Wizards loves to put out supplemental product based on it’s biggest franchise, Magic: the Gathering, but sometimes the product either is a huge smash hit (Archenemy) or a bit of a flop (Arena of the Planeswalkers). On November 24th, Explorers of Ixalan will be hitting retail shelves sporting the following:
- FOUR 60-CARD DECKS
- 50 MAP TILES
- 20 DOUBLE-SIDED TOKENS
- 36 +1/+1 COUNTERS
- FOUR SCOUT MARKERS
- FOUR DECK BOXES
- RULES INSERT
- REPRINTS OF EXISTING MTG CARDS
See that last point? I chucked that one in because this “Boardgame” is more or less a new format, in a way. It’s a new non-sanctioned way to play the game that acts like a hybrid of boardgaming and Magic playing the like of which haven’t been seen before and is totally unique except for Archenemy and even that is very different to this product.
HOW DOES IT PLAY/HOW DO WE PLAY?
But, as always, there is a slight catch. Supplemental product is often fairly expensive, especially outside the continental USA. Explorers has a $64.99 USD price tag and converted to AUD, you should be looking at roughly $90.00 give or take. That’s almost half the price of a standard box, so we should probably look at what the value of the product is before we all go out and drop the cash.
REPRINTED CARD VALUES
The main thing to note with any reprint of a card, is that the card value WILL drop, even if for a short amount of time (looking at you MM3, fetch lands went right back up only a few months after you dropped). That being said, what is the total of card value in Explorers of Ixalan? For this example we will only be looking at cards over $1 USD, anything under will be considered bulk.
Necropolis Regent $4.37
Day of Judgment $2.67
Beacon of Immortality $7.47
Vanquisher’s Banner $2.10
Shielded by Faith $2.38
Adaptive Automaton $6.41
Blatant thievery $1.37
Shared Animosity $15.99
Time Warp $15.99
Rancor x2 $1.6 each
Threads of Disloyalty $5.25
Path to Exile $7.00
Lightning Helix $3.02
Quicksilver Amulet $7.96
Aggravated Assault $15.75
Well, that sure is a list of cards that I would consider to be fairly iconic to the history of Magic through out the years. The total of those cards currently comes to $100.93 USD total, not terrible and rather surprising. But who REALLY wins here? You do, especially if you play COMMANDER. Not only do you get a full boardgame to play with your friends, you can also edit/update the decks with your own favourite cards or take out some of the things that you need for your commander decks without having to chase down original printings.
THOUGH I HAVE ONE MASSIVE PROBLEM WITH THIS RELEASE
Seriously, Wizards. Can you maybe think about doing this sort of thing as a standalone PC game as well? I know it will cost an arm and a leg, but I think we ALL want a new Shandalar, so just give us what we want. I’M NOT GREEDY AND ENTITLED, YOU ARE!
NEW ART, WHO DIS?
Seriously though, I love the new art and I hope that at some point in the future we can get these in foil, because JUST SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Not having played THIS game, I can only state that it looks like a lot of fun, much like Archenemy: Nicol Bolas was. Archenemy was a bit wacky and the power levels were very much off. This, from looking at the decks, seems much more balanced and should lead to a better multiplayer experience. It won’t be long before players like myself retool the game for multiplayer Commander and other formats.
I want to try it, the reprints are decent and not too bottom of the barrel and the art is gorgeous. I say buy it if anything, for the multiplayer experience and playing with your friends.
Chesh.
