Last week, I detailed the method that Kelly and I have used to make hundreds while minimizing our risk. It’s a growing process and we’ve made several mistakes along with plenty of successes. This week, I’ll go over some of our previous purchases, along with some predictions for good cards to pick up.

Today’s article is both revolutionary and simple in its premise. It introduces you to a pricing model that sophisticated financial markets use, but the fundamentals are easily understandable. Kelly Reid and I have worked on getting better at what we’re calling The System when we make runs on stores, trade and speculate on the next upcoming cards, and today, we are going to start sharing it with you – our Insiders. We have already made hundreds of dollars on this, but we can’t make all the money there is to be made in this, since we don’t have infinite cash to throw at it. That’s why we’re sharing it.

Speculation and market investment in Magic is in its Golden Era right now. We have access to information at a speed that we never had before in Magic. If you’re spying for new tech, you don’t have to wait for a tournament report on the Dojo or read about it a month later in Inquest – you can hustle over to GGSlive and watch Kibler cast Huntmaster of the Fells in real-time. This article is about Magic speculation and price bubbles in what I am calling the “early modern” era.

Part of speculation and long-term strategies involves making sure that your cash is doing the most work that it can. When your cards are not performing, you need to fire them and get some more productive cards on the line. This weekend at GP: Indy, I divested from several cards that I had been sitting on. The subtheme of my article is “win, lose or draw,” with a look at how an Eternal player confronts finite cash, broad possibilities and the desire to clean house.

You’ve browsed through Completed Listings on Ebay before, trying to get a read on what price you should bid for a card you’d like. There are eight or ten at a normal price, and then there’s one that went for far less than it should have. Sometimes this happens because the listing ended late at night; other times, it’s because an auction for the same item just ended and people might not have aggressively bid on two of the same card.

If you want to be the lucky person snagging those underpriced cards; if you want to assemble a collection while you sleep, with an hour a week worth of work; if you have the patience to wait out some great prices because “your door is always open,” then this article is for you.

Rise of the Eldrazi is the Timmy dream set. It’s what you’d get if you built a set with the premise of “no rush till turn 7” and packed mana accelerants in everything. The set is based around the Eldrazi, giant and evil old legends that awaken on Zendikar. There’s a little bit of plot to this set, but mostly people remember weird drafts and a couple really big monsters.

I’d like to think that this is Abraham Lincoln’s calls, like the Great Emancipator has reached out from beyond space and time to tell us what to grab in Modern. How plain, then, that this is about the best cards to watch, to pick up, and to ditch in the wake of Grand Prix: Lincoln.

Worldwake is most iconic for Jace, The Mindsculptor, so let’s get that out of the way at the beginning. WWK has so much more going for it (okay, beyond just Stoneforge Mystic). Worldwake has several good-value rares and mythic rares, and thanks to how it was drafted, those cards will be worth more because so few were opened. Here’s what happened…

Welcome back to our exploration of Zendikar. If you were busy last week while we were plumbing the ruins of ancient tombs, take a look at Part One and you’ll catch up. Otherwise, come on in and let’s check out the second half of this set!

Zendikar was a set designed around the theme of explorers and adventurers discovering ancient secrets and powerful treasures. The set was packed full of treasures, literally – the Hidden Treasures promotion by WOTC inserted iconic, expensive and rare old cards into a small set of boosters. Players could open an Underground Sea or a Candelabra of Tawnos; they might open Guardian Beast or crack Black Lotus. Zendikar was full of treasures inside the set, too; the Allies were like Slivers, growing with every new one.

Doug takes you through the world’s greediest Modern deck. Find out how Coalition Relic powers up Cruel Ultimatum, shrugs off Blood Moon and maximizes Gifts Ungiven in this special tournament report and primer!