Just a heads-up to all the QS fans out there - ManaNation.com has brought me on to cover Magic Finance for them every Thursday! Keep an eye on Twitter and the QS front page for a link, or just head over to ManaNation.com every Thursday! This week's article is an introduction to actual and expected value, and is a must-read for anyone just getting started trading buying or selling Magic cards!

The single most important concept in Magic finance, and possibly in Magic itself, is the concept of Expected Value “EV” is a term you’ll hear often when reading or discussing Magic. The concept of EV is slightly ethereal. EV is not a representation of what has happened in the past, nor is it a measure of what will happen in the future. Those are very concrete concepts, but EV is more abstract. The best way to explain this is through the analogy of the booster pack. Assuming a normal booster pack distribution of 1 rare, 3 uncommons, and 10 commons and setting aside Mythics, foils and ‘Priceless Treasures,’ any player can see where the value is generated in these packs. It comes from the Rare slot. The first thing most players do when they bust open a pack is check the rare, so let’s set aside the rest of the pack and focus only on the rare. Read the rest here.