By Brian Cooper |
Updated on January 8, 2024With the release of the much anticipated The Brothers’ War by Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast (aka WotC), I wanted to give everyone a quick breakdown of the different products for this new set. There’s quite a bit to break down in this MTG The Brothers’ War Ultimate Product Guide so let’s get to it.
As has been the case recently, WotC has changed their tune for new sets and are releasing multiple lines of products for each set. Gone are the days of just a 36-pack Booster Box and Starter Decks as the only two products you can purchase. Now we have a whole list of things you can get including the following:
- Prerelease Packs
- Draft Booster Boxes
- Set Booster Boxes
- Collector Booster Boxes
- Commander Decks
- Jumpstart Booster Boxes
- GIFT EDITION Bundle Box & Regular Bundle Box
So let’s break them down a bit so you understand what comes in each of these items and that will hopefully help you make a decision on which one fits your wants and needs.
Please note……All of these have links to Amazon.com where you can get these items shipped directly to your home. I encourage you to support your local game store (LGS) first, but know that you can get all of these items on Amazon very easily and at competitive prices too. We make a little bit of commission on every Amazon sale so for those of you using our links, we really appreciate your support as that helps the website tremendously.
So without further ado, here’s what you’ll get in each item.
Contents
- 1 #1 – MTG The Brothers’ War – Prerelease Packs
- 2 #2 – The Brothers’ War DRAFT Booster Boxes
- 3 #3 – The Brothers’ War SET Booster Boxes
- 4 #4 – The Brothers’ War COLLECTOR Booster Boxes
- 5 #5 – The Brothers’ War Commander Decks
- 6 #6 – The Brothers’ War Jumpstart Booster Boxes
- 7 #7 – The Brothers’ War GIFT EDITION BUNDLE Box
#1 – MTG The Brothers’ War – Prerelease Packs
Although it’s called a “pack”, it’s actually a box of different items. Every MTG The Brothers’ War Prerelease Pack contains the following:
- 6 Draft Booster Packs
- 1 foil-stamped rare or mythic rare card
- 1 MTG Arena code card
- 1 deck box
- 1 Spindown life counter.
There are two different box versions of the Prerelease pack (Mishra and Urza) but besides the different box design you’re basically getting the same thing in both boxes. I believe Amazon sends you one randomly so if you have a preference for whatever reason, I would suggest reaching out to your LGS to see what they have available.
I think prerelease packs (or boxes) are great to get to know the set and also they make awesome gifts. Whenever a new set comes out, I tend to buy one of these for myself and my son so we can figure out if we like the set and if we want to buy more.
Since I don’t play ARENA too much, the value for me is in the packs and the special foil stamped card that’s included. Normal retail is around $29.49 but you can often find them for a few dollars less if you hunt around.
If you don’t want to invest a lot of money into a set or are just trying it out (or need a gift for a Magic fan), then I would suggest picking one of these up. You’re basically paying close to retail price for the packs and getting a bunch of really cool extras thrown in. It’s a better deal than paying $4-5 per pack from a retail store or card show because of those extras. I like these prerelease packs simply for the value so definitely consider picking one up.
#2 – The Brothers’ War DRAFT Booster Boxes
For anyone looking to rip packs, the Draft Booster Box is definitely at the top of the list. Every MTG The Brothers’ War DRAFT Booster Box contains the following:
- 36 Draft Booster Packs
- 15 Magic cards per Draft Booster Pack
- Every Draft pack contains at least (1) Retro-Frame Artifact card
- Every Draft pack contains at least (1) Rare or Mythic card
- 33% of Draft packs contain at least (1) Traditional Foil card
If you like to just rip packs (and who doesn’t) or if you’re into drafting decks with your friends, the Draft Booster Box will be your best and most cost effective choice. Boxes tend to float around $110-130 per box when they first hit shelves and from there prices will fluctuate based on demand. If everyone loves the set and supply is low, expect prices to creep up over time. But in the beginning there should be ample supply to have prices remain in this range.
#3 – The Brothers’ War SET Booster Boxes
So if the Draft Booster Box is good for lots of cards at a decent price and for drafting with your friends, SET Booster Boxes are more for the person wanting a greater chance at better cards and ripping open packs that might have a bit more excitement and fun to them.
Every MTG The Brothers’ War SET Booster Box contains the following:
- 30 SET Booster packs
- 12 Magic cards per Set Booster Pack
Plus the following:
- Every Set Booster Pack contains (1) Art Card
- Every Set Booster Pack contains at least (1) Retro-Frame Artifact card
- 10% of packs will contain a Transformers card (so roughly 3 of these in every Set Booster Box
- Every Set Booster Pack contains approximately 1–5 Rare and/or Mythic cards
- Every Set Booster Pack contains at least (1) Traditional Foil card
So as you’ll see from the above list, Set Booster Boxes are typically loaded with good stuff. The overall amount of cards is a bit lower than Draft boxes (because there are fewer packs per box), but the value is way better in most people’s opinions because of the amount of rare, mythic, foil and special Transformers cards you can find.
And speaking of TRANSFORMERS cards, here’s what they look like. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s or 90’s is well aware what the Transformers are and WotC has added some cool Magic cards to highlight these popular characters. All of the Transformers cards are double-faced and come in a variety of versions including traditional foil, non-foil, and Shattered Glass. More about those later but I can tell you the Transformers cards will be highly sought after for sure!
Prices for Set Booster Boxes tend to float around $110-130 when they first come out and will also fluctuate based on supply and demand. But for the most part, we should see prices stick in this level for quite a while after release based on recent history.
#4 – The Brothers’ War COLLECTOR Booster Boxes
MTG The Brothers’ War Collector Booster Boxes cost quite a bit more than Draft and Set Booster Boxes, but as they saying goes “You Get What You Pay For!”
Collector Booster Boxes are the ‘cream of the crop’ when it comes to Magic cards and although you do not get many packs, the ones you do get are absolutely LOADED with good cards. Here’s what you’ll get in a MTG The Brothers’ War Collector Booster Box:
- 12 COLLECTOR Booster packs
- 15 Magic cards + 1 foil token per Collector Booster Pack
Plus the following:
- Collector Booster Packs are the only packs to contain Shattered Glass Alternate-Art Transformers cards.
- Collector Booster Packs are the only packs to contain special Foil Serialized Schematic cards.
- Every Collector Booster Pack will contain Foil or Non-Foil Transformers Mythic Rare card in every pack
- Every Collector Booster Pack will contain 5 other cards that are Rare and/or Mythic.
- Every Collector Booster Pack will contain 3–4 Retro-Frame Artifact cards including (1) Retro Artifact Showcase Schematic card
Collector Booster Packs are also the only packs in The Brothers’ War series where you have a chance at pulling serialized “retro schematics” Artifact cards with double-rainbow foiling. The serialized cards are individually numbered to 500. Just another HUGE reason why Collector Booster Boxes will be super hot amongst Magic players and collectors alike.
Boxes will retail for approximately $200-225 when they first hit the shelves. Again, as with the other booster boxes, I think prices will remain relatively the same for a period of time until inventories dry up.
#5 – The Brothers’ War Commander Decks
If you’re a Commander fan, WotC has brought back the preconstructed Commander Decks for The Brothers’ War and they appear to be as good, if not better than previous years.
There are TWO different Commander decks this year: URZA’S IRON ALLIANCE and MISHRA’S BURNISHED BANNER. Yes, the most famous Magic brother’s (Urza and Mishra) are back and battling it out in these two awesome precon decks!
Each MTG The Brothers’ War Commander Deck (either set) includes the following:
- (1) Ready-to-play-out-of-the-box 100-card Commander deck
- All cards in these decks are printed entirely in the retro frame.
- (10) of the cards are brand new cards not found in Draft/Set/Collector Booster packs and are unique to these Commander Decks.
- Each deck has a Primary Commander and an Alternative Commander, each in retro foil
- 10 double sided tokens
- A nifty cardboard Life Wheel
- A special Collector booster mystery sample pack with 2-cards
The retro style of the set is really cool as I’m a huge fan of the older cards. They do look a bit different in color than the older cards but it still gives me the 1990’s vibes for sure.
There is certainly a lot of value in these two decks, which makes the purchase price of roughly $45 each worth it. Most times you’ll see the value coming from the new and unique cards that Wizards adds to the set since the only way you can get them is by buying the Commander Deck. But in this case, the reprinted cards appear to be the draw for most players.
In the Urza’s Iron Alliance deck, the two biggies appear to be RELIC OF PROGENITUS and SHIMMER DRAGON which both normally sell in the $5-7 range. Add to that the 25-30 other cards that normally sell for more than a buck plus a host of lesser value (more than 50-cent) cards and the total value of this particular deck starts to rapidly approach the $100 mark. Definitely some good value from our friends at WotC!
In the Mishra’s Burnished Banner deck, the same holds true that the reprints are where the true value lies at this point. You’ll find the two best value cards in the deck are Lithiform Engine and Cursed Mirror which both routinely bring $6-7 a piece. Couple those with the handful of $4-5 cards and the 20+ $1.00 cards and the loads of 50-centers, this particular deck has a ‘retail value’ over $100 easy.
If you’re a Commander fan, I would definitely add these decks to your collection. From early feedback they look to be fun decks with great value.
#6 – The Brothers’ War Jumpstart Booster Boxes
I’ll start by saying I’m a HUGE fan of the Jumpstart product. I like that both novice Magic players as well as seasoned pro’s can have fun building really easy and fun to play decks right out of the box. You open two (2) of the 20-card packs, shuffle them together and you’re ready to play a game!
Although the Jumpstart product line has had a bumpy road as of late as some weren’t thrilled with the selection of cards in the packs, I think The Brothers’ War Jumpstart product will do much better this year and beyond.
Each MTG The Brothers’ War Jumpstart Booster Boxes contains the following:
- (18) Jumpstart Booster packs
- (20) cards in every Jumpstart Booster pack
- (2) of the cards in the pack will be Traditional FOIL Land cards
- (2) of the cards in the pack will be Rare cards, with one of those Rare cards being unique to Jumpstart (meaning that rare card won’t be found in any other The Brothers’ War products.)
- There are (5) possible themes and each theme has (2) different variations. So every Jumpstart pack has the possibility of getting one of these themes or theme variations.
Most packs will get you (12) creature/sorcery/enchantment/instant Magic cards (2 of which are Rare), (8) traditional land cards and (2) foil land cards. Buy two packs, shuffle them and you’re ready to play!
WotC originally had this as a stand-alone product labeled as Jumpstart 2020 and Jumpstart 2022 (which is slated to hit shelves in December 2022 by the way) but they started adding them to the product line for each set as well. The ones related to the sets didn’t appear to be as strong as the stand alone product but only time will tell and I think this one looks good so far.
I will say this, I like the cards in the packs and if you haven’t tried Jumpstart before maybe now is the time to give it a shot. Boxes retail for around $80-85 but I’ve seen them as cheap as $55-60 plus tax so shop around.
#7 – The Brothers’ War GIFT EDITION BUNDLE Box
I love opening Set Booster Boxes as you really get a lot of good cards. But some of the most fun I’ve had opening packs was with the Gift Edition Bundle Boxes.
My first experience with Magic GIFT Bundle Boxes was back in 2020 when the Zendikar Rising Gift Edition (or Gift Bundle) was released. You get a little of everything in the boxes and it just makes the perfect gift for the holidays. My son and I had loads of fun opening these on Christmas day and honestly I wish I had a few more to open right now!
Every MTG The Brothers’ War GIFT EDITION BUNDLE Box has the following:
- (8) SET Booster packs
- (1) COLLECTOR Booster pack
- “Queen Kayla bin-Kroog” Retro Frame Alternate Art Promo Card
- (1) Foil Transformers card
- (40) Basic Land cards (20 regular lands and 20 foil lands)
- Spindown Life Counter
- Foil Card Storage Box
**PLEASE NOTE** There are GIFT EDITION BUNDLE boxes and there are regular BUNDLE boxes. It’s the difference between getting a McDonald’s Bundle box with tons of food and getting a Happy Meal with a tiny burger and fries. Same here.
The GIFT EDITION BUNDLE BOX has the extra bonus of including (1) COLLECTOR BOOSTER PACK. The regular BUNDLE box does not contain this extra pack!
I prefer the GIFT EDITION since it includes the Collector Booster which is a $20-25 value. Not to mention, the Collector pack could contain some great cards (see above where it talks about what you can find.)
Check the pictures below and make sure you order the correct one on Amazon or any other online or local store. It should say “GIFT EDITION” on the right side of the box and the back should indicate at the very bottom that a COLLECTOR BOOSTER pack is included.
GIFT EDITION BUNDLE Boxes tend to be priced in the $50-70 range. The regular BUNDLE box is priced accordingly and goes for $40-50. Either way I think they’re both a great deal and a lot of fun, just buy the one that fits your budget.
