Buy-a-Box

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Revision as of 11:11, 15 February 2019 by >Hunterofsalvation (→‎Controversy)
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Booster box promo cards (or Buy-a-box promos) are cards given away for purchasing a booster box of Magic]] cards at certain local game stores.

History

The Buy-a-Box promotion is designed to increase box sales at local game stores.[1] Initially they were foil cards with alternate art, bearing the five mana symbols arranged in a circle as a watermark. Starting with Dominaria, they are unique cards that are part of the relevant set, but can't be found in booster packs.

List of Buy-a-box promos

The following table is a list of booster box promo cards:

Card Set Date
Honor of the Pure Magic 2010 July 17, 2009
Day of Judgment Zendikar October 2, 2009
Celestial Colonnade Worldwake February 5, 2010
Guul Draz Assassin Rise of the Eldrazi April 23, 2010
Birds of Paradise Magic 2011 July 16, 2010
Memoricide Scars of Mirrodin October 1, 2010
Mirran Crusader Mirrodin Besieged February 4, 2011[2]
Surgical Extraction New Phyrexia May 13, 2011[3]
Chandra's Phoenix Magic 2012 July 15, 2011[4]
Devil's Play Innistrad September 30, 2011[5]
Gravecrawler Dark Ascension February 3, 2012[6]
Silverblade Paladin Avacyn Restored May 4, 2012[7]
Cathedral of War Magic 2013 July 13, 2012[8]
Supreme Verdict Return to Ravnica October 5, 2012[9]
Nightveil Specter Gatecrash February 1, 2013[10]
Render Silent Dragon's Maze May 3, 2013[11]
Ratchet Bomb Magic 2014 July 19, 2013[12]
Sylvan Caryatid Theros September 27, 2013[13]
Fated Conflagration Born of the Gods February 7, 2014[14]
Eidolon of Blossoms Journey into Nyx May 2, 2014[15]
Goblin Rabblemaster Magic 2015 July 18, 2014[16]
Rattleclaw Mystic Khans of Tarkir September 30, 2014[17]
Shamanic Revelation Fate Reforged January 23, 2015[18]
Ojutai's Command Dragons of Tarkir March 27, 2015[19]
Relic Seeker Magic Origins July 17, 2015 [20]
Ruinous Path Battle for Zendikar October 2, 2015 [21]
Goblin Dark-Dwellers Oath of the Gatewatch January 22, 2016[22]
Elusive Tormentor/Insidious Mist Shadows over Innistrad April 8, 2016[23]
Thalia, Heretic Cathar Eldritch Moon July 22, 2016[24]
Skyship Stalker Kaladesh September 30, 2016[25]
Scrap Trawler Aether Revolt January 20, 2017[26]
Archfiend of Ifnir Amonkhet April 28, 2017[27]
Wildfire Eternal Hour of Devastation July 14, 2017[28]
Burning Sun's Avatar Ixalan September 29, 2017
Captain's Hook Rivals of Ixalan January 19, 2018 [29]
Firesong and Sunspeaker* Dominaria April 27, 2018 [30]
Nexus of Fate* Core Set 2019 July 13, 2018 [31]
Impervious Greatwurm* Guilds of Ravnica October 5, 2018 [32]
The Haunt of Hightower* Ravnica Allegiance January 25, 2019 [33]

^* Exclusive card, not found in booster packs of the main set.

Controversy

Nexus of Fate

As the promo for Dominaria, Firesong and Sunspeaker, was the only way to obtain this card, its release was heavily criticized. A comparison was made with the exclusive release of Nalathni Dragon in 1994, after which Wizards of the Coast had vouched to make all cards available one way or another for the main public.[34][35][36][37] Because it had served its purpose (promoting local game stores and furthering sales), WotC decided to offer a mechanically unique Buy-a-Box promo card at local game stores with each major set release for the foreseeable future, anyway.[38][39][40] However, they held the possibility open to reprint the promos in other products.[41]

This controversy only magnified with the release of Core Set 2019 and Nexus of Fate; while Firesong and Sunspeaker was of a medium power level and likely not required for any more than one copy per player as a Commander, Nexus of Fate was radically different. The ability to take another turn is extremely powerful, and the in-built recursion incentivizes players to run a full playset; ultimately, Pro Tour 25th Anniversary had several successful pilots of Turbo-Fog variants with playsets of Nexus of Fate, resulting in a massive spike of the card price.[42][43] The next two promos for Guilds of Ravnica and Ravnica Allegiance passed without incident, but Nexus of Fate's problems were clearly more of an issue of card power and the promo card status only served to exacerbate controversy over its unfun gameplay patterns. This led to a ban in Arena Standard.[44]

Box toppers

Main article: Box topper

Another take on booster box promo card, are the box toppers. Unlike Buy-a-box promos, these are packaged within the booster box.

See also

References

  1. ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} Are buy-a-box promos more for the company and sales or because of the player base requesting them?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ Template:NewRef
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  34. ↑ Firesong and Sunspeaker sets a dangerous precedent. (Reddit)
  35. ↑ "Wizards decided to stop producing mechanically unique cards outside of booster packs." (Reddit)
  36. ↑ About the exclusive buy a box promo thing.... (Reddit)
  37. ↑ Blake Rasmussen Twitter
  38. ↑ Template:NewRef
  39. ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} Going forward, we'll be continuing this promotion.]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
  40. ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} Are you aware how it must appear when one promise is broken and another upheld?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
  41. ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} On the subject of the unique buy-a-box promos]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
  42. ↑ Nexus of Fate is mjor problem. (Reddit)
  43. ↑ Nexus of Fate up 17.3% since yesterday and rising. (Reddit)
  44. ↑ Template:NewRef
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