It comes down to the playgroup and environment. Some playgroups do play heavily competitive and demand people purchase the proper "gear" to compete, but that's also one of the factors that I'd attribute to the downfall of the LGS and competitive magic. There's no one reason why the game of Magic is not what it used to be. It's as much a factor of sales tactics, choices by players, predatory distribution, and tournament organization as it is the secondary market. And I would say the second hand market in MTG is rarely predatory, it's sort of always trying to figure out where the money flows.
I will say that modern and legacy are both going to be dead though with the power creep Gavin and Co introduced with Modern Horizons and Throne. MH2 was a small scale apocalypse.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro are basically using set expansions as sort of a stock market for those who are wanting to purchase specific cards before the sets officially drop which ends up treating card singles like you would placing a literal stock or share for a company on Wall Street. If you miss the boat then players have to pay more for something that should cost less for them.
The fact that they give actual clues about what the set's theme is so obvious that it makes it real easy for players to buyout certain card singles before they spike in price that gives off the illusion of insider trading. Take for example the upcoming Streets of New Capenna set where they gave clues that Demon tribal is getting more support so the buyers go and buys out popular Demons in the MTG Secondary Market.
If you've been paying attention lately these sets are increasingly never missing the mark with what's speculated before their official release.
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America Bless Christ Jesus
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
The fact that they give actual clues about what the set's theme is so obvious that it makes it real easy for players to buyout certain card singles before they spike in price that gives off the illusion of insider trading. Take for example the upcoming Streets of New Capenna set where they gave clues that Demon tribal is getting more support so the buyers go and buys out popular Demons in the MTG Secondary Market.
Uh… you do know that Mark Rosewater officially and specifically confirmed that Demon Tribal is NOT a mechanical theme in New Capenna, right?
The fact that they give actual clues about what the set's theme is so obvious that it makes it real easy for players to buyout certain card singles before they spike in price that gives off the illusion of insider trading. Take for example the upcoming Streets of New Capenna set where they gave clues that Demon tribal is getting more support so the buyers go and buys out popular Demons in the MTG Secondary Market.
Uh… you do know that Mark Rosewater officially and specifically confirmed that Demon Tribal is NOT a mechanical theme in New Capenna, right?
Fair point however a better example would've been Ninja tribal in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty getting more support and sure enough it actually paid off.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
America Bless Christ Jesus
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
The fact that they give actual clues about what the set's theme is so obvious that it makes it real easy for players to buyout certain card singles before they spike in price that gives off the illusion of insider trading. Take for example the upcoming Streets of New Capenna set where they gave clues that Demon tribal is getting more support so the buyers go and buys out popular Demons in the MTG Secondary Market.
Uh… you do know that Mark Rosewater officially and specifically confirmed that Demon Tribal is NOT a mechanical theme in New Capenna, right?
Fair point however a better example would've been Ninja tribal in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty getting more support and sure enough it actually paid off.
That’s actually another not-so-great example as we have been told multiple times that ninjutsu almost wasn’t in the main set (just in a commander deck).
I think that the general trend you seek is more about hindsight being 20-20. Yes, people make educated guesses about what is coming out and make purchases (even big ones) to either avoid or create price increases. It isn’t all that rare that the common guesses are just wrong, though (*recalls everyone and their mother anticipating level-up in Strixhaven to represent learning, expecting tons of 7+ MV creatures in Ikoria because “lair of behemoths”, and expecting far more powerful werewolves in Midnight Hunt because it was first labeled as “Innistrad: Werewolves”))
That uncertainty can be more frustrating than outright confirmation, to be certain. Do I guess that treasure will be a main theme in Capenna and pick up Xorn or Academy Manufacturer? It hasn’t been confirmed but treasure would act as solid glue to a 3-color set and it fits in with gangsters… or maybe treasures are mentioned on 2-3 commons in the entire set and I regret buying singles (or feel good about not buying them).
At the end of the day, WE are the ones making intuitive leaps and making purchase decisions. Blaming wizards for breaking promises that they never made is ridiculous. At the end of the day, sets are previewed with names and the barest of conceptual themes BEFORE we learn what mechanics appear. I honestly cannot imagine a world in which this is not true. Wizards is never going to say “Next year in Q3 we are getting ‘Journey to Muraganda’, the set of wither, cascade, and a new ability that cares about creature tokens. Pick up your parallel lives and Doubling Seasons now.”
People with more money can afford to take more chances with speculative purchases and may get to avoid price increases as a result. That is not a specific unfairness of MTG in any way that I can see.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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I will say that modern and legacy are both going to be dead though with the power creep Gavin and Co introduced with Modern Horizons and Throne. MH2 was a small scale apocalypse.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
The fact that they give actual clues about what the set's theme is so obvious that it makes it real easy for players to buyout certain card singles before they spike in price that gives off the illusion of insider trading. Take for example the upcoming Streets of New Capenna set where they gave clues that Demon tribal is getting more support so the buyers go and buys out popular Demons in the MTG Secondary Market.
If you've been paying attention lately these sets are increasingly never missing the mark with what's speculated before their official release.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Uh… you do know that Mark Rosewater officially and specifically confirmed that Demon Tribal is NOT a mechanical theme in New Capenna, right?
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
That’s actually another not-so-great example as we have been told multiple times that ninjutsu almost wasn’t in the main set (just in a commander deck).
I think that the general trend you seek is more about hindsight being 20-20. Yes, people make educated guesses about what is coming out and make purchases (even big ones) to either avoid or create price increases. It isn’t all that rare that the common guesses are just wrong, though (*recalls everyone and their mother anticipating level-up in Strixhaven to represent learning, expecting tons of 7+ MV creatures in Ikoria because “lair of behemoths”, and expecting far more powerful werewolves in Midnight Hunt because it was first labeled as “Innistrad: Werewolves”))
That uncertainty can be more frustrating than outright confirmation, to be certain. Do I guess that treasure will be a main theme in Capenna and pick up Xorn or Academy Manufacturer? It hasn’t been confirmed but treasure would act as solid glue to a 3-color set and it fits in with gangsters… or maybe treasures are mentioned on 2-3 commons in the entire set and I regret buying singles (or feel good about not buying them).
At the end of the day, WE are the ones making intuitive leaps and making purchase decisions. Blaming wizards for breaking promises that they never made is ridiculous. At the end of the day, sets are previewed with names and the barest of conceptual themes BEFORE we learn what mechanics appear. I honestly cannot imagine a world in which this is not true. Wizards is never going to say “Next year in Q3 we are getting ‘Journey to Muraganda’, the set of wither, cascade, and a new ability that cares about creature tokens. Pick up your parallel lives and Doubling Seasons now.”
People with more money can afford to take more chances with speculative purchases and may get to avoid price increases as a result. That is not a specific unfairness of MTG in any way that I can see.