Limited Run Games’ SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards: Are They Worth the Cost?

It’s no secret if you read this blog that I’m a big fan of both SEGA Dreamcast and Limited Run Games. So, the idea of both of them coming together into a 25th anniversary collaboration should have me giddy with excitement. I was hoping that Limited Run Games did have something planned for the anniversary because they recently put out Sonic x Shadow Generations Limited Edition and Valkyria Chronicles on the Nintendo Switch up for sale. Today, they announced the SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards. That’s right, with ‘over 200 to collect’.

First of all, we all know what trading cards are and their gambling and addictive collective nature that drives some hobbyists into bankruptcy. That’s why I think that people who create trading cards should be very careful about limitations, production, and pricing of these cards. With that said, let’s look at what the people over at Limited Run Games have to offer.

 

The centerpiece of this release is the SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards – Booster Boxes. Each box contains 24 packs and will cost you $124.99, making each pack roughly $5.20.

While it’s challenging to directly compare these prices to traditional trading cards on the market, I’m willing to accept a premium given the niche nature of this product. However, even with this inflated price point, many reports suggest that you can purchase a box of Pokémon booster packs for less than $100, and it comes with 36 packs. That’s 12 more booster packs for your money.

Things get even worse. A Pokémon booster pack typically contains 10 cards, while MLB cards often have 14. This means that for under $100, you can get 360 Pokémon cards. In contrast, Limited Run Games is offering 5 cards per pack. So, a $124.99 box of SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards will only give you 120 cards. That’s a price of $1.04 per card, which is a whopping 250% markup compared to a popular trading card game. While the cute box might be tempting, it’s a tough decision to make.

Another major concern is that the SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards Booster Box only includes 120 cards, while the complete set has over 200. This means you’ll need at least two boxes to have a chance of getting the full set.

The lack of transparency about the cards themselves is also troubling. The vague reference to ‘over 200 cards’ forced collectors to search for specific information on social media. It has since been confirmed that the complete set is 218 cards, including 48 insert cards. These are typically the rarer cards found in packs.

Based on my calculations, the probability of getting a full set by buying two SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards Booster Boxes is approximately 1 in 218. However, this doesn’t account for the rarity of the 48 insert cards, which could further complicate collection. Limited Run Games’ lack of transparency regarding these cards makes it even more challenging to complete the set.

Given the high price of these cards, one might expect Limited Run Games to offer unique, original artwork for each card. Unfortunately, they simply reused high-resolution art assets from SEGA, the same artwork we’ve been seeing for years.

Most trading card companies provide new artwork for their cards. Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon are renowned for their original card art, and even sports cards feature new photographs of athletes. Considering the premium price of these SEGA Dreamcast Trading Cards, it’s reasonable to expect some original artwork. Is that too much to ask for? Even for the rare inserts?

I’m disappointed with the pricing, design choices, and overall execution of this project. It feels like an easy way for Limited Run Games to capitalize on SEGA fans by using existing artwork. It’s a shame that many of the original artists for these games are still active today. Even having a few of them contribute to the rare insert cards would have made this set more special.

While you contemplate how many booster boxes to buy in hopes of completing the set, here are other items Limited Run Games hopes you’ll add to your order:

• SEGA Dreamcast Card Binder – $19.99
• SEGA Dreamcast Card Sleeve Pack – $5.99 [50 sleeves]
• SEGA Dreamcast Card Storage Box – $9.99

The prices for the other items aren’t too bad. While we don’t know the quality of the products, a specialized binder for $19.99 isn’t unreasonable. It’s not a great deal, but it’s a practical option. The binder can hold up to 234 cards, which means it should be able to store the entire 218-card Dreamcast trading card set, if you can collect it all.

Fortunately, not everything Limited Run Games offered was related to the trading cards. They also released a cute VMU keychain, which seems fine for $9.99. There were also the standard shirt ($29.99)  and hoodie ($54.99) combos featuring the official Dreamcast logo and the ‘9.9.99’ marketing slogan. However, none of these designs were particularly original, which is one of the reasons I’m not interested in purchasing them.

If you disagree, that’s great! Enjoy your SEGA Dreamcast 25th Anniversary trading cards. However, for me, it feels like a missed opportunity and a cash grab that I wouldn’t recommend to fans.

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