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I've been saving up a number of points on PucaTrade lately and trying to figure out which way I want to go with them. With upwards of 30,000 points, I can start thinking about dual lands or even trying to pick up a piece of power after saving a bit more.
The thing is, though, I'm not going to do any of that. I'm going to pick up non-foil, English versions of cards I am going to play with. In my case, that means Cube cards, but feel free to insert your favorite format when you're considering this line of thought.
The fact is that I'm going to get a lot more enjoyment out of thirty $30 cards than I will out of one Mox Sapphire. If nothing else, I will play those thirty cards about 30 times as often as I will the one Mox, assuming each is in the same number of decks I play.
If someone spills a drink, that Mox is a heartbreaking loss, whereas it would take an awfully big drink to destroy an equivalent amount of value across several different cards. If someone shady sneaks into a Cube draft and makes off with one or two cards, it's nice that the maximum loss is under the price of my car payment. If a shifty individual notices me playing a Mox Diamond, he might think that's cool, but seeing me play a Mox Sapphire may just draw the worst kind of attention.
Of course, if you're playing competitive Vintage or Legacy, you don't really have a choice—you can't proxy this stuff up, and to fully participate in the hobby, you need to have certain cards. If that's the case, sure, owning Moxen and duals and whatever else you need is less of a vanity project and more to have your preferred brand of fun, and that's totally fair.
But what about foils? Foreign cards? Rare promos? Misprints? Beta duals and the like?
Personally, I just don't understand the drive to own these items. I do understand the thrill of the hunt, and as exciting as it is to track down something from one's want list, it must be exponentially more exciting to get a Russian foil of that card, assuming that's your thing. But besides the thrill of tracking things down, I don't get why someone would want to own these high-end cards.
Yes, you can and should insure yourself against loss if you have a lot of money in cardboard, but even with that possibility, I just can't get myself motivated to spend more money on alternate versions of cards. I will almost always play the least expensive version of a card available. All it takes is one natural disaster, one theft, one misplaced trade binder, one out-of-control kid—just one event can equal major financial loss the more expensive your collection and individual cards get. I'm not saying nobody should own this stuff, but for me personally, it makes for way more stress than it's worth.
MTG finance isn't about owning the biggest and baddest collection around, or having the most pimp deck, or having the highest-end cards among people in your playgroup. It doesn't even have to be about making money, although that can and should certainly become a side benefit once you've got the right experience. To me, MTG finance is all about maximizing the money you do have allocated to the hobby, be that $10 for a casual deck or $10,000 for a Vintage deck. If you can play Legacy for the same amount that most people spend to play Modern, that's good MTG finance at work, even if you don't actually make a dime.
So, tell me why you own high-end cards, specifically ones with legal, less-expensive versions available. Besides the thrill of the hunt, which I do understand, I'm really curious what motivates players and collectors seeking out high-priced items. If you agree with me, do you have any other reasons you don't own high-end stuff, or did I cover it all? Sound off below.
Because I like pretty cards.
(Which for me is non-foil, English, first print with normal corners).
It’s why people want to own fancy cars, first print books, etc. Some people care to collect them. It’s crazy from some perspectives, but I’m sure all of us do crazy things from time to time.
I should add that except for a few cards for Vintage I pretty much own whatever I would need to play competitively (in most cases barring a few cheaper, usually newer, cards that I’ll pick up at some point when I come across a deal). I tend to play casually though and like to have the cards I want for my decks available to me (storing away playsets of cards has also proven a pretty good investment strategy as casual and competitive cards tend to go up over the years).
I feel that high end cards are a good investment, so as such I don’t mind indulging in them as a finance minded person when the collector in me wants to get pretty copies (the player just wants copies, period). As I tend to play with a group of friends when I play I am less concerned with theft, while damage can mostly be prevented by sleeving well and being careful (I also tend to play EDH, so I usually only bring a few high end cards per deck).
As for those Vintage cards I’m missing: 5 of the Power 9 and 3 Shops. My finance minded side wants to watch my expenses, so I really prefer to trade for them (though I’ll buy if it’s a really good deal). I will accept more worn copies for the player to play with and the collector who really wants pretty copies can shut up for now (when I have them I might look to trade up towards better looking copies though).
I agree on the “I like pretty cards” sentiment, and that’s speaking as a competitive player.
I especially like to play pretty cards in my decks. I like Rebecca Guay’s artwork, so I play the WPN promo Path to Exile in my modern deck. I like the foil patterning on Elesh Norn, so I play that instead of the non-foil. And I really am not fond of the artwork on the RTR Steam Vents, so I play the original Guildpact printing.
When all is said and done, it means that if my modern deck gets lost or stolen, I’m out $1200 instead of $1000. And in the short term, that money is in cardboard instead of sitting in the bank or an investment portfolio. I guess I could save money by playing the cheaper, uglier versions of cards in my deck. But you know what else would save money? Not playing Magic.
I have a hobby, it makes me happy, and I’m willing to spend money on it. Isn’t that why we’re all here?
I couldn’t agree more. Legacy is my favorite format, although I play a fair bit of Modern and EDH too. I would much rather be able to field multiple decks than have one really shiny one in a language I can’t read. Function over form, man, function over form.
it doesn’t make sense to me either but i like to play, trade and collect quantity over rarity. I do have a few used cases though:
1)
Russian foil ktk polluted delta 800
english ktk polluted delta 12.50
you could feasibly have 64 deltas over one extremely rare one. It allows you to be liquid, trade play etc. The KTK may jump in value a few hundred but the regular delta could easily jump as well. Easy choice for me, go non foil
2) (1 month ago a decision I made)
4 foil judge noble hierarchs
4 noble hierarchs non foil + 160$
I went with the judge foil noble hierarchs b/c if any key pod pieces were banned or hierarch is reprinted, i can recoup a majority of my 360$. When pod got banned I offloaded them for $340 in trade credit instantly.
I usually am in the first boat, but i do like judge foils!
It’s a combination of two things.
The first is that “thrill of the hunt” that you mentioned. After I acquired a good collection of cards that allowed me to put together most Legacy and Extended/Modern decks that I had an interest in playing, there was nothing left to pursue. I was never a committed trader/binder grinder. It started with the occasional foil Inquisition of Kozilek, or Silvergill Adept that I’d see in a binder. I already had all the fetch lands and Cryptic Commands I would need, and I really wanted to get rid of [random overpriced standard card], so I started acquiring foils. Over time, I wanted my decks to become all foil, and the hunt was on.
The second thing is that I see expensive cards as a sort of investment market that I understand, which surrounds a game that I love. As I got older, I started to see the financial value that could be gained in foils/expensive cards. While I didn’t want to grind out a living from cards, I did know the market well enough as a player that I thought I could gain value in the long term. I don’t have the passion or the patience to learn the real stock market. I have no clue on whether five hundred dollars is better spent on a moderate mutual fund, or palladium shares. I DO have a clue on why I put that five hundred into foil Mercadian Brainstorms, rather than foil Goblin Welders. Now, I’m not planning to retire on Magic cards; it’s rather an investment hobby. I can put in a little time and money, forget about a solid investment for a while, and then when I’m interested again, I can look up prices again and see a nice chunky gain.
High end cards = high end profits. My one Beta Lotus flip is worth more than 1000 tiny leader spex.
This is a totally fair point, but I’m talking about owning/collecting here, not flipping.
Nostalgia: I’m slowly replacing my revised duals with unlimited ones because I started playing during unlimited and the aura of those cards takes me back to cracking packs in 7th grade.
I liquidate almost everything I have as part of my business, with one exception: my EDH deck. Getting everything in the deck to its optimal version is a reward for all the work I put into the game (being a judge as well as a vendor).
For every event I judge, I give myself a small cut of my compensation to spend on cards for the deck. At GP New Jersey, it was a Beta Nevinyrral’s Disk. At GP Baltimore, it was a stack of the Arena foil Mountains I coveted (the Urza’s Saga ones, with the John Avon art). It’s a tangible reward for my hard work, and it feels good to play with such beautiful, valuable cards. (Not to mention, it’s a decent investment if I ever decide it’s time to get fully out.)
Owning high end cards appeals to collectors.
Magic is not just a game, it’s a Collectible Card Game. Some people like to play, some people like to collect, some people like both.
What is your goal with MTG Finance? Some people do it to be able to finance their hobby on a budget. Others do it to finance their real life expenses like rent or a car. Still others do it to work their way up to owning a piece of Magic history in a high end card.
I ran into a trader at a Starcity games event in Indianapolis. He asked if I had any thing for legacy for trade, duals, foil fetches, he likes to invest in real-estate. I told him no, and he asked to take a look any way, and I acquiesced. Then he proceeded to talk crap about the contents of said binder and how he only played legacy and vintage and how he had several thousand dollars in cards. He also started talking down to me like I didn’t have a clue about it. 🙂 I smiled at him and took my binder back. Then I retorted.
I like to play standard because its always changing and I can afford it. I could play the other formats but I prefer my money to be invested. That’s why I own real land instead of card board lands, but what do I know I only have rental properties.
Because some of us appreciate the history of.the game, its.getting to a point where mtg is one if.the most successful games ever and its a piece of american history. Personally, i like collecting original art and alpha/beta. Magic art direction is so terrible right now i feel like its like looking into an xbox game instruction manuel..so i always almost opt for the least digital looking version of a.card…also its part of human nature to own things a lot of other people want.but cant get or dont have..if i wanted to play a game for just gameplay and no other reason i would play poker