Every time I feel like Magic cards have reached their ceiling, they find a way to become even more expensive. With just a couple of card trade-ins, I've paid for my last couple years worth of cube updates with just profits. Selling my foiled Mind Sculptor (replacing it with an altered one) for example, made me enough cash to do a year's worth of set updates and pay for it's replacement. That's all pure profit. And I did the same thing with my Champs Mutavault too. Just by selling a few foils that have gone up super high in value, I've been able to buy new cards for my cube without dipping into cash outside of the cards I sell. It's become a self-sustaining entity at this point, and that's just selling the foils I "update" to alters for profit; I don't even have to re-sell the cards I remove from the cube. My on-deck binder just grows and grows. Will it continue to be able to do so? I don't know. Maybe it's just the luck of investing in the collection at the perfect time, but it works for now.
As someone who has only been in the cube game for 14 months, I wish I could do things like that. For people like me, we just keep losing the chance to get foils items over night. Foil Stoneforge Mystic? A few months ago, sure. Now? Hahahahahaha.....nope.
I am anti-foiling, etc., but I do have a tip for those that are. When I was building my cube, even the regular versions were too expensive, so I looked at buying collections locally. I bought one for $500 that have 12 fetchlands in it and a stack of other rares. I parted it out and sold it for $900, keeping some of the cards I needed for myself. I then bought a set of CE cards, sold everything but the duals and some of the singles I wanted (like Dark Ritual). My point is that if you buy larger quantities, especially when someone is looking to unload all of their stuff at once, you can usually negotiate a better price per card, or make something by reselling.
It's definitely a pain to sell cards on eBay. I looked at it kind of like a second job to fund the cube. Then again, you could just get a part-time job for a little while too.
I've certainly 'made' an absurd amount of money on my Cube. And I try to never buy anything with cash, so even moreso. If you know what you are doing, and do some things wisely, it can certainly be both.
I just looked up blue duals the other day...had no idea they spiked again o.O
My question to everyone would be, would purchasing unnecessary foils such as full art unhinged lands be a wise idea at this current point? I am finalizing what exact foils I want in my cube and those come to mind. Everyone I know who purchased their set did it around the time when they were only $5. What is the verdict on these guys? They are land so they will go up.
I'm assuming buying islands first is the best idea. Even at $50-70 a piece. The way I see it is that if guru lands can sell at $250 each these can at least do $100 in the future.
As someone who has only been in the cube game for 14 months, I wish I could do things like that. For people like me, we just keep losing the chance to get foils items over night. Foil Stoneforge Mystic? A few months ago, sure. Now? Hahahahahaha.....nope.
Holy moses, didn't even notice the spike on Stoneforge. I remember doing a trade for one during the time Modern Masters was available and being surprised about how "cheap" it was. Ended up trading 6 packs of Modern Masters for it.
My question to everyone would be, would purchasing unnecessary foils such as full art unhinged lands be a wise idea at this current point? I am finalizing what exact foils I want in my cube and those come to mind. Everyone I know who purchased their set did it around the time when they were only $5. What is the verdict on these guys? They are land so they will go up.
I'm assuming buying islands first is the best idea. Even at $50-70 a piece. The way I see it is that if guru lands can sell at $250 each these can at least do $100 in the future.
It's hard to find, playable pimp. It's as safe as you can get in the magic world, but it's still a speculation, not an investment.
I'm truly jealous of those of you who are able to update your cube each set release without much effort or out of pocket expense. I've been playing Magic since '98 and cubing since '07 and I still cannot do that. With each set release and each cube update, it's some form of out of pocket expense for me. I have champagne wishes for my cube, but unfortunately I'm on a PBR budget.
Owning a foil cube is quickly becoming a rich mans game for those just starting out. Cards are spiking way to fast for most people to reasonably keep up. Seems like eventually the prices would hit a wall but then some other card spikes. Look at a foil Rishadan port lately or someone has mentioned stoneforge mystic. I picked mine up 6 months ago for $60 in trade and now $150, why? Can't get legacy driving that as stoneblade has been a popular legacy deck for the last couple years. It is getting silly.
My thoughts are that more people are building cubes due to the popularity of mtgo cube which us causing high end foils to climb to astronomical prices. EDH driving prices was one thing but to have multiple groups fighting for the same foils makes it tough.
Owning a foil cube is quickly becoming a rich mans game for those just starting out. Cards are spiking way to fast for most people to reasonably keep up. Seems like eventually the prices would hit a wall but then some other card spikes. Look at a foil Rishadan port lately or someone has mentioned stoneforge mystic. I picked mine up 6 months ago for $60 in trade and now $150, why? Can't get legacy driving that as stoneblade has been a popular legacy deck for the last couple years. It is getting silly.
My thoughts are that more people are building cubes due to the popularity of mtgo cube which us causing high end foils to climb to astronomical prices. EDH driving prices was one thing but to have multiple groups fighting for the same foils makes it tough.
I do agree. I think that both Cube and EDH are very relevant formats now that do drive the markets. Both semi casual in which many people are more than often willing to participate in.
After establishing this you have to realize that half of the cards in cube and EDH are very good in other formats as well.
I was curious to see how fast these cards are rising. I have a 550 non powered completely foiled cube (except for cards that were never foiled). I priced my cube out today (Retail at SCG which is were I check my values) and compared it to the last time i did it which was on 1/17/2014 and the increase was $953.00 in less than a month.
Now obviously sell price wouldn't be that high but regardless it shows significant growth of these cards in such a short period of time. So my question is, when does the bottom drop out?
Every time I feel like Magic cards have reached their ceiling, they find a way to become even more expensive. With just a couple of card trade-ins, I've paid for my last couple years worth of cube updates with just profits. Selling my foiled Mind Sculptor (replacing it with an altered one) for example, made me enough cash to do a year's worth of set updates and pay for it's replacement. That's all pure profit. And I did the same thing with my Champs Mutavault too. Just by selling a few foils that have gone up super high in value, I've been able to buy new cards for my cube without dipping into cash outside of the cards I sell. It's become a self-sustaining entity at this point, and that's just selling the foils I "update" to alters for profit; I don't even have to re-sell the cards I remove from the cube. My on-deck binder just grows and grows. Will it continue to be able to do so? I don't know. Maybe it's just the luck of investing in the collection at the perfect time, but it works for now.
I have also experienced this effect. Who knows how long prices will go up, but I am constantly pulling foils out and selling them to pay for alters.
We are in a very strange point of finance in Magic The Gathering. The reason for the most recent sell spikes was due to the most recent ban list. Older cards that have risen are due to artificial hype created by buyouts or raised price listing on popular retailers. (Mainly Star city Games.) The point in which you will see decline is when the format becomes stagnant again, in which companies will try to off a lot of midrange cards to move product, thus lowering their price. Although in terms of cube, being that most cubes have very high value cards in them anyway. You generally will not see any major decline. Especially in an upcoming modern season with new product and a new format.
I am trying to do the same thing as you and got some great advise from a friend who owned a pimped out cube. He said to take is really slow and obtain the pimp versions of the cards you are least likely to replace first. It sounds tempting to spend $200 and obtain 10-15 cards as oppose to 1. But if that one is a Dark Confidant that is probably never coming out of the cube.
I am not sure if I'm the only one, but I think alpha is much more pimp than anything else (including beta). I'm trying to get my cube to be a nice mix of alpha, signed, foil, altered art, and artist proofs so that I don't get bored looking at all of one type and it keeps the chase for such items alive and thus the fun!
In the past 2 years I've spent over $33k on magic through either investing or the cube, and my goodness has it been great! Sealed goes up! Staples go way up! Vintage sky rockets!
Very exciting time to be a magic player and even investor.
As the old adage suggests, the higher you are, the harder you fall.
However, that doesn't apply to cards on the RESERVED LIST.
I agree on the part about involving your friends. Make them socially invested. When they open a foil card you want, the first thing they'll do is to offer it to you. Because as a cube designer we are offering this "service" from the bottom of our hearts. When someone shares his/her passion, it's hard not to be swayed/persuaded by it.
My friend and I have been talking about the finance-portion of the Cube lately. Mostly due to the insane spikes we've seen in not only the Blue dual lands, but now the Blue fetch lands (Polluted Delta is fetching in the neighborhood of $110-$120 right now, with the two Zendikar fetches approaching $90 each). We've built our Cube slowly and deliberately. We've taken a lot of more recent cards (Eldrazi, Zendikar fetches, etc) and flipped them into money which in turn we use to buy Revised duals. We see it as taking cards whose values are currently high (in our eyes) and that are capable of taking a plunge at any time; for cards whose values will certainly never fall. We started playing at a time when a Revised dual had a value of about $10. Seeing an Underground Sea retail for $400 is mind-boggling.
My suggestion to those looking to pimp their Cubes is this:
Chase the ABU duals first. They're only going to get exponentially higher in value, and the ground that their value covers in a short time will be greater than the cost of mid-to-upper range cards (mtgprice.com suggests that the Underground Sea has gone from $300 on Apr 10 to $380 on Apr 17 and settled at $350 recently -- that's ChannelFireball's price). That $50 net gain in just over a month for that one card is equal to that of the foil Thoughtseize you've been eyeballing. I'll add in the caveat of chasing GP or FNM promo style cards that are available only on those specific days, but the priority should be the duals and fetches. They're never going to go down in value.
For those just starting out...
There's no way you can do this without going out-of-pocket. You can't make something from nothing. Financially, the best way to approach a project such as this, and the way I've had my biggest MTG windfall, is to buy collections. Keep what you need, part out the rest. It takes a lot of effort, but with that many cards, you're armed with assets. Also, make a trade binder and attend the larger tournaments (my best day trading was going to GP: Oakland in 2010; Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain and Mox Ruby were a part of that day's haul). Trade values are better than retail values -- plus a lot of people have stuff the stores/shops might not (One of my Cube's basic lands is a white-backed artist proof signed by Christopher Rush. It's just cool).
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
For those just starting out...
There's no way you can do this without going out-of-pocket. You can't make something from nothing. Financially, the best way to approach a project such as this, and the way I've had my biggest MTG windfall, is to buy collections. Keep what you need, part out the rest. It takes a lot of effort, but with that many cards, you're armed with assets. Also, make a trade binder and attend the larger tournaments (my best day trading was going to GP: Oakland in 2010; Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain and Mox Ruby were a part of that day's haul). Trade values are better than retail values -- plus a lot of people have stuff the stores/shops might not (One of my Cube's basic lands is a white-backed artist proof signed by Christopher Rush. It's just cool).
Yea, that's what I used to do when I first started Magic I was able to flip through several cards and know their price value. Overall, my own personal opinion is to also look at a specific theme or set rather than trying to chase down power and the like for Cube. Since a set may have more foils and other such that are cheaper, and the latest blocks normally have specific cards that are dipped below normal prices when they are still considered "junk" or have "no value."
For my own self, I looked at Conspiracy as a "limiter" to keep the "price down" since then finding out specific cards is way cheaper than trying to cannibalize several EDH decks to build one Cube. Equally, I've seen also preconstructed decks as being a fair source to cannibalize across decks and sets. Of course my goal was to build an EDH deck of each color, so some decks are weaker than others, along with trying to get into Modern and wanting a Cube really presses the limits hard of any collection. Even one where I've collected for a long time now.
So for instances VS decks have been a resource for building tools to scavenge from plus also offering up two foils. While the decks contents since Venser Vs. Koth have been toned way, way, way down since the original offerings. Some of the decks lists such as that from something like Izzet vs. Golgari or Jace vs. Vraska are still good. Very specific Commander sets also offer up good building blocks, such as the C13 Grixis set. Which brings me to another point within setting a "pimping paradigm," looking for a unique set.
Then there's also some weird ideas like having a fully signed pauper Cube, which has crossed my mind, since many artists are willing to sign about 10 cards, for a small cube then using people like Mark Rosewater, sports players, elected officials, ect. to fill in specific gaps/themes.
But yea there's thinking outside of the box a bit. It's funny to get confused looks when you ask people to sign something.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Life is a beautiful engineer, yet a brutal scientist.
The cost of certain staples was one of the main reasons that built a peasant cube. It's fun, costs very little to update and maintain, and it's still pimpable! Of course, pimping means different things to different people. For instance, I'd never take a foil Incinerate over the Mirage version. Never ever.
As an aside, another motivator for going peasant was the variety of experiences I had with other cubes prior to building my own. Pauper could often be dull. When it comes to powered cubes though, I came to the realization that if everything is a bomb, nothing is, and that's almost as dull. Peasant seemed like a perfect middle ground.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 6/29/20 (Core Set 2021).
The cost of certain staples was one of the main reasons that built a peasant cube. It's fun, costs very little to update and maintain, and it's still pimpable! Of course, pimping means different things to different people. For instance, I'd never take a foil Incinerate over the Mirage version. Never ever.
As an aside, another motivator for going peasant was the variety of experiences I had with other cubes prior to building my own. Pauper could often be dull. When it comes to powered cubes though, I came to the realization that if everything is a bomb, nothing is, and that's almost as dull. Peasant seemed like a perfect middle ground.
Yep. Plus you never feel guilty dragging it along even to places you've never been. Though I have a Powered 720 cube that I maintain, I'm very seriously considering building a 360-450 Peasant cube, as I can at least take that with me to local game stores and large events and not feel like I'm taking excessive risks.
I don't like taking my cube anywhere. Ever. Not even to a friends house. I can never seem to shake the feeling that I'm caring the monetary equivalent of an automobile under my arm.
EDIT: As a quick note, I've been using the points/rewards I accrue on my credit card to purchase stuff for my cube. It's an easy way to get some "free" cards for your cube...or at least to not feel guilty about dropping $$$$ on cards if the money came from your CC rewards balance.
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!
It's definitely a pain to sell cards on eBay. I looked at it kind of like a second job to fund the cube. Then again, you could just get a part-time job for a little while too.
I just looked up blue duals the other day...had no idea they spiked again o.O
-AA
I use descriptive language. Assume that I'm being nice and respectful. (I'll tell you when I'm not.)
My Cube: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/9029
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Draft!
That made me laugh so hard I can't even tell you.
Basically what I am doing while finishing university.
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It's what most of us did while in college...heh.
-AA
I use descriptive language. Assume that I'm being nice and respectful. (I'll tell you when I'm not.)
My Cube: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/9029
I'm assuming buying islands first is the best idea. Even at $50-70 a piece. The way I see it is that if guru lands can sell at $250 each these can at least do $100 in the future.
Twitter
Youtube Channel
Cube Podcast
Draft my Cube!
Holy moses, didn't even notice the spike on Stoneforge. I remember doing a trade for one during the time Modern Masters was available and being surprised about how "cheap" it was. Ended up trading 6 packs of Modern Masters for it.
It's hard to find, playable pimp. It's as safe as you can get in the magic world, but it's still a speculation, not an investment.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
My thoughts are that more people are building cubes due to the popularity of mtgo cube which us causing high end foils to climb to astronomical prices. EDH driving prices was one thing but to have multiple groups fighting for the same foils makes it tough.
I do agree. I think that both Cube and EDH are very relevant formats now that do drive the markets. Both semi casual in which many people are more than often willing to participate in.
After establishing this you have to realize that half of the cards in cube and EDH are very good in other formats as well.
Twitter
Youtube Channel
Cube Podcast
Draft my Cube!
Now obviously sell price wouldn't be that high but regardless it shows significant growth of these cards in such a short period of time. So my question is, when does the bottom drop out?
I have also experienced this effect. Who knows how long prices will go up, but I am constantly pulling foils out and selling them to pay for alters.
Deckbox tradelist/for sale
Draft my cube on cubetutor!
Check out my blog on Cube Archetypes!
Twitter
Youtube Channel
Cube Podcast
Draft my Cube!
In the past 2 years I've spent over $33k on magic through either investing or the cube, and my goodness has it been great! Sealed goes up! Staples go way up! Vintage sky rockets!
Very exciting time to be a magic player and even investor.
However, that doesn't apply to cards on the RESERVED LIST.
I agree on the part about involving your friends. Make them socially invested. When they open a foil card you want, the first thing they'll do is to offer it to you. Because as a cube designer we are offering this "service" from the bottom of our hearts. When someone shares his/her passion, it's hard not to be swayed/persuaded by it.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
My suggestion to those looking to pimp their Cubes is this:
Chase the ABU duals first. They're only going to get exponentially higher in value, and the ground that their value covers in a short time will be greater than the cost of mid-to-upper range cards (mtgprice.com suggests that the Underground Sea has gone from $300 on Apr 10 to $380 on Apr 17 and settled at $350 recently -- that's ChannelFireball's price). That $50 net gain in just over a month for that one card is equal to that of the foil Thoughtseize you've been eyeballing. I'll add in the caveat of chasing GP or FNM promo style cards that are available only on those specific days, but the priority should be the duals and fetches. They're never going to go down in value.
For those just starting out...
There's no way you can do this without going out-of-pocket. You can't make something from nothing. Financially, the best way to approach a project such as this, and the way I've had my biggest MTG windfall, is to buy collections. Keep what you need, part out the rest. It takes a lot of effort, but with that many cards, you're armed with assets. Also, make a trade binder and attend the larger tournaments (my best day trading was going to GP: Oakland in 2010; Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain and Mox Ruby were a part of that day's haul). Trade values are better than retail values -- plus a lot of people have stuff the stores/shops might not (One of my Cube's basic lands is a white-backed artist proof signed by Christopher Rush. It's just cool).
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Yea, that's what I used to do when I first started Magic I was able to flip through several cards and know their price value. Overall, my own personal opinion is to also look at a specific theme or set rather than trying to chase down power and the like for Cube. Since a set may have more foils and other such that are cheaper, and the latest blocks normally have specific cards that are dipped below normal prices when they are still considered "junk" or have "no value."
For my own self, I looked at Conspiracy as a "limiter" to keep the "price down" since then finding out specific cards is way cheaper than trying to cannibalize several EDH decks to build one Cube. Equally, I've seen also preconstructed decks as being a fair source to cannibalize across decks and sets. Of course my goal was to build an EDH deck of each color, so some decks are weaker than others, along with trying to get into Modern and wanting a Cube really presses the limits hard of any collection. Even one where I've collected for a long time now.
So for instances VS decks have been a resource for building tools to scavenge from plus also offering up two foils. While the decks contents since Venser Vs. Koth have been toned way, way, way down since the original offerings. Some of the decks lists such as that from something like Izzet vs. Golgari or Jace vs. Vraska are still good. Very specific Commander sets also offer up good building blocks, such as the C13 Grixis set. Which brings me to another point within setting a "pimping paradigm," looking for a unique set.
Then there's also some weird ideas like having a fully signed pauper Cube, which has crossed my mind, since many artists are willing to sign about 10 cards, for a small cube then using people like Mark Rosewater, sports players, elected officials, ect. to fill in specific gaps/themes.
But yea there's thinking outside of the box a bit. It's funny to get confused looks when you ask people to sign something.
Modern
Commander
Cube
<a href="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-lists/588020-unpowered-themed-enchantment-an-enchanted-evening">An Enchanted Evening Cube </a>
As an aside, another motivator for going peasant was the variety of experiences I had with other cubes prior to building my own. Pauper could often be dull. When it comes to powered cubes though, I came to the realization that if everything is a bomb, nothing is, and that's almost as dull. Peasant seemed like a perfect middle ground.
My 720 Peasant Cube
Yep. Plus you never feel guilty dragging it along even to places you've never been. Though I have a Powered 720 cube that I maintain, I'm very seriously considering building a 360-450 Peasant cube, as I can at least take that with me to local game stores and large events and not feel like I'm taking excessive risks.
EDIT: As a quick note, I've been using the points/rewards I accrue on my credit card to purchase stuff for my cube. It's an easy way to get some "free" cards for your cube...or at least to not feel guilty about dropping $$$$ on cards if the money came from your CC rewards balance.