In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or Model figure, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a booster box.
Booster packs contain a small number of randomly assorted items (8–15 for cards; 3–8 for figurines). Booster packs are the smaller, cheaper counterparts of starter decks, though many expansion pack sets are sold only as booster packs. While booster packs are cheaper than starter packs, the price per item is typically higher. Booster packs are generally priced to serve as good , with prices comparable to a comic book and somewhat lower than those of most , paperback , and similar items.
In many games, there is a fixed distribution based on rarity, while others use truly random assortments. When the distribution is based on rarity, booster packs usually contain one or two rares, depending on the game, while the remainder are of lesser rarity.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game originally had 11 cards per booster pack – 1 rare card, 3 uncommons, and 7 commons. With the release of the E-Series, it became 9 cards per booster – 5 commons, 2 uncommons, 1 reverse holo, and 1 rare. This became 10 cards after the release of Diamond and Pearl, with 3 uncommons instead of 2. Starting in the Sun & Moon expansion, there is also a basic Energy card in every booster pack. As of the Scarlet & Violet expansion, there are up to 2 reverse holo cards.
HeroClix uses 5 figure boosters. A booster contains 2 or 3 commons, 1 or 2 uncommons, and 1 rare, but super-rare or chase figures may replace one of the other figures in the box (which is replaced varies based on the set). Prior to the Avengers set, HeroClix typically used 4 figure boosters with a much more complicated six-tier rarity scheme, with a few exceptions such as the Fantastic Forces set, which had three figures boosters because of the larger size of many of the pieces, and the 1 or 2 figure boosters formerly marketed at retail stores.
Starter decks may contain any number of items, including , playmats, counters, dice, storage boxes, and common cards such as "basic land" in Magic: The Gathering, and other items. Some starter decks are meant for two players, so that a single set can be used instead of each player buying one separately.
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