Why MTG Singles Are Becoming More Important Than Ever

There’s nothing quite like cracking a fresh Magic: The Gathering pack.

You know the feeling. You’re hoping to hit the card you’ve been chasing, maybe pull something worth way more than you expected, or just find something cool enough to immediately start thinking about a new deck.

That part of Magic isn’t going anywhere.

But with how much the game has grown, MTG singles have become a bigger part of how players actually build decks and collect cards.

There are more sets, more Commander products, more special treatments and more versions of cards to choose from than ever before. Sometimes, instead of hoping you pull what you need, it just makes more sense to grab the exact card you’re looking for.

There Are A LOT of Magic Cards Now

Keeping up with Magic can feel like a full-time job sometimes.

Between new sets, Universes Beyond, Commander decks, Secret Lair drops, borderless cards, foils, promos and everything else, there is constantly something new to check out.

That’s great if you love opening packs.

But if you’re looking for one specific card? You could be opening packs for a while.

That’s where singles make things easy. You know what you need, you find it, and you’re done.

No hoping. No digging through a mountain of bulk afterward. Just the card you actually wanted.

Commander Changed the Way We Buy Cards

Commander is probably one of the biggest reasons singles make so much sense.

You only need one copy of most cards in a Commander deck, so once you start upgrading, you usually have a pretty specific shopping list.

Maybe you need a better land. Maybe you’re missing a combo piece. Maybe somebody played a card against you last weekend and now you absolutely need it in your deck.

We’ve all been there.

Instead of opening packs hoping to hit those upgrades, you can just grab the singles you need and put them straight into the deck.

Sometimes You Want THAT Version

This is another big one.

Finding the card isn't always enough anymore.

You might want the borderless version. The foil. The old-school printing. The Secret Lair version with the weird artwork that somehow fits your deck perfectly.

Or maybe you don't care about any of that and just want the cheapest playable copy.

That’s what makes singles fun. You get to choose exactly what goes into your deck or collection.

For Commander players especially, where you only need one copy, spending a little extra on the version you really like can make a deck feel a lot more personal.

Singles Make Building a Deck Way Easier

Cracking packs and building a deck are two completely different experiences.

If you’re opening packs for fun, go for it.

But if you have a decklist sitting in front of you and you're missing 12 cards, buying singles is probably going to save you a lot of time.

You can focus your budget on the cards you actually need instead of hoping you happen to pull them.

And when you're constantly tinkering with Commander decks—which most of us are—being able to pick up one or two cards at a time makes upgrading a lot easier.

So…Should You Stop Buying Sealed Product?

Definitely not.

We still love sealed Magic.

Opening a new box with friends, drafting a new set, chasing a huge pull or grabbing a Collector Booster just to see what happens is part of what makes TCGs fun.

Singles and sealed product just serve different purposes.

Want to crack packs and see what happens? Buy sealed.

Know exactly what your deck needs? Check the singles.

Most Magic players end up doing both anyway.

Don't Forget About Older Cards

One of our favorite things about Magic is how often an older card suddenly becomes relevant again.

A new Commander gets printed and suddenly everyone is digging through cards from ten years ago looking for the perfect interaction.

A new mechanic appears and some random card you've had sitting in a binder suddenly makes sense.

That's also what makes shopping for MTG singles interesting. You're not limited to whatever came out this month.

Magic has more than 30 years of cards to dig through, and sometimes the perfect card for your brand-new deck is older than the person sitting across the table from you.

Buy Magic the Way You Want to Play It

There really isn't a right or wrong way to buy Magic.

If you love opening packs, open packs.

If you're building decks, singles can make life a whole lot easier.

If you're collecting, hunt down the versions you actually want.

And if you're like most of us, you're probably doing all three.

At Cash Cards Unlimited, we're constantly adding new Magic: The Gathering singles, from Commander staples and new releases to older cards, premium versions and higher-end collectibles.

So keep cracking packs when you want the thrill of the pull.

And when you know exactly what you're looking for, check the singles.