So I was looking at the price of Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx the other day and noticed that it was creeping up in price. I've been helping a newer player get into EDH and it got me thinking about what kinds of advice I would give them regarding cards from current sets that are currently affordable, but will likely go up in value as time goes on. Nykthos seems like one such card. I think it is a pretty spectacular card in EDH and would advise new players to secure a few copies now before the price climbs any higher.
Other thoughts would be the dual lands from Battle for Zendikar and Shadows Over Innistrad. I'm not real sure these will climb super high in price, but then again, I didn't think Blackcleave Cliffs would ever be as high price as it is now either.
What are other people's thoughts on cards like this?
i think mana-bases are probably something that'd be worth a look in for the long run..
however, it might actually depend on what kinda players they are. if you guys are just gonna be playing for-funsies, as in not uber serious, and not planning to get uber serious, then getting fetches and shock lands are probably not necessary.. having a budget mana-base just means that your deck is somewhat more fallible to colour-screwing, and plays a turn slower or so.. but are usually more resistant to blood moon and price of progress decks. the thing is, the mana-base is more to help make the deck run smoother, but it doesn't really help make the deck stronger, per se..
they might wanna look at utility cards that can go in a myriad of decks - removal (spot and mass), mana-hate-cards, ramp, some of the generals that they might wanna build, possibly some beaters and whatever kinda cards that fit the style of play they enjoy..
...speaking of generals, how did kaalia get to be 40 bucks?
I'm on the same side as schweinefett. Ofc mana bases vastly improve decks, ... but only balanced decks at that. An expensive mana base doesn't help if it drains the budget for the rest of the deck. As far as i'm concerned, i'd advice them to spread out their budget at first, so that they can get the essential but cheaper parts of their 99 and then start tinkering with their budget and mana base. That doesn't mean they shouldn't get a Craterhoof Behemoth et al if possible, but that they should try to achieve a playable deck before a maxed out mana base.
As a nonspecific policy, lands (as they're always useful if you intend on making multiple decks), foil legends/walkers (as they tend to get a bigger price spike from being in foil), and uncommon staples should probably be focused on. "Uncommons" is a bit of a vague statement to make, but they're not always easy to pick up once a set isn't being actively printed, and like lands, tend to be useful in multiple decks. Think cards like Beast Within or Open the Armory once Innistrad rotates. Rares and Mythics tend to settle into a given price as they're the most commonly traded/sold cards, and commons are plentiful enough to stay low baring extreme circumstances, but uncommon gems can find themselves at a premium once they begin to fall off of the general market's radar.
In terms of recent sets, some cards to try and pick up while they're cheap and still on everyone's minds would be:
Yeah, with me I tend to buy a box and a Fat Pack every set, along with a few packs here and there on payday, and the occasional draft and prereleases. I tend to set aside a copy of each Legendary creature, as well as cards that catch my interest. If I find myself thinking that I would use a card in multiple deck I try and acquire several copies, either purchased or through trades so I have a big box of EDH 'stuff' I keep around.
My problem is that I've never really been more than a casual player. I don't play Standard or Modern, and even when I played Legacy I was never really good at keeping up with competitive Standard play and predicting card prices post-rotation. I've got him keeping an eye out for nicer but slightly more expensive stuff like the shocks and fetches when he can find them, but I'm generally horrible at predicting what cards will wind up being expensive down the line. I'll pass along everyone's suggestions.
Currently he has a mono-red goblin deck, but I've been working on trying to convince him to build a few more to have on hand for variety.
Stuff I look seriously at every set are the 6 "r's": Ramp, Removal, Recusion, dRaw, commandeRs, and aRchetype support. Most of these explain themselves, and I'll get a few copies of anything in these categories that's bulk priced, and also either versatile, powerful, or mana efficient.
The one card category here that might not be self-explanatory is archetype support: basically it's cards like hardened scales or doubling season or second harvest that pretty much slot into all decks of a certain type because of how strongly they support that archetype.
If something isn't bulk priced (like, more than a dollar), I usually pick up one copy if I know I have a deck I am going to build with it or an existing deck to slot it into, but otherwise I hold off.
Developing a robust collection of these sorts of support cards makes it easier to build decks without spending money at a later date or it leaves you more budget for the more specialized cards.
if he's got a mono-red goblin deck, he might wanna add cards that are generally good in mono-red, just to allow him to build more in his (presumably) favourite colour. price of progress, magus/blood moon, ruination kinda things come to mind (these cards are awesome, 'cuz they put them "mr moneybags" in their place! gives you a good shot when the other guy has a billion-dollar manabase)
the thing is also, if you guys are planning to be playing quite casual, theres no real strong reason as to why you'd need to necessarily pick up niche cards for your decks.. the abyss and chains are both very good in specific builds, but you could easily skip them and still have a perfectly serviceable deck. i would probably try to convince you to mostly work with what you have, and trade for what you think your deck absolutely needs!
If you wanna look at cards that purely might rise in value with time (not necessarily with EDH in mind), i'd probably look at cards that are on the extremes of any axis you can think of for a card. so for example, efficiency (card does a lot for little mana, eg swords to plowshares), powerful (card simply does crazy big things eg omniscience), unique/complicated effects (things that no other card does/is so complicated that wizard's official explanation doesn't actually help eg humility, chains of mephistopheles), cards that scream combo (so cards that auto-trigger without you needing to add mana, effects that give mana, effects that untap effects upon triggers, so on eg palinchron), and anything on the reserved list i think are probably good places to start. ive probably missed a lot, but im not much of a money-value knower kinda guy..
While I personally never have an issue with a mana base as I own the staples and more expensive ones and can switch them in or out or just proxy, I would suggest getting hold of lands first. Noneedyobragoboutit posted a nice list of good lands.
If need be. Have him buy a precon and spruce up the deck.
You can never go wrong with a bunch of manarocks lying around. Signets, Sol Rins, Chormatic Lantern, Coalition Relic, Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo, Everflowing Chalice, Thought Vessel, et al
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Other thoughts would be the dual lands from Battle for Zendikar and Shadows Over Innistrad. I'm not real sure these will climb super high in price, but then again, I didn't think Blackcleave Cliffs would ever be as high price as it is now either.
What are other people's thoughts on cards like this?
however, it might actually depend on what kinda players they are. if you guys are just gonna be playing for-funsies, as in not uber serious, and not planning to get uber serious, then getting fetches and shock lands are probably not necessary.. having a budget mana-base just means that your deck is somewhat more fallible to colour-screwing, and plays a turn slower or so.. but are usually more resistant to blood moon and price of progress decks. the thing is, the mana-base is more to help make the deck run smoother, but it doesn't really help make the deck stronger, per se..
they might wanna look at utility cards that can go in a myriad of decks - removal (spot and mass), mana-hate-cards, ramp, some of the generals that they might wanna build, possibly some beaters and whatever kinda cards that fit the style of play they enjoy..
...speaking of generals, how did kaalia get to be 40 bucks?
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
Not considering the specific deck there's tons of cards i can always find a slot for... Command Tower, Reliquary Tower, Bojuka Bog, Temple of the False God, Myriad Landscape, Blighted Woodland, Panoramas, Sol Ring, Thought Vessel, Signets, Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Beast Within, Unravel the Æther, Deglamer, Krosan Grip, Cyclonic Rift, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Curse of the Swine, Clever Impersonator, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Explosive Vegetation, Ashes to Ashes, Hero's Downfall, Putrefy, Rakdos Charm, Dreadbore, Hull Breach, Ruinous Path, Rapid Hybridization, Pongify, Sudden Spoiling, Reality Shift, Return to Dust, ...
Long story short, if i were to start over again, i'd invest in staples and essentials for the 99 way before the mana base and single expensive cards.
In terms of recent sets, some cards to try and pick up while they're cheap and still on everyone's minds would be:
Khans: The delve spells of Murderous Cut, Become Immense, Treasure Cruise, and Dig Through Time, the tri-lands, and foil legends.
Fate: Foil legends (though Tasigur is expensive due to other formats), as well as Valorous Stance and Hero's Blade.
Dragons: Commands, foil legends, the good megamorph cards like Den Protector/Deathmist Raptor, and dragons-matter cards like Dragonlord's Servant.
Origins: Almost anything from the set really, especially build-around cards like Sphinx's Tutelage and Dwynen's Elite/Shaman of the Pack.
Battle: Manlands, Full-art lands, allies, Emeria Shepherd and the large Eldrazi (less-so the ingestors/processors).
Gatewatch: Same as Battle for Zendikar, but with a bit more emphasis on the legends and Wastes. Also, Reflector Mage.
Shadows: As with Origins, it's generally a good set, so look towards good tribal/build-around cards like Duskwatch Recruiter, as well as lands, legends, and transform cards.
Eldritch: Meld and Emerge cards, as well as the standard transform cards (less-so the new werewolves), Grapple with the Past & Unsubstantiate.
RRR - Bosh's School of Hard(cover) Knocks
Yeah, with me I tend to buy a box and a Fat Pack every set, along with a few packs here and there on payday, and the occasional draft and prereleases. I tend to set aside a copy of each Legendary creature, as well as cards that catch my interest. If I find myself thinking that I would use a card in multiple deck I try and acquire several copies, either purchased or through trades so I have a big box of EDH 'stuff' I keep around.
My problem is that I've never really been more than a casual player. I don't play Standard or Modern, and even when I played Legacy I was never really good at keeping up with competitive Standard play and predicting card prices post-rotation. I've got him keeping an eye out for nicer but slightly more expensive stuff like the shocks and fetches when he can find them, but I'm generally horrible at predicting what cards will wind up being expensive down the line. I'll pass along everyone's suggestions.
Currently he has a mono-red goblin deck, but I've been working on trying to convince him to build a few more to have on hand for variety.
The one card category here that might not be self-explanatory is archetype support: basically it's cards like hardened scales or doubling season or second harvest that pretty much slot into all decks of a certain type because of how strongly they support that archetype.
If something isn't bulk priced (like, more than a dollar), I usually pick up one copy if I know I have a deck I am going to build with it or an existing deck to slot it into, but otherwise I hold off.
Developing a robust collection of these sorts of support cards makes it easier to build decks without spending money at a later date or it leaves you more budget for the more specialized cards.
the thing is also, if you guys are planning to be playing quite casual, theres no real strong reason as to why you'd need to necessarily pick up niche cards for your decks.. the abyss and chains are both very good in specific builds, but you could easily skip them and still have a perfectly serviceable deck. i would probably try to convince you to mostly work with what you have, and trade for what you think your deck absolutely needs!
If you wanna look at cards that purely might rise in value with time (not necessarily with EDH in mind), i'd probably look at cards that are on the extremes of any axis you can think of for a card. so for example, efficiency (card does a lot for little mana, eg swords to plowshares), powerful (card simply does crazy big things eg omniscience), unique/complicated effects (things that no other card does/is so complicated that wizard's official explanation doesn't actually help eg humility, chains of mephistopheles), cards that scream combo (so cards that auto-trigger without you needing to add mana, effects that give mana, effects that untap effects upon triggers, so on eg palinchron), and anything on the reserved list i think are probably good places to start. ive probably missed a lot, but im not much of a money-value knower kinda guy..
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
If need be. Have him buy a precon and spruce up the deck.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Did I write something useful? Leave a like.
Any new cool Daretti cards printed in the latest set? Tell me about it!
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Basic lands such as buddy lands (e.g. Rootbound Crag, Hinterland Harbour).
Sol Ring
Some pretty basic mana rocks - Everflowing Chalice, Vessel of Eternal Rest aand such.
EDH:
Maelstrom Wanderer
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Being a red player, I wholeheartedly agree with schweinefett's advice to focus on generically useful red cards, to include Stranglehold.
Cheers!
Krichaiushii on PucaTrade.