I buy a ton of precons, and since this year and maybe the last, I had at least a few precons with an error in it. Let us say that for this discussion, an error is a precon that is missing a card, has an extra card, or has the wrong card. I opened precons from 2001 to 2013 and I have never gotten an error in packaging. The first precon in which I had missing or wrong cards are two Theros intro packs.
So here is a list of precons I bought that have missing, wrong, or extra cards.
Devotion to Darkness theros intro pack is missing a card.
Blazing Beasts of Myth Theros intro pack has a wrong card.
Jeskai Monks Khans of Tarkir intro pack has two wrong cards.
Khans of Tarkir Event Deck has an extra card
Forged in Stone Commander 2014 deck is missing a card.
12 years, no errors. 1 year, 5 errors.
I also have a hunch that after the card frame change, precons are going to have more errors, due to the way they package things. Before, the cards are packaged in such a way that they follow the same order as the card list in the strategy insert. After the card frame change, the rare and mythic rares are packaged together while the commons and uncommons are packaged together behind the rares and mythic rares. I don't know how to explain it but it seems there is some extra step involved in packaging the precons which leads to a higher chance for error. I opened the Commander 2013 decks, and the cards follow the order of the strategy insert. I opened the Commander 2014 decks, the cards don't even follow the order of the cards listed in the strategy insert.
I have given you my own data, and I need you to add to that data to prove whether or not the frequency of packaging error for MTG precons has increased or not.
If you are a precon collector, or one who buys a lot of precons, I want to know what years in Magic's history is WOTC guilty of making the most errors when it comes to precon packaging?
Not sure about guilty but I never had a problem before I bought the speed v cunning deck. It was missing 9 cards most of the speed rares. And wiz customer service is awful
Five decks is too small of a sample size, and even then, the new frame isn't relevant because the Theros decks don't use the new frame. The idea of "12 years no errors, but this year I got FIVE! Must be the frames!" is laughable. It's like saying "I played paper for 12 years with no problems, but first year I play MTGO, I get flooded or screwed every other game. Must be the shuffler!" Even if fifteen people each post five different problems they had, it still super small and is probably even less compared to the amount of improper decks compared to a year with old frames.
Besides, the new frame makes it easier for the machines to read, organize, and package the cards. This reason is one the reasons they switched to it supposedly, because people often got intro packs that were nothing but rares or packs that were missing a rare/uncommon etc. etc. Contact WotC about it. I've never had an issue when I contacted them about a defective product. Sometimes they might want you to return the whole product, but often times they'll just send a replacement to you at no cost.
That said, I do know for sure that the Speed vs Cunning deck had an uncommon problem of the speed deck being nothing but rares. But that was also the first duel deck with the new frames, so not surprised something happened. I wouldn't expect this to happen with the upcoming DD or Intros at half the rate due to the improved(imo) frames.
It isn't the fact that the card frame change itself caused the packaging error, it is how they sorted the cards. I don't know how they really package the cards, but before the card frame change, intro packs are packaged so that the cards were always in the same order that is listed in the strategy insert, except for the foil card, which goes in the front. I could also say the same for duel decks, event decks, and commander decks.
What changed after the card frame change is the rares and mythic rares go in the front of the commons and uncommons. Maybe the rares are printed on a different sheet, I don't know, but all I do know is that if there are any extra steps in the process, it means there is a higher chance for error.
I don't know if supplemental products are prone to errors over regular intro packs between 2009 to 2012, but I do believe it might have to do with the different printing presses used between regular and supplemental products. If you take a look at a duel deck card vs a booster pack card, the card texture looks different. I bought a lot of precons, and I noticed that for M13 onwards, the cards from intro packs look different from intro pack cards from sets older than M13, to the point that they look like cards from supplemental products. I think it might be due to certain printing presses causing more errors compared to the ones they used before.
On to the topic of WOTC's return policy, we do have to pay the shipping, and the shipping compensation is lackluster. For me, I have to pay $16 to ship the defective product to WOTC, and I would most likely get an intro pack as compensation, and considering how I collect intro packs, but don't like to collect duplicates, getting an intro pack that I already have is a bad thing, and would rather spend that cash on an intro pack I don't have, which they can't send to me because it isn't released yet.
From 7th edition all the way and including M14, I own 167 theme decks/intro packs. All these have no errors, but I suspect I got lucky with M13 and the return to ravnica block, considering they made the printing press change at M13.
From Theros onwards, I bought 25 intro packs, and already got 3 errors from them.
So here is a list of precons I bought that have missing, wrong, or extra cards.
Devotion to Darkness theros intro pack is missing a card.
Blazing Beasts of Myth Theros intro pack has a wrong card.
Jeskai Monks Khans of Tarkir intro pack has two wrong cards.
Khans of Tarkir Event Deck has an extra card
Forged in Stone Commander 2014 deck is missing a card.
12 years, no errors. 1 year, 5 errors.
I also have a hunch that after the card frame change, precons are going to have more errors, due to the way they package things. Before, the cards are packaged in such a way that they follow the same order as the card list in the strategy insert. After the card frame change, the rare and mythic rares are packaged together while the commons and uncommons are packaged together behind the rares and mythic rares. I don't know how to explain it but it seems there is some extra step involved in packaging the precons which leads to a higher chance for error. I opened the Commander 2013 decks, and the cards follow the order of the strategy insert. I opened the Commander 2014 decks, the cards don't even follow the order of the cards listed in the strategy insert.
I have given you my own data, and I need you to add to that data to prove whether or not the frequency of packaging error for MTG precons has increased or not.
If you are a precon collector, or one who buys a lot of precons, I want to know what years in Magic's history is WOTC guilty of making the most errors when it comes to precon packaging?
Besides, the new frame makes it easier for the machines to read, organize, and package the cards. This reason is one the reasons they switched to it supposedly, because people often got intro packs that were nothing but rares or packs that were missing a rare/uncommon etc. etc. Contact WotC about it. I've never had an issue when I contacted them about a defective product. Sometimes they might want you to return the whole product, but often times they'll just send a replacement to you at no cost.
That said, I do know for sure that the Speed vs Cunning deck had an uncommon problem of the speed deck being nothing but rares. But that was also the first duel deck with the new frames, so not surprised something happened. I wouldn't expect this to happen with the upcoming DD or Intros at half the rate due to the improved(imo) frames.
What changed after the card frame change is the rares and mythic rares go in the front of the commons and uncommons. Maybe the rares are printed on a different sheet, I don't know, but all I do know is that if there are any extra steps in the process, it means there is a higher chance for error.
I don't know if supplemental products are prone to errors over regular intro packs between 2009 to 2012, but I do believe it might have to do with the different printing presses used between regular and supplemental products. If you take a look at a duel deck card vs a booster pack card, the card texture looks different. I bought a lot of precons, and I noticed that for M13 onwards, the cards from intro packs look different from intro pack cards from sets older than M13, to the point that they look like cards from supplemental products. I think it might be due to certain printing presses causing more errors compared to the ones they used before.
On to the topic of WOTC's return policy, we do have to pay the shipping, and the shipping compensation is lackluster. For me, I have to pay $16 to ship the defective product to WOTC, and I would most likely get an intro pack as compensation, and considering how I collect intro packs, but don't like to collect duplicates, getting an intro pack that I already have is a bad thing, and would rather spend that cash on an intro pack I don't have, which they can't send to me because it isn't released yet.
From 7th edition all the way and including M14, I own 167 theme decks/intro packs. All these have no errors, but I suspect I got lucky with M13 and the return to ravnica block, considering they made the printing press change at M13.
From Theros onwards, I bought 25 intro packs, and already got 3 errors from them.