New article out today!
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*EDIT, fixed one missed item, data has been corrected.
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Hooray! A new set is released! Theros Beyond Death was released today on Arena, and with that another Mastery Tree filled with awesome and exciting rewards as well as another paid Mastery Pass track chock full of even more rewards!
Even though the Mastery Pass has typically been an excellent value for active players in the past, we still like to look into each new pass to see what actual real world value you are receiving from the 3400 in Gems that it costs. Some of you get the pass for free from draft rewards, others fork out $20 of hard earned money. We will discuss what you are getting in return for supporting the game.
The length of Theros Beyond Death is a bit shorter than the Throne of Eldraine, clocking in at only 91 days this time. The Mastery Tree is 90 levels total, with level 91 and beyond giving out the uncommon ICRs just like the Eldraine Mastery Pass.
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Free Mastery Tree Lets start by looking at what is in the free path of the Mastery Tree.
Theros Beyond Death Free Mastery Tree includes the following:
- Product
- 39 Theros Beyond Death Booster Packs = $43.29
- Cosmetic Items
So all of you F2P players are getting $55.04 value for just playing the game. That's a pretty good deal for zero dollars spent!
Paid Mastery Pass Now, lets see what the paid Mastery Pass gives you this season. Arena has a big label stating you get "$200+ Value when fully unlocked". I am not sure how they are calculating their values, but we can use my real world values to see what you're actually getting for your hard earned time or money when purchasing the Mastery Pass.
Theros Beyond Death Mastery Pass includes the following:
- Product = $41.87 Total Value
- 20 Misc Booster Packs from Standard Sets = $22.20
- 4000 Gold = $4.40
- 1800 Gems = $10.44
- 1 Ranked Draft Token = $4.83
- 10 Random Mythics = $0 (Cards/ICRs have no value)
- Cosmetic Items = $152.98
- 25 Card Styles = $58.75
- 25 Orbs = $58.75
- 2 Sleeves = $13.12
- 1 Avatar = $3.04
- 1 Pet = $19.32
This gives us a combined total of $194.85, which is less than the $200+ stated value from WotC, but does confirm my values are pretty close to what they are using.
Lets say you aren't interested in the cosmetic items. You are still getting $41.87 in value for virtual product from just under $20 worth of Gems. This is still an excellent value for any active player.
Thoughts on the Theros Beyond Death Mastery Pass. I think the inclusion of a Ranked Draft Token is an excellent reward. This not only gives players a chance to try drafting, but it also is the reward that keeps on rewarding. That 1 draft token is worth 45 hand picked cards, 1 bonus Arena booster pack (with the chance of more), and 50 Gems minimum. If you're good at drafting, this could potentially be worth 950 Gems total.
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So is the Theros Beyond Death Mastery Pass worth it?
YES!!! This is an EXCELLENT BUY! 
