All posts by Travis Allen

Travis Allen has been playing Magic on and off since 1994, and got sucked into the financial side of the game after he started playing competitively during Zendikar. You can find his daily Magic chat on Twitter at @wizardbumpin. He currently resides in upstate NY, where he is a graduate student in applied ontology.
Spoiler Coverage

Masterpiece Series and Kaladesh Inventions

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Just when we thought we were at peak excitement regarding Kaladesh, Wizards unveiled Kaladesh Inventions, an entry in the new Masterpiece Series!

In Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch, ultra-rare cards appeared occasionally in booster packs. These cards were reprints of some of the best lands Magic: The Gathering has ever seen, printed with brand-new frames and custom art. In the year since their release, they’ve been spotted all over coverage tables, and are an exclusive collector’s item for those with deep pockets.

After taking the Shadows Over Innistrad block off, Wizards is bringing back these special promo cards in a big way, starting with Kaladesh Inventions. Kaladesh Inventions is similar to Zendikar Expeditions in that they’ll show up very rarely; roughly 1 in every 140 booster packs. There are 30 that will appear in Kaladesh, and another 24 will come with Aether Revolt. Each of the 54 in these two sets will be an artifact. What’s especially amazing is the border — these cards are beautiful! Players across the continuum have been raving about how excellent they look.

Perhaps the bigger news is that Kaladesh Inventions is only part of a larger feature which is the Masterpiece Series. When Zendikar Expeditions was revealed we all wondered whether it would become permanent. Well, now we have our answer! Going forward, each new block will come with its own special run of cards tied thematically to the world of the set. Battle for Zendikar’s entry was all lands. Kaladesh’s are all artifacts. If we ever return to Theros, that will likely be all enchantments. Next year’s Amonkhet will almost definitely feature some Nicol Bolas-inspired entries.

For more information, check out Mark Rosewater’s article here. You can view all of the revealed cards in Kaladesh Inventions here. And check back on Wednesday when Travis goes in-depth on what impact Kaladesh Inventions will have on the secondary market!

City of Traders

PROTRADER: Announcement Day, PAX West, and Kaladesh Spoilers

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By: Travis Allen
@wizardbumpin

Don’t miss this week’s installment of the MTG Fast Finance podcast, an on-topic, no-nonsense tour through the week’s most important changes in the Magic economy.

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expensive cards

ProTrader: Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.

City of Traders

PROTRADER: More Modern, More Grand, More Prixs

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By: Travis Allen
@wizardbumpin

Don’t miss this week’s installment of the MTG Fast Finance podcast, an on-topic, no-nonsense tour through the week’s most important changes in the Magic economy.

There’s a chance that you’ll manage to read this article before Wizards’ update today, Wednesday August 31st, 2016. If that’s the case, allow me to inform you that it would very much be in your best interest to sell any Liliana of the Veils you have right now if possible. At 11am EST Wizards will partake in the new “announcement day” event, wherein they roll out all the new products to be released for the first six months of 2017. Given that Grand Prix Vegas lands in June, which is the sixth month, that means we’ll be seeing the new Modern Masters as well. And, if Modern Masters 2017 continues in the same trend as Modern Masters 2015, it will add two more years worth to the total number of sets it can release cards from – in this case, Innistrad and Return to Ravnica. This means that for the first time since the Masters set’s beginning, both Snapcaster Mage and Liliana of the Veil are on the table for reprints. For the last two years Tarmogoyf has been the “anchor” card of the product, but I think this year they pivot to Liliana. While Goyf is technically more expensive, Liliana is closing the gap, and WotC would love to head that $150 price tag off before it arrives.

Hopefully there will be enough information in there to fuel an article next week. That’s next week though.

The rest of this content is only visible to ProTrader members.

To learn how ProTrader can benefit YOU, click here to watch our short video.

expensive cards

ProTrader: Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.

MTG Fast Finance

MTG Fast Finance Podcast: Episode 30

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MTG Fast Finance is our weekly podcast covering the flurry of weekly financial activity in the world of Magic: The Gathering. MFF provides a fast, fun and useful sixty minute format. Follow along with our seasoned hosts as they walk you through this week’s big price movements, their picks of the week, metagame analysis and a rotating weekly topic.

Show Notes: Aug 25th, 2016

Segment 1: Top Movers of the Week

Note: Price movements reflect posted NM prices, and may not represent prices players have paid.

Hide//Seek">Hide//Seek Foil (Dissension)
Start: $6.50
Finish: $11.00
Gain: +$4.50 (+70%)

Fulminator Mage">Fulminator Mage Foil (Shadowmoor)
Start: $65.00
Finish: $145.00
Gain: +$80.00 (+125%)

Bloodbraid Elf Foil (Eternal Masters)
Start: $5.50
Finish: $16.00
Gain: +$10.50 (+190%)

Narcomoeba Foil (Eternal Masters)
Start: $3.00
Finish: $20.00
Gain: +$17.00 (+566%)

 

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James Picks:

  1. Eldritch Evolution Foil (Eldritch Moon) Confidence Level 8: $15 to $30 (+100%, 0-12+ months)
  2. Dark Confidant (Modern Masters 2015) Confidence Level 7: $35.00 to $45.00 (+30%, 6-12+ months)

Travis Picks:

  1. Death’s Shadow, Worldwake, Confidence Level 7: $10 to $20 (+100%, 0-6+ months)
  2. Darksteel Forge, Magic 2014, Confidence Level 7: $5 to $10 (+100%, 12+ months)
  3. Sanguine Bond, Magic 2014, Confidence Level 7: $2.50 to $8 (+220%, 12+ months)

Disclosure: Travis and James may own speculative copies of the above cards.

Segment 3: Metagame Week in Review

Starcity Games’ invitational was this past weekend, and it brought plenty of Standard and Modern decks to discuss. Bant Company, UB Zombies, Death’s Shadow Zoo, and RG Valakut are just some of the interesting lists that appeared.

Segment 4: Topic of the Week

Conspiracy: Take the Crown has been revealed in full, and it’s for some it’s what they wanted Eternal Masters to be in the first place. Show and Tell joins Berserk as high-profile reprints, with plenty of other cards sneaking in, like Horn of Green and Ghostly Prison.

 

PucaTrade’s redesigned site also launched this week, and it brought with it foreign card support and a connection to the MTGO market. New opportunities are abound for the adventurous trader.