Find out why this change is both good and bad news.
Wizards of the Coast announced yesterday that, beginning with Nauctis: The Sunken Realm, the first Magic set of 2027, Play Boosters are being renamed simply to "Booster Packs," and Foil Common and Uncommon cards will no longer be included in this product.
"We're removing foil common and uncommon cards from Booster Packs, and we're no longer guaranteeing a foil card in every pack. Feedback from players has consistently been that these have lost the luster they might have once had. If you do open a foil card in a Booster Pack, it will be a rare or mythic rare card," Wizards of the Coast announced.
If you're looking to pull a Foil Common or Uncommon variant, you'll need to open a Collector Booster.
"Similarly, Collector Boosters will be removing two commons and one uncommon from the foil slots, and those three cards will not be replaced. The common and uncommon cards were the least-exciting parts of these opening experiences and were often passed over. We're still keeping some number of foil common and uncommon cards in Collector Boosters, as they won't be available in Booster Packs," Wizards of the Coast added.
This is bad news for master-set collectors, as completing a collection will become both more difficult and more expensive. However, most players and collectors probably won't miss these cards, since Foil cards are prone to warping and are often less desirable for use in decks.
I personally won't miss Foil Commons and Uncommons, but I'm not looking forward to wondering whether the Booster Pack I purchased has been weighed to skim out the Foil Rares and Mythics.
Unfortunately, this change will also most likely increase demand for Collector Boosters, which already sell out quickly in my area regardless of the set.
There is some good news coming with these changes, however. Wizards of the Coast says Booster Packs will have increased drop rates for Foil Rare and Mythic Rare cards, while Japan Showcase cards, which were previously exclusive to Collector Boosters, will also be able to appear in the wildcard slot of Booster Packs in Traditional Foil.
The biggest addition is the introduction of God Packs. Starting with Nauctis: The Sunken Realm, one in every 1,000 Booster Packs will contain a special God Pack featuring 10 non-foil Rare and/or Mythic Rare cards, two non-foil Booster Fun Rare and/or Mythic Rare cards, and two Traditional Foil Booster Fun Rare and/or Mythic Rare cards, along with a special celebration card. Collector Boosters will also have their own God Packs, appearing approximately once in every 300 packs and featuring an even more premium selection of foil and Booster Fun cards.
Wizards says these changes will not come with a price increase. The company explained that removing the less-popular foil Common and Uncommon slots will help free up both printing capacity and complexity for features such as God Packs and Japan Showcase cards.
Sources:
- Blake Rasmussen. "Updating Our Boosters in 2027." magic.wizards.com. October 5, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.