2021 Tin of Ancient Battles Anticipation

It is a fact we all know. The megatins make for the best reprint sets of the year. The community eagerly awaits them every year—this year even more so due to the product delay, which pushed the tins back for a month or more past their originally scheduled release date. Let's discuss the latest leaks!

Last year's tins were full of wanted cards such as and . We still do not have the full list of cards for this year's Tin of Ancient Battles yet (up to the moment of writing this article anyway) except we know that will be reprinted as an ultra rare.

Sneaky Leaks

However, we got some leaks already as one seller from the UK listed a few of the tin's cards on eBay before taking the listing down the next day. From that leak, it seems that the tin contains a lot of sought-after cards. Over the past year, many great cards saw print in main sets of course. Some reprints are generic staple cards such as and , while others are archetype-specific like and .

From previous leaks we also know that Adamancipators will be getting their much-needed reprint and the Dogmatika cards will finally be affordable. (I am looking at you, .) I expect, however, that the tins will omit certain cards such as , , and possibly , all of which have managed to avoid being spotted in the leaks so far … sneaky cards. If true, the reasoning could be that these cards could help sell future products. But I really hope I am wrong on this count as all three cards are considered staples that players need but sadly not everyone can afford without a mass reprint.

Value and Variety

In terms of value for money, cards from the previous tin have aged gracefully. I:P and Borreload for example cost double what I paid for them while anyone who bought the Unchained core is now happy they managed to purchase them on the low. In my estimation, the Adamancipator and Virtual World cores will get the same treatment as Unchained. Other cards such as and are finally due for a reprint. There is still no hint of world-exclusive archetypes like Myutants or Plunder Patroll, but we still do not know much about the tins, so who can say what we are going to find?

One interesting aspect to the leak is that Konami apparently changed the formula for which sets end up in the tins by introducing cards from structure decks. According to the leak, some cards from the Shaddoll structure decks such as will be part of the lineup—hopefully as a secret rare though. Furthermore, it appears to be a bit strange, but the Sacred Beasts appear to be getting a reprint in the tin, which seems more than just a little random. But after all these years of playing Yu-Gi-Oh! I learned that whenever the people at Konami start printing random cards from specific archetypes, then they are planning something for the near future.

Crossout In?

Let's talk about the elephant in the leaks, the quick-play spell card known in Japan as "Crossout Designator." Curiously, the card was released in Japan as a V Jump promo all the way back in 2019. It has been out for more than two years now and has established itself as a staple that found its way into most decks due to its versatility. Yet we still have not received it here in the TCG world. Are we about to finally get it? I hope so, especially considering that it is long overdue and will have an impact on how we construct our decks.

It is definitely possible that the latest leak was fake or meant to drum up hype and goad players into pre-ordering the tins. However, even without the leaks, we already know that this year's tins will sell like crazy due to the huge number of good cards that were released throughout the year—if of course these cards end up being included in the tins. Just look at the best-selling section on Cardmarket, and you will find that the tins are occupying both the first and second spot for most purchased product as of 12 September. Of course, We will have to wait and see the cards being pulled from the tins to know for sure what is inside, but so far the prospects appear to be quite promising.

What is the reprint you are looking forward to the most? Do you think those leaks are real? Also, if Crossout Designator is really in the tins, how do you feel it could affect the game on our side of the world? Share your thoughts and opinions with everyone in the comment section below!

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily Cardmarket.