Ultimate Masters/Ultimate Box Topper

Ultimate Box Topper is a series of 40 promo box toppers, released concurrent with, and as subset of, Ultimate Masters on December 7, 2018.^[1]

Description

Each booster box of Ultimate Masters comes with a sealed pack containing a random semi-borderless foil Ultimate Box Topper, sealed inside the box. There is a total of 40 box toppers. Only the upper part of the each card frame is borderless, the lower part around the text box is not. Wizards of the Coast describes them as "extended art".^[1] The cards are numbered U01/40 to U40/40. Every box topper also has a main set counterpart, just with a normal frame treatment. The expansion symbol is the same as for the main set (an infinity symbol), but all have the mythic color, independent of its rarity in the main set.^[2]

Box toppers include every mythic rare of the main set, eighteen rares, and two uncommons (Kitchen Finks and Eternal Witness).

Controversy

Unfortunately, the custom flow wrap of the box topper has been revealed to be translucent, allowing people to discern the card inside.^[3] Buyers on the secondary market are therefore warned not to buy closed packages, because they almost certainly will contain the lower-priced cards like Lavaclaw Reaches or Stirring Wildwood.

Marketing

The cards from Ultimate Box Topper were purposely spoiled previous to the main set announcement. Preview cards were distributed by Wizards of the Coast on November 2, 2018, to selected clients. The cards were accompanied by the following letter:^[2]

“

To a Magic Superfan,

Not too long ago, you went on Hasbro ToyShop to purchase Guilds of Ravnica Mythic Edition. However that ended up for you, we recognize it wasn’t a positive experience and we’re sorry about that. Now, we know you like special Magic products, so to try to make it up to you, we’ve enclosed a special something. It’s a bit of a preview from something we’ve got coming that we think you might like. Feel free to take pictures of it, share it online, or just immediately stick it in your favorite deck or binder.

Hopefully, that puts a smile on your face.

Sincerely, Everyone at Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast

PS Wondering what the weird cool (hopefully fun) card is enclosed with this letter? Check out DailyMTG.com.

”