Magic: The Gathering Product Fatigue 

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The lack of MSRP is the single most frustrating thing. There is no reason that benefits the consumer for there to be no MSRP.

When the Professor ran through the entire teased and announced products, I just shook my head. There’s just so much, so many things, that nothing feels special at all.

I’d also like to mention it’s incredibly difficult for returning players to get a grasp of everything. Right now, as my friends and I are getting back into Magic (after most of us being away for nearly 10 years) neither of us can understand what Masters is, what exactly all the crossover IP sets are for, what the heck Secret Lair is, and what all these variations mean… like… what the hell are those collectors booster sets? It’s already a collectible TCG, why do I need to double down on my collection? This just makes me honestly miss Core Set, because we would have all (as working adults 30+) bought booster boxes of Core Set to get back into it if that were available right now.

I collect cards for the artwork, I cannot imagine how aneurism-inducing it would be to try to keep up with all of these sets as an *actual player* .

The Prof has his finger on the pulse of the average player so much better than wotc.

"it's not fair to say 'just pay attention to the magic products that are relevant to you' when i'm required to pay attention to and research into every product just to attempt to determine if indeed it is relevant to me" SO MUCH THIS. A feeling that has pushed me away for years from coming back to MTG, but that I had never been able to express before.

Good gods, hearing the Prof describe all the different product variations made my head hurt. I totally agree with his thesis. I wonder if the complexity of the product might also be a factor. Cards nowadays have paragraphs of text on them and each set is like a ton of new cards to learn so, hopefully, you don't spend half the game reading the cards and trying to determine their interactions. Sometimes I feel happier just playing an old deck that I know completely.

Mental fatigue is a great way to put it. I stepped back from MTG this year because keeping up with what I wanted from each product and what secret lairs to order was starting to feel like a chore. It seemed like every week, I had to look at something just to keep up.

You've said it before elsewhere, but I'll echo you sentiments: I miss set blocks. You were in a place for a year of real-time, with an evolving story centred around that location and complimentary mechanics that built upon one another. I would've loved to see the new Kamigawa over the course of more than just one set. I would've loved to be introduced to places like Eldraine, Strixhaven, Kaldheim, and New Capenna in a more thorough, fleshed out manner. Instead these new places come and go each in a flash. There's no time to focus on anything when the next new and usually completely different location.

This was a quite well articulated explanation for why I'm burnt out.

You know when there's fatigue when the Professor is explaining something and it gives you anxiety.

This video perfectly puts to words why I tried to get back into magic last year, spent close to a thousand dollars on sealed product, then stopped at the new year. I was feeling really burnt out on following releases and trying to understand what to even buy to have fun (either opening packs or playing). I couldn’t explain why I stopped, but this really hit the nail on the head.

Taking feedback to heart to address product fatigue does indeed sound like a lovely thing

For my playgroup the worst offender is when the previews have started for the next set although we haven't drafted the current set yet.

This is like when Ubisoft releases a new game and has 3-5 different bundles so you need to carefully read what comes with each bundle to make sure you buy what you wanted to buy.

Amen. As a new player, I’m already overwhelmed. I’m super excited for all of the sets but I don’t know what half of the marketing means. I don’t know what I should get or was actually even worth buying and it’s a little discouraging because it makes me feel like I jumped into a big cash grab.

almost everyone at my lgs is incredibly unclear about which cards are even legal in what formats anymore. its very hard to explain why half the cards in their brothers war set boosters are legal in standard but the old border artifacts and list cards are

We want product. However, we also want time to actually enjoy the products we buy. I honestly don’t remember a lot about the last few sets simply because there was ZERO time to actually shuffle up and play before the next set was being spoiled

I played MTG when it was new, and haven't touched it for a very long time. Just lately, it's become a thing again for my friends and I - and I have to say it's absolutely mind-boggling to me how much stuff HAS come out, sure.. but KEEPS coming out, constantly. It's been a struggle to re-learn how to enjoy MTG and I haven't even tried Commander yet but for real, a new giant set every month or two? And figuring out which 'kinds' of cards to get between the drafts, sets, collectors, etc. - I am the kitchen-table player you mention around the 11:40 mark in your video. It's off-putting how rapidly sets seems to come out, all I can figure it it's designed to milk the bank accounts of longtime players. We're still having fun but it's crazy.

I can pinpoint the exact moment the magic of Magic started to die from overload -- it was Eldraine, I was in my LGS, I cracked some rare card that I was excited for and I was told I shouldn't get that excited because I didn't get the special bordered version or whatever. When they started cramming the multiple card styles into every set more and more, I knew this game would never be the same.

One aspect of all of this that I haven't seen mentioned is the stress these numerous products and card styles puts on retailers - specifically those who sell singles. Listing, buying, cataloging, and tracking what card can be found in what and when is an absolute nightmare and makes things difficult when there are 5 or 6 versions of one card. A video exploring those challenges may be interesting.

From 1997 to 2012, I bought pretty much everything that came out for MTG. A case or two of each set, and at least one of every special release, plus packs bought for tournaments and drafts. From 2013 to 2016, I slowed down a lot as stuff was already getting to be crazy, and I have barely bought anything since 2016. Most recently, I have not bought a single MTG product for over a year and a half now. I went from being a $2000 - $3000 a year (easily) with secondary market player to a $0 a year player. Thank you WOTC, you have saved me a ton of money.

Remember when there were only starter packs and booster packs? Even then, at the "beginning" it seemed like a lot when there were maybe three sets a year. This is ultimately why my small player group just plays (our own version) of Legacy. We make forays into sets here and there, but we largely ignore the steady pace of releases. I've been playing for a long time (Ice Age) and I guess this makes me a casual player. I'm happy with that I guess. Thanks Prof - good analysis!

One factor I think is worth at least mentioning is the role of The Pandemic in Product Fatigue. Many Magic: The Gathering players were more-or-less required to take a break from Magic over the Pandemic and then the moment they get back, the formats they used to play have changed dramatically (EG: Because of MH2) and with the rapid release of new product they're stuck in a cycle of constantly playing catch-up rather than having a chance to adjust to the new release cycle effectively.

I think that a large part of the issue with product fatigue is the abandonment of the three set blocks. With Blocks, there's just the one overarching story, while with individual sets, each one comes with a new announcement, and new build up. Even if it isn't more (and it's absolutely more than it was back when RTR or Theros came out), it feels like more, because there's new announcements, rather than just a continuation of the yearly story.

I fell out from fatigue after Kaldheim came out, and after a long break, I came back for brother war as I love the story. I have already fallen back out because of the massive wave of products thrown out at me. I don't know how anyone can afford to keep up and even if you are using proxies it's just too much to deal with when working full-time and have more than one hobby.

Thank you prof for using your platform for good and providing constructive criticism that hopefully Hasbro and WOTC will have access to if desired. It is well thought out and well spoken. We appreciate you. And even more, THANK YOU for reminding everyone to support their LGS! I don’t doubt that has cost you some precious dollars over time to not totally sell out. Just shows how much you really care about this game and community. We are lucky to have you as the voice of the people!

Well said prof. Product fatigue is one reason I've taken a big step back from MTG over the past few years.

As someone who used to collect various magic pieces, like the dice from the bundles, or the cover cards for the commander decks, I've literally been forced out of doing so because I cannot afford the like bi-monthly $200 deck purchases, and it emphasices the stress of having to chose what is the best option. I physically cannot just "Get a little bit of everything" because everything is too expensive. I *have* to pick and choose and that adds to the fatigue

Your breakdown of the available products for upcoming sets in the prologue of this video was actually pretty helpful, you should consider doing that more often.

🎯💯 Thanks for being a voice, Prof. Got back into MtG this year after having been away since Weatherlight. The situation is brain breaking if you just want to play casual paper magic with a childhood friend again.

I remember when Battle for Zendikar came out. The set feature the super-rare Zendikar Expeditions, which to my recollection was the beginning of cards getting special treatment printings. It was really exciting, because everyone knew that each booster pack had a shot at getting one. Nowadays it is kind of a bummer to have to pay $20 for collector boosters or whatever to even have a chance at the cool and rare printings. Or do they come in set boosters? I honestly have no idea.

"Masters sets, which I want, and remastered sets, which I love, and Universe Beyond......" is the best line in this.

YES! this is 100% the main problem M:tg is suffering from. Hasbro is killing it just like how Activision killed the plastic guitar genre: product bloat!

Prof, you rock for taking the time to learn and understand all the sub products for this video, I can’t imagine it was easy. I can never explain my frustration since I can’t keep track of what I’m frustrated about. Amazing job of articulating a decently complex problem!

Wow this made me realize there is even more product than I initially thought. What you said about researching if a product is relevant for me really is what I feel like. It is so much work to look up if there are some cool new cads for my commander decks.

If the goal was to give me anxiety Prof you certainly succeeded. It's hard to grow attached to any given set when the FOMO of two other sets are hanging over you.

i used to buy a booster box of each set just for fun, and I used to be excited for every set release. over the last year it's rare for me to buy any packs, and I don't even buy singles anymore because i can't keep up with all of the products coming out. hearing about a new set now makes me anxious and frustrated instead of excited. i still play commander with friends, but i use the cards i already have or print up a proxy if i somehow become aware of a new card

I literally JUST used "how do I know if a product is for me if I don't know what's in it?" as a response to "you know you don't have to buy everything right?" 10 minutes before watching this video. Spooky how in tune you are with us Prof!

This is one of your best videos yet - no easy feat! You have succeeded in explaining my frustration with the direction of MtG with tremendous precision and detail!

Thanks Prof. The whole part about mental fatigue was spot on. Appreciate another great video!

I've definitely disengaged from Magic due to product fatigue. So much of the way I engaged with the hobby was being up to date on new cards and strategies and updates for my commander decks. I now have to reorient my (decade long) relationship with Magic to exclude product releases or risk dropping the hobby all together.

Thank you so much as a new player getting into Magic you hit the nail on the head. I buy booster boxes expecting to find certain cards only to find out oh that variation or treatment doesn’t come in this one. To the point where I’ve tried googling a list of what cards come in each product and that has been a nightmare as well. I was literally going to RU-vid what is the difference between all the different booster after watching your video.

Thank you for this - extremely effective to show how much stuff is out there.

There is so overwhelmingly much Magic that I can't remember the cards that excite me long enough to get them into my deck lists.

I stopped playing for like a month, and I missed seventeen set releases 😮‍💨

Thanks to the mad deluge of all the different things these past couple years, I literally tuned out while you were doing the March of the Machines intro.... I just can't anymore...

I’m new to this completely and this is describing everything I’m going through. It’s enough in itself to learn the varying differences in cards/types, game structure of it all…what is giving me more of a sensory overload is all of the many different sets and different lores that is releasing now and all of the past. Am I allowed to just hang on to my cards and use them even though they’re not part of the current set and lore? Idk. So far I copped 5 Planeswalker core ser decks 2021, phyrexia commanders and a phyrexia booster. It all seems fun just seems like a lot.

Fatigue is absolutely the right word for all of this. The more complex and overstuffed each release gets, the more I only purchase singles.

The Shards of Alara block into Zendikar block were the most amazing times of mtg for me. It felt like you could really digest the meta, and the coverage of all of the pro tournaments was awesome. Who remembers watching deck techs between matches! So fun.

Wow right on and so many good points 💕 you are my go to person for magic thank you

Right on professor. Tha k you!

A friend convinced me to return to magic with a forgotten realms, and now, just several sets after, I honestly feel exhausted. The announcement of MOM, LOTR and Commander Masters just affirms my decision to stay away from sealed products and pick up the singles I want. The professor really hit the nail on the head with too many subsets within a set.

I've always loved the fact that "Set Boosters" contain cards from literally dozens of sets, thanks to The List.

Thank you, this expresses well what I feel but haven't been able to put into words well (also an anecdote: my mum asked about what magic product I might like as a Christmas gift. I should not have needed to write an essay explaining the different options and price points available for packs from the most recent release)

I 100% agree - I've felt increasingly alienated and overwhelmed. Have barely played recently bc it feels like a full time job trying to keep up with all the different cards coming our all the time

Honestly, product fatigue really being mental fatigue is a good observation. I still play physical paper MTG, though rarely. I play one single draft at a local store for any set that catches my interest. Last year it was Neon Dynasty, New Capenna, Unfinity, and Brother's War. But after that one draft, I feel so exhausted with Magic that it takes a couple months for me to want to play it again. I truly love the game's design, and I am shocked by how well the creative team has handled making so many new cards and not running out of ideas, but it really feels like novel cards are going to be harder and harder to come up with. Recently Standard decks have started to look like a bit like Commander decks, and the average game length really reflects this with mid-range absolutely dominating the format. But they have to realize that releasing so much product, especially when its prohibitively expensive, just wards people away. I can't imagine any scenario where I can recommend someone to play MTG because it feels like I would be trapping them in a swirling nightmare of products that fade from the memory a couple months later. Theres also the fact that LGS' are suffering due to Wizards circumventing them through Amazon. What am I going to do if local shops die off? Why would I ever consider playing the game as intended anymore when Cockatrice or Tabletop Simulator provide a better digital experience for Magic than MTG Arena can and all for an infinitesimally small fraction of the cost. You then have the issue with legality. You have March of the Machines, you have Aftermath, you have Lord of the Rings, and you have Commander Masters. Which sets are legal in what formats? LOTR is legal in modern, but what about Pioneer? What about Commander Masters? Is that only for formats for Legacy, or can it also be used in Modern. Is Aftermath a Standard legal set? I can't imagine being a player who doesn't regularly engage with the online MTG community having any idea what the fuck is going on.

When Eldraine came out as a complicated, unclear mess, I excused it as bumps on the road of a big change. It's been clear for a while now that complicated, unclear, and messy is just the accepted state of affairs.

I used to play MTG as a teen starting just as Scars of Mirrodin had been released. I played constantly, but I stopped playing as I entered college; I was simply lacking free time. Now graduated, I’ve recently decided to return to the game and simply buy packs and collect sets for fun; I just try to get a single of every card in a binder. It’s been very overwhelming! I was so shocked by the number of card variations now compared to when I stopped playing, which was around whenever Kahns of Tarkir released. I want to collect! I love the game! But the sheer number of cards now makes simply collecting a daunting task - for the wallet as well!

As a lapsed player who is getting back into the game after 10 years, I want to know what the real main sets are, and how to get the cards I want. I agree that the flow chart was overwhelming to look at for Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

I am reminded of the documentary "beer wars". There's a reason why WOTC is producing so many different products in a set line. Shelving space is always at a premium in gaming and grocery stores, have more products of differing container sizes to take up more shelf space and literally push out the competition. In the past 5 years competition has grown fierce in the trading card game industry. Like Budweiser, wizards was the king for years and years, now it's time to crown new princes and princesses and the old king does not want to lose market share!

I'm longing for the days when I was hyped for every new set. Nowadays magic is just a blurry mess for me. I want to find new cards for my Commander decks, but keeping up with the release schedule feels like a second full time job... And who has time for that?

We wanted this video for a long time, thx prof

This was a great video. From a random guy on the internet… well done. I did love the part you left in. The ramble to try and define and explain is a great example of what’s wrong

THANK YOU I played Magic for 15 years from 1993 to 2008. I spent thousands of dollars on cards and played thousands of games. I restarted playing Magic a few months ago and it's SO confusing. There's just SO MANY product variations and so many products. Trying to figure out what even the hell is supposed to be in a booster pack is basically impossible. Trying to figure out if I'm missing anything by not buying collector boosters is basically impossible. Trying to figure out if some store on Amazon is ripping me off on the cost of sealed magic products is basically impossible. Hell, just figuring out what cards I can play in what formats is excruciatingly difficult. It used to be that new sets were part of Standard for 2 years (more or less). Period. Now there are a million sets and whether or not they're legal in any specific format is something you have to go look up, card by card. Oh and you might get cards from *other sets* in your booster packs of this set. WoTC desperately needs to cut down on product variations and label everything WAY more clearly. I'm fine with basic boosters and fancy boosters, but don't have THREE variations. And make it WAY more clear what you actually get. None of this "a chance of that and a chance of tis". Just make it *the same* in every pack. Guaranteed two rares, one foil rare, one foil uncommon, etc. There's still variation in the fact that some rares are garbage and others aren't.... but don't make it so I get a *different number of rares* in the same pack. Don't also have "Jumpstart" versions of each set. That's what the core set is for. Make jumpstarts from the core sets and/or the last block, but don't label them confusingly the same as the set. And for God's sake LABEL THE SETS CLEARLY. Oh, Lord of the Rings isn't Legal in Standard? How the hell is some 13 year old in an LGS going to know that? Hell, how am *I* supposed to know that? It's a set, it's new, so that means it's legal in Standrd, right? I really have to wonder how often kids (or even adults) come to Friday Night Magic and get disqualified because they're using cards they *just bought* from sets that are new this year, but aren't actually legal in standard? Label the packs and boxes with what formats the cards are legal in. It's not that hard. Really, just like Commander, Standard, and Modern/Pioneer is probably sufficient. And please give your products an MSRP so consumers know if they're getting ripped off. Is 185 for a Set Booster box of All Will Be One a good price, or am I getting ripped off? There's literally no way to know. At best, I have to call around to every nearby LGS, check Amazon and TCGPlayer, and then hope that the price isn't just artificially inflated at the beginning of release, and that it wont' drop by $40 in a month.

While I appreciate the different cool versions of the cards, I miss the days when the cycle was something like "4 Standard sets a year with Draft Boosters, 'bundles,' and maybe some associated decks, one Masters set, one cycle of Commander decks, and *maybe* an additional supplemental product." I definitely appreciate Set Boosters, but I think that all the treatments, like you said, should be available in *all* Booster products.

Welcome back Tolarian Winds graphic!!! Thank you Professor!! Keep it up.

Great commentary! I really appreciate the work you put into these videos. I am a casual player that is capable of funding my magic habit, but I am also wary to spend my money efficiently, which keeps me playing !

I used to try to complete sets as well as deckbuilding and playing. I think when the number of variants made set collection much more costly or too time consuming to feel worthwhile, that was when the feeling of fatigue began to set in for me. Your take on the idea really resonated with me.

This video sums up my thought perfectly. I had a break from MTG for around 11 years, and it took me hours of research, reading and watching to figure out what was the current products, what does each one contains, and what ware the right prices among the endlessly fluctuating price tags I saw online and in shops. I totally agree with this video conclusion : make it clear what each product contains, stop having so many useless unique variations among products, and publish recommended prices.

The sections where you explained all of the coming products game me anxiety. I can't handle it.

Nail on the head prof! Great points and agree with your solutions

What the Prof is saying is exactly what got me to quit competitive Magic. I work a very stressful job, and I used to be able to keep in touch with the meta by going to draft in two evenings and playing Standard and Modern. It used to be: You pay attention to Standard-legal sets, you learn the cards by drafting these sets for months, and you could slowly improve. Nowadays, the Meta in all formats is so shifty and the sets last so much shorter that trying to keep in touch with formats on competitive levels would only be possible for me if I spent all of my free time with releases, and I just can't do that in the long run.

Whenever you make a video about topics like this I get nostalgic due to that box of homelands in your bookshelf. Back when "three releases a year" would just mean three different sets of cards, and no matter how many "subsets" or subproducts released it would always mean it's the same cardpool choosen from. I'm geniunly baffled that wotc is so detached from their own product they're unable to imagine that needing everchanging flowcharts to determine "what is where in our products" isn't customer friendly. And that making the same card in a dozen different styles is just stupid due to how inflated your sets end up - imagine homelands with like 8 different versions of didgeridoo. Nobody would've bought that back when the internet wasn't this prevalent.

As someone who is coming back into Magic’s after a 4-5 year hiatus it is so confusing just trying to figure out what I should buy from previous and upcoming sets. Draft vs set booster, universe beyond, the different levels and prices of commander decks, etc. it is too much and I never know if I’m getting ripped of on product value without the Professors video and him doing the back breaking work of assessing these products. Thank you professor, you have made picking this game up again so much easier despite the challenges of the deluge of products.

I started playing back in original Innistrad and slowly stopped after Kaladesh. I’ve wanted to get back in for a while now but the game seems so much more complicated, even all the new art is a bit overwhelming. I love the game and have watched the channel since it felt so niche to watch reviews or plastic designed to protect cardboard so this video really hit home and is really appreciated!

In the most recent Set Survey (for All Will Be One), there was a question that asked about what a booster pack that merged Draft & Set booster contents should be called. I'm hoping that this is an indicator that Wizards is planning on reducing the amount of boosters with set releases. (Also, the options, if I remember correctly, were either "Play Boosters" or "Game Boosters")

I know that this isn't the point of the video but I just really love the emphasis that you always put on supporting your local lgs and small businesses! These are the lifeblood of the mtg community and in a digital commerce age it is harder and harder to stay afloat as an lgs. You're fighting the good fight, professor!

This is so completely spot on. I appreciate how he outlined this year’s planned releases. It made the unscripted bit so much better when he bumbled through trying to explain which type of boosters you might find commander masters cards.. (13:05) Like, yeah, that’s exactly how it friggin feels. I need to do research just to know what’s in a booster (or keep asking that one guy at my LGS lol)

You're so spot on: mental fatique and over-stimulated are the terms that go hand-in-hand.

This has the ring of 80s baseball card vibes where too many were made and prices to this day have never recovered.

Definitely agree with your take on the matter. I especially like how you point out the several flaws the concept of "just ignore sets that just aren't for you" has..

Prof, well said, you are a review Legend!

Well said and summarized Prof!

This explains sooo much. I have been gone from Magic ever since Ikoria and while it took me time to adjust to the new booster types and set releases (playing for again for about a month) not much has actually changed for me. But I am an data analyst used to chaos and unordered mess of information. Making sense of it is my job and I love it. Never understood until now that a normal individual might be confused after just going into a store to buy a pack.

Instead of buying new MTG product I’m going back and organizing the giant mess I’ve made with the cards I already have. It’s saving me money and has turned out to be very fun because I’ve forgotten most of what I have already. Many great cards made before MTG sold its soul for the 15th time , again…

This is right on. I use to buy a lot of product. Now I don’t buy anything. I don’t even know half the time where I can even find the cards beside buying singles. So I just said forget it and moved on.

Well said! I used to love each set and the streamline contents, but now when a set comes out with 5 different booster pack types and 23 different super mega foil types etc etc, just to find out 3.5 days later theres all that and more in the next 6 sets due to release 2 weeks from now; ITS TOO MUCH I used to adore playing MTG and seeing what each set could offer me and my decks, but now its too complicated and too fast to even spend more than 2 seconds with anything. We stopped buying most magic products now, and are so fatigued by it. Also rather than having a set MSRP and buying the product in X location, we have to think are we being ripped off and go away and do research in 4+ other stores to guess a price range and just give up.

I love the Tolarian Winds series!! Glad you “brought it back.”

I think you are 100% right in your assessment of the current state of magic. However, personally for me, I like the idea that I don’t know everything that’s out there (in terms of the collective card pool). It keeps it fresh and exciting to stumble upon new cards that fit perfect in an existing deck or spark the idea for a new one! Your perspective Prof is an interesting one as yes, you are a Magic product reviewer and avid fan and apart of that responsibility requires breaking down the nuance of each set. Note: I’m a casual fan and player of magic and getting to discover new things is half the fun of deck building. The biggest point I agree with is streamlining product. Get rid of jumpstart for every set!! It’s strange to see Wizards bury set specific cards in that product. Because of this I typically find myself just buying singles which eliminates this whole “what set is this from and which product do I need to buy” feeling.

I have definitely felt product fatigue and I only started playing again last year. It is super frustrating.

Thank you for this. I followed the game really extensively from 2017 until 2020 or so when they got crazy with all the different variations in sets. It was literally becoming a full time job. Now I just do a pre-release or one booster draft and that's it. I went from spending probably 150 bucks a set to maybe 30-40. They've gotta be bleeding money from people burning out.

I'd like to set booters and collector boosters consolidated into a single premium tier. Other than that I'm fine with the bundles, precons, starter decks, etc but the timing in which information releases matters. The last two years it's felt like a new set drops then within a short time frame spoilers for the next set(s) is released. ONE has barely been out and Wizards had already shifted consumer focus to products that are months away. **EDIT: fixed a typo**

As someone who has just spent the last month getting back into Magic, this video couldn't have come at a better time. Topical, Relevant, I feel seen. :)

Wow. Listening to you really break things down shines a strong light on how exhausting it is to be a player, a collector or god forbid both.

I definitely agree with you. I've burnt out on buying mtg products myself, though I have ordered some high grade proxies recently

There is also a planned "holiday re-release" for the LoTR set (whatever this means)

The subscribe reminder appearing over the Play Button Award was a lovely touch.

Thanks Prof! This is such a good video and feedback for WotC! It feels like they took the complexity of the game itself and aplied it to the productline and variety. I think they took the costumerbase and devided it not just in format but also in type of costumer - gamer, gambler and collector. At the same time they expanded the variety of this types with different ways to approach the product for each type and the different card designs. My advice for everyone is to look into yourself what kind of costumer you are and what you want and need. As example I for myself am a mix of all the types, but gaming is most relevant for me. Also my favorite format is commander. I don't need one of a kind of each card and I don't need all artstyles or the coolest of them. Also I don't like to take to much risk for highly sought after cards, because I rarely sale or trade my cards. At the end the best products for me are the preconstructed commander decks and draft booster. They have a great variety of cards and can be directly used to play. I think that set and collector booster are more meant for gambler and collector with different kinds to approach both types. Secret lair are also more meant for collector or costumer that like particular artstyles. The best hint for that are the prices of the products. I hope that helped all of you a little bit :)