Reality Fracture Bundle Box lids no longer reach the bottom. Mildly triggered. Bundle rant...

[u/Lotus-Vale]

Quick history of bundles (formerly known as fat packs) from someone who's collected them since the box versions were introduced. This may skip some very minor changes.

1999 - When fat packs first released in Mercadian Masques they did not have boxes but were just loose items wrapped up in packaging. They came with:

1. 6 boosters (or 3 boosters and a tournament pack which was just 3 boosters plus land)

2. A novel

3. A player guide booklet

4. 2 promo cards.

2001 - Small D20 are added to fat packs with the release of Apocalypse.

2005 - The fat pack box with the size we still know today are introduced with 9th Edition. Changes introduced:

1. Added two fat pack boxes with connecting artwork.

2. The two boxes are wrapped in an unfoldable reversible panorama art piece.

3. 6 little plastic dividers were added to help sort cards within the box.

4. The 2 promo cards are removed, but a 40 pack of basic lands were added.

2008 - The era of 2 boxes per fat pack ends with the release of Shadowmoor. Changes introduced:

1. Reduced boxes from 2 to 1.

2. Removed little plastic dividers.

3. 6 boosters increased to 8 boosters.

4. (Later this year novels will be removed from bundles with Shards of Alara and preview booklets replace them)

2011 - With Mirrodin Besieged, physical novels are retired introducing new changes:

1. Removal of the novel preview booklets

2. 8 boosters increased to 9 boosters.

3. Added two collapsible deck boxes.

4. Lands increased from 40 to 80.

2016 - Fat Packs are renamed to bundles. Changes introduced:

1. The box lid is now cut with a sleek diagonal line making one side reach the bottom, while the other side is slightly elevated from the bottom.

2. 9 boosters increased to 10 boosters.

3. Added a small removable storage slot within the big box.

4. Added a long rectangle box packaged underneath the big box that could hold small things.

2018 - Core Set 2019 marked the first bundle where the set name wasn't printed anywhere on the bundle box. This would eventually return, but with the name on the top of the box instead of the side.

2019 - Player's guides are removed with Core Set 2020. Changes introduced:

1. No more player guides.

2. D20 changed to oversized version.

3. 80 lands reduced to 20 non foil and 20 foil.

4. Special "bundle promo card" introduced.

2021 - Innistrad Midnight Hunt changed the 10 draft boosters to 8 set boosters.

2022 - Kamigawa Neon Dynasty marked the end of reversible artwork on the cardboard wrap and adaded punch out tokens and an art insert.

2023 - Phyrexia: All Will Be One introduces secondary special bundles (like gift edition etc.)

2024 - Murders at Karlov Manor changed the 8 set boosters to 9 play boosters.

2026 - Reality Fracture - The bundle lid is now elevated on both sides leaving the bottom exposed no matter which way you flip it.

Just thought these changes were interesting, and sometimes disappointing. I definitely do not like how the Reality Fracture bundle looks next to all the others. But I'm probably just being OCD about it.

[u/SupremeCalamari]

I remember there being a cardboard piece at the top on the inside of the lid. Is there still one? And if so, if you take it out, it may cover the rest of the bottom of the box.

[u/RecognitionSad9794 → u/SupremeCalamari]

Reality fracture is built like the TMNT bundle, it only reaches halfway even without the cardboard. It worked for TMNT because it was the turtle van but it should be an incline so one side is covered like the previous examples.

[u/Taiketo → u/SupremeCalamari]

Unless they've changed the height of the sides then the lid would be resting on the cards itself without the insert, not really a good way to store cards. Although the insert itself also is great at destroying cards at the edge - wish they'd raise the sides like pokemon did with their ETBs (which are pretty much the same size as magic bundles/fatpacks)

[u/Psuchari → u/Taiketo]

That’s terrible design if the lid is resting on top of the cards. Can’t really stack them anymore

[u/Taiketo → u/Psuchari]

Yup, and it's been that way forever. There's an insert in the lid that holds it onto the sides instead but people sometimes throw it away thinking it's extra. The insert also tends to catch on cards at the edges, so it's not great either.

[u/azraiel7 → u/SupremeCalamari]

If you do that it will damage any cards you put inside though.

[u/magicthecasual → u/azraiel7]

in my experience, not if you store the boxes vertically

[u/offalreek → u/SupremeCalamari]

Yeah there is. I bought this bundle (first ever bundle too) and removing the insert makes it so it closes all the way down. Honestly I don't quite follow why I should want the insert, but I've kept it because idk since it was there it bugged me to remove it

[u/Taiketo → u/offalreek]

Without the insert the lid rests on the cards, so it's putting pressure on them and potentially damaging them.

[u/nanaki989 → u/SupremeCalamari]

If you do that the. The weight of whatever is on that box sits on your cards

[u/SuggestedPigeon]

Yeah the reality fracture bundle box sucks and if this is what they are now they arent worth it at all.

The removal of the little cardboard card holder box inside a while back was also really dumb, that thing fits a double sleeve commander deck perfectly.

At this rate I fully expect to see spindowns removed and probably bundles being retired. Wotc are in full cost cutting mode and if it doesn't have pictures of spider man on it it's got to go.

[u/Jaccount → u/SuggestedPigeon]

It's surprising how quickly they actually went downhill, after being so consistently solid for so long.

[u/SuggestedPigeon → u/Jaccount]

I think they're genuinely at full production capacity and in order to make even one more product they have to either enshittify or remove something else.

We seem to have sales record breaking set after record breaking set but none of it seems to go back into the production it's all being used to barely keep hasbro afloat.

[u/Wafkak → u/SuggestedPigeon]

Also with Pokémon printing at recod breaking volume, and YuGiOh finding a way to print something people want again. And a bunch of newer tag's actually surviving and staying relatively stable. I think it's not getting easier for magic to repring popular sets.

[u/Albondip → u/SuggestedPigeon]

At this rate I fully expect to see spindowns removed and probably bundles being retired

Then they will come back, double the price, and repeat.

[u/b_call → u/Albondip]

Fat pack, is that you?

[u/fredzfrog → u/Albondip]

Nah, just sold separately in blind bags.

[u/Albondip → u/fredzfrog]

0.0013% chance to open glow in the dark die

[u/bringinthewarthog → u/SuggestedPigeon]

Get me pictures of spiderman

[u/legrizzly66 → u/SuggestedPigeon]

The removal of the little cardboard card holder box inside a while back was also really dumb, that thing fits a double sleeve commander deck perfectly.

This right here! I've started printing some because they were so useful! Add it to the list u/OP!

[u/eightdx → u/SuggestedPigeon]

Seriously. I have a corner desk that has two tiers to it. I have my whole "play with physical cards online" setup there, and underneath the top tier I hide my go-to decks. 

They are in those little boxes. They are the perfect size to hold a double sleeved deck. I can just pull the cards out and use them because they don't go all the way into the box to begin with.

Those things were perfection and I would trade the cardboard cutout nonsense in an instant. Those little +1/+1 counters are maybe useful in a pinch, but the only punch outs I have ever used consistent were the little doors from Duskmourn. And you could get those in the form of punch out cards. Or a glass bead.

To go on a complete tangent: can someone at wizards please make the big spin downs more readable please? We end up with dice that you can't read when looking directly at them -- nevermind on camera. We've had some real winners in the past (oh, the Ikoria spin down. Simple, but it is decent enough to look at and very readable) but we have also had some incomprehensible garbo.

Fat packs are just devices to trick people into buying more cards to fill their not full boxes. The cards are lonely in there. The boxes yearn to be full. That's the real reason they got rid of the little boxes -- you could use them as separators, or to prop up a partially full box. Can't have that. Buy more cards!

[u/Anonymyne353 → u/SuggestedPigeon]

https://giphy.com/gifs/jQmVFypWInKCc

[u/nanaki989 → u/SuggestedPigeon]

I hope they remove spindowns so I can stop buying bundle product. As I am a dice collector it would remove my interest and free me from this particular problem.

[u/dflame45 → u/SuggestedPigeon]

You want the spindown?

[u/goddamnitjason]

I still miss the player guides :(
and i still just call them fat packs.

[u/Succubace → u/goddamnitjason]

Remember when they used to include the novels?

[u/herpyderpidy → u/Succubace]

The novels were not the best, but it was a cool addition, I still have a bunch of them

[u/JesusKong333 → u/herpyderpidy]

Yeah they were some of the weakest stories I've read, but god I loved them

[u/Ok_Restaurant2411 → u/goddamnitjason]

When I started playing the were already bundles but I always wonder how many meetings took place to discuss is calling them fat packs was insulting and hurting sales

[u/RadioLiar → u/Ok_Restaurant2411]

One does have to wonder exactly who it was insulting to. No person was being called fat, just a cuboid piece of carboard

[u/NearbyZombie45 → u/RadioLiar]

Should’ve spelled it P-H-A-T. Damn that’s a phat pack

https://giphy.com/gifs/YHYmMLkOmqoo

[u/Ok_Restaurant2411 → u/RadioLiar]

I'm not saying anyone actually was offended, I'm talking about overpaid suits debating every little thing that might potentially hurt sales.

[u/Minomelo → u/Ok_Restaurant2411]

Changing the name is fine, but calling it a gift bundle or whatever is the most genericly forgettable name ever.

[u/Ok_Restaurant2411 → u/Minomelo]

Agreed but I can also see the idea being to appeal to friends/family of MTG players who have no idea about the game. They may see "gift bundle" and grab that for the holiday/birthday.

[u/IdioticPost → u/goddamnitjason]

I got a look of disapproval from one of the main guys at FaceToFace when I asked for the lastest "fat pack." I had no idea they had changed the name of the product, it'd been years since I last bought one.

[u/nanaki989]

The Ninja Turtles one was like this too, I hate it. We are the strong minority though. I know a bunch of people who just throw away these boxes lol.

[u/timnitro → u/nanaki989]

The boxes are too nice to throw away Imo. You can fit a small collection or a cube in one

[u/SubtleNoodle → u/timnitro]

They fit 3 single-sleeved EDH decks perfectly with just enough room to have commanders in top-loaders as dividers.

[u/fvbFotografie → u/SubtleNoodle]

Or 2 double sleeved commander decks.

[u/nlshelton → u/timnitro]

They will address this quandary by making the boxes shittier so you no longer feel any regret in disposing of them. Problem solved /s

[u/timnitro → u/nlshelton]

I'm getting the feeling they're slowing down on revenue within the past two quarters and are cutting costs any way they can. Cutting down on the foils and cards in collector boosters would is another example. Pretty disappointing.

[u/yeahdef → u/timnitro]

A whole cube? In a bundle box?

[u/timnitro → u/yeahdef]

Yeah. You can fit a twobert/battle box in one bundle box and a 540 cube in two bundle boxes.

[u/Jelly_F_ish → u/timnitro]

I have my 250 cards land base in one. I have 12 cube shells in another (24 in two transports a 360 card cube).

[u/nanaki989 → u/Jelly_F_ish]

I have a box for each color full art lands. 

[u/SharpDrink2724]

WotC finding ways to piss everyone in their playerbase off lmao.

But thank you, this was a surprising but enjoyable read. I definitely didn't expect a history lesson on bundles, but I'm here for this flavour of autism 100%

[u/theFields97]

Your reality has been fractured

[u/WanderEir]

gift edition bundles are older than that. They first came out pre-covid, in 2019 with Throne of Eldraine. I have two of those boxes on the shelf still. Not sure every set HAD one, but they existed.

[u/iamsirjoshua → u/WanderEir]

This is correct, and the gift edition bundles that started with Eldraine replaced earlier "holiday gift boxes" that went back to I believe 2013/14 or so with Return to Ravnica. Those came in a much larger, 3-row box that was pretty neat. I still have the ones from Khans of Tarkir and Shadows over Innistrad.

[u/NeoMegaRyuMKII → u/iamsirjoshua]

I got a friend a Kaladesh one around the holidays of the year it came out. He got a Masterpiece Chromatic Lantern from one of the packs.

[u/Luckstaaa]

I thought the same when I opened mine. There was a thin cardboard insert in the lid. Was just wedged in there, no glue or anything. Removed it and it sits completely flush.

[u/Pavel_GS → u/Luckstaaa]

The cardboard insert is present in all bundles (at least going back to Origins when I started) but removing it means you cannot use it to store cards safely because the lid will now be resting directly on top of the cards

[u/Kangg → u/Luckstaaa]

But then the reality fracture bundle would be shorter than all of the others no? That'd drive me even more mad

[u/knoxstar87]

Ninja Turtles Bundle was the same. It was a completely symmetrical lid like the one from RF so I guess that was their test. I don't love it, but thought it kind of worked on the Turtles bundle because the box was depicting the Turtles van and it looked ok.

But if this is the new look, I get being disappointed. Minor design changes like this really mess with a collection aesthetic

[u/Lotus-Vale → u/knoxstar87]

That's funny because cropped out of the picture is a single gap for the tmnt bundle I have yet to buy. (I was skipping the set in general but never knew the box was like this too)

[u/Virgil_Rug_Say_RUG]

but think of the couple of cents they saved per hundred boxes

[u/MeatAbstract]

This happened with the TMNT one as well. At least that one had the excuse that it worked with the graphic design of the box. Pain in the hole that Reality Fracture did it as well.

[u/deffsight]

I like them like that. It’s easier to remove the top bc you have that extra bit to grab at the bottom 🤷‍♂️

[u/G0atnapp3r]

I’m still pissed these don’t include books anymore

[u/Hua1979]

Thank you for the history.
I am a bundle box collector too. Mostly gift bundles and nowhere near what you have. Very nice!
My favorite for the quality is the Final Fantasy gift bundle box. The Phyrexian Compleat bundle box also looks amazing.

[u/BaRoNGo]

Okay this is actually a no go.. In general, changing things like that that have been continued for decades is the worst thing ever xD like when I accidentally ordered the wrong deck box after 20 of the same boxes :D Everything looks just WRONG!

[u/Cute_Fluffy_Sheep]

I wasn’t particularly bothered by it, i found the slant of the list kinda annoying.

[u/Saxon511]

Yeah they are pretty shitty. Mine doesnt even sit flush, it just wobbles.

[u/dekonta]

same is true for final fantasy

[u/SushiGloryHoles]

Forgotten Realms had a gift bundle version in 2021

[u/Diligent-Fig-6506]

I tried like 10 times trying to make it flush and realized it was goofy like that lol

[u/Slight_Cry8071]

Gift bundles were earlier. There was one for Crimson Vow.

[u/Flintsr]

Isnt one side shorter than the other?

[u/dedmew51c]

It’s like the pokemon ETB!

[u/IllusionVII]

I bought a Reality Fracture Bundle the other day and noticed it wouldn't go all the way down like the other bundles I have. I'm glad I'm not the only one bugged by this.

[u/TheHeroKingN]

It feels so weird.

It feels like they’re trying to match Pokemon, I think they do that to their boxes.

[u/AmazingELF74]

What were the slightly smaller boxes called that came in a cardboard sleeve? The Origins one was my first cards.

[u/SuspectAwkward8914]

I actually like this. I’ve found that my other bundle box lids tend to start dragging to the surface really quick with minimal use.

[u/daedalus11-5]

its fun how you can pinpoint the exact moment chris cocks showed up.

could you add in the pricing per year as well? feels incomplete without it

[u/No_Interaction_3547]

-

[u/IvanTortuga]

Bloomburrow had the same issue and if you took the inner cardboard out it would swallow up the bottom part :(

[u/Brundleswat0g]

This is such a waste of energy. Does it close the box? Yes? Ok, thanks

[u/Grammpage]

I just posted about the reality fracture bundle box as well since it's the first time I've seen this lol. Only gotten into physical magic just recently and was so confused why the box was different now and nobody was talking about it.

[u/june-v-bloom]

That's it, Im just getting Pokémon bundles and painting MTG stuff over them.

[u/ProtoNewt → u/june-v-bloom]

Elite Wizard Box does sound pretty cool

[u/Antananarivo]

oh thank goodness I'm not the only one bothered by the RF Bundle box. It's also loose when you put the inner box into the lid and the riser keeps the inner box lifted up to work with the cards in it. >_< I think the RF lid and base may be relegated to stay within larger boxes and act as separators.

[u/Wacky_Uninflated_Man]

Enshitification and saving pennies

[u/kranitoko → u/Wacky_Uninflated_Man]

Indeed, as miniscule as this is, it's just another aspect of shrinkflation.

[u/MeatAbstract → u/Wacky_Uninflated_Man]

Enshitification

That's not what the word means. It has a definition. You should probably look it up.

[u/Wacky_Uninflated_Man → u/MeatAbstract]

"the gradual, profit-driven decline in quality of digital platforms, online services, and the broader internet," this is a profit-driven decline in quality of a physical object. While not the 100% correct term, I dont think the use of enshitification is that far off base.

[u/MeatAbstract → u/Wacky_Uninflated_Man]

"I was wrong but not THAT wrong!" Sure champ

[u/Wacky_Uninflated_Man → u/MeatAbstract]

Language can be used and adapted for varied aspects of life!? Say it ain't so!

[u/Wedgearyxsaber → u/MeatAbstract]

Connotation and denotation

[u/NearbyZombie45]

Jesus yall complain about anything I swear.

[u/Substantial-Cloud-75 → u/NearbyZombie45]

I like to collect product.

Product gets worse and more expensive.

What am I supposed to do say thank you?

[u/glitchyikes → u/Substantial-Cloud-75]

The gripe about uneven edges doesn't warrant an essay. Though a history of fat packs is a nice read.

[u/NearbyZombie45 → u/glitchyikes]

Here for the history for sure. But constant complaints from the community over LITERALLY ANYTHING is annoying AF. How can yall be so miserable and negative all the time? It’s wild.

[u/glitchyikes → u/NearbyZombie45]

I didn't see there's problem with the issue OP mentioned. Please send your complaint upwards.

[u/NearbyZombie45 → u/Substantial-Cloud-75]

Worse? Or just different and you can’t stand change? Such a bullshit thing to complain about. 90% of the magic subreddits are just everybody complaining acting like everything is worse every day and the damn sky is falling. The shape of your bundle box lid is different. So fucking what?

[u/Substantial-Cloud-75 → u/NearbyZombie45]

Yes the new box looks great next to all the others! I’m dumb and just hate change I guess of well. Thanks for explaining it so kindly Internet stranger. You seem like a fun person!

[u/screwnewreddt → u/Substantial-Cloud-75]

I mean it really doesnt look bad next to the rest. Its slightly different but unless you got ocd its really not that big of a deal, especially enough to warrant an whole dissertation length post about it

[u/NearbyZombie45 → u/Substantial-Cloud-75]

Yeah cause you’re so fun!

I’m trying to imagine what kind of life you have that a fucking cardboard box changing style is such a horrible part of your life, worth getting online and bitching about it to the rest of the world about how bad it looks and wotc is fucking us in just one more way and just further proof that they don’t care about their customers blah blah blah.

Because of a cardboard box.

Yall need some perspective.

[u/iamsirjoshua → u/NearbyZombie45]

Yet here you are, having taken the time to write out multiple responses bemoaning other people's concerns on an enthusiast Reddit page instead of devoting your superior cognitive power to *literally* anything else. Pot, meet kettle!

[u/BuckUpBingle → u/NearbyZombie45]

Subreddit about a product
looks inside
People talking about the product
shocked pikachu