In a rather stunning and unexpected twist, Magic: The Gathering is getting rid of the popular “Buy-a-Box promotional card program.” It’ll end with Lorwyn Eclipsed, which has been given a January 23, 2026, release date, according to a post on Wizards Play Network.
“For several years, the Buy-a-Box program provided promotional cards to support booster display sales during Magic: The Gathering set launches at WPN retailers,” an official statement read. “This program evolved several times, once providing mechanically unique cards as well as expanding to include Collector Booster displays.
“Following careful review, this program will conclude with Lorwyn Eclipsed, the final set to provide Buy-a-Box promos.”
The company asserts that it will remain “focused on investing in promotional programs and incentives that drive long-term growth and repeat play in stores,” though there is nothing outlined that explains what those programs or incentives are.
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For the time being, however, there’s a new chatbot via the AskWPN Help Center that you can engage with, because, of course, AI makes everything better.
As MTG Rocks noted in its report, booster boxes have become notoriously expensive, and the promo helped give hardcore players a bit of a boost for continuing to support the hobby. Removing that program gets rid of a small-but-necessary incentive to keep players engaged and supporting their local store, even if the cards themselves have been relatively “mid” as of late.
MTG Fans Are Not Having It, And Really, Can You Blame Them?
Over on Reddit, fans, as expected, are pretty irate over word that the program is ending next month, especially as many continue to feel the pinch of rising costs coupled with just how much everything else in the world runs these days, like groceries and gas.
“So box got less packs, stayed the same price, and now we lose the promos,” one user succinctly wrote.
It wasn’t even one year ago that the booster boxes went from 36 packs to 30 packs, with Wizards of the Coast citing feedback as the reason why things got smaller even as prices have continued to rise.
“The cost of printing and packaging a single sealed card as a bonus for buying a box of printed and packaged cards was apparently the problem that’s been utterly wrecking Hasbro’s entire bottom line,” another upset user wrote.
We have to give them credit for making us chuckle.
A few users pointed to the reality that card shops likely have too many excess promos because no one was buying the booster boxes, leading to those promos being recycled for other uses. But as a few users also pointed out, if the promos were A) good and B) part of boxes that weren’t shrunk, then that wouldn’t be the case.
“First, if there’s a perceived dip in the value of BaB cards, they should stop selecting bad bulk rares,” a fan replied. “Just in recent times, Firebending Student is proof that people will go out of their way for a promo if it is actually good. Unfortunately, beside that and Flusterstorm, most of the last 3 years of promos have been just bad or forgettable.”
Whatever the case may be, it’s another example of things that were once good becoming a lot worse with a jumbled explanation as to why.
- Franchise
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Magic: The Gathering
- Original Release Date
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August 5, 1993
- Player Count
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2+
- Age Recommendation
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13+
- Length per Game
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Variable
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