I’d be surprised if you ventured here aimlessly without getting wind of the news, but on the smaller than small chance that did occur, I’ll provide some brief context.
It was announced that Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the popular card game, Magic: The Gathering, would be releasing a new version of the iconic Black Lotus card. For those unfamiliar, the Black Lotus card was originally introduced in the Alpha edition set of Magic: The Gathering that was released in 1993. Playable versions of the card were later released in Beta and Unlimited edition sets, while a couple of unplayable versions of the card were also produced in two collector’s edition sets. All versions of the card date back to 1993, which is only part of the reason why this is such a monumental day…
Here are the others:
- The card is highly desirable, if not the most desirable card in the whole game
- The card transcends trading card games and even some outsiders will recognize it and its importance
- It has a limited print run in each of the sets it was produced in, with many copies likely destroyed, lost, or mom took it away completely
- And, most importantly, it’s on the “Reserve List”…
The Reserve List, introduced in 1996, was a list of magic cards put in place to preserve the collectability of certain cards. These cards were to never be reprinted again, according to Wizard of the Coasts’ own doctrine that was shared with the community. The Black Lotus, along with Power Nine and Dual Land cards, were notable entries to the Reserve List of cards not to be printed again… or so we thought. To caveat that last point, this new 30th Anniversary Edition print run fits within a grey area where many assumed Wizards would not go. By making the set not tournament legal, Wizard’s interpretation seems to be that it is open season for this once safeguarded collection of cards.
On to the Numbers:
According to the official announcement, the list of 30th Anniversary Edition cards derives from the Beta edition set which contained 302 unique cards (7 more than Alpha). Of the 302 cards in Beta, 117 are rare. Now, Wizards has excluded 4 individual rares due to sensitivity surrounding the nature of the cards, which then leaves us with 113 rares that could potentially fill the rare slot in this new 30th Anniversary Edition card set.
Each 30th Anniversary Edition box (at $999 mind you) contains 4 packs, with 15 cards each. 13 of the 15 cards will have the modern card frame broken out by 1 rare, 3 uncommons, 7 commons, and 2 basic lands. 2 of the 15 cards will contain a token and a retro frame card that has a 3 in 10 chance of being rare. Lastly, Dual Land cards are to appear twice as often as other rares.
So here are your chances, and costs should you open that many packs (USD, excluding taxes & shipping):
Modern Border Rare from a Pack:
- 1 out of every 123 packs to contain a particular rare card (ahem, Black Lotus) – Approx. $30,719
- 1 out of every 61.5 packs to contain a particular Dual Land card – Approx. $15,360
- 1 out of every 13.7 packs to contain a Power Nine card – Approx. $3,413
- 1 out of every 6.2 packs to contain a Dual Land card – Approx. $1,536
Modern Border Rare from a Box (4 packs):
- 1 out of every 30.8 boxes to contain a particular rare card – Approx. $30,719
- 1 out of every 15.4 boxes to contain a particular Dual Land card – Approx. $15,360
- 1 out of every 3.4 boxes to contain a Power Nine card – Approx. $3,413
- 1 out of every 1.5 boxes to contain a Dual Land card – Approx. $1,536
But how about those retro style borders…
Retro Border Rare from a Pack:
- 1 out of every 410 packs to contain a particular rare card – Approx. $102,398
- 1 out of every 205 packs to contain a particular Dual Land card – Approx. $51,199
- 1 out of every 45.6 packs to contain a Power Nine card – Approx. $11,378
- 1 out of every 20.5 packs to contain a Dual Land card – Approx. $5,120
Retro Border Rare from a Box (4 packs):
- 1 out of every 102.5 boxes to contain a particular rare card – Approx. $102,398
- 1 out of every 51.3 boxes to contain a particular Dual Land card – Approx. $51,199
- 1 out of every 11.4 boxes to contain a Power Nine card – Approx. $11,378
- 1 out of every 5.1 boxes to contain a Dual Land card – Approx. $5,120
So there you have it, good luck cracking packs! At these prices, I look forward to seeing some mass box openings!
Thanks for reading.
Official announcement: