Elspeth and Ashiok Bundles: Are they worth it?

Pre-Order Season Begins!

It's that time of the season again, Pre-Order time!

With the December 2019 Arena update came two new Pre-Order bundles.

The first bundle is the Ashiok Pack Bundle, which is the typical 50 packs, an extended art Planeswalker, and a special sleeve.

The other bundle, the Elspeth Play Bundle, is something new. It including the Mastery Pass, bonus Mastery Pass levels, and some cosmetic items.

All values discussed in this article can be found HERE

Just how much of a "Great Deal" is that label at the top? Lets find out!

Elspeth Play Bundle

Whats in it?

The Elspeth Play Bundle is $49.99 and includes the following items:

• Theros Beyond Death Set Mastery - 3400 Gems, or $19.72
• 10 Bonus Levels for Set Mastery - 2500 Gems, or $14.50
• 2x Sealed Tokens - 4000 Gems, or $23.20
• 1x Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis Card - $0
• Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis Card Style - $2.35
• Elspeth Mosaic Sleeve - $6.56

From this we can see that we are getting $66.33 of value... or are you?

What are we really getting?

If you are spending this kind of money already, we should assume you are an active player, willing to get your money's worth and willing to support the game.

That said, if you are an active player, you should easily be able to complete the mastery pass well before the end date. So what does that $14.50 worth of 10 extra levels get you?

Nothing you aren't already getting for the Mastery Pass entry fee. You're getting the immediate first 10 levels at a high cost. Any active player should be able to blow through the first 10 levels in a week.

Ok, say you get 10 extra levels past level 100, or however long the Theros Beyond Death set mastery lasts. Looking at the Throne of Eldraine set mastery, past level 100, you get some random rares and mythics and a little bit of extra gold in those extra 10 levels. Again, not worth anywhere near $14.50.

If we take the 10 extra levels out. We're left with $51.83 in value. This is not much of a savings. You're basically getting the two cosmetic items at a discount, which I guess is still a good deal, but just barely.

Take away the two cosmetic items, and you're now at a loss.

Who is this bundle for?

I would say that this is for players that really want the sweet Elspeth cosmetic items, people that enjoy playing Sealed on opening day, and people that are already going to buy the Mastery Pass.

It's unfortunate they stick those 10 "bonus" levels in there to fluff the bundle. It really hurts the value in a big way. Unfortunately, for now, this appears to be the only way to get the Elspeth extras.

This is not a "Great Deal" at all. It is just "barely" a small savings based on the cosmetics.


Ashiok Pack Bundle

What's in it?

The Ashiok Pack Bundle is $49.99 and includes the following items:

• 50 x Theros Beyond Death Booster Packs - $55.50
• 1 x Ashiok, Nightmare Muse Card - $0
• 1 x Ashiok, Nightmare Muse Card Style - $2.35
• Ashiok Mosaic Sleeve - $6.56

From this we can see we are getting $64.41 in value

We really don't need to break this down too much. Booster packs are worth $1.11/ea, and by buying 50 packs, you can already see you are saving over $5 off that price. The bonus Ashiok Card Style and Sleeve is just gravy on top.

This is a good buy!

Purchasing Both Bundles

Buying Both Bundles will set you back $99.98. For your efforts, you will receive the Kunoros pet for free. This same pet currently sells for $19.32 in the store.

You will need to analyze the Elspeth Play Bundle to see if this bonus pet value makes up for the huge deficit in value you receive in this bundle. If you again removed the 10 bonus levels and combined remaining value, you are at $101.82 in value, barely a dollar more than the purchase price. Of course then you get the free pet for $19.32, bringing the total value to $121.14.

Keep in mind too you're also getting what looks like an Owl pet with the Mastery Pass already. How many pets do we need?