This January we return to Volcor, seemingly right where Arakni left off after committing regicide on the Emperor himself. This set will include the classes of Warrior, Ninja, and of course, Assassin. With our two new heroes: Cindra, Dracai of Retirbution, and Fang, Dracai of Blades, along with what appears to be a slew of Arakni shadows, LSS will continue to weave the tale of Rathe, and hopefully give us some deeper insight into who or what Arakni really is.
This set boasts 265 cards, making it the second largest normal printed set outside of Monarch to date, and an impressive 17 marvels. Rosetta had 24 marvels total, but I’m expecting to see this treatment in The Hunted to be a bit more upscale. We already know seven of those 17 will be “Arakni” variants to some degree, which leaves only 10 marvels to fill out the collection. My bold prediction is that these will be some of the most expensive marvels we have seen yet, and like it or not, that plays a role in the newly updated price for a booster box of The Hunted.
Prior to The Hunted, recent FAB sets had an MSRP (Manufacturer suggested retail price) of $109.90, and a UPP (Unilateral Price Policy) of -20%. What this really means is that most stores have boxes available to purchase for $87.92, and booster packs for $3.66. The new MSRP for The Hunted is $119.90, and a UPP of $99.90, which becomes your new box price, and a new pack price of $4.16. I firmly believe this adjustment in price will push players into purchasing singles over sealed product to a degree we have not seen before.
Flesh and Blood, now into it’s fifth year has made tremendous headway in the world of TCG’s. Recently announcing the Player of the Year campaign, it’s clear to see that Legend Story Studios has their eyes set not just on the game, but the player experience all the way from the top to the bottom. There are over 130 major events already planned for 2025, and a product roadmap that rivals any major company. The one glaring hole in the armor of FAB is the collectability of higher end cards. TCG’s naturally create a secondary economy, one that requires buyers and sellers alike. It’s a unique ecosystem comprised of budget players, and whales (players who invest large amounts of money into the financial side of collectables) who make the cardboard world turn.
Many companies like our own rely on that collectability as our business model. In order to support a robust competitive tournament scene, players need cards. It’s financially unrealistic to pull the individual cards you need for a deck by opening your own boxes. It is almost always cheaper to purchase the individual cards needed, but those cards still need to be opened by someone. When stores look to convert sealed product into singles, they attempt to gauge the EV (expected value) of a given box. If a booster box costs a store $100 from a distributor, and they plan on opening that product for singles, they need to open more than $100 in value from that box to profit.
It’s safe to assume that an increase in MSRP for The Hunted will also lead to an increased cost for stores to purchase boxes. A higher price tag will ideally protect the value of the box, and the singles inside. When the EV of a booster box is high, it encourages stores and players to open those boxes for singles. The inverse is also true. I cannot tell you the last time we opened a box of Monarch Unlimited for singles, because the gamble to break even is so lopsided in the wrong direction. A higher base price for The Hunted, if properly packed with necessary, beautiful, and powerful cards could help to wright the ship of collectability that has been floundering.
When we look back at many of the original collector staples of Flesh and Blood, especially the Cold Foils from the first three sets, we see massive attrition in value. Many of these cards are down to a fraction of their all-time high prices, and the supply hasn’t grown substantially, if at all. The collectability of 1st edition cards is currently in a state of duress. In comparison, we see cards like the Mechropotent, and the Marvel Command and Conquer maintaining their value, and aging well into the new collectability scene.
It’s important that the game offers cards like the marvel version of C&C to collectors, in the same way it’s important that the white boarder version stay under $100. We need to see a strong return to collectability and value in the face of a functional $12 price increase per box. The consumer needs to be reassured that when their almost $100 booster box is opened, they maintain a reasonable amount of that value in the cards opened. LSS has the opportunity to create a new base level of value in The Hunted, and justify this price increase with great cards worth actually keeping in your binder. I personally hope to see more full art chase cards, and unique alt art equipment.
The Hunted is currently available to pre-order from MinMaxGames, and once we tear through our own boxes, singles will be available too.
