Tournament Packs being discontinued, sealed to use 3 boosters

[Stijnhoofd]

I just read this over on Germagic, couldn't find it here, so I just thought I'd let you know:

Irgendwann zwischendurch und mittendrin statt nur nebenher tümpelnd wurden die Starter in Tournament Packs umbenannt und nun, so zu Conflux im Februar 2009, wird nicht mal mehr umbenannt, da wird abgeschafft (nicht, dass zu Conflux TPs existieren, aber ab da wird deren Existenz geleugnet).

Wie einer internen Mail zu entnehmen ist, werden Tournament Packs für zukünftige Editionen aus den Läden verschwinden und im Turnierspiel eins zu drei durch Booster ersetzt.
(Basics gibt's an der handelsüblichen Land-Station.)

The bold part roughly translated: As can be read in an internal mail, tournament packs for upcoming editions are removed from the product line. In tournament play, they will be replace by one to three boosters.
Basic lands can be found at the usual Land-Station (?).
(I can't translate the first paragraph for abundance of weird words.)

Originally Posted by English Announcement

After an in depth analysis of the current sealed deck tournament format by our R&D and Organized Play departments we have decided to discontinue production of tournament packs. Intensive play testing clearly showed that the booster only format provides an equal, or even better game play experience.
The Shards of Alara tournament packs were the last ones produced; as of Conflux there will be no tournament packs.
As of the Conflux Pre Release events and Launch Parties, sealed deck format will be played with boosters only, 3 booster packs will replace a tournament pack. All organizers will receive a sleeve of basic land to be distributed to their players.
The details of the product mix for the Conflux events will be announced to the players when the Pre Release Fact sheet is posted on our website early January. The information is currently only available for distributors and organizers.

Updated with English announcement

[Mosschop]

Originally Posted by Stijnhoofd

I just read this over on Germagic, couldn't find it here, so I just thought I'd let you know:



The bold part roughly translated: As can be read in an internal mail, tournament packs for upcoming editions are removed from the product line. In tournament play, they will be replace by one to three boosters.
Basic lands can be found at the usual Land-Station (?).
(I can't translate the first paragraph for abundance of weird words.)

Seems to make sense to me. The only point that I've ever seen to tournament packs is to make land distribution easier at events.

[Odin]

The first part is just the author's sarcastic comment. It means:

Starter Packs where renamed to Tournament Packs somewhere in the past and now, with Conflux, it's not renaming any more, they are disposed of (not that there would be any for Conflux, but as of Conflux their existence is denied).

It's a rough translation. Just for the sake of completeness.

Regards,
Odin

[Ouizzeul]

Originally Posted by Mosschop

Seems to make sense to me. The only point that I've ever seen to tournament packs is to make land distribution easier at events.

Having a tournament pack instead of 3 booster make sealed deck less broken. You can easily have 3 or 4 times the same common... like OMG i've got 3 branching bolt!

That's disappoint me a bit...

[awesomer phantasm]

i understand the change, but it makes me a little sad. the first packs i bought were two starters of revised, and they really felt like 'starter' packs. and then when i would buy a booster, it felt like a real 'booster'. sigh... how this game has changed.

[aeonflux]

Mh, too bad, I always liked the one uncommon more thingy .

I think the store owner has now to distribute Lands to the ppl playing Limited


Also I can confirm the translations from post #1 and #3

[rancored_elf]

Slowly phasing out physical card options...

[Ranma]

Certainly explains why they really put lands in boosters. Now you'll have to either get those newfangled precons or buy a lot of boosters to get all the new land art.

Without starters works really good on mtgo. Infinite sealed anybody?

[xevioso]

I have been buying boxes regularly for years now, usually 2-3 boxes per set. I will often mix it up, buying a box of boosters and a box of tourney packs. I can tell you that, without fail, the distribution of rares is much better in a tourney pack box than in a booster pack box. I don't know why this is. Maybe it just seems that way to me and officially isn't actually so, but "money rares" seem to come along much more often in tourney packs, and I always seem to get some extra foil rares out of a tourney pack box than in a booster pack. Plus there's the lands you get. So I am disappointed.

--J

[Seppel]

Odd. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper to manufacture tournament packs than it is to manufacture booster packs. However, phasing out one product and combining it with another will still save money.

I guess Tournament Packs aren't big sellers.

However, he could just be saying, "There will be no tournament packs in Conflux," which would be true.

[sentimentGX4]

How are tournament packs cheaper to produce? They have to produce an extra pile of lands on top of the normal number of cards they give you. And, remember, form the perspective of wizards, it costs the same amount of money to print an Island than it does a Akroma.

I'll miss tournament packs. My experience with them has always been that they contained less foils than boosters but I still enjoyed the rules insert and the lands. I guess we don't really need the rules insert anymore now with the internet everywhere do we? Still, meh... And, yeah, I want my extra uncommon. I will admit that I like cracking open boosters more, though. The new pre-cons aren't like the old pre-cons. Each one contains a holofoil rare so they may still be worth getting. But, at a personal level, I would rather have my cards random.

[Markers]

Originally Posted by rancored_elf

Slowly phasing out physical card options...

? Don't get that one? Moving the player base to MTGO is bound to fail...

[Andar]

YES!

Finally.

You see, in Magic Online you can't win tournament packs anywhere, so for every release you either have to buy tournament packs from store or from other players for much higher prices than 3 boosters. On the other hand, you can get new boosters without buying anything, for example all constructed tournaments start to pay new set as soon as it is released.

[Edghyatt]

Originally Posted by Andar

YES!

Finally.

You see, in Magic Online you can't win tournament packs anywhere, so for every release you either have to buy tournament packs from store or from other players for much higher prices than 3 boosters. On the other hand, you can get new boosters without buying anything, for example all constructed tournaments start to pay new set as soon as it is released.

Yeah but I can bet that the amount of players who care for Online Magic over those who care more for paper Magic are minimal...
This is sad news to me (the Online thing would be like the only upside to it). I don't even believe it (or is it expect it/want it?) to be true. In any case, it's not until the next large set that we'll receive full confirmation.

Also, the news could mean something like "it's a sad thing that Conflux is not a large set, becuase it won't have tournament packs". Given that they've already given minor news about changes in Conflux prereleases, I think we should have been told already if they won't hand ALA Tourney Packs for Conflux.

[Shinriko]

If I decide to impulse buy some magic its generally a tournie pack that I buy, so this disappoints me a bit. On the other hand it will be money that stays in my pocket so thats good for me.