Hello, MTGO investors!

I am Nicolas Cancellara and this is my first article for Quiet Speculation. I am 28 years old from Argentina with more than 10 years of experience in the Magic Online trading market.

In my early days of MTGO I used the trading feature to earn enough tix to play the game, and I have been dealing ever since, until it become my main source of income. I own 500+ accounts on Magic Online and I use a sort of human-bot dealing chain. I also have a little experience with online forex trading, which complements MTGO finance very well. Right now I am participating in the Battle of Tix, an MTGO finance competition being hosted by Cardhoarder, which I recommend taking a look at if you haven't already.

I will be writing a series of weekly articles where I analyze a pool of cards and rate them buy, sell or hold. Remember that there is no 100% guarantee in any financial market, and the MTGO world is no different---that is why it's called speculation.

I will give my personal opinion for each card based on my experience and vision. It will be a helpful guide if you are starting to invest but you shouldn't blind-mimic my actions. You must understand what you are doing and why because it will allow you to make correct decisions when the scenario changes abruptly, which is quite often in the MTGO market.

Let's get started!

Ancestral Vision

Even though this card has been unbanned in Modern, the real price modifier these days is the Legacy format. Legacy leagues start this Wednesday and the card has already spiked, too much and too quickly in my opinion.

Sure, it could go even higher with the increasing demand of Legacy events. But we have no price history and this is the first time we see this card reacting to demand. We could also see a price adjustment due to the fast spike and a subsequent drop in price. Holding is not a terrible decision, but the lack of historical information makes it not worth the risk.

Verdict: Sell

Collected Company

This card's most glorious days have passed. Make no mistake, Collected Company is still as powerful as its first day but leaving the Standard format soon will crash its price. Even if it's still heavily played after the release of Eldritch Moon, the resistance line will be very strong.

Verdict: Sell

Wasteland

If you decide to invest in this card I recommend the Eternal Masters edition because it's the cheapest one and the supply ends this Wednesday. Investing in eternal-only formats is risky on MTGO and it rarely pays off, but the hype surrounding the format these days is real.

I wouldn't buy the card because I don't know how much the price will rise---a moderate gain might not cover the cost of the spread. On the other hand, the price shouldn't go any lower; even if you don't find a good price to sell it soon, it can go up with time.

Verdict: Hold

Shambling Vent

Staples lands are one of the most solid bets. Shambling Vent has been bouncing between 2 and 3 tix and the supply from drafting has ceased. Also a new Standard is around the corner which will increase demand. Easy call here.

Verdict: Buy

Mystic Gate

Shadowmoor flashback drafts ended just a few days ago, and as with every flashback draft they crashed all the prices in the set. As we can see in the image above, we missed the 3 tix bottom, but 4 a piece is still good to make a profit. The only problem I see with this card is that it doesn't see much play in Modern right now, so it could be a long-term investment.

Verdict: Buy

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That's all for this week, folks. I would love to hear your feedback about this series and which cards you want me to write about in subsequent articles. You can reply in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Magic4everMTGO.

Wish you a great week, and thanks for reading!