By Brian Cooper |
Updated on January 8, 2024
The long anticipated Sorcery Contested Realm TCG is finally making its way to Kickstarter backers after over a year of waiting! So far, it looks like the backers overseas in Australia are starting to see cards and boxes in their mailboxes and the U.S. and the rest of the world should see them soon.
Prices are pretty high for the first wave (ALPHA) and I’m sure I’m not the only one sitting here wondering whether investing in the Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG is a good idea right now at current price levels.
If Sorcery is a huge hit, prices will absolutely multiply overnight and we all could be priced out of the market really quickly.
However, if players and collectors don’t like the product or the print run is out of whack (which we’ll talk about below), it could be a massive dud. So is it worth investing in the Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG right now?
Let’s take a look…
Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG – By The Numbers
When it comes to the new Sorcery TCG, booster boxes are what everyone wants. And not just any old booster, but the very first original ALPHA version of the Sorcery: Contested Realm Booster Box.
If you backed the original Kickstarter campaign, you’re in luck because most likely you have one or more Alpha Sorcery Booster Boxes heading your way.
But unless you were a backer of that campaign, the secondary market is the only way to get them.
Those lucky people who backed the original Kickstarter campaign helped land the company a cool $3.5 million to get Sorcery off the ground. And in return, each backer, depending on their pledge level, received a specific package of Contested Realm Alpha cards.
- The Apprentice Level Kickstarter Backer paid $130 and received (1) Alpha Booster Box
- The Sorcerer Level Kickstarter Back paid $750 and received (6) Alpha Booster Boxes
- The Innkeeper Store Owner Bundle Kickstarter Backer paid $2,750 and received (24) Alpha Booster Boxes (and a bunch of other cards, decks, playmats and posters.)
In total, there were 6,456 backers who I’m betting are eagerly awaiting the USPS delivery guy to show up with their Sorcery TCG boxes!
But that begs the question that I constantly ask when evaluating booster boxes as an investment….How many Sorcery Contested Realm Alpha Booster Boxes were printed?
The Answer: 29,000
Yes, that’s right 29,000 Alpha Sorcery Booster Boxes were printed which equates to about 4,833 six box cases (give or take.)
To me that seems like a lot of boxes for the very first product to hit shelves for a brand new trading card game.
And the reason I’m told that this many were printed was because the company decided to print what the backers ordered. It was printed to demand and the backers ordered 29,000 boxes.
Is this an overprint? Will the company come to regret putting this much product into the market from the get-go? Only time will tell if this was a mistake or not.
MetaZoo vs. Sorcery Contested Realm – Print Runs
When it comes to print runs done right, MetaZoo has to be up near the top of the list. The MetaZoo team did a great job not only promoting their first Kickstarter release back in 2021, but they kept print runs very low and that created a lot of demand.
Initially, MetaZoo only printed 2,500 boxes of their Cryptid Nation Kickstarter Booster Boxes. That created a TON of hype and press that put MetaZoo on the map.
Later, when they released their Cryptid Nation 1st Edition, they kept the print run low at only 25,000 booster boxes and that continued the hype. It was well orchestrated and I really thought MetaZoo basically put on a clinic on how to release a brand new Trading Card Game.
Let’s jump to present day and Sorcery: Contested Realm. The Sorcery team is basically doing things very much UNLIKE MetaZoo and I’m not really sure it was the right move.
How much hype will there be with a product that will have over 10-times the print run of MetaZoo’s initial Kickstarter release?
They’ll certainly get a lot of product out to players and collectors, but will lower prices and a glut of product to an unknown market end up being the best move?
Time will tell. I can tell you that it personally made me pump the brakes on buying Sorcery Alpha Booster Boxes at these current pre-sale price levels.
As it stands in late June 2023, boxes are pre selling in the $500-525 range and it might be just a little too much, too fast for my liking.
I was all ready to splurge on three boxes at $495 each just a week or two ago. That is until I saw that 29,000 print run figure.
I just couldn’t justify spending that much for a product that is nowhere near limited. MetaZoo Cryptid Nation 1st Edition Booster Boxes are barely holding on to the $300 price tag and that is a much more established game. Sorcery at $500+ is just too much.
Sorcery Contested Realm TCG Alpha Booster Boxes: Worth The Hype or Pass For Now?
I think for me, right now, it’s a pass. I really like the set and the artwork is fantastic to say the least. I really wish I had been in on the Kickstarter campaign from the beginning, but I didn’t see it until it was too late.
Plus, let’s be honest. There are a LOT of other products hitting the market right now that are hitting the wallet hard.
Magic: The Gathering The Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth is hitting the wallet HARD right now. Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldea Evolved is all the rage (well, sort of.) Flesh and Blood Dusk Till Dawn and Disney’s Lorcana are both coming in the next few months. The timing is tough with all of these big hitters taking up our hard earned money.
Will Sorcery Contested Realm Alpha Booster Boxes do well? I hope so.
I really like what I’m seeing and I hope this takes off. Time will tell my friends. Plus, if prices come down a bit (maybe into the $250-300 range), I’m probably gonna bite the bullet and grab a box or two. But again, I’m not a buyer at current price levels as I think it’s too much.
Keep checking back for Sorcery updates and more content about this great set. I’m hoping to dive deeper into Sorcery in the coming weeks and hopefully come up with some ideas on how to invest in this potentially awesome new trading card game. For now, keep investing in Magic and I’ll see you back here soon!
