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I really like Brad Mish's idea about placing valuable old cards into current packs. As he suggested, it would resolve the major arguments for or against reprinting the old valuable cards from Magic's beginnings.
And I think the Ferrett's editorial comment that says Wizards couldn't forbid the use of these inserts in the current standard environment is misguided at best. Of course they could say the cards couldn't be used - and they could do so as simply as they banned Memory Jar from Standard. It would not be difficult to write a sentence or two that says the cards are tournament legal with the single exception of Standard. Or even a multiple"banning" that includes Extended but which does not include the limited environment.
(They can make the rules - but those rules won't be inside the packs when people open them. Most people who play aren't as fanatic about the game as people who, say, read strategy sites like StarCity on a daily basis. Explain to them that the card they paid for and opened isn't really legal at any tournament they're likely to play in, especially after they've built a deck around it - The Ferrett, who's witnessed more than one confused person wander into a FNM Standard tourney and not understand why they can't use the Fallen Empire cards they bought for cheap)
Of course they could exclude them from Limited - but why? It's just another rare bomb, right?
Personally, I've always thought that the reprint policy was silly. The only effective argument for protecting collectors has always been that the people selling Magic packs/boxes are also dependent on the secondary market for singles for their slight profit. Protecting collectors is simply not, or should not be, Wizards' goal in maintaining their own profit - unless the dealers need it in order to stay in business and continue to sell Wizards' product.
Obviously, that is no longer the case if it ever was. Sure there's a market for the old expensive cards, but it cannot be called critical. It's arguable as to whether reprinting the Power 9 (or Power 20, or the Power 100) would even impact the prices dealers can charge, because the amount of Moxes et al in distribution is tiny compared to modern card runs. And if the price of a mox went from $300 to $250, or $200, is that a disaster? I'd argue no - since instead of selling one Mox, the dealer likely would sell ten at the lower price - simply because there would be ten times as many available to buy and sell.
It's time for the blindly stubborn reprint policy to be changed and Brad Mish's idea is as good as any I've read on the internet. Think about it Wizards; change is good.
(Of course, I will point to our forums to see my take on why the reprint idea is a horrible business move, about three-quarters of the way down, which it sounds like Mike hasn't read - The Ferrett)
Mike La Beau
