Did the foil pull rates change in the fourth print run of Magic: The Gathering products? That’s a question lots of players are asking, especially as Wizards of the Coast keeps tweaking how booster packs work to make opening them more exciting. Let’s dive deep into this, starting from the basics and building up to what we know about print runs, foils, and any shifts that might have happened. I’ll keep it straightforward, like chatting with a friend at the game store, but we’ll cover every angle with details from reliable spots in the MTG community.
First off, what even is a “print run” in MTG? When Wizards prints a new set, like something from the big Universes Beyond crossovers or a standard expansion, they don’t just make one giant batch. They do multiple print runs to meet demand. Early print runs are the first waves shipped to stores right when the set drops. Later ones, like the second, third, or fourth, come out weeks or months later as stores sell through stock. These later runs sometimes have tweaks—maybe new treatments like shiny foils, special art frames, or even small changes to what’s inside packs. Players watch these like hawks because it can affect what you pull, especially foils, which are those eye-catching cards with a metallic sheen that everyone chases.
Foil pull rates mean the odds of getting a foil card when you crack a pack. Foils are premium—rarer, prettier, and often worth more. Back in the old days, foils were super scarce, like one every few packs if you were lucky. But Wizards has changed things a bunch over the years to keep the hobby fun and sales strong. Today, every Play Booster—the main pack type for drafting or just ripping open for fun—guarantees at least one traditional foil card of any rarity. That’s huge compared to sets from even five years ago. In 20% of those packs, you get an extra foil land too. This setup started with Play Boosters replacing the old Draft and Set Boosters around 2022-2023, making foils way more common overall.[2]
Now, onto the core: did rates change specifically in the fourth print run? Straight answer—no solid evidence shows a direct change just for the fourth print run across recent sets. But there are patterns and rumors worth unpacking. Print run changes usually hit treatments or slot odds, not always the base foil rate. For example, in some sets, later print runs add “Oil Slick Raised Foil” cards or exclusive foils in bundles. Take the Compleat Edition bundles: they include a booster with 12 Oil Slick Raised Foil cards, packing two mythic rares and ten basic lands. That’s a fancy foil treatment only in later products, not base packs.[2] But for standard Play Boosters, the foil guarantee stays steady: one foil per pack minimum, no big shift noted between print run one and four.
Why do people think rates changed? It ties to how Wizards balances packs. Each Play Booster has 6-7 commons (one with a 1/8 shot at a Special Guest reprint), three uncommons, one “normal” rare or mythic, and then 1-4 rares or higher total, including possibles like borderless mythics or foils. Foils can land in any slot, but the shiny traditional foil is locked in every time. Later print runs might tweak the “dragon’s hoard” of rares—upping chances for foil mythics or special guests—but nothing pins it to exactly the fourth run.[2] Community chatter on sites like MTGPrice blogs points to foil prices dipping or spiking based on supply from reprints, not pack odds. For instance, some foils hit lowest prices ever in 2025 because of reprints flooding the market, making pulls feel less special even if rates didn’t budge.[4]
Let’s break down booster evolution to see the big picture. Before Play Boosters, there were Draft Boosters (15 cards, balanced for tournaments) and Set Boosters (12 cards, heavy on rares and foils for fun openings). Set Boosters had higher foil chances—often two rares or more, plus List reprints that could be foils. They retailed around $5-6 each. Play Boosters merged the best of both: foil in every pack, borderless art options, and that Special Guest slot pulling from MTG history with new art.[2] Fourth print runs in sets like those from 2024-2025 (think Tarkir-themed stuff) stuck to this formula. No official Wizards announcement says “fourth run foils go up 10%.” Instead, changes are subtle, like more foil lands in 1/5 packs.
Player experiences fuel the debate. On forums and price trackers, folks report “foil bombs” more in later runs, but that’s likely confirmation bias—more packs opened overall means more foils circulating. Price spikes tell a story too. Cards like Tangle Wire jumped because non-foils from old printings became hot for formats like Premodern, while foils from From the Vault or Secret Lairs stayed cheap due to “pringling” (that annoying foil curling that disqualifies them in tournaments).[1] Recent spikes as of late 2025 show cards holding steady or climbing weekly, like from $0.36 to $3.39 in days, but that’s demand, not pull rates.[3] Foil prices for specs are low now, under 100 copies left on some sites, hinting at steady supply from packs.[4]
Digging into Casual Fridays posts on MTGPrice, they crunch numbers: in the rare/mythic slot, you’re 92.6% likely to hit a nonfoil from the main set, squeezing variants (foils, borderless) into 7.4%. Later print runs don’t shift that percentage; they just print more to match sales. If anything, fourth runs might have higher foil quality or new treatments, like in Beyond Boosters with guaranteed foil and borderless every pack.[2] But base rates? Consistent.
What about special products? Fourth print runs sometimes tie to bundles or Collector Boosters, which are foil-heavy from the start. Collector Boosters have multiple foils, extended arts, and serialized cards, but they’re not “print runs” of main sets—they’re premium side products. Play Boosters in later runs mirror early ones: 1-4 rares/higher, foil assured.[2]
Historically, Wizards has adjusted foils before. Pre-2020, foils were 1/6 packs or worse. Now, it’s every pack. No fourth-run specific tweak, but sets evolve. For 2025 sets, price blogs note foils at all-time lows, suggesting rates are generous enough to flood singles markets.[4] Speculators buy low expecting demand rises, like in Commander or online play.
Community tools track this. Sites like TCGPlayer log daily prices, showing no foil rate drama tied to print runs.[3] MTGRocks explains why old non-foils spike while foils lag—playability issues, not pack odds.[1] Draftsim details pack contents precisely, confirming foi
