Over the past couple years, one thing that has become more and more common with the release of premier sets is to have a bonus sheet featured alongside the main set. For example, March of the Machine brought us Multiverse Legends. Wilds of Eldraine came equipped with Enchanting Tales cards. Most recently, Outlaws of Thunder Junction showcased the Breaking News bonus sheet. All of these sheets boast a wide array of reprints, some of which were quite expensive.
Unlike how Masterpieces were treated back in sets like Kaladesh, though, bonus sheet cards are in much bigger supply. In fact, every play booster of Outlaws of Thunder Junction has a slot dedicated to the Breaking News sheet. With only a small subset of 65 different Breaking News cards to be opened, even the most expensive of reprints have quickly plummeted in price.
Today, we are going to take a look at some of the cards that have dropped the most. Additionally, we’ll go over some cards that would be welcome inclusions in future bonus sheets. Bonus sheets are becoming more and more common alongside premier sets, and it’s nice to see some format staples become more affordable as a result.
Mindbreak Trap
First up, we have a card that held an incredibly high price tag prior to its appearance on the Breaking News bonus sheet. Mindbreak Trap is a bit of a weird card. It was one of the most expensive cards in all of Modern yet seems very little Modern play. Instead, where Mindbreak Trap shines is in older formats as a way to combat combo strategies.
Against Storm strategies, Mindbreak Trap can act as a complete blowout. Not only is it bound to cost zero mana to cast, but it has the ability to counter all copies of any Storm payoff, such as Brain Freeze. As such, Mindbreak Trap is a nice tool in Vintage and Commander.
Before Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Mindbreak Trap was worth a large sum of money. It had only been printed in Zendikar nearly 15 years ago. Back in March, the card held a price tag of roughly $75 according to TCGPlayer market price. While the price of the Zendikar version has since dipped down closer to $59, the Breaking News variant is closer to $19. This is an enormous difference, revealing just how much a single bonus sheet appearance can affect the price of a card.
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Dust Bowl
Another card that definitely needed a reprint that finally got it is Dust Bowl. Dust Bowl doesn’t see much Constructed play but can play a pivotal role in Commander. Getting to answer problematic Lands like Gaea’s Cradle can be important. While activating Dust Bowl isn’t as efficient as something like Wastelandsthe fact that you get to sacrifice other Lands and keep Dust Bowl around is a big deal in multiplayer games.
Still, Dust Bowl’s hefty price tag was mainly held up by its age and lack of reprints. Dust Bowl debuted in Mercadian Masques about 25 years ago. Other than its appearance in the Zendikar Expeditions series, Dust Bowl has had no tournament-legal reprints up to this point. Mercadian Masques copies of Dust Bowl still go for roughly $22, but Breaking News copies go for under $1! If this doesn’t highlight the impact reprints and bonus sheets can have on the MTG economy, I don’t know what does.
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Overwhelming Forces
As much as Mindbreak Trap and Dust Bowl dropped, though, no card descended as far as Overwhelming Forces. Overwhelming Forces was in a very similar position as Capture of Jingzhou before its printing in Commander Masters. The card was printed way back in Portal Three Kingdoms, and a limited supply caused the card to maintain a massive price tag.
Even now, the Portal Three Kingdoms version of Overwhelming Forces sits at about $127. The card did appear as a foil-only Judge promo, which sits at $36 instead. However, now that Overwhelming Forces is circulating once more as a Breaking News card, you can pick up a copy for under $1. Despite costing eight mana, this card’s ability to singlehandedly swing a game in your favor makes it a premier option in Thunder Junction Limited. Now, if you want it for Commander, you can finally pick it up for cheap.
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The More the Merrier
The reality is, there are a lot of cards that would be nice to see get a spot in a future bonus sheet to help make them more affordable. Following a similar theme to the cards described above, one card that could really use a bonus sheet reprint is Painter’s Servant. Painter’s Servant is a Legacy staple as a combo piece alongside Grindstone. Funnily enough, Grindstone was featured as a Breaking News card, so seeing Painter’s Servant in a future bonus sheet would be perfect.
Painter’s Servant was originally printed in Shadowmoor, and has only appeared as a Kaladesh Invention and a Judge promo since. Shadowmoor offers the only non-foil variant, which is worth about $53. A bonus sheet printing would surely bring the card’s price down considerably.
Another card that could use a bonus sheet reprint is Emrakul, the Promised End. Emrakul, much like some other expensive Eldrazi, has an amazing cast trigger. With its days of tormenting Standard players far removed, now the card primarily sees play as a ramp payoff in Commander and sometimes Modern. Emrakul was printed more recently in Eldritch Moon, but outside of being featured in a Secret Lair drop, you have not seen a reprint in paper. As such, it sits at about $40.
With bonus sheets becoming the new norm, there’s a lot of room for expensive cards to get the reprints they deserve. Mindbreak Trap, Dust Bowl, and more have already fallen off a cliff. The question is, what will be next? Only time will tell.
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