How to get a loot card for yourself
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 8th 2007 at 4:38PM
The Queen of Spades on WoW LJ asks the million dollar question about Upper Deck's loot cards: so how many do I have to buy to really get one?Good question. nantena points us to this thread over on Upper Deck's site that has the odds set from the Heroes of Azeroth loot cards at 1:96 packs for the tabard, 1:288 packs for the Hippogryph pet, and 1:566 packs for the turtle. That means you have to buy 566 packs, which is about 24 boxes (there were 24 packs per box in Heroes of Azeroth) at about $60 each, just to mathematically come close the odds you need. That's already $1,440, and even then, considering all the cards are randomly placed, you're not guaranteed a card.
Now, the latest set is a little easier-- March of the Legion has more cards per pack, and the odds on the loot cards are better. We don't know what they are, but you'd probably get at least one loot card (and probably more) if you shelled out $1,000 right away. However, if all you want is the loot card itself (you could get a nice tournament set out of $1,000, no doubt), you're better off checking prices on eBay. $500 for a Spectral Tiger seems like a lot (and trust me, it is-- if you're spending $500 on a virtual item, you have too much money), but it's nothing compared to what you'd have to spend trying to grab the card randomly.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, How-tos, Odds and ends, Economy, WoW TCG
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gelfran Nov 9th 2007 6:25AM
After adding all of my UDE points cards together, I have bought about 121 packs of the cards across all of the sets. I currently have the tabard of the flame (epic tabard ftw), a baby Hippogryph pet, and the rest and relaxation hibachi grill loot cards. The people I play with have pulled goblin gumbo, the turtle mount, and the baby monkey pet. And remember, they are bumping the amount of cards in each pack from 15 to 19, and promised that the loot cards will be easier to find :).
Scylloga Nov 8th 2007 4:52PM
[quote]$500 for a Spectral Tiger seems like a lot (and trust me, it is-- if you're spending $500 on a virtual item, you have too much money)[/quote]
Check out secondlife.com people spend real money for virtual money daily.
Warlock Nov 8th 2007 6:27PM
Who spends $1000 on the TCG just for the loot card?
Seriously, they are not that rare. I bought two boxes of Fires of Outland - $60 each. I got the Gumbo and Fishing Chair loot cards (one in each box).
I'm pretty sure those odds are off.
Gene Nov 8th 2007 4:58PM
Why is this version of gold farming /selling ok? It is the same concept you spend real money to get in game stuff the only difference is that with gold sellers you know what you are getting and with the cards it is up to chance.
Oh, Wait!!!! I get it with the cards Blizz gets a cut of the profit!!!!!
Ghen Nov 8th 2007 5:03PM
@2 uh, duh.
Karl Nov 8th 2007 5:03PM
@1...Yeah, but this does not qualify them as sane people.
If you think it does, I have a really nice canal I can sell you virtually. You can be the only one that is allowed to cross through it...virtually.
*Legal Notice: I take no responisibility for any actions, legal or personal, that might, should, will or did occur from you blocking traffic through the Panama canal. Limiting purchase of one virtual canal per customer.
Rob Nov 8th 2007 5:06PM
I have no problem admitting that I purchased the tabard of flame and the fishing chair on ebay. Think it was $20 for the tabard and $38 for the fishing chair. Compared to the cost of packs it was a bargain. Especially if you are not into the trading card game.
hpavc Nov 8th 2007 5:12PM
This distribution of cards in the tcg world is pretty well understood. You do need to know how many of thee high value cards / replacement frequency are in a printing run and you have the number. They simply replace another known option card slot and since they are replacing a card they aren't going to occur twice in the same pack.
They are not 'randomly' placed in the sense that they might never occur.
People often open boxes with knowledge of the cutting and packing mechanism and are able to pick the exact booster pack and get a special card or an alternate pack.
If upperdeck is 'shuffling' cards within booster boxes great, but the box still represents a cutting + additions.
Paul Nov 8th 2007 5:21PM
ah, i remember the good old days of M:TG revised edition, when you could push the 4th card in a booster pack up to the top to read what the rare was in the pack before you bought it...
Drew Nov 8th 2007 5:51PM
The only way I would want to be represent the card game by having a loot card would be if I actually thought it was any good. I know the spectral tiger is by far the coolest mount in the game, and trust me, that means a lot for me, but saying: "I paid $500 for it" or "I play the card game" which is the only 2 options, (except: "my little brother plays the card game but not wow", yeah right!) is not something I would be proud of.
KCV Nov 8th 2007 6:40PM
@2 Gold farmers sell you gold so you can "theoretically" purchase things to gain an advantage, none of the loot cards qualify for this because they are only cosmetic.
The mount allows you to purchase the mount for gold it does not give you the mount.
YPEELS40 Nov 8th 2007 6:43PM
...supporting ebay to buy Loot cards...
The same people that would buy that, would buy gold.. this is a very borderline topic.. i hope we dont start seeing gold selling and powerleveling banners on the website.
TotalBiscuit Nov 8th 2007 9:33PM
@2 - Oh look, it's yet another 'rage against the machine' kiddie on WoW Insider. How exactly is getting an utterly worthless but none-the-less nifty cosmetic item in-game as a bonus for purchasing and playing the WoW TCG in any way remotely similar to cheating by buying gold for an unfair advantage in-game over other players?
By your logic, owners of the Collector's Edition are cheaters since they acquired unique in-game pets by spending money IRL. By your logic all of those that went to Blizzcon should be stripped of their murloc suits because clearly spending money IRL to go to a convention is just the same as buying gold from IGE.
Wow, didn't they teach you kids how to think in school?
@11 - Flawed logic. You're purchasing a physical item on Ebay in the form of a card (which can be played just like any other card in the WoW TCG). Last I checked, selling cards on Ebay was far from illegal.
Loot cards do not give in-game advantages and the only people I ever see whining about them seem to be the ones that can't afford to get one and are as such, bitter about it.
TB.
billgates Nov 8th 2007 11:40PM
@12 your a dumbass
Richard Nov 9th 2007 3:46AM
My friend bought three packs when the pack with the Spectral Tiger came out, the Spectral Tiger was in the second pack she opened. You can see her prancing around on Duskwood.
YPEELS40 Nov 9th 2007 11:57AM
@11 - Flawed logic. You're purchasing a physical item on Ebay in the form of a card (which can be played just like any other card in the WoW TCG). Last I checked, selling cards on Ebay was far from illegal.
Thats why people are selling just the promotional code?
The murloc code. The beta key..
Fealuinix Nov 16th 2007 9:30AM
I play the TCG and get a fair number of loots. Thus far I've pulled/traded for everything but Bananas the Monkey.
@14 - That's why you roll Horde...so you can sit in XR getting tens of tells of "zomg what instance is that from?" and the occasional "wheres mankriks wife?"
@17 - Rediculous. Selling a code that exists outside the game is not the same thing as selling gold from inside the game, because you do not have to do anything inside the game to get the promo code.
Cyan Nov 20th 2007 12:39AM
I have got all loot cards so far, the only ones I had trouble with were the Azeroth common and Uncommon. I bought a case of DP and FoO each and got all loots in the case. I even got 2 Spectral Tigers in the fires case. According to this I got extremly lucky. But I'm not convinced. I bought boxes for HoA and only got the snapjaw loot. If you buy per case your chances are much better I think.
Hikariu Dec 27th 2007 9:51AM
Here's a good site to find cards at very good prices.
http://www.warcraftlootcards.com