How to start collecting Magic cards
Choose a Magic focus, learn what each Wizards product holds, buy where Wizards directs you, match the exact printing and check foils for curl.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
Start by deciding what to collect, because a single Magic card can exist in dozens of printings. Pick one focus, such as one set, one card or one style of card, and decide what complete means. Then buy the product that actually holds that kind of card: singles for exact cards, Booster Packs for a set’s general mix and Collector Boosters for special versions and foils. Buy sealed product from a store Wizards of the Coast directs you to, match the exact printing before you buy a single, and check foils for curl.
Step 1: what should you collect first?
Choose a focus you can say in one sentence.
| Focus | What you collect | A real example | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| One set | Every card on one set’s list | Foundations (FDN) has 771 cards | Foundations |
| One card | A favorite card in all its printings | Giant Growth has 37 printings: a common in Foundations, an uncommon in the Mystical Archive | Rarities |
| One treatment | Special versions, such as borderless, showcase or extended-art cards | Collector Boosters hold all three | Foil types |
| One crossover | A set named for another franchise | The Hobbit, Marvel Super Heroes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are among Wizards’ sets available now | Release dates |
| Secret Lair | Drops from one Wizards series | The Secret Lair Drop Series is its own product from Wizards | Secret Lair |
What does complete mean for a Magic set?
Decide before you buy, because a set’s full list can be much longer than its count of different cards. Foundations has 771 cards, and many appear in it more than once: Herald of Eternal Dawn has six Foundations printings, numbered 17, 299, 368, 423, 433 and 446. Our Foundations guide counts the repeats and shows where the second run of new cards starts, so you can choose between one copy of each card and every printing.
Gatherer can do the sorting for you. Its search page takes s: for a set code and r: for a rarity, so typing s:fdn r:m lists the mythic rares of Foundations. Swap the code and the letter (c, u, r or m) to build a checklist for any set. Our rarities guide explains what each rarity means and how to read the set symbol’s color.
Step 2: what does each Wizards product hold?
Each product delivers a different kind of card, so match it to your focus.
| Product | Rare or higher cards | Foils | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booster Pack (the Play Booster) | At least 1 per pack | At least 1 per pack, until the 2027 change below | A set’s general mix of cards |
| Collector Booster | 5 to 6 per pack | 8 to 10 per pack, and more | Showcase, borderless and extended-art cards |
| Bundle | Check the box | 1 foil alternate-art promo card | Booster packs and accessories in one box |
| Starter Kit | 8: 2 mythic rares and 6 rares | 2 traditional foils | Wizards’ entry-level kit |
| A single | The exact card you choose | Your choice of finish | Bought by printing and condition |
The main booster is the general pack, and the Collector Booster is the one built around special treatments. Our guide to Magic Collector Boosters breaks down one set’s pack in detail.
What changes in 2027?
On October 5, 2026, Wizards said the Play Booster is now simply called the Booster Pack. Starting with Nauctis, the first set of 2027, it set out these changes:
- Booster Packs lose their foil commons and uncommons and no longer promise a foil in every pack. Any foil you open will be a rare or mythic rare.
- Japan Showcase cards, until now found only in Collector Boosters, can turn up in traditional foil in Booster Packs.
- Collector Boosters lose two commons and one uncommon from their foil positions, and those three cards are not replaced.
Wizards said the changes come with no price adjustments. For a new collector the practical effect is simple: if foil commons and uncommons are part of your focus, Wizards says they stay in Collector Boosters and leave Booster Packs, so look to Collector Boosters or singles for sets from 2027 on.
Step 3: where should you buy?
Start with the sources Wizards itself names:
- A local store. Wizards’ site links a store locator from its main menu.
- Sealed product in person. Booster boxes should be sealed in plastic and carry a Wizards stamp, and vertical heat lines on a pack’s seal show it has not been opened.
- Online, in North America. Stores displaying Wizards’ Authorized Internet Retailer logo are approved to sell sealed product online, and a North American store without the logo is not.
Wizards cannot compensate buyers caught by a counterfeit sale, though it takes reports. Our guide to spotting fake Magic cards covers the checks, and finding a local card shop and your first card show cover buying in person. For singles online, see buying raw cards online.
Step 4: how do you check a single before you buy it?
Run the same four checks every time:
- Which printing is it? Most Magic cards show their set symbol at the center right, below the art, but some sets reprint earlier cards with their original symbols, so a symbol alone can mislead. Match the set code and collector number, as our guide to checking Magic card prices shows.
- What condition is it in? TCGplayer’s marketplace sorts cards into five conditions, from best to worst: Near Mint, then Lightly Played, Moderately Played and Heavily Played, then Damaged. It treats a card with an added stamp, signature, paint or marker as Damaged. Our guide to card condition grades explains each step.
- Is it genuine? Our fake Magic card guide covers the checks that leave a card unharmed.
- What does it sell for? Look for a dated sold listing for that exact printing and finish. As of October 12, 2026, Rip.fan’s own price pages cover Pokémon only, so for Magic use the method in our price guide above.
Step 5: how should you store Magic cards?
Magic cards are standard size. Ultimate Guard’s standard sleeves measure 66 by 91 mm, fit Magic cards, and are acid free with no PVC. Sleeve every card you care about, and move your best cards into a toploader or a binder.
Foils need one extra habit. TCGplayer says foil cards, Magic foils in particular, may be more prone to curling, and that weather and changing temperatures can warp foils in transit. It adds that a foil can show a slight warp even when it went straight from the pack into a toploader. For a warped card it suggests laying the card inside a hefty hardcover book, piling a few more books on top and leaving it for a couple of days. TCGplayer also treats curl as a condition issue on its marketplace, so check a foil’s flatness in the photos before you buy one.
Keep the cards somewhere cool and dry. Our guide to storing trading cards gives the archive humidity figures behind that advice, and our guides to card sleeves and holders and building a card binder go further.
What comes after the first cards?
Keep a simple record of each card: set code, collector number, finish, language and condition. That record makes pricing and insuring easier, as our guide to organizing a collection shows. When a card looks worth grading, see grading Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece cards. When you are ready to part with cards, selling Magic cards covers listings and fees.
The trading card hub gathers our Magic, One Piece and Lorcana coverage, including starting a One Piece collection and starting a Lorcana collection. Start here has reading paths through the whole site.
Frequently asked questions
How many packs are in a Magic booster box?
For Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a Play Booster box holds 30 Play Boosters of 14 cards, and a Collector Booster box holds 12 Collector Boosters of 15 cards.
What is in a Magic Bundle?
A Tarkir: Dragonstorm or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bundle holds 9 Play Boosters and 30 basic lands, 15 of them in traditional foil, plus a card-storage box. The 2023 Wilds of Eldraine Bundle held 8 Set Boosters and 40 basic lands.
What is in a Prerelease Pack?
A Tarkir: Dragonstorm Prerelease Pack holds 5 Play Boosters, a 14-card Prerelease Booster themed to one of the set's 5 clans, a traditional foil year-stamped rare or mythic rare and a deck box.
Do Magic packs hold art cards?
Some do. Every Wilds of Eldraine Set Booster held one. Some of those art cards were foil stamped with the artist's signature or the Planeswalker symbol.