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Duskmourn season is officially in full swing! I pre-ordered some booster packs from my LGS, along with the Miracle Worker Commander deck. The deck needed some upgrades, but has promise to be an entertaining list. My son and I opened the booster packs through a series of Pack Wars, and I even did fairly decently value-wise with the cards I pulled.
Why, then, am I choosing to write about March of the Machine this week, a set that was released a year-and-a-half ago? There are two reasons.
First, this set hasn't gotten the attention it deserves when it comes to noteworthy cards. March of the Machine contains some absolute bangers that any player would love to crack open. Second, coincidentally, my 12-year-old son and I just finished opening a booster box of the set for a series of Pack Wars games. As a result, knowing the cards I hoped to open with each pack is fairly fresh in mind.
What were the cards I hoped to open with every draft booster pack we opened? Let's have a look at the most noteworthy singles, breaking them down into two categories (because there was a shot at two rares per pack): the base set and the Multiverse Legends.
March of the Machine Base Set Creatures
I would frequently find myself hoping to open a gigantic, rare/mythic creature in each booster. The Praetors headlined the set, and would all have been powerful and valuable to see in the box I cracked. Urabrask was the number one card I hoped for, but Sheoldred and Elesh Norn were not far behind!
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The Blue and Green Praetors, Jin-Gitaxias and Vorinclex would also have been exciting to see, and would have made a significant in both that individual game of Pack Wars as well as my collection of potential cards for Commander. The only one I saw of the five mythics was Jin-Gitaxias, which was a bit disappointing given how powerful and exciting these cards are. Alas, there are only so many mythic rares in a booster box, so I can't complain too much about the variance.
Then there were a couple non-praetor, legendary creatures I wanted to see in my booster packs--another pair of HUGE creatures (this time, dinosaurs)!
First and foremost, especially in games I was behind against my son, I crossed my fingers and hoped to draw an Etali, Primal Conqueror off the top of the deck. The 7/7 legendary elder dinosaur has the ability to catch you up in games of Magic when you are significantly behind. It is particularly strong in Limited, and I see the creature hit the battlefield (often through Sneak Attack effects or cards like Reanimate) in LSV's Vintage draft videos all the time. It not only singlehandedly wins games, but it also singlehandedly makes your booster pack profitable, being worth about $10.
Less valuable, but not less powerful, is Ghalta and Mavren, a seven-mana dinosaur vampire that boasts an impressive stat line: 12/12 Trample WITH significant upside when it attacks. I guess Ghalta and Mavren doesn't have the same profound effect on a game as Etali, Primal Conqueror, but a 12/12 trample must be dealt with the game will quickly come to an end.
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Besides Etali, Primal Conqueror, one of the most valuable creatures from March of the Machine is surprisingly tiny and unsuspecting. I knew the card was worth something, so when I cracked open Faerie Mastermind I did a quick fist pump before casting the creature. Granted, it had almost no impact on our Draft Wars game, where I promptly lost to my son's far-more-powerful cards. Still, Faerie Mastermind has maintained a $10 price tag thanks to its utility in Standard, particularly in the
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March of the Machine Base Set Noncreatures
While many of March of the Machine's headliner cards are powerful creatures, I also found myself hoping for a couple iconic spells from the set. In particular, I was hoping to pull one of two sorceries, two enchantments, and one legendary artifact.
The number one sorcery I hoped to see (and did once) was Sunfall.
If I had a nickel for every time my opponent played this card against me in a game of Standard on Arena, I'd be able to purchase a copy or two of this card. It's such a powerful way to end the threat from an aggressive deck, leaving behind a relevant body to attack back with on the next turn. With how powerful this wrath effect is, I'm surprised it's only worth around $5. I suppose it is a little too slow to keep up with the current, hyper-aggro metagame but Domain and Mono-White Tokens both take advantage of the sweeper to maintain control in a game.
The other sorcery I hoped to see most often was Breach the Multiverse, an incredible, often game-ending spell. You won't see this one show up in Standard all that often, but it definitely was a house in Limited back when March of the Machine was the premier draft on Arena. Its popularity in Commander, however, is what buoys the card's price tag.
Moving on, the two enchantments I hoped to see from March of the Machine were City on Fire and Tribute to the World Tree. I don't see these enchantments all that often on Arena, which tells me these are also likely Commander cards.
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The word "triple" on City on Fire is all I need to see to be convinced that this will be a Commander and casual hit. Players love doubling their effects, so tripling them seems 50% better! As for Tribute to the World Tree, the card screams synergy in any Green-based deck that runs a bunch of creatures. For just three mana, this enchantment can hit the battlefield early in a game and snowball quickly.
The last base set card I want to shout out is Ozolith, the Shattered Spire.
The original The Ozolith, printed back in Ikoria, sells for around $30. A twist on the classic artifact in March of the Machine is not surprisingly also an in-demand Magic card. This one is Green instead of colorless, limiting its utility a little bit, but it plays exceptionally well in a +1/+1 counter themed deck, a popular choice amongst Commander players.
A Quick Nod to Multiverse Legends
This article is focused on March of the Machine, but I can't simply ignore the number one, most valuable (non-foil) card that could be opened from a draft booster pack of the set. It just so happens that the card is part of a subset of cards with their own set symbol and three letter code: Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer.
This little monkey pirate sells for around $30 and is hugely popular in Commander, Cube, and even eternal formats like Modern. Reading what this card does, it's no wonder it sees so much play and carries a hefty price tag. The card does a ton for just one mana, and the dash keyword means it can hit the battlefield and surprise an unsuspecting opponent before hopping back to safety. I also appreciate the treatment and border of this particular version of the card.
Beyond monkey pirates, there were a couple other noteworthy creatures in Multiverse Legends I would have loved to see in my booster packs. Most notably, there are some heavy hitting creatures that are powerful and worth at least a few bucks. This includes the original Praetors: Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger; Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur; Sheoldred, Whispering One; Urabrask the Hidden; and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
Even more noteworthy than the Praetors are a couple reprints that really pack a punch. Atraxa, Praetors' Voice is a Commander staple that saw a much-needed reprint in this set. Aurelia, the Warleader was another popular creature that saw a reprint.
Lastly, I want to give a shoutout to everybody's favorite Phyrexian Dragon Skeleton, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon (nicknamed "Skittles" for short). I jam this in Commander myself, and the copy I play is from Multiverse Legends because the new reprint suddenly made the creature affordable. The full-frame Black-and-White art is also pretty sweet!
Wrapping It Up
With so many powerful cards to open in March of the Machine, one may ask how I did with my booster box? If I'm honest, it was mildly underwhelming. On the plus side, I did manage to open Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, so the box wasn't a complete bust. Other hits included Sunfall, Faerie Mastermind, and Ozolith, Shattered Spire. Unfortunately, I also opened a long list of underwhelming, sub-$1 rares to bring the box's total value down below par.
At the end of the day, I didn't crack open the box for its expected value. Opening worthwhile cards is also a plus, but the fact that cracking booster packs and jamming mini-games of Pack Wars with my son is the real reward. He's been playing Magic for a few years now, but every time I try to engage him in constructed play (namely Commander), he shies away, even if I play inferior decks. Knowing there's a level playing field, where we each crack a booster pack or two with unknown contents, gives him a bit of added confidence that he can compete and win with the right amount of luck.
Typically, that luck serves a dual purpose: opening a powerful rare to win the game while also contributing something meaningful to my trade binder. Because of this double benefit, I can see myself cracking open a few more booster boxes going forward. It's not the best option value-wise, but when combined with entertaining gameplay and a chance to bond with my nearly teenage son, I'd say it's well worth the investment.
