Everyone talks about cards that gained tons of value quickly, like Tarmogoyf, Liliana of the Veil, those kinds of things. What I wonder is about when the opposite happens, when a card loses tons of value, and why. I also wonder which cards lost the most value and why.
As far as I know, cards tank mainly for four reasons (let me know if I missed one).
1. The card was only good in standard and it rotated. This seems like the most obvious. A good example off the top of my head is Ravenous Baloth. He was worth a bit back in his day (around ten dollars, if I remember right), but I started seeing him in bargain bins pretty quickly after he rotated.
2. The card was over-hyped and did not live up to its expectations. The amount of times I see this is almost tragic, and only seems to get more common. The earliest example I can think of is Balduvian Horde from Alliances. It was around $20 when it first came out (which was more money back in the 90's, actually), but, again, quickly faded into obscurity when it did not perform well in tournaments. Another one I can think of is Time Reversal, which started at an absurd amount, and was quickly forgotten.
3. The card was reprinted. This one is a little controversial, since reprinting valuable cards is what started the whole reserve list debacle, and I do not want this to devolve into yet another discussion on that. If you need an example of when this has happened, look at the Elder Dragons from Legends (Chromium and friends). Before Chronicles, people would trade moxes for those dumb dragons.
4. The card was outclassed by a newer more powerful card. This one usually goes hand in hand with rotating out of standard. The best example I can think of is Exalted Angel and Baneslayer Angel. Most people would rather use Baneslayer, but when Exalted Angel was new, it was pretty big, and was one of the preferred finishers for control decks of its era.
Now, what I wonder is which card or cards have lost the most value, and why. Which one lost the most from rotating out of standard? What lost the most from being over-hyped? What lost the most from being reprinted? What lost the most from being outclassed?
Temporal Mastery got up above $30, if memory serves. Every set there's a card or three that's stupidly hyped by the preorder machine, then tanks to be replaced by the undervalued staple that actually IS a good card. Anyone remember how much Ral Zarek was before DGM dropped?
Thanks to the JTMS spike that was happening at the time, I was able to presell playsets of elspeth tirel, koth, and venser for $200 each. None of these were ever really used.
Molten-Tail Masticore was cose to $20 at one point. Now it's 50 cents. It never really got used despite being very powerful
Time Reversal was a card overhyped in recent memory. I remember Evan Erwin from the Magic Show raving about it on his M11 spoilers. A $15 preorder card that Erwin raved about tanked to a few cents within a month.
Temporal Mastery got up above $30, if memory serves. Every set there's a card or three that's stupidly hyped by the preorder machine, then tanks to be replaced by the undervalued staple that actually IS a good card. Anyone remember how much Ral Zarek was before DGM dropped?
Everyone knew he was a dud and that it was just SCG hype
I bought a playset of Unlimited Psionic Blasts before Time Spiral and was not happy about them reprinting it twice in a row. Went from the $50 I paid for it to $80, then tanked well below my investment.
I remember Skaab Ruinator being super-hyped and moderately expensive before people realized that that drawback really is a drawback.
You also forgot a tank criteria - the card gets banned. I personally loved the way Blazing Shoal shot up massively in price about a week before it got banned in Modern, then started shooting way down.
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I remember Skaab Ruinator being super-hyped and moderately expensive before people realized that that drawback really is a drawback.
You also forgot a tank criteria - the card gets banned. I personally loved the way Blazing Shoal shot up massively in price about a week before it got banned in Modern, then started shooting way down.
It was the most expensive standard card at the time. Inquest hyped it to high heavens.
But even back then, anyone who actually played it would realize just how bad it was.
I remember this. It was definitely the chase card in Alliances (along with Lake of the Dead, Kjeldoran Outpost, etc.). I remember opening a box of Alliances and being upset I didn't crack one. All I got were a playset of these stupid Force of Wills (which I still have and use).
Thanks! So, after taking a quick look at that thread, here's what I found:
(spoilered because it is long)
Baneslayer Angel Was reprinted and then outclassed by the Titans.
Similarly, Royal Assassin slowly lost relevance and then was reprinted. Gideon Jura was also reprinted and was then found mostly irrelevant in the new standard. Survival of the Fittest peaked at $80 and fell to slightly more than $20 when it was banned, probably one of the biggest drops due to banning! Pithing Needle, Serra Avatar, and Meddling Mage lost value from reprints Lotus Cobra, Abyssal Persecutor, Talara's Battalion, Phyrexian Scuta, Grinning Demon, and Oona's Prowler can all be added to the disturbingly long list of cards that were over-hyped. Urza's Rage lost value after it rotated out of standard.
And Masticore was slowly outclassed by better artifact creatures over the years (I'm not sure his reprint in FTV: Relics effected his price much because it was printed in a low quantity).
A good recent example for both ends of the spectrum could be Bonfire of the Damned. Presold for $5-6, shot up to over $50, and is now back down to around $10. Though I wouldn't call it tanking, it has taken a step nose dive to where it's at currently compared to where it was.
Thanks! So, after taking a quick look at that thread, here's what I found:
(spoilered because it is long)
Baneslayer Angel Was reprinted and then outclassed by the Titans.
Similarly, Royal Assassin slowly lost relevance and then was reprinted. Gideon Jura was also reprinted and was then found mostly irrelevant in the new standard. Survival of the Fittest peaked at $80 and fell to slightly more than $20 when it was banned, probably one of the biggest drops due to banning! Pithing Needle, Serra Avatar, and Meddling Mage lost value from reprints Lotus Cobra, Abyssal Persecutor, Talara's Battalion, Phyrexian Scuta, Grinning Demon, and Oona's Prowler can all be added to the disturbingly long list of cards that were over-hyped. Urza's Rage lost value after it rotated out of standard.
And Masticore was slowly outclassed by better artifact creatures over the years (I'm not sure his reprint in FTV: Relics effected his price much because it was printed in a low quantity).
JTMS was bigger drop than survival since it went from like $100+ to like $30 for a while after banning.
Pithing needles is another good one, was $20 for quite a while, reprints plus it not being relevant make it what it is today.
Prerelease hype almost seems like cheating, a ton and I mean TON of prerelease sales tank in value.
This is my third time playing Magic. And last time (around 7th edition) I was into Magic I remember Birds of Paradise was $15-20 now they are down to $5 or less.
I am referring to the 7th edition one. I do not recall where the prices of Alpha, Beta or Unlimited were.
This is my third time playing Magic. And last time (around 7th edition) I was into Magic I remember Birds of Paradise was $15-20 now they are down to $5 or less.
I am referring to the 7th edition one. I do not recall where the prices of Alpha, Beta or Unlimited were.
Sabain
Seeing as how the Birds have been reprinted about 10 or 11 times now, the fact it still holds any value at all is pretty amazing. I honestly don't think any other rare has seen that many printings.
Unlimited BoP still fetch a pretty penny, and Beta ones are insane.
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Seeing as how the Birds have been reprinted about 10 or 11 times now, the fact it still holds any value at all is pretty amazing. I honestly don't think any other rare has seen that many printings.
Unlimited BoP still fetch a pretty penny, and Beta ones are insane.
I remember back before it was reprinted in Ravnica it was still a relitively expensive rare to pick up. Same went for the Pain Lands before Shocks were printed. Savannah Lions lost a ton of value after it was outclassed and then was copied. Alpha/Beta anything will still have value, but I recall being chuffed that I had a playset of this White Weenie staple (at the time).
As far as I know, cards tank mainly for four reasons (let me know if I missed one).
1. The card was only good in standard and it rotated. This seems like the most obvious. A good example off the top of my head is Ravenous Baloth. He was worth a bit back in his day (around ten dollars, if I remember right), but I started seeing him in bargain bins pretty quickly after he rotated.
2. The card was over-hyped and did not live up to its expectations. The amount of times I see this is almost tragic, and only seems to get more common. The earliest example I can think of is Balduvian Horde from Alliances. It was around $20 when it first came out (which was more money back in the 90's, actually), but, again, quickly faded into obscurity when it did not perform well in tournaments. Another one I can think of is Time Reversal, which started at an absurd amount, and was quickly forgotten.
3. The card was reprinted. This one is a little controversial, since reprinting valuable cards is what started the whole reserve list debacle, and I do not want this to devolve into yet another discussion on that. If you need an example of when this has happened, look at the Elder Dragons from Legends (Chromium and friends). Before Chronicles, people would trade moxes for those dumb dragons.
4. The card was outclassed by a newer more powerful card. This one usually goes hand in hand with rotating out of standard. The best example I can think of is Exalted Angel and Baneslayer Angel. Most people would rather use Baneslayer, but when Exalted Angel was new, it was pretty big, and was one of the preferred finishers for control decks of its era.
Now, what I wonder is which card or cards have lost the most value, and why. Which one lost the most from rotating out of standard? What lost the most from being over-hyped? What lost the most from being reprinted? What lost the most from being outclassed?
Defelction - $15 at Ice Age release.
Call of the Herd - $10-$15
Grinning Totem - $20+
Those are the ones I remember being worth a lot that tanked.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
It was the most expensive standard card at the time. Inquest hyped it to high heavens.
But even back then, anyone who actually played it would realize just how bad it was.
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Molten-Tail Masticore was cose to $20 at one point. Now it's 50 cents. It never really got used despite being very powerful
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Everyone knew he was a dud and that it was just SCG hype
You also forgot a tank criteria - the card gets banned. I personally loved the way Blazing Shoal shot up massively in price about a week before it got banned in Modern, then started shooting way down.
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Aw crap, I forgot about bannings! Thanks!
I remember this. It was definitely the chase card in Alliances (along with Lake of the Dead, Kjeldoran Outpost, etc.). I remember opening a box of Alliances and being upset I didn't crack one. All I got were a playset of these stupid Force of Wills (which I still have and use).
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The most expensive card during Pre-Release at 35.00. Now at 4.00 and from what I've seen it sees 0 competitive play.
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Thanks! So, after taking a quick look at that thread, here's what I found:
(spoilered because it is long)
Similarly, Royal Assassin slowly lost relevance and then was reprinted.
Gideon Jura was also reprinted and was then found mostly irrelevant in the new standard.
Survival of the Fittest peaked at $80 and fell to slightly more than $20 when it was banned, probably one of the biggest drops due to banning!
Pithing Needle, Serra Avatar, and Meddling Mage lost value from reprints
Lotus Cobra, Abyssal Persecutor,
Talara's Battalion, Phyrexian Scuta, Grinning Demon, and Oona's Prowler can all be added to the disturbingly long list of cards that were over-hyped.
Urza's Rage lost value after it rotated out of standard.
And Masticore was slowly outclassed by better artifact creatures over the years (I'm not sure his reprint in FTV: Relics effected his price much because it was printed in a low quantity).
BUG Reanimator
BWG Nic-Fit
BGR Punishing Nic-Fit
JTMS was bigger drop than survival since it went from like $100+ to like $30 for a while after banning.
Pithing needles is another good one, was $20 for quite a while, reprints plus it not being relevant make it what it is today.
Prerelease hype almost seems like cheating, a ton and I mean TON of prerelease sales tank in value.
I am referring to the 7th edition one. I do not recall where the prices of Alpha, Beta or Unlimited were.
Sabain
Seeing as how the Birds have been reprinted about 10 or 11 times now, the fact it still holds any value at all is pretty amazing. I honestly don't think any other rare has seen that many printings.
Unlimited BoP still fetch a pretty penny, and Beta ones are insane.
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Reprint Opt for Modern!!
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Not sure how people can count cards that were expensive 10 years ago but slowly decreased in value over a long period of time, that isn't tanking.
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DeathBlade
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BUG Control