Thanks to some internet sleuthing from Agrante, we have some info about Light's Verdict distribution! Huge disclaimer: this isn't officially released info. As such, it is subject to change. However, this is still valuable to give you an idea of what the set release will look like.
They key takeaway is confirmation of info that they hinted at in the State of the Beta: LV cards will be distributed via MJ packs. This was already pretty clear, but these drop rates give us a window (however preliminary) of what they are thinking. These rates a clearly designed to sell packs, which is an important goal of any business: to make money! I think these rates plus the limited release window for the cards will probably succeed.
FYI a "chase card" is simply a card that is rarer than the rest. This lower supply means a high price, which makes it a bit more cost effective to spend on the pricier packs to get it. Impossible to say what if the expected value of any of these packs will flip positive. Shiny Legendary packs are have such negative expected value that it seems unlikely.
Lastly, we get to see the names of the unreleased cards. No idea what "Martyr of Whiteplain" or "Blade of Whiteplain" are, but that's a nice tidbit.
From the same source, we have some additional info about the role of Cosmic Shift and the Lysander's Spear trinket:
This looks like a clear move to put a floor on MJ card prices. This mitigates the major downside of their approach to pack sales. In short, there are already a way more MJ cards than players, so prices are low. Selling a ton of packs is going to add even more supply. The way this is setup, they will be moving the inflation from cards to $GODS tokens. Always a good reminder: HODLing $GODS is risky.
Thaeriel's Corrupting Influence on Eucos
They are leaving it vague, so I could be wrong. Maybe it's only specific cards within the MJ set, but if you look at the broader program, I think it's clear what this buyback is trying to accomplish. It could easily be something like a buybuck of only epics and legendaries. Or maybe only buying back commons (many of which are pennies).
A week into the program, we'll probably know both which class of assets are being purchased and what the price cap is. At that point, you can basically burn your cards for GODS. But should you? Hard to say. In theory, card supply will be going down while GODS supply is going up. We'll just have to wait and see.
This is also basically just confirming what they hinted at during the State of the Beta: the trinket is a collection reward for LV cards. Again, these details might change, but this is a nice rough outline of what to expect (or who knows maybe the scrap it completely but seems late for that).
A level 4 Lysander's Spear will basically just be a way for people to signal "I have so much money I like to piss it away." But some people are into that. It seems very difficult to get a trinket through weekend reward packs, especially due to the chase cards with low drop rates. In other words, if you want trinkets, it's gonna cost ya.
The Light's Verdict cards are powerful and unique, and I think they will drive pack sales. I am concerned that a few of them are OP and will have to be nerfed. This will create negative feelings in the community if that happens. It's also unclear how set rotation will work. Maybe they feel they can print these OP cards because they won't be allowed in ranked after an upcoming set rotation? I think that's unlikely, but it's possible.
The bottom line: the company needs to sell packs to stay in business. This feels like a bandaid rather than a long-term solution (i.e. more players), but I think it's a pretty good bandaid. I'm looking forward to seeing the new cards in action (especially Chosen One decks!!!)
