MTGNexus

Or have the last two sets of commander decks attached to sets recently had some nice chase cards in them rather than the bland we reprinted them 5 times already cards?

Yes, they're actually putting some expensive cards in these decks, manabase is still a bit questionable unless you're getting an Universes Beyond deck apparently.

If you ask me it really doesn't cost them to make a product with solid reprints with no single outstanding money card. They have reprinted a lot of the like $5 or less cards into oblivion at this point and while it still costs a few dollars a card for those its really only useful to newer players to pick up copies of them. Outside of those chase individual value cards I really have no reason to obtain pre con decks anymore at my point of collecting because 95% of the reprints I have 5+ copies of already.

Generally speaking when they make new cards in the precons is the question of what the price tag of the product becomes as the chase cards can be very expensive. I really don't mind a well constructed precon though as it makes the barrier for entry more reasonable for newer players.

I went to look and the Dimir deck looks like an extremely playable list. I am very impressed by the reprints in that deck. Some of the most competitive reanimation effects are in that deck along with some very impactful creatures. Massacre Wurm stands to wreck the Disguise deck if drawn because the deck can reanimated it 10 ways. Also some creature-based interaction for reanimation synergy and Syr Konrad for a life drain win if the beats don't cut it. Doom Whisperer as the #1 surveil enabler also makes an appearance. I was amazed how well that deck is built even by today's precon standards. The other decks are packing some solid reprints as well, so all of these will be solid pickups for anyone wanting to play them.

To mirror ISB's sentiment though, unless there is an extremely high value new card that is only available in the precon, don't by the deck for singles. The simple fact of the precon's being known lists means there is a good bit more supply for any reprinted cards. So just buy singles unless you want to keep a good portion of the deck and use it as a jumping off point, or just play as-is. I do have interest in a handful of singles in the reprints.

Manabases look cheap and consist primarily of things that have been reprinted into the ground. The decks otherwise look pretty well-built, and there are some nice reprints and chase cards in all the decks - Jeska's Will, Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Reanimate, Fiendish Duo, Seedborn Muse... Some of those prices may be high due to low supply (meaning the prices will crash), but there are also a lot of cards that are regularly in high demand.

My perception is that WotC is somewhat liberal with nonland reprints (except for particularly chase cards that they plan to slot into reprint sets at mythic) because power creep means there will always be new chase stuff... but they don't print new chase land cycles that often (and fetch/shocklands are already pretty close to the power ceiling), so they're more conservative with land reprints.

It seems to me that they're generating more reprint equity than they're using. New cards seem to be constantly invalidating old ones.

The Dimir precon has me very willing to buy the 40 dollar precon instead of going to the prerelease for the very first time. Looks like I don't have to get a discount Rise of the Dark Realm by getting Grimore of The Dead. It's full of fantastic old cards that have been way out of my price range. I'm just going to deconstruct it and use some of it for the Dralnu, Lich Lord deck I'm making.

I think I've mentioned it but iirc they said the commander decks would get upped in wanted reprints as core sets are gone and master sets are no longer a yearly thing and they wanted a consistent product that could be used for reprints.

Holy crap! I just took a look at the deck lists and boy are they not %$#%' around on this batch. Wow! I kinda want all of them.

I mean deadly disguise is one I kind of want: toski, jeska's will, unexplained absence, Beast Whisperer
deep clue sea has some power in it with farewell, Bennie Bracks, Zoologist and a few other chase rares
but blame game is the one I really want since Fiendish Duo is pretty expensive.

The Dimir one has Necromancy and Reanimate! Holy sheeeeet!