What's Hot in Mystery Booster 2?

Festival at Your Convenience

Festival in a Box brings a colossal selection of cards and on-the-nose references after a three-year hiatus. The first iteration of Mystery Booster Cards made a splash during the lockdown period of Magic, allowing players the fun of chaos drafts along with Playtest cards. It was well received, thanks to its unique card selection, which set it apart from other products. Now we have Mystery Booster 2, which was available for purchase through the Secret Lair site from August 19th to around August 27th. Despite initial concerns over long queues and limited stock, plenty of boxes were allocated for sale and will also be readily available at the upcoming convention circuit.

Priced at $250, the Festival in a Box bundle included several bonus/fun items to enhance the value. Approximately $92 of the market value came from three Collector Boosters, while an additional $16 was allocated/tied to the Secret Lair Li'l Legends, and $23 to miscellaneous cards previously available during MagicCon. Currently, retailers are reselling these boxes for around $350-$500. Although prices have heightened due to limited availability, they’re expected to normalize once boxes begin to circulate during the next MagicCon.

Indicate

Playtest cards have been a key feature of the Mystery Booster experience since its first iteration. Each booster includes at least one card straight from R&D or simply a fun community joke. While these cards add an element of fun and excitement to sealed events, they hold little value overall. With both the previous release and this latest one, the initial reveal drummed up a wave of excitement, translating to quick market spikes, only to be followed by a sharp price crash for Playtest cards. Since these cards can’t be used outside of Mystery Booster sealed events, the demand remains limited.

Currently, the main buyers of Playtest cards are players building cubes or EDH decks where Rule Zero is more loosely applied. Due to the relatively low demand, these cards can often be picked up quite cheaply. The most interesting card out of this set is Mox Poison, which turns heads both for its “Mox” name and for being illustrated by Dan Frazier. In typical Mox fashion, Mox Poison provides free mana with the slight downside of an additional two poison counters. It's the type of card that goes beyond being good and straight into being restricted or banned upon release. As we’ve all learned recently, cards that enable explosive plays by providing more mana quickly need to be kept in check.

Power Nine at Home

The creation and management of resources are principal aspects of the game. Whether it's playing lands, creating tokens, or deciding when to trade cards for damage, most decisions revolve around the cards we choose to play with. However, with the rise of digital Magic and the introduction of Alchemy, some of these principles have shifted. Mechanics that would have been difficult to track on paper are now possible, though the printing of these cards into physical being has skewed players' perception of the game.

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The most controversial example is the Oracle of the Alpha. In short, this card allows the player to shuffle the Power Nine into their library, effectively adding nine of Magic’s most powerful and expensive cards into their deck. Depending on the edition, these cards are valued between $50,000 and $153,000. While part of me wished to see token versions of the Power Nine included as a hidden bonus in the product, this remains a pipe dream. 

Other Alchemy cards aren’t nearly as imbalanced. However, one notable offender is Rusko, Clockmaker, which disrupted the Historic-Brawl format so severely on Magic Arena that the matchmaking system had to be adjusted. Rusko decks were so dominant that Arena needed to pair decks of similar power levels more carefully to prevent too one-sided games 

With these cards now being printed on paper for the first time, their prices reflect both novelty and demand. Oracle of the Alpha currently leads with a price of $282, followed by Rusko, Clockmaker at $205. On the lower end of the spectrum, Sigardian Evangel, making copies of itself, is priced at $61.

Future Whiteouts

As the variety of art treatments continues to expand in this product, two major themes stand out: the return of white border cards and Future Shifted frames. Many newer stylized cards have received the white border treatment, which makes them appear somewhat jarring. A prime example of this is Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, where the card’s colors clash against the white border. For potential monetary gains and key cards to watch, prices remain volatile as the product begins to circulate. Notable standouts, based on the value of other variants, include Urza's Saga (White Border) and Cabal Coffers (White Border). Both are well-established lands with strong playability across multiple formats.

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Meanwhile, the Future Sight frame makes a reappearance, offering many newer players their first interaction with this type of framing. While certainly unique, both the Future Sight and white border treatments feel like refined, niche design choices rather than broadly appealing styles. I appreciate how the gray artifact frame is used in this release, enhancing the general appeal. Cards like Lotus Petal (Future Sight), Sensei's Divining Top (Future Sight), and Krark-Clan Ironworks (Future Sight) are included, and looking better than ever. 

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Additionally, some CEDH staples that were creeping up in price have been reprinted with the Future Sight treatment. Demonic Consultation (Future Sight), Thassa's Oracle (Future Sight), and Underworld Breach (Future Sight) are stand-out cards included. More reprint options for these cards are welcome, as they are essential for a variety of combos.

Avant-Garde

The final highlight is the inclusion of Vanguard-style cards in the Future Sight frames. These foils appear in roughly 5% of packs and feature artwork previously used in Vanguard. Given the reuse of this nostalgic art and the low chance to open the cards, I suspect that these will be highly sought after by EDH players. 

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The two main drivers in this section are Urza, Lord High Artificer (Future Sight), and Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor (Future Sight). While both are typically valued at around $10, cards with this treatment are currently retailing for $385 and $256, respectively. Although these prices are high, I anticipate a sharp decline as more of the product becomes available. That said, even with a drop in value, these variants will remain the premium versions of these cards and are likely to continue to command a high price point.

See You There, Chaos Draft

Mystery Booster 2 is a product infused with thoughtfulness and nostalgia, reflecting an appreciation for the game and the elements that have made it great over the years. From a financial perspective, I'm impressed by the value proposition the product offers, along with the wide variety of cards and treatments included. While I do wonder if we would have received a product like this without the events of 2019, I'm certainly glad we have it now. 

MagicCon offers a very different experience compared to kitchen table Magic or competing in your LGS. Yet, this product manages to capture much of the same excitement that MagicCon delivers - now accessible from the comfort of your own home. 

Join me again next time as we lay down the Foundations for the next five years.

Further Reading:

Does Mystery Booster 2 Have Any Reprints for Modern?