Is it better to rip packs or buy singles?
Want one specific card? Buy the single. Want the thrill? Rip, with a budget. The math behind both, using real online pack odds.
It's the oldest question in the hobby, and the answer is simple: it depends on what you're buying. If you're buying a card, buy the single. If you're buying the rip, rip. The mistake is mixing the two up.
If you want one specific card: buy the single
Say you want a particular card valued at $300. On a typical $25 online pack, the top value range ($250-$500) comes up about 1 time in 1,000. Even if your exact card were the only card in that range, you'd expect to open around 1,000 packs to see one. Over 1,000 packs you'd spend $25,000 and, selling everything else back, still end up well behind.
Buying the $300 card outright is cheaper by a mile. Packs are a terrible way to get a specific card.
If you want the thrill: rip, with a budget
Packs aren't designed to be the cheapest route to a card. They're designed to be fun. You get:
- The reveal. The second before you see what you pulled is the whole point.
- The upside. On that $25 pack, about 1 pull in 3 is worth more than the price, and a few are worth 10-20 times more.
- Surprise. Plenty of collectors' favourite cards are ones they'd never have bought on purpose.
What you pay for that is the gap between price and value. Using real odds from a typical $25 pack, the average card is worth about the pack price, but if you sell back at 90%, you get roughly $22.50 back per $25 pack. Over 10 packs that's an expected cost of about $25 for the session. Run your own numbers in the pack odds calculator.
A middle path
Many collectors do both:
- Set a rip budget for the month and treat it like a night out.
- Sell back the cards you don't want, and use the credit to keep ripping or put it toward a single.
- Buy the grail as a single when you're ready, instead of hoping a pack delivers it.
The bottom line
Singles win on price. Packs win on fun. Decide which one you're buying before you click "open", and you'll enjoy both more.
Quick answers
Is it cheaper to buy singles than packs?
Almost always, if you want a specific card. Packs are priced so the average card is worth a bit less than the pack, and the card you want is usually one of the rarest outcomes, so chasing it through packs typically costs far more than buying it outright.
Why do people rip packs if singles are cheaper?
For the moment of the reveal, the chance of a hit worth many times the pack price, and the cards they didn't know they wanted. It's entertainment with a collectible at the end, and it's best enjoyed with a set budget.