I've got a pretty solid legacy collection so far and my realistic goal collectionise within reach but the price tag to get them are pretty high so I need to space them out. When I was looking at the list I realized I never bought those damn cards from Legends. The most expensive cards to finish off my target goal are:
These cards are pretty narrow in use to justify me buying the cards straight out (I did not feel bad shelling out 400 for a playset of Underground Sea's since a lot of decks I run can use it). Would you go for the cheapest first or go the priciest first?
i try and save up for the one that's most vital to completing a deck and then try to find legacy tournaments that pay out in store credit for the winners to try and get the rest
I generally try to start with the least replaceable card/effect. From your list that's probably Tabernacle, because the other cards can be replaced with a card that does something only slightly worse. Humility or Ghostly Prison do an okay job of standing in for Moat, Spirit of the Labyrinth can pretend to be a Chains for a while. Imperial Recruiter doesn't have a direct comparison, but it only really goes in one deck and there are lots of general tutor effects. But when your deck really wants a Tabernacle, nothing else is nearly as good.
I started with Pox; getting Lilies, Wastes, and a few other staples as I went. This progressed into BW as the lands were reasonable price and I already had vindicates and such. Slowly I built into BW and then built into Junk Nic Fit; acquiring a dual or so at a time until the deck looked like it made sense. Then I looped back around picking up more Junk pieces along the way (KotRs, duals, fetches, Maze, Karakas, etc..)
Basically; I brew and collect what I can/am-willing until I get close enough to another arch-type/color that I do a big purchase of necessary lands.
I think Tabernacle is probably overrated as it is; despite being in maybe 2 archtypes in general. It doesn't stop most creature decks and it (even in lands/pox) is vulnerable to Wasteland. PFire, EE, and Cabal Pit locks are the way to go IMO. That's an option in Green, an option in Black or GB, and an option in blue/colorless.
That said, there's no real way to get around "Just buy it" when it comes to $500 cards. At least you know it'll slowly creep up like the Moxs did. They were $500 some years back. Sucks to see that when now some duals are $300..
Deck consideration aside, from a pure price perspective I'd go for the un-reprintable ones first. I'd do it in this order:
2x Moat <- Hasn't really jumped up in price for some time, safe to get it now
2x Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale <- Good luck finding these. I'd camp auction sites for these and hope to get lucky
2x Chains of Mephistopheles maybe just 1 <- This one jumped somewhat recently, maybe try to get this before recruiters if the price dropped back down a bit
4x Imperial Painter <- By the time you get here, these might have been reprinted, hopefully.
Moat and Tabernacle are to upgrade my Angel Stax deck to Dutch Stax. I play tested it on MTGO and found it to be stronger especially with humility.
Chains is for my Jund sideboard
Imperial Recruiter is for Painter, I can't believe I mistyped it in the opening post.
I guess 2 sides from me. Ideally start with the broadest cards first. That builds a collection and opens up the need for fewer bad card replacements.
Since you seem to be at that point already I would aim for the most expensive cards. That said you shouldn't need more then a single moat or tabernacle anyway.
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No, but seriously, I only put $50+ into reserved list cards, or ones that have the lowest chance of reprint en masse. I don't look at this game as an investment, but I don't like spikes. I used to do a lot of trading, but I have less than 8 cards for trading, half of that I'm waiting on it to go up, and the other half isn't worth more than $3. So, what I used to do was trade, and supplement with cash. I went with whatever was the easiest to trade to. Expensive cards weren't the easiest.
If you play a lot of small events at the LGS and do ok in terms of winnings (and your store offers credit as an alternative prize) you could use your store credit to acquire the ridiculous cards. It'd take awhile, but maybe it's worth it?
Another approach is to set aside something every week. Personally, I have a $20/week budget for magic singles. It'd take awhile to add up to a playset of recruiters at this rate, which is why I don't have any. But it's not so ridiculous if you're working on jaces or bobs or something.
Don't try to build every deck in Legacy, unless you're some kind of investment banker who moonlights as a surgeon by night and sells coke on the side.
Get the cards you need for your favorite deck first.
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These days, some wizards are finding they have a little too much deck left at the end of their $$$.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
I buy the cheap junk. I'm too poor for the money cards. I want p9 and such but I will never get them. Every time I get the chance its gone up in price or just gone
Moat is rarely played as a 2 of. So I would start with only getting one. The second Moat is the only card in your list I don't have and I seriously doubt of it's usefulness unless you really want to play Dutch Stax but you should really consider wether it is worth investing in this deck. People seems to play the deck more to show their cards than for other reasons. Don't forget Ravages of War for real money display. The second Tabernacle is played way less than the second one except in Vintage, where a third one is sometimes seen, so I would get the first Tabernacle pretty early. Chains is a sideboad card that you can do pretty well without the second. I would go:
2x Moat
2x Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
2x Chains of Mephistopheles maybe just 1
4x Imperial Recruiter
These cards are pretty narrow in use to justify me buying the cards straight out (I did not feel bad shelling out 400 for a playset of Underground Sea's since a lot of decks I run can use it). Would you go for the cheapest first or go the priciest first?
R/W Devotion
Mono-R Devotion
Legacy
Burn
Punishing Jund
Basically; I brew and collect what I can/am-willing until I get close enough to another arch-type/color that I do a big purchase of necessary lands.
I think Tabernacle is probably overrated as it is; despite being in maybe 2 archtypes in general. It doesn't stop most creature decks and it (even in lands/pox) is vulnerable to Wasteland. PFire, EE, and Cabal Pit locks are the way to go IMO. That's an option in Green, an option in Black or GB, and an option in blue/colorless.
That said, there's no real way to get around "Just buy it" when it comes to $500 cards. At least you know it'll slowly creep up like the Moxs did. They were $500 some years back. Sucks to see that when now some duals are $300..
Look, Fetch, Draw, Look
Draw
Fetch
Look
2x Moat <- Hasn't really jumped up in price for some time, safe to get it now
2x Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale <- Good luck finding these. I'd camp auction sites for these and hope to get lucky
2x Chains of Mephistopheles maybe just 1 <- This one jumped somewhat recently, maybe try to get this before recruiters if the price dropped back down a bit
4x Imperial Painter <- By the time you get here, these might have been reprinted, hopefully.
Moat and Tabernacle are to upgrade my Angel Stax deck to Dutch Stax. I play tested it on MTGO and found it to be stronger especially with humility.
Chains is for my Jund sideboard
Imperial Recruiter is for Painter, I can't believe I mistyped it in the opening post.
R/W Devotion
Mono-R Devotion
Legacy
Burn
Punishing Jund
Since you seem to be at that point already I would aim for the most expensive cards. That said you shouldn't need more then a single moat or tabernacle anyway.
-----The Legacy Flowchart-----
Tiny Leaders Overlord
No, but seriously, I only put $50+ into reserved list cards, or ones that have the lowest chance of reprint en masse. I don't look at this game as an investment, but I don't like spikes. I used to do a lot of trading, but I have less than 8 cards for trading, half of that I'm waiting on it to go up, and the other half isn't worth more than $3. So, what I used to do was trade, and supplement with cash. I went with whatever was the easiest to trade to. Expensive cards weren't the easiest.
Another approach is to set aside something every week. Personally, I have a $20/week budget for magic singles. It'd take awhile to add up to a playset of recruiters at this rate, which is why I don't have any. But it's not so ridiculous if you're working on jaces or bobs or something.
Get the cards you need for your favorite deck first.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit
1 Tabernacle
1 Chains
1 Moat
4 Imperial Recruiter
1 Chains
1 Tabernacle
1 Moat