It looks like my LGS recently got a shipment of some old/overstock procuct from their Wizards rep. Among the items are Zendikar and New Phyrexia Intro Packs for $9.99 and $12.99, respectively.
I was not playing MtG when these two sets are released. Is there anything valuable in these two intro packs that would justify buying them since they're relatively inexpensive?
The main purpose for the Intro Packs is to introduce a mechanic. The deck will be built around inexpensive cards with that mechanic. It will be roughly a tier 2.5 (not quite good enough for FNM, but should beat a crap deck).
They are decent if you are interested in learning about a particular mechanic. I generally get one or two of them when the set drops, just to familiarize myself with the set.
You won't get rich trading in them. In the decks pre-M13 (Avacyn Restored and back), you will only get one booster pack. Most of the decks have 2 rares in them, and no mythics. That means, including the pack, the MOST you can expect is 4 rares for the $14 you are plopping down, and you already know that 2 of them at least will definitely be in the < $2 realm. The 1 or 2 in the pack (assuming you draw a foil or a rare DFC in Innistrad/Dark Ascension) may or may not be money rares.
If you are doing this for pure value, you are doing it wrong.
If you are doing it because you are interested in learning how a particular mechanic may work, they are actually damned good at that. I have, multiple times, taken an intro pack, tweaked it (sometimes with another intro pack) and had something that worked fairly well as a homebrew, especially in casual. (I remember merging the Zendikar and Worldwake intro packs that focused on Landfall, Unstable Terrain and Mysterious Realms, for instance). You won't make a Tier 1, or even a 1.5 deck, but you might get a decent almost 2. For many casual players, that is all they need to do well at a casual table-top game.
If you want to be competetive, they won't serve as a strong base. Competetive players aren't looking purely at a mechanic based deck, or a theme deck, they are looking at what cards go together to create a really strong tight deck based around doing something. The cards work toward that goal, and generally tribal or theme decks are not as strong. An exception to that is recent Zombie and Human decks that were strong because of the Innistrad block.
Long story short: Great for casual players, not so great for competetive.
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Currently playing:
Standard: WBRG Aggro-Reanimator Humans GRBW
Modern: UR Twinning RU G Venus Fly Trap G U Artifacts Aggro U
I was not playing MtG when these two sets are released. Is there anything valuable in these two intro packs that would justify buying them since they're relatively inexpensive?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=470036
From my understanding the Gatecrash intropacks have two boosters for the same price as the old ones so they might be worthwhile
I spent a fortune on intropacks when I first got back in MtG, it was a huge mistake
They are decent if you are interested in learning about a particular mechanic. I generally get one or two of them when the set drops, just to familiarize myself with the set.
You won't get rich trading in them. In the decks pre-M13 (Avacyn Restored and back), you will only get one booster pack. Most of the decks have 2 rares in them, and no mythics. That means, including the pack, the MOST you can expect is 4 rares for the $14 you are plopping down, and you already know that 2 of them at least will definitely be in the < $2 realm. The 1 or 2 in the pack (assuming you draw a foil or a rare DFC in Innistrad/Dark Ascension) may or may not be money rares.
If you are doing this for pure value, you are doing it wrong.
If you are doing it because you are interested in learning how a particular mechanic may work, they are actually damned good at that. I have, multiple times, taken an intro pack, tweaked it (sometimes with another intro pack) and had something that worked fairly well as a homebrew, especially in casual. (I remember merging the Zendikar and Worldwake intro packs that focused on Landfall, Unstable Terrain and Mysterious Realms, for instance). You won't make a Tier 1, or even a 1.5 deck, but you might get a decent almost 2. For many casual players, that is all they need to do well at a casual table-top game.
If you want to be competetive, they won't serve as a strong base. Competetive players aren't looking purely at a mechanic based deck, or a theme deck, they are looking at what cards go together to create a really strong tight deck based around doing something. The cards work toward that goal, and generally tribal or theme decks are not as strong. An exception to that is recent Zombie and Human decks that were strong because of the Innistrad block.
Long story short: Great for casual players, not so great for competetive.
Standard:
WBRG Aggro-Reanimator Humans GRBW
Modern:
UR Twinning RU
G Venus Fly Trap G
U Artifacts Aggro U
Legacy:
B Reanimator B
WU Stoneblade UW
EDH
WBGGhave, Guru of SporesGBW
URGRiku of the Two ReflectionsGRU
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonGRBUW
Casual
Far too many to list
That's unfortunate.