Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[nhammen]

Only for this month. So you missed out. And that's the only place I draft, because everywhere else charges $15, but Strike Zone charges $10. But then, because Strike Zone always has such large drafts, my chances of winning any prizes drop to almost nothing, so maybe I shouldn't be going somewhere where my chances of making top 8 are so low, even if it is cheaper.

Oh, and the deck:
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/dec-27-fnm-heroic/

I don't recall the other cards I drafted, except that I had a second Yoked Ox I never used, and that the only sideboard card I used was a Glare of Heresy I sided in for Stymied Hopes whenever I played against a deck running white. I never used Stymied Hopes when it ended up in my hand, so I probably should have left it out of main.

[Thestatusquo]

Yoked ox as a second pick seems so bad. haha. pack must have been miserable.

remember that your first three picks or so you should basically be picking the most powerful card in the pack regardless of color, so as to remain open and play the color that is open on the table.

It gets kind of tricky when there is a card in the same color as your first pick that is almost the most powerful card in the pack, and I usually err towards that rather than remain completely open. But I strongly doubt yoked ox was the best card in the pack by any meaningful card evaluation.

[nhammen]

You misread me. I didn't say second pick Yoked Ox. I said I had drafted a second one of them. As in I had 2 of them, but was only playing one.

When I was talking about other cards I had drafted, I was referring to my sideboard. But I only used one card in my sideboard.

[Thestatusquo]

ahhhhh ok.

Yeah it seemed weird and I remembered you saying you were relatively new. My apologies.

[nhammen]

No problem.

Actually, in pack 1, I took a huge risk. I kept getting passed good heroic enablers such as Ordeal of Thassa, Gods Willing, etc. Enough that I didn't even play all of them (although I should have played Chosen by Heliod in place of Stymied Hopes, because I am terrible with counters). So I took a large number of these even without seeing much heroic. But that payed off in pack 2 when I opened Phalanx Leader and was passed 2 Favored Hoplites.

[InflatablePie]

Running RW Devo tonight for that sexy Helix promo. Might sell my Mutas to gather the other pieces (3 Nykthos, 2 Dragons is like $60ish), don't think they'll stay around $30+ for long anyway. Hope I won't need them after BotG but hey, maybe they'll go back down and I can buy them.

Anyone else see this jank on reddit? Bought the pieces for like $10 and I might dick around with it on Wednesdays.

[Thestatusquo]

Do not sell your mutavaults. That card is played in modern and legacy and will always be at least 20 bucks. The cards you're buying will be worth close to nothing when they rotate.

[InflatablePie]

Bet you a pack they hit 15 or less when they rotate.

[Thestatusquo]

And then go back up to 35 a year after that? What is your point, exactly?

[InflatablePie]

Point is, I'm selling them for 20 because I can buy them back after rotation for that much or less, and get cards I'm playing for Standard now. And I'll trade those off next year.

They're going to drop after rotation, if not after BotG. What rare has stayed at 30-35? It's inflated because of Standard.

[Thestatusquo]

Its inflated because of standard??? Are you high? Standard deflated mutavaults price by a good 10-15$

And there are tons of them. They all happen to be format staples in legacy and modern. Uhhhhh... You know, like mutavault is?

[InflatablePie]

Standard deflated it when it got reprinted. It also wasn't used as much in the summer, it's risen now because fucking no one drafted M14 and everyone needs it. That's why Chandra, when she got a lot of play at the beginning of the season, was $30. I remember, I bought in at $30.

Tons of Standard decks use Mutavault as a 2-4 of, usually 4. Mono U, Mono B, Mono R, BW Control, UW Control... I don't know

much

about Modern/Legacy, but I thought 'vaults most often uses were in Fish and one or two fringe decks (e.g. Woo's Ninja Delver uses like two). But there's a Standard PTQ season and the price has risen in January like all Standard rares.

What tons of (core set)

rares

that kept their price above $30-$35? Liliana is a

mythic

and that's the only one I can think of in recent memory. Snap hit like $15, think it might be climbing to 20 now but I haven't checked in a while.

And you admitted it'll drop at rotation then jump back after a year earlier. So... by that logic, it'll tank when rotation hits, because right now Standard is inflating the price, yeah?

p.s. the deck I bought with those Mutavaults won me first at FNM, with no match losses (5-0-1) and one game loss. Made ten packs off that ($20 store credit/value unknown). By using this deck to win standard events, I'm almost making the money back, especially considering I'm going to pick them up for the price I sold them at or less at rotation. If I'm wrong and the price doesn't tank, I'll be selling Stormbreaths and such next January-March (peak for Standard rares) and I'll recoup the costs then.

[Fate]

fwiw stormbreath should be insane when mortars/doom blade rotate

[InflatablePie]

we're also gonna have a smaller card pool after rotation this block (similar to SOM-INN) since THS block is large-small-small sets, compared to the double-large set blocks of INN and RTR. stormbreath should rise in price from it's $15ish now, in theory, even though THS block is being drafted all the way through. it obviously depends on the removal that's printed/reprinted but I imagine Stormbreath will be good in Block, and it

is

mythic. I imagine a $25ish price seems fair, don't think it'll hit Hellkite levels unless the card ends up being absolutely insane somehow (since Thundermaw was a core set mythic, thus less opened product).

I'm thinking they're gonna have to give us ways to remove troublesome 4+ toughness creatures, maybe even reprint some board wipes like DoJ/Damnation, because stuff like Prognostic Sphinx (whom people say isn't good solely because Aetherling exists atm) and Reaper of the Wilds exists, both of which can gain hexproof and have 5 toughness. I'm gonna be picking those two cards up cheap when I can just in case (should have a playset of Sphinx already).

[Fate]

stormbreath is 15?

time to finish DAT playset


I agree that theyll print removal.... that will hit stormbreath... (downfall still exists for instance)

I just think mortars existing is a HUGE takeaway for stormbreath. The fact that red can kill your 5-drop for 2 mana is a pretty huge thing. especially since overloading it and hitting stormbreath+anything else on your board is usually just lights out.

interested to see what new 2 cmc removal black will get with devour flesh, ultimate price, doom blade going too.

[InflatablePie]

Got mine at $16 from a LGS and it's dropping to $14 low tcg.

also, I caved and opened the packs I got from FNM. temple garden, overgrown tomb and a few

decent

/bad rares (Counterflux, Worldspine Wurm, foil Mana Bloom). nothing else of note, but I'd say two shocks for my $5 entry seems good.

[Thestatusquo]

Just FYI, you won the lottery this time, but the value of an opened pack is a little less than a dollar, on average. I usually save mine to draft or try to sell them. You can usually get like 2.50 per on craigslist.

[xRECKONERx]

wait, Born of the Gods is a small set? huh.

[InflatablePie]

If I'm opening about ten packs from my winnings, I usually end up making my money back. I'm aware typically the expected value of a booster is about $1-$1.50, usually no more than $1.75. I could sell them for like $2-$3 a pack (pay $20 to win 4 FNMs, sell a box worth for like $70, ??? profit) but I get more enjoyment out of cracking them since I don't buy packs and haven't been drafting much lately. Also I like having trade fodder.

Also, yep. Large-Small-Small this year, meaning THS is being opened in drafts until M15.

[Thestatusquo]

Cool. If you're looking for the enjoyment from the packs and not trying to min-max your magic trading/playing so that you can basically play for free, I can respect that. I don't know your financial situation, but I know when I was straight broke and wanted to keep playing magic, these are things that helped me keep going infinite.

Shrug.

[Fate]

did they not offer store credit at a greater rate thatn 2.50 a pack to go infinite with>

[InflatablePie]

My FNM store offers 2/pack credit. I suppose I can get credit, probably will to pay for prereleases, but the same store offers free entry as well: top 8 split gets 5 packs, double if you pay. Not sure how top 8 breaks down otherwise.

[Thestatusquo]

5 packs for top 8 in the prerelease? Wut? that's awful.

[Fate]

he said it was free

[bv310]

That's still pretty crummy