Please don't (and Harry Potter TCG players will no what I mean immediately) include any "curious ravens", or cards that are found in the full quantity for legal decks in the starter set, but still can be found in boosters. This really lowers the value of the game for me. Make the cards in the starters fully unique, unable to find in any boosters please.

Aye, the dreaded Curious Raven. Don't remind me.

Unfortunately, there is are some adverse side effects of doing what you postulate.

The first set of Dice Masters (dunno about the later sets) had unique starter cards that were versions of characters not available in boosters. A certain one of those - a Beast variant, IIRC - was a staple in virtually 100% of decks since it was the only cheap resource acceleration card in the set. This meant that once I collected a full playset of everything, I had, in the grand scheme of things, a unnoticeably smaller percentage of duplicates - Beast or no Beast in the boosters, the dice and cards would be overflowing the boxes either way. However, when I wanted to play the game with my fiancee, we either had to both play wonky sub-par decks or have one person stuck with a handicap, since I wasn't really keen on the idea of having to buy an entire second starter box for that one card.

Unfortunately, there is are some adverse side effects of doing what you postulate.

The first set of Dice Masters (dunno about the later sets) had unique starter cards that were versions of characters not available in boosters. A certain one of those - a Beast variant, IIRC - was a staple in virtually 100% of decks since it was the only cheap resource acceleration card in the set. This meant that once I collected a full playset of everything, I had, in the grand scheme of things, a unnoticeably smaller percentage of duplicates - Beast or no Beast in the boosters, the dice and cards would be overflowing the boxes either way. However, when I wanted to play the game with my fiancee, we either had to both play wonky sub-par decks or have one person stuck with a handicap, since I wasn't really keen on the idea of having to buy an entire second starter box for that one card.

The problem with DM was the scarcity of that first set. You can readily find AvX starters with the super beast online now for cheap. In fact the starter came with this beast and 2 dice I saw many people buy multiple starters for the good cards inside, specifically because they couldn't get those cards in the loose packs. It's a double edged sword, you don't want to put in the most universally useful cards in the starter (like AvX), but you do want to put in quality option cards that fit into a medium amount but not all decks.

Unfortunately, there is are some adverse side effects of doing what you postulate.

The first set of Dice Masters (dunno about the later sets) had unique starter cards that were versions of characters not available in boosters. A certain one of those - a Beast variant, IIRC - was a staple in virtually 100% of decks since it was the only cheap resource acceleration card in the set. This meant that once I collected a full playset of everything, I had, in the grand scheme of things, a unnoticeably smaller percentage of duplicates - Beast or no Beast in the boosters, the dice and cards would be overflowing the boxes either way. However, when I wanted to play the game with my fiancee, we either had to both play wonky sub-par decks or have one person stuck with a handicap, since I wasn't really keen on the idea of having to buy an entire second starter box for that one card.

The problem with DM was the scarcity of that first set. You can readily find AvX starters with the super beast online now for cheap. In fact the starter came with this beast and 2 dice I saw many people buy multiple starters for the good cards inside, specifically because they couldn't get those cards in the loose packs. It's a double edged sword, you don't want to put in the most universally useful cards in the starter (like AvX), but you do want to put in quality option cards that fit into a medium amount but not all decks.

As of the next set MTG is gonna repalce teh intropacks with "planeswalker " packs: those packs will have a certain ammount of fixed cards that are part of the set, but not available in boosters.

Actually I don't get why having good (fixed) cards in a starter is bad. If you buy that, you are sure to get those, so what's the drawback?

Unfortunately, there is are some adverse side effects of doing what you postulate.

The first set of Dice Masters (dunno about the later sets) had unique starter cards that were versions of characters not available in boosters. A certain one of those - a Beast variant, IIRC - was a staple in virtually 100% of decks since it was the only cheap resource acceleration card in the set. This meant that once I collected a full playset of everything, I had, in the grand scheme of things, a unnoticeably smaller percentage of duplicates - Beast or no Beast in the boosters, the dice and cards would be overflowing the boxes either way. However, when I wanted to play the game with my fiancee, we either had to both play wonky sub-par decks or have one person stuck with a handicap, since I wasn't really keen on the idea of having to buy an entire second starter box for that one card.

The problem with DM was the scarcity of that first set. You can readily find AvX starters with the super beast online now for cheap. In fact the starter came with this beast and 2 dice I saw many people buy multiple starters for the good cards inside, specifically because they couldn't get those cards in the loose packs. It's a double edged sword, you don't want to put in the most universally useful cards in the starter (like AvX), but you do want to put in quality option cards that fit into a medium amount but not all decks.

As of the next set MTG is gonna repalce teh intropacks with "planeswalker " packs: those packs will have a certain ammount of fixed cards that are part of the set, but not available in boosters.

Actually I don't get why having good (fixed) cards in a starter is bad. If you buy that, you are sure to get those, so what's the drawback?

It's good to have quality fixed cards in the starter.

It's bad if those cards are exclusively better than whats available in packs. For most of AvX this was the case out side of a couple of super rares.

Unfortunately, there is are some adverse side effects of doing what you postulate.

The first set of Dice Masters (dunno about the later sets) had unique starter cards that were versions of characters not available in boosters. A certain one of those - a Beast variant, IIRC - was a staple in virtually 100% of decks since it was the only cheap resource acceleration card in the set. This meant that once I collected a full playset of everything, I had, in the grand scheme of things, a unnoticeably smaller percentage of duplicates - Beast or no Beast in the boosters, the dice and cards would be overflowing the boxes either way. However, when I wanted to play the game with my fiancee, we either had to both play wonky sub-par decks or have one person stuck with a handicap, since I wasn't really keen on the idea of having to buy an entire second starter box for that one card.

The problem with DM was the scarcity of that first set. You can readily find AvX starters with the super beast online now for cheap. In fact the starter came with this beast and 2 dice I saw many people buy multiple starters for the good cards inside, specifically because they couldn't get those cards in the loose packs. It's a double edged sword, you don't want to put in the most universally useful cards in the starter (like AvX), but you do want to put in quality option cards that fit into a medium amount but not all decks.

As of the next set MTG is gonna repalce teh intropacks with "planeswalker " packs: those packs will have a certain ammount of fixed cards that are part of the set, but not available in boosters.

Actually I don't get why having good (fixed) cards in a starter is bad. If you buy that, you are sure to get those, so what's the drawback?

The drawback is a situation I already descibed: the one in which, for whatever reason, you'd like to double up on a particular piece of the fixed non-boostered pack.

I don't follow Magic these days, the new starter pack thing is news to me. Consider the following scenario though. What if there's a really really good card in one of those plainswalker packs the sort of card that's an autoinclude if you play the colour, but it's only a 1-of in the deck and the remaining 59 cards are all rubbish binder padding? If want a playset of that card for my custom deck, I now have to fork out for 4 plainswalker packs and end up with a lot of fireplace kindling, instead of hitting it in boosters or getting it on the singles market. That's the drawback.

Unfortunately, there is are some adverse side effects of doing what you postulate.

The first set of Dice Masters (dunno about the later sets) had unique starter cards that were versions of characters not available in boosters. A certain one of those - a Beast variant, IIRC - was a staple in virtually 100% of decks since it was the only cheap resource acceleration card in the set. This meant that once I collected a full playset of everything, I had, in the grand scheme of things, a unnoticeably smaller percentage of duplicates - Beast or no Beast in the boosters, the dice and cards would be overflowing the boxes either way. However, when I wanted to play the game with my fiancee, we either had to both play wonky sub-par decks or have one person stuck with a handicap, since I wasn't really keen on the idea of having to buy an entire second starter box for that one card.

The problem with DM was the scarcity of that first set. You can readily find AvX starters with the super beast online now for cheap. In fact the starter came with this beast and 2 dice I saw many people buy multiple starters for the good cards inside, specifically because they couldn't get those cards in the loose packs. It's a double edged sword, you don't want to put in the most universally useful cards in the starter (like AvX), but you do want to put in quality option cards that fit into a medium amount but not all decks.

As of the next set MTG is gonna repalce teh intropacks with "planeswalker " packs: those packs will have a certain ammount of fixed cards that are part of the set, but not available in boosters.

Actually I don't get why having good (fixed) cards in a starter is bad. If you buy that, you are sure to get those, so what's the drawback?

It's good to have quality fixed cards in the starter.

It's bad if those cards are exclusively better than whats available in packs. For most of AvX this was the case out side of a couple of super rares.

Gonna argue that: starter: human torch, hulk. And to a lesser extent beast and storm. From the boosters: uncommon spiderman, hulk, beast, Nick fury (oh god, that Patch rare) and besides your focuing to much on power: deadpool was boosters only, that enough reason to buy boosters right there.

I don't follow Magic these days, the new starter pack thing is news to me. Consider the following scenario though. What if there's a really really good card in one of those plainswalker packs the sort of card that's an autoinclude if you play the colour, but it's only a 1-of in the deck and the remaining 59 cards are all rubbish binder padding? If want a playset of that card for my custom deck, I now have to fork out for 4 plainswalker packs and end up with a lot of fireplace kindling, instead of hitting it in boosters or getting it on the singles market. That's the drawback.

As opposed to it being rare/ultra rare so you gotta buy multilple booster boxes to get a play set?

And you can always pick those cards up online if you want them: When they are from a starter they are generally dirt cheap anyway, as opposed to 60$ you'll pay for one some scalper pulled out of booster.

And if you have so much leftovers hand them over to your kid brother, cousin, spouse, daughter, kid next door, if they are intrested. Put them in the spokes of your bike. It all comes down to how much you want that card.

I don't follow Magic these days, the new starter pack thing is news to me. Consider the following scenario though. What if there's a really really good card in one of those plainswalker packs the sort of card that's an autoinclude if you play the colour, but it's only a 1-of in the deck and the remaining 59 cards are all rubbish binder padding? If want a playset of that card for my custom deck, I now have to fork out for 4 plainswalker packs and end up with a lot of fireplace kindling, instead of hitting it in boosters or getting it on the singles market. That's the drawback.

As opposed to it being rare/ultra rare so you gotta buy multilple booster boxes to get a play set?

And you can always pick those cards up online if you want them: When they are from a starter they are generally dirt cheap anyway, as opposed to 60$ you'll pay for one some scalper pulled out of booster.

And if you have so much leftovers hand them over to your kid brother, cousin, spouse, daughter, kid next door, if they are intrested. Put them in the spokes of your bike. It all comes down to how much you want that card.

See, the thing is, if it's in a booster, THEN I can pick it up online and look for trades and try to beg borrow and steal, because someone opened it and put it up for sale or trade. If it's in a fixed starter pack, it WON'T be up for purchase/trade online, because no one in their right mind would open a fixed starter for singles knowing for a fact that there's only one moveable card in it - they would literally be losing money doing that.

There are no "scalpers" in Magic, it's all supply-demand economics 101. No one is price gouging anyone, singles only cost as much as people are willing to pay. If I think 60$ for a card isn't worth it, I won't buy it. If the price goes down or I find a bargain, I'll pick it up then. If it doesn't and I don't, then that means people are consistently buying it for 60$, so it turns out it is actually worth 60$. OTOH, if it's a fixed starter card, there are no economic rules and no secondary market worth, there's only the MSRP. Ie., for better or worse, it's the publisher, not the players, that dictates how much the card is worth.