Wizards addresses Magic Arena reprint problem

Magic Arena has a serious reprint issue. And with the upcoming release of Core Set 2021, players have expressed some concerns with same-art reprints decreasing the value of packs and cluttering their collections. 

With Core Set 2021 reprinting temple lands and Fabled Passage at rare, the issue of opening store boosters and getting cards that players already have playsets for worried some fans. Fabled Passage and temple lands feature no new art and would become effectively devoid of value when opened in Core Set 2021 store boosters. 

In today’s State of the Game post, though, Wizards of the Coast addressed the concerns and outlined its plan to address the reprint problem for rare and mythic rare cards.

If a player collects a playset of a fully-reprinted card, which is a card that shares both name and artwork of a card already in Arena, they’ll only receive a copy of that card once they’ve collected playsets of all other rares and mythic rares. For players who own three copies of Fabled Passage from Throne of Eldraine and receive another copy from Core Set 2021 to complete the playset, they won’t receive any more copies until they’ve collected playsets of all other rares and mythic rares. Core Set 2021 cards that are included in Jumpstart will be treated as a part of Core Set 2021 for reprint distribution purposes.

The distribution rate won’t apply to full reprints of commons and uncommons and won’t impact limited booster formats like draft and sealed. Reprinted cards that feature new artwork won’t apply to the new distribution rates even if players completed a playset of the older version.

All changes go live on Thursday, June 25 with the release of Core Set 2021.