Magic: The Gathering has officially concluded the sale of its controversial 30th Anniversary Edition booster packs, with the pricey packs being the subject of plenty of backlash from fans. With Wizards of the Coast's beloved TCG celebrating its 30-year anniversary, the 30th Anniversary packs saw some of the most iconic and rarest cards from Magic: The Gathering's earliest sets given a special reprint. However, the exorbitant price point on the packs, combined with the status of the cards, has seen Wizards of the Coast receiving heavy criticism from the game's fanbase. Now, Wizards of the Coast has revealed the sale of the packs will be coming to a close.
The anniversary celebrations for Magic: The Gathering have been marred by controversies in recent weeks. Hasbro saw significant losses in its stock value related to the overprinting of cards in Magic: The Gathering, with even Bank of America claiming the game was "sabotaging its own value." The card game has seen price increases over recent years as well, with Magic's sealed product most recently seeing a price hike in September of this year. Now, Wizards' ill-fated 30th Anniversary Edition set has apparently been shelved by the company after weeks of backlash.
An update from the official Magic: The Gathering Twitter account revealed the closure of the 30th Anniversary Edition sale, confirming the product is now unavailable for purchase. Many fans were quick to note that Wizards did not specify that the new Magic: The Gathering product had "sold out," leading some to believe the sale had been shelved as a response to the negative press. The sale had only officially launched an hour before its closure according to Wizards of the Coast's social media, though the product was revealed last month.
The surprising early closure of Magic's 30th Anniversary Edition sales comes after the product has been the subject of massive criticism from fans. Many have railed against Wizards of the Coast for the product's exorbitant pricing, set at a whopping $1000 for four booster packs containing the cards. Other fans have addressed concerns with some reprints being of cards from Magic's "reserve list," a list of highly valuable cards that Wizards of the Coast had previously stated it would not reprint. Fans were also critical of the non-legal status of the cards, likening them to overpriced "proxy" cards.
Magic: The Gathering's recent controversies come as competition in the TCG space has become fiercer than ever. The franchise's two biggest competitors in Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! have both launched major new online platforms throughout the course of the year with Pokemon TCG Live and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. Disney also announced its first major foray into trading card games earlier this year with the reveal of Lorcana, featuring iconic Disney characters. Magic: The Gathering's 30th Anniversary Edition will likely leave a sore spot for many fans in the long-running TCG's history.