Posted in: Card Games, Games, Magic: The Gathering, Tabletop, Wizards of the Coast | Tagged: magic, MTG, price increase, TCG, WotC

Magic: The Gathering Prices Going Up, Says Wizards Of The Coast

With a war going on in Europe, prices on consumer goods in the United States are higher than they've been in a long while. Consumer items like gas, milk, and eggs are all on the financial uptick, leading many consumers to make some pretty tough decisions. However, these are not the only things affected by rising prices: on Tuesday, April 19th, Wizards of the Coast announced that they will be increasing prices on practically all of their physical card products within the Magic: The Gathering brand by a hefty 11%. This leaves us wondering exactly why.

According to the article penned by Wizards of the Coast, the cost of goods, transportation, and manufacturing has increased for practically everyone. This is in line with the crises in Europe and elsewhere, paired with the rising tolls that the  COVID-19 pandemic has caused on top of that. As a result, starting with Dominaria United, according to Wizards:

We've kept the scope of the price increase as narrow as possible, and will only be adjusting the prices on the following premier set, Unfinity, and Jumpstart products:

• Draft Boosters
• Set Boosters
• Collector Boosters
• Bundles
• Jumpstart Boosters

Commander decks, meanwhile, have a price increase going into effect with Streets of New Capenna. There are no plans to increase the price of Commander decks further in July.

When you read Wizards of the Coast's explanation of what is getting a price jump, they use words like "narrow" and "only". The issue, however, is that Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Collector Boosters, and Bundles make up the majority of what most people are apt to buy at big-box stores like Target or Wal-Mart as well as local game stores, short of preconstructed Commander decks. And while this price uptick doesn't affect Masters sets, Horizons sets, Secret Lair drops, Challenger decks, or the Universes Beyond initiative, those are items that already fetch a sizable premium in stores.

Anecdotally, when I was a teenager a good decade-and-a-half ago, my main source of Magic: The Gathering cards came from a local stationery store that hiked up prices to $4.32 (accounting for tax) per booster pack (these would be the kinds seen today as Draft Booster product). I learned later on that these prices were obscenely hiked up and that other stores did not charge that much at the time for these products. Had I known that before I would not have bought from that store, but rather I would have looked for other places to buy Magic cards from.

Today, at a local Target, the cost of a Draft Booster pack is $4.19 without that tax, and it will go up come July of this year. A Set Booster pack is $5.19, and even that is set to increase! It's mind-boggling how, despite reporting record earnings from Wizards of the Coast, and specifically Magic: The Gathering, Hasbro has the wherewithal to increase the prices of this game, making it less accessible for a good many people. And had they told us exactly where their increased profits were to go, I'd be less inclined to write this article in this manner, but because of the lack of overall transparency both with this and the prices of these cards (because we now know that MSRP isn't something Wizards wishes to offer anymore), we are left in this predicament and I feel I have to write something.

Don't get me wrong – I absolutely love Magic: The Gathering for all it's worth, and I appreciate Wizards of the Coast very much – but I really wish this didn't have to happen. But what do you think about the 11% price increase to Magic card products? Is this a fair increase considering the rising price of, well, everything else? Let us know your opinions in the comments below!

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