The cost of cards

[sherretz]

Temper your expectations. Jace 2.0 (for example) is still upwards of 40 tickets online (~$40 US).

I have a long write-up in mind for this, but I'm going to hold off for now. Suffice it to say that I feel Mythic rarity is a great way for Wizards to allow some power creep while also keeping it in check (I'm not going to elaborate why I think so here). This obviously means that the Mythic rares are the cards that will be in demand.

I would estimate the average competitive Standard deck has something like 10-14 rare and mythic rare cards in it. Mythic.dek being the high end (closer to 16), Jund.dek arguably being on the low end depending on which flavor. With this in mind, I would again estimate it would take a good 2-3 boxes of cards to get close to the amounts of specific cards you need (again, a very rough estimation and I know it's more boxes than that "because of the Mythic rares," but bear with me). As such, I would expect the average price for a Standard deck to be in that neighborhood.

I feel it's actually more an indication on the health of the game. If there weren't so many players, the cards wouldn't be popular. Also, the large amount of players either discovering or returning to the game means that many people are (re)building their collections. And, while it sucks that prices are high, those prices tend to drive innovation as people attempt to work out tech based on their cards at hand.

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Now, go back to that estimation above. If you bought the 2-3 boxes, you would have a LOT of trade fodder that, depending on who you're dealing with, could get you a lot closer to the deck you have in mind. That goes a long way to mitigating your costs out of pocket.

I've noticed three things since Zendikar that are worth noting (although I'm not sure they will help):
1) Many popular online retailers (SCG, Troll and Toad, etc.) offer a playset of the newest expansion for about the price of a case of cards

2) Standard decks evolve with new sets, but the prices of the decks have stayed relatively constant (in the $200 range "street value")

3) There are enough chase rares/mythics and "value" cards to make the cost of purchasing a full playset worthwhile

Now, granted, this keeps you from having a case worth of trade fodder for picking up the odd card or two you're missing for a given deck; but you know you won't have to go hunting for cards from the current set.
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In conclusion, I'd like to say one of the reasons Limited and Sealed (and Pauper/Peasant by extension) is so popular is because of the cost of staying competitive in Standard. Few people who aren't avid collectors are willing to shell out the money for specific, high value cards and want to get some use out of the commons/uncommons they are pulling from packs.

TL;DR here is I don't have a problem with card values. Granted, I don't have the option of playing paper Magic right now, but I see it as an indicator of the health and popularity of the game.

[browncoat]

(2010-06-01 18:14 PM)sherretz Wrote:  I have a long write-up in mind for this, but I'm going to hold off for now. Suffice it to say that I feel Mythic rarity is a great way for Wizards to allow some power creep while also keeping it in check (I'm not going to elaborate why I think so here). This obviously means that the Mythic rares are the cards that will be in demand.

Please expand on this here or in another thread. Mythic rares exacerbate power creep if anything.

Quote:I would estimate the average competitive Standard deck has something like 10-14 rare and mythic rare cards in it. Mythic.dek being the high end (closer to 16), Jund.dek arguably being on the low end depending on which flavor. With this in mind, I would again estimate it would take a good 2-3 boxes of cards to get close to the amounts of specific cards you need (again, a very rough estimation and I know it's more boxes than that "because of the Mythic rares," but bear with me). As such, I would expect the average price for a Standard deck to be in that neighborhood.

The problem is that that is what people have been doing for a while. Buying a few boxes of a set can get you playsets of your uncommons and commons. You will also get a decent number of rares and mythics. The problem is that you will not necessarily have playsets of the rares/mythics you want. Normally you would trade up to finish you playset of baneslayers or jace 2.0. The problem is that these chase cards are so sought after that people crack more packs looking for them. This pushes down the values of normal rares that would normally have greater value. This also makes trading up nearly impossible. Consider worldwake, what combination of rares are even comparable to Jace 2.0? I would not trade a Jace for a few manlands, which I think are probably some of the more valuable cards in the set. Dual Land manlands are nearly worthless getting $5(at best, most are lower), which is complete nonsense.

Quote:I feel it's actually more an indication on the health of the game. If there weren't so many players, the cards wouldn't be popular. Also, the large amount of players either discovering or returning to the game means that many people are (re)building their collections. And, while it sucks that prices are high, those prices tend to drive innovation as people attempt to work out tech based on their cards at hand.

While magic has been gaining popularity through things like Duels of the Planeswalkers, there has not been the sudden surge to count for these prices. I would contend that the prices are worse for competitive magic (not bad for casual magic which does not buy singles). Innovation would normally show up but hits the ultimate stumbling block: Jund. With removal, discard, and reasonable stability Jund can wreck most rogue decks.

Quote:Now, go back to that estimation above. If you bought the 2-3 boxes, you would have a LOT of trade fodder that, depending on who you're dealing with, could get you a lot closer to the deck you have in mind. That goes a long way to mitigating your costs out of pocket.

As I said earlier with chase mythics driving down rare prices you have problems trading up for cards you want.

Quote:1) Many popular online retailers (SCG, Troll and Toad, etc.) offer a playset of the newest expansion for about the price of a case of cards

Online retailers have been doing this for a while. I am not sure how long but I know it has been far longer than since zendikar. This also assumes that you can afford/want to pay for a case of cards to begin with.

Quote:2) Standard decks evolve with new sets, but the prices of the decks have stayed relatively constant (in the $200 range "street value")

This is generally true except for mythic, uw tapout and superfriends have popped up and have killed peoples wallets.

Quote:3) There are enough chase rares/mythics and "value" cards to make the cost of purchasing a full playset worthwhile

Really? I play magic to have fun. Why do I need to pay for a full playset of cards for each set to be competitive? Especially if they rotate out every two years (or less in the case of some sets).

Quote:Now, granted, this keeps you from having a case worth of trade fodder for picking up the odd card or two you're missing for a given deck; but you know you won't have to go hunting for cards from the current set.

Yeah instead I will have playsets of every bulk rare and common to throw in a box and ignore.

Quote:In conclusion, I'd like to say one of the reasons Limited and Sealed (and Pauper/Peasant by extension) is so popular is because of the cost of staying competitive in Standard. Few people who aren't avid collectors are willing to shell out the money for specific, high value cards and want to get some use out of the commons/uncommons they are pulling from packs.

Limited is fun because it requires not only the strategy of playing but also planning on how to build your deck with a limited pool (as well as messing up your opponents decks).

In your opinion it seems that having tournaments is pointless as only "real" collectors who shell out for their foil playsets of standard deserve to play.

Quote:TL;DR here is I don't have a problem with card values. Granted, I don't have the option of playing paper Magic right now, but I see it as an indicator of the health and popularity of the game.

Values are nice but when the values spike radically from trends that have continued from recent years, people start to worry. When standard decks (non-foil) are costing nearly as much as most legacy decks, then you have to ask yourself why am I paying so much to play cards that rotate instead of playing an eternal format. If these prices are a bubble and the bubble bursts, then Wizards will have some problems.

Overall though Wizards may be interested in killing competitive magic as they make far more money from casual players than people who buy a few boxes or singles to build decks.

[sparkmage]

Soo far this year ive bought aroudn 100 in singles probably 30 in packs 1 sealed deck and a box