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: Jan 20, 2016

Segment 1: Top Card Spikes of the Week

Infernal Tutor (Dissension, Foil Rare)
Start: $81.00
Finish: $420.00
Gain: +$339 (+418%)

Spreading Plague (Invasion Rare)
Start: $1.40
Finish: $4.50
Gain: +$3.10 (+221%)

Fiery Confluence (C15, Rare)
Start: $2.50
Finish: $7.50
Gain: +$5.00 (+200%)

Stronghold Gambit (Nemesis, Foil Rare)
Start: $9.00
Finish: $26.00
Gain: +$17.00 (+189%)

Junun Efreet (ARA, Rare)
Start: $9.00
Finish: $25.00
Gain: +$16.00 (+178%)

Return to Dust (CMD)
Start: $1.50
Finish: $4.00
Gain: +$2.50 (+167%)

Walking Ballista (AER, Rare)
Start: $2.75
Finish: $7.00
Gain: +$4.25 (+155%)

Herald of Anguish (AER, Mythic)
Start: $5.55
Finish: $13.00
Gain: +$7.45 (+135%)

Inexorable Tide (MM2, Rare)
Start: $1.50
Finish: $3.50
Gain: +$2.00 (+133%)

Rishkar, Peema Renegade (AER, Rare)
Start: $2.50
Finish: $5.25
Gain: +$2.75 (+110%)

Narset Transcendent (AER, Rare)
Start: $7.50
Finish: $15.00
Gain: +$7.50 (+100%)

Puresteel Paladin (AER, Rare)
Start: $6.00
Finish: $12.00
Gain: +$6.00 (+100%)

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James’ Picks:

1. Hardened Scales (KTK, Foil Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $3.00 to $10.00 (+7.00/+200%, 12+ months)

2. Thing in the Ice (SOI, Foil Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $12.00 to $20.00 (+8.00/+67%, 12+ months)

Travis’ Picks:

1. Baral’s Expertise (AER, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $1.50 to $6.00 (+4.50/+300%, 0-12+ months)

2. Curtain’s Call (C16, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $2.50 to $6.00 (+3.50/+140%, 0-6+ months)

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

Segment 3: Most Interesting Cards from Aether Revolt

James & Travis discuss their process for deciding when to get out of a spec.

CEO of ShelfLife.net, The Future of Collecting, Senior Partner at Advoca, a designer, adventurer, toy fanatic and an avid Magic player and collector since 1994.

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: Jan 7, 2016

Segment 1: Top Card Spikes of the Week

Beck//Call (Dragon’s Maze, Rare)
Start: $0.50
Finish: $3.00
Gain: +$2.50 (+500%)

Reshape (DST, Foil Rare)
Start: $9.50
Finish: $35.00
Gain: +$25.50 (+268%)

Pride of the Clouds (DIS, Rare)
Start: $4.00
Finish: $11.00
Gain: +$7.00 (+175%)

Master Transmuter (Conflux, Rare)
Start: $12.25
Finish: $29.00
Gain: +$16.75 (+137%)

Dig Through Time (KTK, Rare)
Start: $2.00
Finish: $4.50
Gain: +$2.50 (+125%)

Marton Stromgald (Ice Age, Rare)
Start: $1.80
Finish: $3.50
Gain: +$1.70 (+94%)

Engineered Explosives (MMA, Foil Rare)
Start: $80.00
Finish: $150.00
Gain: +$70.00 (+85%)

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James’ Picks:

1. Chasm Skulker (M15, Foil Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $5.00 to $15.00 (+10.00/+200%, 6-12+ months)

2. Monastery Mentor (FRF, Mythic)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $10.00 to $20.00 (+10.00/+100%, 6-12+ months)

3. Rings of Brighthearth (KLD Inventions, Foil Special)

• The Call: Confidence Level 9: $30.00 to $60.00 (+10.00/+100%, 6-12+ months)
• Note: Source these from Europe to get the price listed.

Travis’ Picks:

1. Boom//Bust (Planar Chaos, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $9.00 to $25.00 (+16.00/+178%, 6-12+ months)

2. Darkslick Shores (SOM, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 6: $8.00 to $20.00 (+12.00/+150%, 0-6+ months)

3. Retract (Oath, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 6: $2.50 to $9.00 (+6.50/+260%, 6-12+ months)

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

Segment 3: Most Interesting Cards from Aether Revolt

James & Travis discuss the sexiest cards of the fully spoiled Aether Revolt set releasing later this month.

CEO of ShelfLife.net, The Future of Collecting, Senior Partner at Advoca, a designer, adventurer, toy fanatic and an avid Magic player and collector since 1994.

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: Dec 21st, 2016

This week the guy’s look back over a bustling 2016 in MTGFinance, and explore the biggest card spikes of the year by percentage, the best and worst spec picks and the most important lessons of the year.

Segment 1: Top Card Spikes of 2016

Note: The data below only reflects the biggest week over week price increases of the year,  and some may not have held their spikes for more than a week. Others may have climbed yet higher since the spike was noted. Slow and steady gainers for the year may be absent from this list as well, as they would not have shown up on our weekly reports, so please review the data to draw deeper conclusions.

Thopter Foundry (Alara Reborn, Uncommon)
Start: $0.50
Finish: $10.00
Gain: +$9.50 (+1900%)

Conflagrate (TSP, Foil Uncommon)
Start: $0.40
Finish: $5.00
Gain: +$4.60 (+1150%)

Electrostatic Pummeler (KLD, Rare)
Start: $0.50
Finish: $5.00
Gain: +$4.50 (+900%)

Magus of the Tabernacle (Planar Chaos, Rare)
Start: $0.50
Finish: $4.50
Gain: +$4.00 (+800%)

Worship (8th, Rare)
Start: $2.50
Finish: $20.00
Gain: +$17.50 (+700%)

Squandered Resources (Visions, Rare)
Start: $0.75
Finish: $5.50
Gain: +$4.75 (+633%)

Mindslicer (SOA, Foil Rare)
Start: $1.50
Finish: $10.00
Gain: +$8.50 (+567%)

Bloodspore Thrinax (C15, Rare)
Start: $1.00
Finish: $6.50
Gain: +$5.50 (+550%)

Narcomoeba (MMA, Foil Uncommon)
Start: $2.50
Finish: $16.00
Gain: +$13.50 (+540%)

Gaea’s Avenger (Antiquities, Uncommon)
Start: $3.00
Finish: $19.00
Gain: +$16.00 (+533%)

Segment 2: Best & Worst Spec Recommendations of 2016

James’ Top 5 Picks of 2016:

1. Traverse the Ulvenwald (SOI, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $1.00 to $5.00 (+5.00/+400%, 6-12+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $4 on schedule (+300%)

2. Nahiri, the Harbinger (SOI, Mythic)

• The Call: Confidence Level 6: $10.00 to $20.00 (+10.00/+100%, 0-6+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $40 on schedule (+300%)

3. Aetherworks Marvel (KLD, Foil Mythic)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $10.00 to $20.00 (+10.00/+100%, 6-12+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $30 ahead of schedule (+200%)

4. Blessed Alliance (EMN, Foil Uncommon)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $4.00 to $10.00 (+6.00/+150%, 0-6+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $10 on schedule (+150%)

5. Selfless Spirit (EMN, Foil Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $8.00 to $15.00 (+7.00/88%, 0-6+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $18 on schedule (+125%)

James also made great picks on Mantis Rider foils, Thing in the Ice, Pyroblast foils, Grim Flayer foils, Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, Time Spiral, Force of Will foils, Volrath’s Stronghold and Bazaar of Baghdad.

If you listened to James about Eye of Ugin expeditions you made money, but not if you waited too long to sell them like he did. He also screwed up calling EMA Mana Crypt foils at $225, failing to predict their reprinting as Masterpieces in Kaladesh, and called Deploy the Gatewatch too early at $3.25 to hit $8 (lol). The call on Eldritch Evolution foils at $15 also would have cost you plenty vs. current pricing.

Travis Top Picks of 2016:

1. Realms Uncharted (ROE, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $0.25 to $4.00 (+3.75/+1500%, 6-12+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $3 on schedule (+1100%)

2. Adarkar Wastes (Various, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $2.00 to $10.00 (+8.00/+400%, 0-6+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $15 soon after (+650%)

3. Needle Spires (Oath, Rare)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $1.00 to $5.00 (+4.00/+400%, 6-12+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $4.50 ahead of schedule (+350%)

4. The Chain Veil (EMN, Mythic)

• The Call: Confidence Level 8: $1.50 to $5.00 (+3.50/+233%, 6-12+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $4.50 on schedule (+200%)

5. Doubling Season (MMA)

• The Call: Confidence Level 7: $25.00 to $50.00 (+40.00/88%, 6-12+ months)
• What Happened: Got to $65 on schedule (+160%)

Travis’ worst calls of the year included Arlin Kord at $10 (down 30%), Ob Nixilis, Reignited at $5 (down 30%), EMA boxes at $240 (due to re-release), and Kozilek, the Great Distortion at $7 (down 50%).

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

Segment 3: Lessons of 2016

James & Travis discuss the lessons of 2016 for MTG Finance including the increase in reprints, the threat to eternal format support from WoTC, the potential saturation of the premium card market and the increasing relevance of Commander in card speculation.

James Chillcott is the CEO of ShelfLife.net, The Future of Collecting, Senior Partner at Advoca, a designer, adventurer, toy fanatic and an avid Magic player and collector since 1994.