Ixalan Drop Rates - What's the Deal?

babar3355

Now that the drop rates are published I have noticed some oddities.

These numbers are all based on 5 card boosters:
Origins Mythic Rate = 5.92% 
Hour of Devastation Mythic Rate = 7.09% + 0.32% Elite
Shadows Over Innistrad Mythic Rate = 6.22%
Rivals of Ixalan Mythic Rate = 9.37%

And the outlier:

Ixalan Mythic Rate = 2.8%.

There is a similar drop off with the drop rate of rares in this set vs. other sets.

What is the deal? 
Are the developers changing the drop rates for sets over time? 
Why would there not be consistency between sets? 
Should I be hoarding Ixalan packs with the hopes that drop rates improve? 
Are the listed drop rates a typed entry or somehow calculated in app?
 

DumasAG

Why even have different rates?

FindingHeart8

DumasAG said:

Why even have different rates?

if standardizing the percentages some of the mythic drop rates involves lowering some to increase Ixalan I'm fine with where it's at.  Most Ixalan mythics are tinykitty anyways and I'd much rather stick with the almost 10% mythic drop rate for rivals.

DumasAG

FindingHeart8 said:

DumasAG said:

Why even have different rates?

if standardizing the percentages some of the mythic drop rates involves lowering some to increase Ixalan I'm fine with where it's at.  Most Ixalan mythics are tinykitty anyways and I'd much rather stick with the almost 10% mythic drop rate for rivals.

That's true. Actual magic has a 12.5% drop rate for mythics, how about that's the new standard for all packs?

FindingHeart8

DumasAG said:

FindingHeart8 said:

DumasAG said:

Why even have different rates?

if standardizing the percentages some of the mythic drop rates involves lowering some to increase Ixalan I'm fine with where it's at.  Most Ixalan mythics are tinykitty anyways and I'd much rather stick with the almost 10% mythic drop rate for rivals.

That's true. Actual magic has a 12.5% drop rate for mythics, how about that's the new standard for all packs?

I'd be on board with that

ard021

DumasAG said:

FindingHeart8 said:

DumasAG said:

Why even have different rates?

if standardizing the percentages some of the mythic drop rates involves lowering some to increase Ixalan I'm fine with where it's at.  Most Ixalan mythics are tinykitty anyways and I'd much rather stick with the almost 10% mythic drop rate for rivals.

That's true. Actual magic has a 12.5% drop rate for mythics, how about that's the new standard for all packs?

Paper Magic isn't working on an F2P model, though.  Trying to compare drop rates for the two doesn't work.  If D3Go was getting $8 or whatever every time someone opened a booster, then yeah, that would make sense.  But they need at least a certain percentage of people to run through all their available crystals and want more cards on top of that, so they'll spend the cash.  And those players need to feel that buying and spending those extra crystals will give them a reasonable chance of getting the cards they want.  That's a balancing act, and one that also needs to consider how much freely available currency is in the ecosystem.

As far as where said balancing act currently, whoever is determining drop rates (not sure if it's the dev or the publisher) seems to be experimenting right now.  IXL was received extremely poorly, and they may have decided to do an abrupt about-face with RIX for damage control purposes.  Don't know why they haven't readjusted the rates for IXL in that case, though.  They might still be looking at sales data and trying to determine if the amount of crystals that completionists dump into IXL chasing cards makes up for anyone they alienate with the low rates.

Sirchombli

I never really considered the drop rates being that low for ixalan . Explains why I can't get anything good, though. I really do detest that set. And that drop rate discrepancy is a tinykitty move. Not cool. 

Bil

    I've reported this point about XLN droprates a while ago but no answer has been given as far as i know ... 
  
   From a comercial point of view, applying low droprates to boosters coming from events means less "free" cards given to players.  On the contrary, applying high droprates on boosters that you can only purchase with currencies lead players to invest in order to get good cards.
   
   Considering that, the only explaination i can find is that they reduced the droprates of XLN boosters because players get a lot of them from events.
   If i'm not confused XLN droprates were already low when they launched XLN, but not that much.  They have been lowered again later, probably after RIX release.
    I don't think it can be a mistake, it is more likely an isidious way to reduce rewards without making it too obvious.

Quantius

MTG Arena is coming so whatever, d3/oct can enjoy their low droprates all to themselves.

babar3355

Well my post was not to bash the devs for whatever they are doing, but to get an understanding of what we can expect.   If they are going to move drop rates around we will know soon enough.  They might as well tell us now rather than waiting until it actually happens.

Bil

    As far as I'm concerned i do not open XLN boosters anymore since i have noticed the droprates (oh well ... I opened a few because its its really frustrating when you have nothing to open in a TCG).
    I convinced myself that the timer on XLN boosters may be the deadline for something ... Regular droprates maybe ...

FindingHeart8

Bil said:

    As far as I'm concerned i do not open XLN boosters anymore since i have noticed the droprates (oh well ... I opened a few because its its really frustrating when you have nothing to open in a TCG).
    I convinced myself that the timer on XLN boosters may be the deadline for something ... Regular droprates maybe ...

Not gonna lie...I've literally packed better cards from the last 2 weeks worth of free 1-card boosters than I did from the 5 XLN premium packs I purchased.

NinjaE

Thanks for the heads-up. I wouldn't have caught this otherwise.

Coilbox

FindingHeart8 said:

Bil said:

    As far as I'm concerned i do not open XLN boosters anymore since i have noticed the droprates (oh well ... I opened a few because its its really frustrating when you have nothing to open in a TCG).
    I convinced myself that the timer on XLN boosters may be the deadline for something ... Regular droprates maybe ...

Not gonna lie...I've literally packed better cards from the last 2 weeks worth of free 1-card boosters than I did from the 5 XLN premium packs I purchased.

5 XLN premium packs purchase..? Ewwww... are you insane!?!?!

FindingHeart8

Coilbox said:

FindingHeart8 said:

Bil said:

    As far as I'm concerned i do not open XLN boosters anymore since i have noticed the droprates (oh well ... I opened a few because its its really frustrating when you have nothing to open in a TCG).
    I convinced myself that the timer on XLN boosters may be the deadline for something ... Regular droprates maybe ...

Not gonna lie...I've literally packed better cards from the last 2 weeks worth of free 1-card boosters than I did from the 5 XLN premium packs I purchased.

5 XLN premium packs purchase..? Ewwww... are you insane!?!?!

it was when it first came out, I knew going into it that the cards were the tiniest of kitties, but it had been so long since I had a new card I impulsively splurged.

#morningafterregrets

Coilbox

FindingHeart8 said:

Coilbox said:

FindingHeart8 said:

Bil said:

    As far as I'm concerned i do not open XLN boosters anymore since i have noticed the droprates (oh well ... I opened a few because its its really frustrating when you have nothing to open in a TCG).
    I convinced myself that the timer on XLN boosters may be the deadline for something ... Regular droprates maybe ...

Not gonna lie...I've literally packed better cards from the last 2 weeks worth of free 1-card boosters than I did from the 5 XLN premium packs I purchased.

5 XLN premium packs purchase..? Ewwww... are you insane!?!?!

it was when it first came out, I knew going into it that the cards were the tiniest of kitties, but it had been so long since I had a new card I impulsively splurged.

#morningafterregrets

awh dear xD just before Ixalan was released i spent every single currency available on kaladesh block chasing Baral... no luck. So i had absolutely nothing for Ixalan.. But to be honest, im glad... after seeing the cards i started saving again not buying nothing, so when Rivals came out i felt like the Prime Minister of valuetown

Mainloop25

I did the same thing. Had no idea Rivals was coming out so soon afterwards. 

TomB

I was saving Crystals for Vraska when RIX dropped, so I was able to get a few PP's. But no Vraska, at least not yet...

Coilbox

TomB said:

I was saving Crystals for Vraska when RIX dropped, so I was able to get a few PP's. But no Vraska, at least not yet...

Vraska is nice to play with the right cards... I really like the mechanics that involve trasures and stuff... but if you dont have it yet... i would suggest you to get Angrath first. In my opinion one of the best PW available, and way more versatile.

Just my opinion

IM_CARLOS

After reading this thread again I open another Rix Pp and voila: Zacama came out. Now  only missing 5 myth from rix. Yime to save crystals for  next set.

And yes the drop rates from ixl are ridiculous. Not only a very weak set, also very expensive. Missing 5 rare and 9 myth, but only some "must have" (e.g. Wrath of God-Dragon) . Still undecided to o craft some myth for standard price when rix turn craftable or wait until ix turns legacy. 

IM_CARLOS

I would  say huatli2 is way stronger/faster than vraska. His ult is like BfB for black deck in legacy and you can reach it almost every round. Even standard form is very explosive. But didn't play it that much. Loyalty animations takes longer everu time something trigger and this is happen very often.