Thank you both! I'm really happy with them, though to be honest I'll probably look to upgrade the Balance to one in better condition at some point in the future. I'm just in love with that ***, though
Bondafong, the Birds of Paradise and Earthquake you posted a couple of weeks ago are really pretty. BoP are just so iconic, and I need an A/B Earthquake myself so I can appreciate the acquisition!
I may have a problem, but if A/B Magic cards are wrong, I don't wanna be right. After posting up the Wrath of God and Balance pics a couple of weeks ago, I immediately realized that I was not satisfied with the condition of that Balance. So I bought this based on a blurry pic and the seller's description that it was "NM" and "never played with" (we've all heard that one):
Me after opening the package:
Now I have a different problem... I think it's too nice to play with. I'm probably going to send it off to get graded. Maybe I'll just play with that other Balance after all.
And something evil this way comes... stay tuned, kids.
I'm almost worried about authenticity when cards are that gem. But with the 60/40 <-> centering, it's authentic (and maybe also not worth grading). It's a gorgeous piece. Double-sleeve it and play it. That Balance was destined to win games, not rot in a plastic case.
Or, grade it and trade it for an A/B Balance w/ some ...experience... and another great A/B cube card.
With the centering issue, it'll likely grade at an 8.5 or 9.0 (it's gem mint otherwise) and it'll fetch some bucks. Best condition non-graded Beta Balance I've ever seen.
With the centering issue, it'll likely grade at an 8.5 or 9.0 (it's gem mint otherwise) and it'll fetch some bucks.
I agree. I think it's a solid 8.5. The centering is 8.5 based on other graded cards I've looked at. The only visible flaw is a tiny ding on the back, bottom edge (see below), and I think that'll take it to 8.5 on edges.
Best condition non-graded Beta Balance I've ever seen.
That's exactly what I told my wife and son. Nicest non-graded Beta playable I've seen since January 1995, when a dorm-mate was selling his A/B/Arabian collection. He never played, only collected.
What a gorgeous card. I like my old cards with some miles on them, but I can appreciate something pretty when I see it.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I can't say I'm pleased to see you and must warn you I may have to do something about it.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: URDelver
Modern: UGRDelver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
I actually personally like cards that have a bit of wear. They are cheaper and it's fun to think back on all the games those cards must have been a part of (unsleeved).
My biggest purchase regret is not buying a VERY HEAVY PLAYED beta Tundra about 10 years ago. Just before beta duals started to rise a lot in value. I could have picked it up for $100 but passed due to it's condition. That was even cheap back then, but now the value have literally 10'doubled.
I actually personally like cards that have a bit of wear. They are cheaper and it's fun to think back on all the games those cards must have been a part of (unsleeved).
My biggest purchase regret is not buying a VERY HEAVY PLAYED beta Tundra about 10 years ago. Just before beta duals started to rise a lot in value. I could have picked it up for $100 but passed due to it's condition. That was even cheap back then, but now the value have literally 10'doubled.
Thanks! I also prefer to play with cards with a little wear but that still look nice, like that Alpha *** I posted earlier. One exception is my Recurring Nightmare, which is very heavily played. Seems fitting for a reanimation card that just keeps coming back!
Too bad about that Tundra! The border wear would just look like extra snowfall 😆
I traded an Unlimited one away a few years back to get a Lili -
Lately I've been enjoying upgrading lands for the cube.
Though the pimping list is getting fairly small, boy are they tough pickups to stomach.
Glad I'm not aspiring to get black-bordered duals (a same-name foreign Taiga would be cool, but to have only one bb would bother me)
I'm definitely also in the camp of enjoying played cards.
Shuffled Underground Seas unsleeved for years in my janky reanimator with Petradons
Lists to be added at a future date
Animar | Damia/Legendary Timmy | Jacques le Vert/death2machines | Ruhon/voltron | Thraximundar/let's all sac | Mogis/Tribal Minotaur | Sol'kanar/here, have Phage | Drana/swamps are rising | Uril/voltron | Karador/Spirit recursion | Derevi/ janky fair turtle)
Gorgeous basics. Judge lands are probably the highest-end basics I'll ever own, as Gurus are absolutely out of control, price-wise. Took me a second to figure out the Plains, then I saw 1994 and oh boy it's summer. Wow.
With the shocks, do you just go with the art that you prefer, or do you go with whatever foil you can get hands on? I'm like 8/10 on preferring the Rob Alexander arts, but they are super expensive in foil, although that doesn't seem to be an issue for you.
Absolutely gorgeous stuff.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I can't say I'm pleased to see you and must warn you I may have to do something about it.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: URDelver
Modern: UGRDelver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
Picked up some stuff from a few signings, got some more stuff signed, and jumped on an Opportunity in Vegas.
I'll get around to scanning these into my cube at some point next weekend when I'm home again.
A couple are just updates - like the Artisan of Kozilek - where I wasn't entirely satisfied with the signature I already had.
Big milestone though, over 50% signed with 15 or so more on the way to push that even further.
With the shocks, do you just go with the art that you prefer, or do you go with whatever foil you can get hands on? I'm like 8/10 on preferring the Rob Alexander arts, but they are super expensive in foil
Yeah, for shocks I'm going for favorite art, which ended up being many of the newer and cheaper versions (and more signature variance ).
It'll be nice to have the dual/shock/fetches each with a distinct frame.
Lists to be added at a future date
Animar | Damia/Legendary Timmy | Jacques le Vert/death2machines | Ruhon/voltron | Thraximundar/let's all sac | Mogis/Tribal Minotaur | Sol'kanar/here, have Phage | Drana/swamps are rising | Uril/voltron | Karador/Spirit recursion | Derevi/ janky fair turtle)
Marjhan, I can't begin to fathom that level of pimp for basics 😮 Hats off to you! I thought that I was going overboard for considering an upgrade to A/B (currently original ZEN full art).
Haganbmj, those are some sweet pickups! I love the idea of a signed cube. That Berserk is especially 💕
The next piece of the puzzle arrived a few days ago with a puff of smoke and the scent of brimstone.
To be perfectly honest, this was an impulse purchase spurred on by a pint, an eBay "flash sale" coupon, and the continuing high from the Beta Balance and Alpha Wrath of God that I posted previously. Black-bordered cardboard is a helluva drug, and the more sinister side of the cube was not too happy with the balance of power shifting to the good guys. The demon knows that he looks better in a tux than those do-gooders; he whispered in my ear and I complied. I had been looking at Winter Orbs more seriously than anything, but the nicer ones were over three bills and the nicest ones were around four. The tutor was the perfect mix of condition, price, and seduction. The card arrived better than anticipated (the eBay scan added a lot of glare that ended up looking like slight border whitening), and I couldn't be more pleased.
I can't say I'm pleased to see you and must warn you I may have to do something about it.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: URDelver
Modern: UGRDelver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
Thanks... with that and a recent facebook High End MTG purchase, I'm tapped out for now Time to raise some more funds. I'm leaning out my MTG and comics collections and directing it all toward Cube/Old School, and that well has run dry until I can sell some more stuff.
Beautiful Demonic Tutor. Really good looking.
You're absolutely right that alpha/beta is a bit of a rush, I know I couldn't stop buying once I got the first few for my cube.
Nice one. Especially the Pai Mei one.
My Tribal cube
My 93/94 old school cube
My Artifact cube
My Hearthstone Quiz App for iOS
I got a real bee in my bonnet for some black-border upgrades during the last week, and ended up with these two icons of Old School:
After acquiring the card on the left, I think I'm addicted to Alpha rares. Beta seems so bourgeois now
Looks like you got the same sickness as me.
Beautiful cards. A/B cards have so much personality and these two are great examples. Congrats on your purchase.
My Tribal cube
My 93/94 old school cube
My Artifact cube
My Hearthstone Quiz App for iOS
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Bondafong, the Birds of Paradise and Earthquake you posted a couple of weeks ago are really pretty. BoP are just so iconic, and I need an A/B Earthquake myself so I can appreciate the acquisition!
Me after opening the package:
Now I have a different problem... I think it's too nice to play with. I'm probably going to send it off to get graded. Maybe I'll just play with that other Balance after all.
And something evil this way comes... stay tuned, kids.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Yeah, I was concerned about authenticity when I saw it, but everything checks out. Definitely real, especially with the off-centering you mentioned.
I'm tempted, for sure. We'll see
With the centering issue, it'll likely grade at an 8.5 or 9.0 (it's gem mint otherwise) and it'll fetch some bucks. Best condition non-graded Beta Balance I've ever seen.
Post a hi-res photo of the back for us?
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Yeah, that option definitely crossed my mind.
I agree. I think it's a solid 8.5. The centering is 8.5 based on other graded cards I've looked at. The only visible flaw is a tiny ding on the back, bottom edge (see below), and I think that'll take it to 8.5 on edges.
That's exactly what I told my wife and son. Nicest non-graded Beta playable I've seen since January 1995, when a dorm-mate was selling his A/B/Arabian collection. He never played, only collected.
For super high-res pics, check out my Flickr
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
I actually personally like cards that have a bit of wear. They are cheaper and it's fun to think back on all the games those cards must have been a part of (unsleeved).
My biggest purchase regret is not buying a VERY HEAVY PLAYED beta Tundra about 10 years ago. Just before beta duals started to rise a lot in value. I could have picked it up for $100 but passed due to it's condition. That was even cheap back then, but now the value have literally 10'doubled.
My Tribal cube
My 93/94 old school cube
My Artifact cube
My Hearthstone Quiz App for iOS
Thanks! I also prefer to play with cards with a little wear but that still look nice, like that Alpha *** I posted earlier. One exception is my Recurring Nightmare, which is very heavily played. Seems fitting for a reanimation card that just keeps coming back!
Too bad about that Tundra! The border wear would just look like extra snowfall 😆
I traded an Unlimited one away a few years back to get a Lili -
Lately I've been enjoying upgrading lands for the cube.
Though the pimping list is getting fairly small, boy are they tough pickups to stomach.
Glad I'm not aspiring to get black-bordered duals (a same-name foreign Taiga would be cool, but to have only one bb would bother me)
I'm definitely also in the camp of enjoying played cards.
Shuffled Underground Seas unsleeved for years in my janky reanimator with Petradons
CubeTutor link here
Still need Andi Rusu sig :/
Current EDH decks
Animar | Damia/Legendary Timmy | Jacques le Vert/death2machines | Ruhon/voltron | Thraximundar/let's all sac | Mogis/Tribal Minotaur | Sol'kanar/here, have Phage | Drana/swamps are rising | Uril/voltron | Karador/Spirit recursion | Derevi/ janky fair turtle)
With the shocks, do you just go with the art that you prefer, or do you go with whatever foil you can get hands on? I'm like 8/10 on preferring the Rob Alexander arts, but they are super expensive in foil, although that doesn't seem to be an issue for you.
Absolutely gorgeous stuff.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
I'll get around to scanning these into my cube at some point next weekend when I'm home again.
A couple are just updates - like the Artisan of Kozilek - where I wasn't entirely satisfied with the signature I already had.
Big milestone though, over 50% signed with 15 or so more on the way to push that even further.
[Developing] 430+ Peasant Cube Thread --- [and on Cube Cobra]
Yeah, for shocks I'm going for favorite art, which ended up being many of the newer and cheaper versions (and more signature variance ).
It'll be nice to have the dual/shock/fetches each with a distinct frame.
CubeTutor link here
Still need Andi Rusu sig :/
Current EDH decks
Animar | Damia/Legendary Timmy | Jacques le Vert/death2machines | Ruhon/voltron | Thraximundar/let's all sac | Mogis/Tribal Minotaur | Sol'kanar/here, have Phage | Drana/swamps are rising | Uril/voltron | Karador/Spirit recursion | Derevi/ janky fair turtle)
Haganbmj, those are some sweet pickups! I love the idea of a signed cube. That Berserk is especially 💕
To be perfectly honest, this was an impulse purchase spurred on by a pint, an eBay "flash sale" coupon, and the continuing high from the Beta Balance and Alpha Wrath of God that I posted previously. Black-bordered cardboard is a helluva drug, and the more sinister side of the cube was not too happy with the balance of power shifting to the good guys. The demon knows that he looks better in a tux than those do-gooders; he whispered in my ear and I complied. I had been looking at Winter Orbs more seriously than anything, but the nicer ones were over three bills and the nicest ones were around four. The tutor was the perfect mix of condition, price, and seduction. The card arrived better than anticipated (the eBay scan added a lot of glare that ended up looking like slight border whitening), and I couldn't be more pleased.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
You're absolutely right that alpha/beta is a bit of a rush, I know I couldn't stop buying once I got the first few for my cube.
[Developing] 430+ Peasant Cube Thread --- [and on Cube Cobra]