Danny Brown, ProTrader

PROTRADER: Checking in with Planeswalkers

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There are over 14,000 unique Magic cards in existence. Of those, only 74 are planeswalkers*. In a game so large that it can overwhelm even the most experienced financiers, planeswalkers take up only 0.005 percent of the cards in the game. This subset of cards tends to be very interesting financially, and with so few total, we can cover them in entirety to try to highlight the money-making opportunities that may be present.

*If we count the five Origins flip-walkers, which I almost didn’t!

I like to do a check-in with planeswalkers as a whole a couple times a year. My first at MTGPrice was last April, and then I touched on the subject again last November. Much has happened since then, so let’s check up on these cards yet again.

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ProTrader: Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.

Sigmund Ausfresser

PROTRADER: Rebalancing the Portfolio During Volatility

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Much has happened over the past couple months. In addition to the nonstop flow of information about upcoming products, we’ve also seen the Modern metagame completely turn on its head. A few innocent bannings, the printing of a couple Eldrazi critters, and the announcement of a new set has created endless turmoil in the MTG market.

I love the volatility.

As long as you stay on top of trends, you should too. This movement has created a ton of opportunity for profit significant amounts in short periods of time. Consider Meditate, for example, which I managed to snag a few copies of in the $4 range before they shot up to $12 on buy lists!

Meditate

Or, consider what Eldrazi speculation in Legacy has done to the price of Thorn of Amethyst.

Thorn

It’s not common practice for me to write articles following the prototypical format of “buy this, sell that”. However, this week merits an exception. There’s simply been too much movement in the markets to ignore, and I believe now is a critical time to re-evaluate portfolios to make sure we’re well positioned to succeed in the next couple volatile months.

I’ll do this format by format…

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ProTrader: Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.

Uncategorized

MTG Fast Finance: Episode 6

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by Travis Allen (@wizardbumpin) & James Chillcott (@mtgcritic)

MTG Fast Finance is a weekly podcast that tries to break down the flurry of financial activity in the world of Magic: The Gathering into a fast, fun and useful thirty 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: Feb 26th

Segment 1: Top Movers of the Week

One With Nothing (Saviors of Kamigawa)
Start: $2.00
Finish: $4.00
Gain: +$2.00 (+100%)

Null Rod (Weatherlight)
Start: $15.00
Finish: $40.00
Gain: +$25.00 (+166%)

Adarkar Wastes (All)
Start: $3.50
Finish: $14.00
Gain: +$10.50 (+300%)

Firestorm (Weatherlight)
Start: $6.00
Finish: $18.00
Gain: +$12.00 (+200%)

Arboria (Legends)
Start: $4.00
Finish: $20.00
Gain: +$16.00 (+400%)

Thorn of Amethyst (Lorwyn)
Start: $3.00
Finish: $15.00
Gain: +$12.00 (+400%)

Scorched Ruins (Weatherlight)
Start: $3.00
Finish: $20.00
Gain: +$18.00 (+566%)

Magmatic Force (Commander)
Start: $1.50
Finish: $10.00
Gain: +$8.50 (+566%)

Meditate (Tempest)
Start: $3.00
Finish: $40.00
Gain: +$37.00 (+1233%)

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James Picks:

  1. Phyrexian Dreadnought, Mirage, Confidence Level 6: $15 to $30+ (+100%, 0-6 months)
  2. Phyrexian Tower, Urza’s Saga, Confidence Level 7: $25 to $40+ (+60%, 0-6 months)
  3. Avaricious Dragon, Magic Origins, Confidence Level 4: $2 to $5+ (150%, 0-3 months)
  4. Endbringer (foil), Oath of the Gatewatch, Confidence Level 7: $3 to $8+ (166%, 0-6 months)

Travis Picks:

  1. Kozilek, the Great Distortion, Oath of the Gatewatch, Confidence Level 9: $7 to $15 (+115%, 0-12+ months)
  2. Chandra, Flamecaller, Oath of the Gatewatch, Confidence Level 5: $10 to $20 (+100%, 0-3+ months)
  3. Goblin Dark-Dwellers, Oath of the Gatewatch, Confidence Level 6: $2 to $5 (+233%, 0-6+ months)

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

Segment 3: Metagame Week in Review

The SCG Modern Open in St. Louis this past weekend was dominated with Eldrazi decks once again, constituting not just half the top 8, but half the top 32 as well. As the menaces of the blind eternities continue to ravage constructed Magic, can we as players see a light at the end of the tunnel?

Segment 4: Topic of the Week – Should Wizards of the Coast test Modern?

Given the state of Modern, should Wizards make an effort to test new sets for the format in order to prevent these warped metagames? The guys also touch briefly on Conspiracy 2 and what it means for Magic’s financial health.

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.

Accumulated Knowledge

PROTRADER: Playing Better, Part 2: Tournaments

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There is something strange going on right now, and I don’t mean the variable quality episodes of the new X-Files mini-series. Turnout for Magic tournaments in the last few years has gone up tremendously, and opportunities for organized play have grown in response. In this week’s edition of “Playing Better” (Part One can be found here), we are going to approach Magic Finance from the perspective of Tournament Finance, to make sure that you aren’t losing money just by showing up. Oh, and we will be going over the homework later, so leave it out on your desks.

And in the interests of full disclosure- I HAVE written on this subject in the past, but things have since changed significantly enough that I feel it’s worth addressing.

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MAGIC: THE GATHERING FINANCE ARTICLES AND COMMUNITY