My box of Theros is in the mail. I like to open packs just because it is fun, but I agree with others who say a booster box is not the best investment for building specific decks. I don't even bother adding up the value of the cards I pull out of a box, its a lottery ticket and that's that.
After a set has settled I order playsets of the cards I want. Yes, if I wanted to use my money most effectively I would not buy booster boxes, but then I would miss out on pulling something really nice out of a $4 pack (yes, after also pulling cents out of many packs, I know).
You can't have epic pulls if you don't make any pulls!!!
Then the next question is... where is this incredible store that gives 100% value?!?!?
Most stores have to turn a profit, so offering them at the same value you sell them at equals no profit. Our store offers 50% on cards under $10, and 70% on cards over $10.
Actually as long as the store credit doesn't buy singles, the store is turning a profit.
I guess OP wants it to be 'keyworded' like "dies" was. What word would you replace ETB with though?
When Aegis Angel is born?
When Huntmaster of the Fells arrives?
When Kitchen Sphinx lands?
When Faerie Imposter busts in?
When Dread Cacodemon pops in?
When Malfegor shows up?
And for the record I'm a huge fan of Mistcutter Hydra so it was an epic finish for those last two packs, especially with the junk in between right after Fleecemane.
Just going by SCG, 23 of the 53 total (regular) rares are worth $1 or less. I'm passing on buying any boxes, but out of 36 packs from sealed & 3 from prizes, I have yet to see a Thoughtseize or Sylvan Caryatid. Even in commons I've only seen 1 Lightning Strike and 1 Wingsteed Rider. There's just too much variety to buy boxes and "hit the lottery."
Just going by SCG, 23 of the 53 total (regular) rares are worth $1 or less. I'm passing on buying any boxes, but out of 36 packs from sealed & 3 from prizes, I have yet to see a Thoughtseize or Sylvan Caryatid. Even in commons I've only seen 1 Lightning Strike and 1 Wingsteed Rider. There's just too much variety to buy boxes and "hit the lottery."
Pulled Sylvan from an Intro deck...also an Elspeth Token which is frustrating since usually (at least from my experience) means there's a planeswalker close in the production sheet, but this isn't a booster box...
Overall to me large sets are the worst to buy boxes of, too unpredictable.
I pre ordered a box of Theros because I had 3 standard decks in the making and needed a good number of cards for each, so I figured I'd get a box for what usable cards I could, plus trade stock for the rest. Also I wanted to save packs to run some practice sealed events with friends for the upcoming PTQs and stuff. However, after pre release weekend and release weekend, I've got 2 of my 3 standard decks finished and still have a good amount of tradestock left over just from my pools from the events I played in and my 40~ prize packs. I think I've been pretty lucky so far, especially since my R/G deck runs 4 Stormbreath, 3 Xenagos, and a bunch of other Theros things. So, now I've got an unopened box of Theros sitting at home. I guess I'll be getting in a lot of practice, though I'm not sure what to do with what I pulls since I don't need many trades anymore.
And this is why we tell people to buy singles instead of sealed.
I was able to get all 4 of the cards I wanted from the set at the prerelease off of other people, the rares I pulled that I am not using are in my binder, and I don't need to crack any more packs of the set outside of helping others open theirs (such as yesterday when I helped the owner of the LGS crack open some Theros leftover from the prerelease), which is a fantastic way to satiate the urge to buy sealed.
if you open a box for specific cards you need, you are just stupid, thats right.
but if you dont care for what you open specificaly and sell/trade the stuff, you nearly always break even.
and even if not, you should only open booster boxes if you have fun opening them, or drafting them with friends..
opening a sealed pack to get 200€ out of a box is just stupid.
i always buy boxes because its fun to draft them and having all commons and nearly all uncommons of a set.
I know it's flawed logic, but yeah. The allure and mystery of a box, or getting a whole box full of cards instead of just a few, is hard to resist!
IT COULD BE A BOAT!
Anyway, I bought 1 box of Theros, a Japanese box. I like Japanese cards and getting a box of them is the easiest way to get my hands on them. Also dem Japanese foils can be worth quite a bit of monies. If I make back my hundred bucks than I'll be happy, if I don't, I'll still be happy.
Well I feel very fortunate then, my box was a winner. 3 Gods (one Purphoros), 1 Thoughtseize, 1 Elspeth, 1 Fleecemane and several other goodies. I've generally done alright with boxes but don't get too stresses out if I get a bust box. I tend to trade away any money cards that I won't play to acquire playsets of cards that I will play. You can get some value out a lame box but you have to spend a lot of time casual trading assuming you have a deep trading pool.
Maybe there will be some surprises, I was ticked when my rare foil was a Sphinx's Revelation. After a while my box didn't seem half bad.
Traded both of mine in, but that $2 Demon is now $8. That once $7 and falling Blood Baron is believe it or not $18....jesus, never imagined such an increase so quickly.
So hang on to those cheap rares. Picked up Polis Crusher and Reverent Hunter for $2 per playset, not money cards, but IMO they will see play. Prophet of Kruphix I can EASILY see being above $10 eventually. Chained to the Rocks I can see going up a tiny bit. Reaper of the Wilds is flat out an awesome card. Nighthowler and Rageblood Shaman I can also see potential in.
I recently bought a box and had a ton of fun because I didn't just crack packs.
Because of that, I made a video on a few casual draft formats that require only one more person to play, and it let's you use all the cards that will almost immediately go into a box and never be seen again!
For me, there is actual play value in buying a box, apart from hoping to pull money rares.
On a different note, I cracked a box today and pulled so much value that I traded what I didn't need in for store credit to get myself another box...6 times.
Yea, that's variance for you
Just because sometimes it works, does not mean it's a good idea. Just like investing in a company near collapse could make you a lot of money should they rise again, it's not a safe , nor responsible decision for your money.
STATISTICS.
All of these "Let's eliminate bad cards" crusades are simply ignorant. And when they start to devolve into "WotC is conspiring to give us crappy cards," they just become embarrassing. MATH is conspiring to give you crappy cards.
Recently opened a box to play sealed a few times with my wife and friends. We pulled 2 mythics (Heliod and Ashen Rider), Thoughtseize, Fleecemane Lion, and 5 of the lands. She kept asking, is this one worth anything??? My only reply was, well that will be fun in your deck... Not the greatest box, but opening Thoughtseize on pack 34 made it not the worst
Nice, because I thought, ok pays for both packs. I open the 2nd one expecting a junk rare and being ok with that seeing Nylea as worth about two packs.
Though Thoughtseize is dropping in price and is currently $15, but I'm not complaining as that 's still a bomb pull.
I am surprised how wild the prices are. Stormbreath is at $30 and Amazon had it at $40 last night and it seems like it's increasing beyond $30 slowly. Jesus.
Anger of the Gods seemed to have doubled in price the past 24 hours, it was $3 yesterday when I pulled it and now I see they're $6ish.
Not sure what Theros did to double Chandra back to $30..damn, and I almost bought a few of her when she was $14.
i've opened 6+6+4+9+5 packs and i now have 6 anthousa, including a foil, 5 artisan of forms, including a foil, 4 akroan horse, 3 temple of silence, 3 temple of abandon, and 3 of that red thing that was the prerelease promo.
i love this set, but if this is how its going to be i'm not buying anything other than singles ever again.
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After a set has settled I order playsets of the cards I want. Yes, if I wanted to use my money most effectively I would not buy booster boxes, but then I would miss out on pulling something really nice out of a $4 pack (yes, after also pulling cents out of many packs, I know).
You can't have epic pulls if you don't make any pulls!!!
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but I had fun opening it so I don't mind.
people are focused so much on value now a days. They don't understand that we should enjoy it just as a hobby.
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Actually as long as the store credit doesn't buy singles, the store is turning a profit.
Mistcutter Hydra and FOIL Meletis Charlatan
Thassa, God of the Sea
And for the record I'm a huge fan of Mistcutter Hydra so it was an epic finish for those last two packs, especially with the junk in between right after Fleecemane.
Pulled Sylvan from an Intro deck...also an Elspeth Token which is frustrating since usually (at least from my experience) means there's a planeswalker close in the production sheet, but this isn't a booster box...
Overall to me large sets are the worst to buy boxes of, too unpredictable.
Not true; I pulled five Lavinia of the Tenth (one foil) out of a sealed box of Dragon's Maze.
Not bad!
Epic win!
Can't wait for the next two sets though, smaller sets are always booster box worthy IMO.
if you open a box for specific cards you need, you are just stupid, thats right.
but if you dont care for what you open specificaly and sell/trade the stuff, you nearly always break even.
and even if not, you should only open booster boxes if you have fun opening them, or drafting them with friends..
opening a sealed pack to get 200€ out of a box is just stupid.
i always buy boxes because its fun to draft them and having all commons and nearly all uncommons of a set.
IT COULD BE A BOAT!
Anyway, I bought 1 box of Theros, a Japanese box. I like Japanese cards and getting a box of them is the easiest way to get my hands on them. Also dem Japanese foils can be worth quite a bit of monies. If I make back my hundred bucks than I'll be happy, if I don't, I'll still be happy.
Maybe there will be some surprises, I was ticked when my rare foil was a Sphinx's Revelation. After a while my box didn't seem half bad.
Remember when, actually just a few weeks back, Desecration Demon and Blood Baron of Vizkopa were fringe cards but not quite competitive.
Traded both of mine in, but that $2 Demon is now $8. That once $7 and falling Blood Baron is believe it or not $18....jesus, never imagined such an increase so quickly.
So hang on to those cheap rares. Picked up Polis Crusher and Reverent Hunter for $2 per playset, not money cards, but IMO they will see play. Prophet of Kruphix I can EASILY see being above $10 eventually. Chained to the Rocks I can see going up a tiny bit. Reaper of the Wilds is flat out an awesome card. Nighthowler and Rageblood Shaman I can also see potential in.
Because of that, I made a video on a few casual draft formats that require only one more person to play, and it let's you use all the cards that will almost immediately go into a box and never be seen again!
For me, there is actual play value in buying a box, apart from hoping to pull money rares.
Just because sometimes it works, does not mean it's a good idea. Just like investing in a company near collapse could make you a lot of money should they rise again, it's not a safe , nor responsible decision for your money.
First one was Nylea, God of the Hunt.
Nice, because I thought, ok pays for both packs. I open the 2nd one expecting a junk rare and being ok with that seeing Nylea as worth about two packs.
THOUGHTSEIZE!!!!
Yay. Went back inside and bought three more packs to unveil Hero's Downfall and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (my 3rd one pulled).
The good pulls clump together it seems.
Though Thoughtseize is dropping in price and is currently $15, but I'm not complaining as that 's still a bomb pull.
I am surprised how wild the prices are. Stormbreath is at $30 and Amazon had it at $40 last night and it seems like it's increasing beyond $30 slowly. Jesus.
Anger of the Gods seemed to have doubled in price the past 24 hours, it was $3 yesterday when I pulled it and now I see they're $6ish.
Not sure what Theros did to double Chandra back to $30..damn, and I almost bought a few of her when she was $14.
It's funny how this thread turned from OP saying how horrible his box was to everyone else saying how great their own pulls are.
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i love this set, but if this is how its going to be i'm not buying anything other than singles ever again.