Wizards of the Coast has revealed the full product lineup for Magic: The Gathering’s Nauctis: The Sunken Realm, and several changes to its products are raising questions about what players are getting for their money. Standard Commander decks no longer include borderless commanders, regular Bundles have lost their foil full-art basic lands, and Collector Boosters are dropping from 15 Magic cards to just 12.
The changes come without corresponding MSRP reductions compared to previous sets, while more expensive premium products offer several of the special treatments no longer found in their standard counterparts.
A closer look at Wizards’ newly published Collecting Nauctis: The Sunken Realm guide reveals that the changes extend across three major product lines, suggesting a broader shift in how Magic’s premium treatments are distributed.
The set releases February 5, 2027.
Nauctis: The Sunken Realm Product Comparison
| Product | MSRP | Key Contents | What Changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Commander Deck | $49.99 | 2 regular-frame foil commanders, 98 non-foil cards | Borderless commanders removed; no sample pack or spindown listed |
| Premium Commander Deck | $79.99 | 2 borderless foil commanders, 98 foil cards, double-sided tokens foil on one side | $30 more for borderless commanders and a fully foil deck |
| Standard Bundle | $57.99 | 9 Play Boosters, 1 promo, 25 regular-frame lands, 5 non-foil full-art lands | Full-art lands are no longer foil; 10 foil basics instead of 15 |
| Secret Lair Bundle | $89.99 | 6 Play Boosters, 2 Collector Boosters, 2 foil promos, 20 foil full-art lands | $32 more than standard Bundle; different booster mix and premium treatments |
| Collector Booster Box | $323.88 | 12 packs of 12 Magic cards, plus a Sunken Treasures Box Topper | 12 cards per pack instead of 15; approximately 500 unnumbered Abyssal Lotus headliners |
Standard Commander Decks Lose Their Borderless Cards
The most noticeable change concerns the four Nauctis Commander decks: Merfolk Regiment, Terrors of the Abyss, Blood in the Water, and Seal the Deal.
Each standard Commander deck carries a $49.99 MSRP and includes two traditional foil commanders alongside 98 non-foil cards.
What those decks no longer include is a borderless version of either commander. That’s a departure from the treatments players received in previous sets.
For example, the $49.99 Reality Fracture Multiverse Reforged Commander deck included both a borderless foil face commander and a borderless foil backup commander. Secrets of Strixhaven also provided two borderless foil commanders in each of its regular preconstructed decks.
More recently, Magic: The Gathering Star Trek reduced that number to one borderless foil face commander, moving borderless versions of its featured commanders into Collector Boosters.
With Nauctis, neither commander receives borderless treatment in the standard deck.
Instead, Wizards is introducing $79.99 Premium Edition Commander decks. These contain two traditional foil borderless commanders and 98 additional traditional foil cards, making all 100 cards foil. The included double-sided tokens also have traditional foil treatment on one side.
That means players who specifically want the borderless versions of their preconstructed commanders must purchase the premium deck or obtain those cards separately.
The price difference is $30, or 60% more than the standard deck.
The Premium Edition does offer substantially more foils for that additional cost. Still, the decision changes what players can expect from a regular Commander product, where borderless commanders had become a familiar inclusion.
Another omission is the absence of Collector Booster Sample Packs and spindown life counters from the official contents lists. Both Commander editions include a deck box, reference card, and tokens, but Wizards has not separately explained the accessory decisions.
$57.99 Bundles No Longer Include Foil Full-Art Lands
The changes aren’t limited to Commander. Standard Nauctis Bundles will retail for $57.99, matching the MSRP of Reality Fracture, Secrets of Strixhaven, and Lorwyn Eclipsed.
However, the new Bundle contents reveal a reduction in foil basic lands and the removal of foil treatment from the included full-art lands.
According to Wizards, the standard Nauctis Bundle contains 30 basic lands divided into three groups:
- 15 non-foil regular-frame basic lands
- 10 traditional foil regular-frame basic lands
- 5 non-foil full-art basic lands
Reality Fracture included 15 foil and 15 non-foil basic lands, while the Star Trek standard Bundle specifically included five foil full-art lands among its 15 foil basics.
With Nauctis, buyers receive just 10 foil basics rather than 15, and none of the five guaranteed full-art lands are foil.
Meanwhile, Wizards is offering a separate Nauctis Secret Lair Bundle for $89.99. That product includes 20 traditional foil full-art basic lands, alongside six regular Play Boosters, two Collector Boosters, and two traditional foil promo cards selected from a pool of 10 exclusive Secret Lair Bundle treatments.
It also includes a spindown die, with an alternate-color version appearing in one out of five Bundles.
Collector Boosters Drop From 15 Cards to 12 at the Same MSRP
The clearest example of shrinkflation comes from Nauctis Collector Boosters.
Each pack will contain 12 Magic cards instead of the 15 found in Reality Fracture Collector Boosters, a 20% reduction.
Despite the smaller pack, the MSRP remains $26.99.
The full 12-pack Collector Booster display carries a $323.88 MSRP, also listed by distributor PHD Games.
That changes the number of Magic cards in a full Collector Booster display from 180 to 144, or 36 fewer cards for the same suggested price.
Each Nauctis Collector Booster contains three foil commons, three foil uncommons, one basic land, and five cards in rare or mythic rare slots. There is also an additional art card or traditional foil double-sided token.
Wizards has maintained five rare-or-mythic slots in the standard configuration, matching the number in Reality Fracture. The three-card reduction primarily affects lower-rarity cards rather than removing three rare slots.
The shorter pack format is also appearing in Marvel: Darkhold Destiny Collector Boosters, suggesting the change is not exclusive to Nauctis.
The Collector Booster display has also been redesigned into a flatter package, reflecting its smaller contents.
There is an addition to the product, however. Each Nauctis Collector Booster display includes a Sunken Treasures Box Topper containing one pearlescent artifact card.
The Box Topper pool consists of 15 reprinted artifacts and five new-to-Magic artifacts. Special undersea foil versions are available in Collector Boosters.
Wizards is also introducing God Packs, with approximately one in every 300 Collector Boosters containing a special assortment of rare and mythic rare cards.
Abyssal Lotus Replaces Numbered Serialization With an Approximately 500-Card Print Run
Another change concerns how Wizards is handling one of the set’s rarest collectible cards.
Nauctis features a special textless, raised-foil version of Abyssal Lotus illustrated by Kelogsloops.
Wizards says approximately 500 copies of this headliner treatment will be printed, with the English-language cards appearing in Collector Boosters of any language.
Unlike Reality Fracture’s serialized Bloodline Recollector, which had a stated run of 500 numbered copies, Wizards has not announced individual serial numbers for the special Abyssal Lotus treatment.
The change sparked Magic collector discussion of whether removing visible serial numbers makes it harder to independently assess scarcity and estimate Collector Booster production.
Some collectors have speculated that this approach gives Wizards greater flexibility over production and distribution without the same visibility provided by individually numbered cards.
Is This the New Normal for Magic Products?
Taken individually, the changes could be explained as adjustments to different product offerings. Together, they show a shift in where Wizards places certain premium treatments.
Standard Commander decks no longer guarantee borderless commanders. Standard Bundles no longer guarantee foil full-art basics. Collector Boosters contain fewer cards, even while their MSRP stays unchanged.
At the same time, Wizards continues expanding higher-priced alternatives that include additional foils, exclusive treatments, and collectible bonuses.
For collectors who have grown accustomed to specific premium treatments being included in regular products, Nauctis offers less of what previous releases provided at the same price.
For now, the product descriptions make one thing clear: players buying Nauctis based on what they received in previous sets should check the contents carefully before preordering.
Nauctis: The Sunken Realm releases February 5, 2027, with prerelease events beginning January 29.
ALSO READ: MTG Nauctis Reveals Dive Mechanic and Sunken Treasures Box Toppers
