Prerelease weekend for Marvel Super Heroes, the latest Universes Beyond set for Magic: The Gathering, saw a mixed response according to a poll conducted by Wizards of the Coast.
In the poll, which asked Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores how their Marvel Super Heroes prerelease weekend went, 43 percent of respondent said the event went either "positive" or "very positive." Likewise, 43 percent of respondents said the prerelease weekend was either "negative" or "very negative." The "negative" response received the highest overall score with 40 percent of respondents choosing it. Sixteen percent of respondents said the prerelease weekend experience was a "neutral" one.
"Pre-release attendance is weak, and massive complaints about the bundle and commander decks," says Wil Goodrich of Red Dragon Gaming in Portland, Ind.
Brandon Amico, Director of Marketing and Customer Engagement at Gamers' Haunt in Asheville, N.C., saw similar underwhelming attendance numbers.
"Barely more than Spider-Man or TMNT, which were abysmal," he says. "Players by and large don’t want Marvel sets, so we sit on that product for months and months, while there isn’t enough in-universe sets to keep us stocked past the first few weeks."
Some, like Amico, are blaming the set's source material (Marvel Comics) and contemporary setting.
"People just don't want superheroes in Magic," says Michael Epstein of Omar's World of Comics in Lexington, Mass. "We have so many players who've specifically come in to buy non-UB packs in some sort of protest and it's looking like we're not going to even sell out of the [Marvel Super Heroes] Collector boosters in a week like we usually do."
"Same here," adds Ian Struckhoff of The Fourth Place in Hanover, N.H. "My audience drops off dramatically for non-fantasy UB sets."
Others are blaming product fatigue for the way this latest set is being received by players and stores alike.
"Like, we just had Strixhaven, and haven't even really gotten a chance to explore card synergy or combos, and now BOOM, new set," comments tournament grinder Jonathon Deleon. "All the while you guys are pushing two more sets before this set even released with The Hobbit and [Reality Fracture] hitting Amazon preorders six months in advance prior to us actual stores even getting our preorders in with our distributors."
Though some WPN stores reported very good prerelease weekend attendance and initial sales for the set.
"Sold 209 tickets before we even fired our first event, just as strong as Secrets of Strixhaven," says Will Schultz of Many Realms in Las Vegas, Nev.
Magic: The Gathering's next release will also be a Universes Beyond set. The Hobbit is scheduled to come out on Aug. 14 with its prerelease to take place on Aug. 7 through the 13th.
