Collect a Full Set, Card by Card
Completing an expansion is one of the most satisfying goals in Magic. Here is how to plan playsets, track the gaps, and choose the right boosters to fill them.
Set Collecting and Playsets
Set collecting means owning every card in a single Magic expansion, identified by its shared set symbol and collector numbers that run from one to the set total. Some collectors want a single copy of each card — a complete set — while deck builders often chase a playset, four copies of every card, since four is the maximum allowed in a non-singleton deck. Decide up front whether you are after ones or fours, because a playset roughly quadruples the cost and the storage. A complete set is a display and reference achievement; a playset is a construction kit for building any deck the set can make.
Track Every Gap
The hardest part of set completion is knowing exactly what you are still missing, and eyeballing a binder does not scale past a few hundred cards. Log each card as it comes in and let the checklist do the counting. Scan cards with Tappr as you acquire them and your inventory shows which collector numbers you own and which slots are still empty, so a want list writes itself. That list is what you take to a game store, a trade night, or the singles market — buying the cheapest missing commons and uncommons first drives your completion percentage up fast, leaving only a few expensive rares and mythics to save for.
Boosters as a Source
Packs are a fun way to make progress on a set, but choose the right kind. Play Boosters and Set Boosters both contain a spread of commons, uncommons, and at least one rare or mythic, and cracking a booster box gives you a large chunk of a set at once — useful early when almost every card is new to you. Draft Boosters, where still available, are built for limited play and lean toward drafted playability. As your set fills in, packs deliver diminishing returns because you keep pulling duplicates, so switch to buying the specific singles you still need rather than opening more product.
Common questions
01 What is a playset in Magic?
A playset is four copies of a card, the maximum you can run in a standard (non-singleton) deck. Set collectors who play often aim for a playset of each card so they can build any deck the set supports; pure collectors usually want just one of each for a complete set.
02 Is it cheaper to open packs or buy singles to complete a set?
Buying singles is almost always cheaper for finishing a set. Packs give duplicates and random rares, so the last cards you need become very expensive to chase in booster form. Open packs early for bulk progress, then buy the remaining singles directly. Tappr's live prices help you compare the two.
03 How do I keep track of which cards I still need?
Use a digital inventory instead of memory. Scan each card into Tappr as you get it and the app shows your owned cards against the full set, turning the missing collector numbers into a ready-made want list you can shop from.
04 Should I collect one of each card or a full playset?
It depends on your goal. If you want a reference or display set, one of each is enough and far cheaper. If you build decks from the set, a playset of four gives you construction flexibility but costs and stores roughly four times as much.
Related Collecting Guides
Track Your Collection
Get Tappr free. Identify any Magic: The Gathering card and see what it is worth in seconds.
No credit card. No signup. Just scan.
Scan to download
Point your phone camera at a code
