There was already a lot of hype around Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy set, as evidenced by pre-orders of the Commander decks selling out almost instantly. However, following recent previews, the price of Collector Booster boxes has shot up to over $700 online. With a lot of cool art treatments restricted to Collector Boosters, it may be tempting to shell out for one of these expensive boxes, but it would probably make more sense to wait a little while to see what happens.

One possible cause for the sudden spike in Final Fantasy Collector Booster prices was the announcement of a serialized Golden Chocobo, which is only available in English boxes. This would for the fact that Japanese Collector Booster boxes cost around $500. While not as rare as Magic's One Ring card, which sold to Post Malone for two million dollars, this Golden Chocobo looks in-kweh-dible as Barret Wallace would say, and will likely fetch a high price. However, if you're not Chocobo hunting, then waiting a bit to buy a Collector box may be the right call.

Final Fantasy Collector Boosters Won't Stay At $700

Prices May Dip Down Before Going Back Up

Following the official release of Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy, I expect there will be a time when Collector Booster boxes drop below their current price. I think the most reliable way this could happen is if the 77 Golden Chocobos get pulled early on. According to MTG Stocks, the market price of a Lord of The Rings Collector Booster box dropped $100 the day after the One Ring was found and took another year to climb back up to over $500. That's even with the set completely reshaping the Modern format, which I'm not sure Final Fantasy will.

That said, I don't think Final Fantasy Collector Boosters will necessarily stay cheaper than $700 down the line. Once the set is out of print, it will likely go back up, similar to what we saw with Lord of the Rings. Still, I would anticipate there will be at least some amount of time when people who buy boxes on spec just want to make some money back and sell for less. That said, if you're looking for a specific card from Final Fantasy's Collector Boosters, your best bet will probably be to buy it individually on the secondary market.

Buying Singles Will Likely Cost Far Less Than Cracking Packs

Some Cards Exclusive To Collector Boxes Are Relatively Cheap

Again, this advice isn't for anyone trying to find the Golden Chocobo. I'm guessing that the card will cost significantly more than $700, though the likelihood that someone will find it by only buying one Collector box is also pretty low. That said, if you're looking for one of the other colorful Chocobos, a specific Final Fantasy: Through the Ages card, or if you're like me and want all the FF7 skywheel date options, then you're likely going to be able to buy the singles you want for less than $700.

For instance, the skywheel cards are a reprint of Secret Rendezvous, a relatively weak Magic: The Gathering card, so I was already able to pre-order the Barret and Yuffie versions for around two dollars each on TCGPlayer (though the Aerith version was predictably sold out). While a mythic rare like Traveling Chocobo will definitely be worth more, especially since it's mechanically unique, I'd be surprised to see the Neon Ink versions creep up over $700. Honestly, even if they match the price of a Collector Booster box, it would still make more sense to guarantee getting the one you want.

If you can afford a Collector Booster box of Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy set, and you want to try and score some chase cards, there's nothing wrong with that. However, if you're not able to spend $700 on cardboard, you shouldn't feel too discouraged. It is likely you will still be able to get some of the cards you want from the set at a lower price. Alternatively, if you want anything but the Golden Chocobo, you can consider buying a Japanese booster box for $200 less.

Source: MTG Stocks, TCGPlayer