WoW TCG: Prizes, fabulous prizes!
by Elizabeth Harper 
Nov 1st 2006 at 12:15PM
As you may have heard, there are two ways to receive in-game rewards from World of Warcraft's trading card game: special "loot" cards giving specific prizes and by collecting UDE points, which come with each pack of cards. You get 100 points per booster pack (which gives 200 points per starter deck, as it contains two boosters) via codes you enter on Upper Deck's website. And there are some fun rewards here, too! Beyond special wallpapers with unique artwork, there's a funky blue tabard, a trinket that sets off a unique fireworks display, and a trinket that turns you into an Ogre. The problem, however, is cost. The tabard costs 2,000 points, the fireworks trinket costs 10,000 points, and the Ogre trinket 25,000 points. So 20 booster packs, 100 booster packs, and 250 booster packs, respectively. Paying about $4.50 per booster, that's $90 for the tabard, $450 for the fireworks trinket, and $1,125 for the Ogre trinket. Yikes -- that's a heck of a financial investment for a pretty bauble.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
phatbhuda Nov 1st 2006 12:24PM
These prices are reduced. They were originally about twice that. Enough people complained though.
Hailwood Nov 1st 2006 12:45PM
I'm pretty sure there was a Penny Arcade comic about this whole thing...
AareDub Nov 1st 2006 7:14PM
Its also worth noting that the tabard, while seemingly cheap, also requires 25,000 lifetime points.
Mar Nov 1st 2006 1:13PM
I hate it when they use a game to market another.
Mike Schramm Nov 1st 2006 1:20PM
Booster packs for the TCG are $4.50? Are they made of gold or something?
EvilCheese Nov 1st 2006 1:37PM
Boosters are only $3.89, anything else is mark-up. All GameStops and EB Games around NW Ohio and online are selling boosters at $3.99 a pop, which isn't too bad since it's only 10 cent mark-up.
These rewards aren't really designed to be used in the first week of the game's release! It's more of a reward for playing the game over the course of time. So after months of playing the trading card game, and expanding your card library and whatnot, you'll acquire points to unlock stuff like this.
I think it's a nice system since it basically rewards you for something you would've already bought anyways.
DÖT Nov 1st 2006 1:51PM
they are only $3.99 in the mid-west! I bought a few packs just to see if i'd get a loot card...I didn't so I won't be buying anymore.
Diance Nov 1st 2006 2:02PM
Also booster packs aren't the only way to get points. UDE sponsored tournaments will award you points as well. They haven't clarified how many but they have hinted that top prize will be a substantial number of UDEpoints.
Elizabeth Harper Nov 1st 2006 2:19PM
The "lifetime points" requirement for the tabard has been removed -- or at least it's mysteriously vanished from Upper Deck's page.
As to booster cost, they run $3.99 or so if you buy them in a box of 24 packs (that's the cost from Upper Deck's web site, which doesn't sell boosters individually), but individual packs are marked up various amounts. Though I suppose if you were just really after these rewards, you would just buy the full boxes...
Tryst Nov 1st 2006 2:24PM
No one in frigging Los Angeles is selling this fricking game. I went to FIVE places on Saturday. :-(
Tigraine Nov 1st 2006 3:34PM
Maybe some ppl here forget that ppl buying the trading card game aren't neccarily bying it for ingame Rewards..
I guess if you are really into that trading card game they will invest a whole more than those 250 booster packs (ever asked those Magic geeks how mutch their cards costed?) .. and those will get that Ogre Trinket..
Others.. simply won't..
And .. as said.. Those points are also a reward from tournaments so the whole thing really pushes the Trading card game up .. Tournaments are good for a community, and besides getting nice Prices at the tournament you also get some nice Rewards ingame.. nothing wrong with that I guess
greetings Tigraine
Buruko Nov 1st 2006 3:30PM
They've only done one run of the cards. Meaning what they have is out there, and what is sold out will be sold out for a bit as they have to print a new batch.
I'd imagine that value of the cards in the beginning will be substainal and fall off as production increase for demand. Much like the WoW launch the TCG has had under estimated popularity.
drypulse Nov 1st 2006 4:37PM
"that's a heck of a financial investment for a pretty bauble."
it is an actual game itself....
Savok Nov 2nd 2006 12:22AM
Y'know, a couple of rare loot cards and you'd make a large chunk of that money back on Ebay.
uncaringbear Nov 2nd 2006 4:25AM
Imagine if you were able to cash in card points for useful epic items? Do I smell another revenue stream for Blizzard? Wouldn't that turn upside down???