3 ms·

I unfortunately do not know much about the Magic the Gathering but from I read online you collect cards and they vary in terms of power. Is it in some ways simi

by uzakov 6y ago

I unfortunately do not know much about the Magic the Gathering but from I read online you collect cards and they vary in terms of power. Is it in some ways similar to Hearthstone? If yoy want to buy the cards to play, are you affected by the unregulated spoofing, market manipulation? Are you allowed to print your own?

gpderetta 6y ago
It is similar (well, except that it precedes Hearthstone by a decade or two). Also Hearthstone is digital only, while Magic is played both in paper and on a couple of digital platforms. There is a thriving second hand market (both paper and digital) with prices going from a few cents (or less) for bulk commons to ten of thousands for first edition power 9. The cheapest (but still very expensive) way to play the game is to buy the cards you need on the market instead of opening up packs and hoping to find what you need. Speculators are known to buy up less liquid (printing of) cards to simulate demand, then unload them when the price is up. Not all (or even most) price spikes are due to speculators of course. Also there are often spikes of certain older cards before new sets are released which happen to contain new cards that work well these old cards, suggesting that insiders of Wizard of the Coast or retailers are leaking and/or trading on non public information. You can't print your own cards to participate in sanctioned tournaments, but of course, when playing with friends you can do whatever your playgroup allows.
- uzakov 6y ago
  Thanks for providing a good overview! > Also there are often spikes of certain older cards before new sets are released which happen to contain new cards that work well these old cards, suggesting that insiders of Wizard of the Coast or retailers are leaking and/or trading on non public information. This obviously sucks > You can't print your own cards to participate in sanctioned tournaments, but of course, when playing with friends you can do whatever your playgroup allows. If you are a casual player, planning to play with friends only, are you actually hurt in any way by the speculators?
  - gpderetta 6y ago
    These days, the most common casual format is Commander. While it is often the case that you just build with what you have, casuals playing commander are a significant driver of the price of cards (for old cards, often even more than competitive play). At the end of the day Magic is also about collecting, and even if your playgroup allows playing with proxies, I would say that most players do at least desire to actually own the cards they play with; in fact many players are willing to even pay (often significant) extras for specific editions (foils for example) of cards for their pet deck.

by uzakov 6y ago

gpderetta 6y ago

It is similar (well, except that it precedes Hearthstone by a decade or two). Also Hearthstone is digital only, while Magic is played both in paper and on a couple of digital platforms. There is a thriving second hand market (both paper and digital) with prices going from a few cents (or less) for bulk commons to ten of thousands for first edition power 9. The cheapest (but still very expensive) way to play the game is to buy the cards you need on the market instead of opening up packs and hoping to find what you need. Speculators are known to buy up less liquid (printing of) cards to simulate demand, then unload them when the price is up. Not all (or even most) price spikes are due to speculators of course. Also there are often spikes of certain older cards before new sets are released which happen to contain new cards that work well these old cards, suggesting that insiders of Wizard of the Coast or retailers are leaking and/or trading on non public information. You can't print your own cards to participate in sanctioned tournaments, but of course, when playing with friends you can do whatever your playgroup allows.

uzakov 6y ago
Thanks for providing a good overview! > Also there are often spikes of certain older cards before new sets are released which happen to contain new cards that work well these old cards, suggesting that insiders of Wizard of the Coast or retailers are leaking and/or trading on non public information. This obviously sucks > You can't print your own cards to participate in sanctioned tournaments, but of course, when playing with friends you can do whatever your playgroup allows. If you are a casual player, planning to play with friends only, are you actually hurt in any way by the speculators?
- gpderetta 6y ago
  These days, the most common casual format is Commander. While it is often the case that you just build with what you have, casuals playing commander are a significant driver of the price of cards (for old cards, often even more than competitive play). At the end of the day Magic is also about collecting, and even if your playgroup allows playing with proxies, I would say that most players do at least desire to actually own the cards they play with; in fact many players are willing to even pay (often significant) extras for specific editions (foils for example) of cards for their pet deck.