I apologize if this has been asked before. I searched for this topic, but found only confirmation that this card is falsely classified as rare.

Does this card actually fill a slot in place of another rare? I haven't yet considered myself enough of an "enthusiast" to look for "box patterns", so I don't fully understand the implications of this misprint. Am I truly losing out?

My biggest question is, if I am indeed losing out on a rare, how do I avoid this? I've heard something about it being a second edition error. Should I look for first edition boxes? Do they exist still in large quantities? Is there a third edition coming out, or is there a new batch of second edition cards in print that will fix this mistake?

I have about 6 false-rare versions of "Unstable Molecules". I would really like to make sure I don't allow myself to get cheated anymore.

While the card was missprinted as a rare, it is still in the common slot. If for some reason you do not get a rare, it will not be because of the Unstable Molecules.

Yeah, one of the other great things about standard edition is the no rare pack. :confused:

1st edition had the same problems

*Phew!* I thought I had just wasted money on the last box. Thanks for the feedback.

I've had it be my rare in 6-8 packs so far.

How do I avoid this?

Simple.

I don't buy any Standard Marvel Origins anymore.

Hellooooo DC!

While it does have the rare symbol it is still printed in the common slot. Since it is a common there is a decent chance it will happen to be in a pack that had the rare left out, but it never takes the place of the rare card.

The packaging problems that cuase some packs to not have rares exists in all print runs atm. Marvel 1st and standard, as well as DC all have packs missing rares.

Every DC pack I've opened (52 so far) has had exactly 1 rare.

Every pack of Marvel 1st I've opened (48) has had at least one rare.

Haven't gotten enough Marvel standard to judge yet.

While that doesn't really surprise me, I have personally only been shafted on Standard eddition packs (many times).