Just when it looks like Magic: The Gathering fans are finally backing off on buying pricey sealed products containing lots of variants and reprints, as first indicated by Commander Masters' dampened sales run (see "Signs of Distress"), the Commander casual players and collectors step in, open up their wallets, and slam wads of cash on card store counters so that they can play their favorite Doctor Who characters in their decks. The Universes Beyond: Doctor Who set turned out to be a resounding bright spot for Wizards of the Coast last month, as the set's Commander Decks and Collector Boosters took #1 and #5 on the charts this month (see "October 2023"). Magic: The Gathering products also took six slots on the chart, improving from taking only three on the September Chart (see "September 2023").
So, where's the market at with Magic heading into the tail end of 2023?
The ugly news is still the Standard set sales. The second half of the year Standard sets did not do spectacular on the TCGplayer charts in comparison the sales of their Universes Beyond counterparts. This is probably why WotC has hit the gas pedal so hard on rolling out more new Universes Beyond sets (see "Marvel Team Up" and also, see "2024 'Magic: The Gathering' Releases"). Essentially, the casual Commander players are running the show, as far as sales and organized play goes, and Standard sets, which are primarily tied to competitive play, need a boost. WotC seems to recognize this issue, as they are actively implementing initiatives to seek solutions to prevent Standard product from piling up on retailer shelves (see "Revitalizing 'Magic: The Gathering's' Standard Format " and also, "’Magic’ SKUs Further”).
