He makes it sound like the court law stemming from baseball cards (which pre-dated Magic for being the originators of loot crates) indicates that judges were leaning toward intent (collectibility vs prize seeking) as a differentiator in determinting if the game is gambling or not. He also mentions that there wasn’t really any precedent on the topic, since the 90’s court cases targeting baseball cards was a RICO suit and dismissed on those grounds.
I did find it interesting that the inclusion of high-dollar speciality cards, like Masterpieces, was considered “promotional content” and not a gambling incentive as it pertained to collectible games.
The reason it gets fuzzy is due to collecting and prize seeking being on the same bar, with one simply being seeking a card due to it's monetary value and usage over picking it up because it's cool.
Going to be frank: Magic the Gathering is a prize seeking game when it comes to masters sets and many of the modern cards used heavily in the game. If the law came down where Wizards would be scrutinized for making "gambling" a thing with packs, there is really only two outcomes. They either end up making a chronicles 2.0 to crash the prices of modern, or they drop reprinting anything that has gotten out of hand with prices because doing so could bring litigation to their door. I'm pretty sure Arena is going to push people towards a newer format than modern, since people will want to play with cards they own through the system over at the LGS, so they may be able to completely skip over this issue depending on how they handle reprints and sets going forward.
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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!
I agree that getting a .25 rare for $14 is definitely feel bad, I definitely will not buy booster packs due to variance. If you want to get value then buy in bulk/box. It is cheaper and will have less variance. Or buy singles.
If wizards sell these at lower MSRP, stores and resellers will simply adjust prices and we will still sell at adjusted market values.
Bottomline for us players is that more cards is always better. Any reprint is always better. More cards will simply drive prices down.
It sounds like people just won't ever be happy until they get From The Vault: Staples. A set with a defined list of cards, all of which are the top 50 most played cards in each format, all cards are available in the box, and the MSRP is some ridiculous low price that crashes the entire market.
It sounds like people just won't ever be happy until they get From The Vault: Staples. A set with a defined list of cards, all of which are the top 50 most played cards in each format, all cards are available in the box, and the MSRP is some ridiculous low price that crashes the entire market.
That alone will not kill the price. Given those conditions LGS will just soak up the quantities and charge market value. Which is what happen with mma. Thats just a reload button for price gorgers. (Thats partly the effect of a high msrp, It cost LGS more to soak up the stock).
What will do the trick, is to have unlimited print to demand run + distribution to mass market channel (to remove the effect of LGS artificially ordering less). That should kill the prices of those 15 cards (assuming ftv). Now if we want to kill swathes of cards, Standard print run is your man. I am actually all for it
And no. People will still not be happy.
I think the 25 dollar manamorphose is symptomatic of a bigger problem. Scalpers. I think the only solution is to print better cards in Standard at all rarities, especially common. The problem is us. We are the ones paying the ridiculous prices (assuming the 25 dollar manamorphose sticks). The problem is why is it even a problem? Should'nt most people have manamorphose already? It was a 4 dollar card not too long ago. Then i realised at 4 dollars it might not be very palatable just to complete a set. I got my manamorphose when they were like 1 dollar or less.cos i collected over the years. So what is the solution? I actually think wotc is doing a great job with the printing at least with standard. They print so much of it, it is actually really cheap, and post rotation BAM. There is just too much stock for scalpers to consume. So in addition to the massive print run, they should print more and better cards that are minimally competitive in modern, maybe throw a bone to legacy and vintage; be it an entirely new card or a reprint. Then, if there are enough cards such that competitive decks can be built in modern with cards post RTR, at that point in time, if scalpers still have a hold on you... its really on you.
I think there are some fundamental disconnects in expectations for sets like these:
[list]
[*]Many of these cards would absolutely ruin Standard;
It's a good thing no one is saying they should be in Standard sets, minus some that easily could be in Standard sets since Core sets came back and not warp the format. Seems you forgot about things like Battlebond and Conspiracy, places where they also did high level reprints and had $4 boosters.
possibly for several years. We all love that Fetchlands were in Standard, but we also remember it helped cause some of the worst times in its recent history, especially when paired with fetchable duals. I would love reprints in Standard too, but not if it means making another 2-4 years of awful Standard.
Fetches are not the problem in each of those formats. Take Zendikar, fetches were not a problem except for the "problem" of shuffling takes too long, but even then there was a slew of other searches during that time *cough* Valakut & Stoneforge *cough*. It's the combination of them plus nonbasics with basic land types that makes it terrible. Fetches alone are never the issue when you can only look up basics, so let's stop the thinking that they alone made that happen.
[*]The complaints about value are not scaling cost:value, and instead, blindly complaining about cost while ignoring the proportional added value (I try to hammer home this concept to 7th graders in my math classes, as concepts of proportionality are the biggest state standard in math for that year. Given the views many people hold with regards to buying things, teachers as a whole need to continue to work on this).
Do you also teach them statistics and that you are not always guaranteed a win? When someone opens up a box, gets Lavaclaw from their box topper, and only opens up about $100 worth of stuff I can point them your way so you can tell them how they don't know math.
Here's a hint, always expect the worst.
[*]With proportionality, yes it is more expensive. But it also contains considerably more value in every measurable category.
If you're lucky enough to open them. You keep forgetting luck exists.
[*]Assumptions are being made that people are paying $14 for a pack. Nobody is doing this. Boxes are available all day $75 (or more) under MSRP.
A.k.a "Let's all ignore the stupid choice WotC made because I can find it cheaper." You might as well go "Let's all ignore Apple not putting a headphone jack in their phones because I can buy an adapter." When something stupid is done you point it out, not ignore it.
By the way triple booster packs at Wal-Mart are going for 3/$35 ('bout $12 per pack) so if that's the only way you can get them then that is something you have to consider, but something tells me you forgot about that too.
[*]Assumptions are being made that buying a small number of loose packs will result in feelbads. This is exactly true, and true for EVERY SET EVER.
Difference being a $4 feel bad feels a HELL of a lot better than a $10-$14 feel bad. You talked about math earlier, so which do you think someone might hate less? Spending $4, $10, or $14 for a $1 card? You don't have to be very good at math to figure out.
[*]Box EV is being ignored, as well as the concept that opening packs in bulk will give you a higher likelihood to reach EV with less variance.
The box topper is literally a reward for buying bulk so....yes, you do in fact have a higher likelihood of reaching EV. You seem to be forgetting a lot of things.
[*]People are just looking for things to be mad about: (Too expensive! Doesn't include pet card! Other cards going up!)
Criticisms about a product? OH NO!
[*]People unable to face reality that NO SET EVER will have EVERY CARD THEY WANT, and that's simply the nature of a game that sells its product in randomized booster packs.
Is that the issue, that the set doesn't have every card they want? Looks to me like folks are complaining about a few cards of their own choosing, rather than dozens, but good on you for getting it wrong.
Wizards just printed the most value-packet set ever, and people still complaining. Literally nothing they could do would please some people.
Criticisms bad! WotC good!
Edit: While I did not go as in depth into price block breakdowns [url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vL2ZX3H5_Vix4aOrMLla2Lza1HMB_8mN7j3aLvPZXZg/edit?usp=sharing]as I did for UMA[/url], here's a brief look at value for every currently-Standard legal set in terms of cards above $4 and under $1:
[b]Meanwhile, UMA has 30 cards (11.8%) above the $14 pack price, which is more than double all current Standard legal sets,[/b] as well as categorically more value than every other Master's set.
I see in all of your examples you only listed Standard sets which is like comparing apples to oranges. Masters is a complete reprint set and Standard sets are not those, they have new cards that could be amazing or not with a future that is uncertain (Death's Shadow as an example). A closer comparison would be to the Conspiracy sets or Battlebond which are reprint sets, even if they have new cards.
I would much rather have sets like those that still have high end reprints, but doesn't cost me an entire day worth of meals. Silly as that might be to you.
List tags are malformed.
For those who somehow believe/pretend WOTC does not take into account the secondary market.
WOTC has since the beginning. How do we know this is 100% the truth? Because there is such a thing as 'the reserve list'. Which was literally created for the secondary market.
As for gambling, I guess it depends on your country's definition of gambling.
That and bumping up the rarity of certain cards. Tarmogoyf, Snapcaster Mage, and Cavern of Souls are not mythic, in any way. The only reason they were bumped up is because of their price, and nothing else. They were scared the prices of them might fall too far.
This stuck out the most to me. Why should players have that card? Should they just buy it for no reason?
They get in in standard, wotc caters to standard.
Outside of that should wotc care for non-customers essentially?
I mean, i brew decks so to me, looking out for cards to use is part and parcel, i don't suddently want a card because the price went up. If you suddenly want a card because it is the latest hottest new thing ... i guess thats the price. I am not sure how any system can help someone in that situation
Again the problem with the price spikes are scalpers, i think the only solution is to build with stuff post rtr, since cards from that era have massive print runs. Manamorphose (like many other older cards), they can print in standard i guess if it is something wotc wants, but printing more modern useful cards in standard, that would give options and prevent scalping (i think). Simply attempting to tank prices is reactionary. And i dunno blaming uma for not printing manamorphose... it could have been any other card that got useful and then became a target for scalping, should wotc just reprint everything then and should we just buy whatever they print then? I dunno i feel the prices issue is always self inflicted. If it is lousey value, don't buy it! Speak with your wallet. The best example i can give is iconic and m25, the value was low, so now box prices are low. Same with uma, if it sucks, it will tank. But for other random cards that got scalped, thats a different systemic issue. Yes my solution is always to print it in standard not a focus on reprints but modern competitive cards. That will give people options. If there are options deck a, b, c out of a set of a,b,c,d,e,f,g competitive decks. I think we will be in a good spot. Now arguing for why should'nt everyone be able to play all decks, a,b,c,d,e,f,g: that is a different argument.
I would much rather have sets like those that still have high end reprints, but doesn't cost me an entire day worth of meals. Silly as that might be to you.
I agree. The problem is that players do not agree. Or at least the people buying the thousands of boxes of UMA don't agree. I would love for WOTC to pack dozens of $100 cards into a $4 pack, but they're never going to do it as long as players continue to buy these Masters sets at the prices they are.
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
But the best thing of all is that you, the player, get to reap all the benefits of the price drops this set will give us for all provided reprints. You can buy all the singles you want and never touch a sealed pack. Just know that all those reduced-priced singles are coming from packs bought and opened by people like me.
Just know that all those reduced-priced singles are coming from packs bought and opened by online singles merchants, speculators and assorted other ‘investors’.
The problem is why is it even a problem? Should'nt most people have manamorphose already?
It was a .25 cent card at SCG when I got a playset. The reason for buying is for Pauper Storm. I think most people who played a budget Storm of some kind has at least a playset of this card. Fast forward to the future.. I no longer play storm, then this guy pm'd me on facebook asking if I still had my manamorphose set.. he bought the set without a second thought for 16$. I would have been making big money right now, if I bought hundreds of manamorphose when it was still cents. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
The problem is why is it even a problem? Should'nt most people have manamorphose already?
It was a .25 cent card at SCG when I got a playset. The reason for buying is for Pauper Storm. I think most people who played a budget Storm of some kind has at least a playset of this card. Fast forward to the future.. I no longer play storm, then this guy pm'd me on facebook asking if I still had my manamorphose set.. he bought the set without a second thought for 16$. I would have been making big money right now, if I bought hundreds of manamorphose when it was still cents. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
Hehe thats awesome, well less so for him but thats the thing everyone is trying to make a quick buck, including the guy cornering the market... is that wotc's fault? I think its a systemic problem, and only a mass print would solve it, but it must still make monetory sense for wotc. I like conspiracy, but i think standard print run is bigger and more impactful. Conpiracy should focus on premodern with maybe just a dash of modern to prop its value up
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
Ah yes the "great" argument of "you're poor and therefore don't get to have a hobby" while also throwing in some "I'm okay with buying this expensive product because I have money". So glad you threw in that non argument smugness in there.
The problem is why is it even a problem? Should'nt most people have manamorphose already?
It was a .25 cent card at SCG when I got a playset. The reason for buying is for Pauper Storm. I think most people who played a budget Storm of some kind has at least a playset of this card. Fast forward to the future.. I no longer play storm, then this guy pm'd me on facebook asking if I still had my manamorphose set.. he bought the set without a second thought for 16$. I would have been making big money right now, if I bought hundreds of manamorphose when it was still cents. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
Hehe thats awesome, well less so for him but thats the thing everyone is trying to make a quick buck, including the guy cornering the market... is that wotc's fault? I think its a systemic problem, and only a mass print would solve it, but it must still make monetory sense for wotc. I like conspiracy, but i think standard print run is bigger and more impactful. Conpiracy should focus on premodern with maybe just a dash of modern to prop its value up
Forgot to say, congrats on your reach 1k post. Anyway, the guy who bought the Manamorphose set was actually glad because the other sellers were selling for higher.. around 20$ per set.. what I did was do an undercut to sell faster. Sorry, I'm not familiar with Conspiracy so can't comment on that.
_____________________
Back on topic. Terese Nielsen's awesome UMA art on Pattern of Rebirth made me want it to be Modern legal. PoR on an eldrazi token, sac token and boom! Ulamog. Ceaseless Hunger comes to party. Well, but a Standard reprint is probably impossible.. as the power level of PoR is quite high.
Back on topic. Terese Nielsen's awesome UMA art on Pattern of Rebirth made me want it to be Modern legal. PoR on an eldrazi token, sac token and boom! Ulamog. Ceaseless Hunger comes to party. Well, but a Standard reprint is probably impossible.. as the power level of PoR is quite high.
Hehe they could reprint it and ban it if too strong, they have banned stranger cards
To make packs walk in friendly, they need to at least try to minimize the number of feel bad packs to the point that a loss is only a slight loss, rather than an epic loss.
Yes yes and more yes. (This goes for premium priced "Masters" packs only, not Standard packs.)
They also need to forget about draft, forget it forget it forget it even exists in a Masters set. If they want to print a Draft Masters and cater it to that then just do it. Print all the chaff they want charge a regular 4 bucks a pack and find out nobody buys it outside of the LGS. Then print a true Masters set with staples and strong cards minus the chaff, minimize the feel bad packs and get cards that players need into their hands. If needed keep them out of the scalpers hands by selling only at box stores and limit the sales of one box per customer per day.
Or the alternative, watch prices continue to rise, watch the player base dry up and watch the game in paper die.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
Ah yes the "great" argument of "you're poor and therefore don't get to have a hobby" while also throwing in some "I'm okay with buying this expensive product because I have money". So glad you threw in that non argument smugness in there.
The one big issue with the product line is that Wizards of the Coasts strategy has been split. Most other TCGs on the market are a game first and a collectible second, with expensive cards being reprinted regularly to keep prices in check and to make sure both casual and hardcore players have access to the same cardboard.
Magic the Gathering is treated far, far differently, and it took a while for me to realize the truth behind all of this price scalping going on. Basically, to muscle out other card games and push the presence of the game on the market the company inflated the prices of modern cards intentionally via very controlled reprint practices. The only reason this works is because the game has a very dedicated core of players and has a strong online media presence in comparison to the competition. Because the cards are so blasted expensive, it takes forever for players to get the cards they need, so in the mean time they end up following the basic rule of grocery stores: get someone into your store and if they can't afford the fancy thing that drew them there, they will still likely buy 3-5 cheaper things they probably didn't intend to via impulse.
Yes, it's basically hardcore usage of human psychology to earn money, and yes it's basically as bad as what casinos do with gambling, because unlike groceries that can usually find at least some use even if they aren't the thing one is looking for, Wizards built the entire game around disposable cards and only a few playable ones. A buyer will likely impulse buy a dozen or more things they will only get limited, if any, use out of, than have those things get relegated to bulk storage or tossed in the trash. None of the impulse buying aids in the goal of buying that mox opal, and the company knows this. Hence they keep people doing this constantly while chasing after the super expensive modern playable cards.
The only reason they don't do this in standard is because the same trick doesn't work on less dedicated players. Those players swoop in, draft and play standard, then just constantly trade out on the market. This process then feeds into the system set up with the impulse buying that long term dedicated players are roped into. To put it bluntly, it is a never ending cycle of pain for the dedicated player.
Ultimately, the issue of finance is one of the most highly quoted reasons for people leaving magic. The focus on market watches over gameplay and the huge amount of time and money it takes to build a deck outside of one shot, short lived wonders; it's a miracle most people still play the game at all, really.
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!
To make packs walk in friendly, they need to at least try to minimize the number of feel bad packs to the point that a loss is only a slight loss, rather than an epic loss.
Yes yes and more yes. (This goes for premium priced "Masters" packs only, not Standard packs.)
They also need to forget about draft, forget it forget it forget it even exists in a Masters set. If they want to print a Draft Masters and cater it to that then just do it. Print all the chaff they want charge a regular 4 bucks a pack and find out nobody buys it outside of the LGS. Then print a true Masters set with staples and strong cards minus the chaff, minimize the feel bad packs and get cards that players need into their hands. If needed keep them out of the scalpers hands by selling only at box stores and limit the sales of one box per customer per day.
Or the alternative, watch prices continue to rise, watch the player base dry up and watch the game in paper die.
Sounds like you simply don't like the idea of randomness in general. So there's an easy solution: never buy packs and only buy singles. That accomplishes all your goals without completely upending a model the company has used for 25 years. Lucky for you, the game is not actually dying, and in fact is back on an upswing. And all these people buying and opening packs helps YOU with lower singles prices.
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
Ah yes the "great" argument of "you're poor and therefore don't get to have a hobby" while also throwing in some "I'm okay with buying this expensive product because I have money". So glad you threw in that non argument smugness in there.
There are hobbies that don't cost a lot of money, including casual Magic. Competitive Magic has never not been expensive. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but that's just the reality of this game, and has been since day one. Most of what I am able to do in this game is because I buy sealed product from time to time (especially rare or limited edition things) and resell them for profits. Then I use that profit to buy things like singles I need for Modern and Commander or more specialty products like Comic Con Walkers, Mythic Edition Ravnica, and now Ultimate Masters.
[quote]They also need to forget about draft, forget it forget it forget it even exists in a Masters set. If they want to print a Draft Masters and cater it to that then just do it.
How about printing a "Netdeck Masters" instead? I mean people who refuse to draft tend to be very bad players, let's not cater to them.
[quote from="Dontrike »" url="/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/801595-full-gallery-is-up?comment=198"][quote from="cfusionpm »" url="/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/801595-full-gallery-is-up?comment=194"]
The only reason they don't do this in standard is because the same trick doesn't work on less dedicated players. Those players swoop in, draft and play standard, then just constantly trade out on the market. This process then feeds into the system set up with the impulse buying that long term dedicated players are roped into. To put it bluntly, it is a never ending cycle of pain for the dedicated player.
Mtg cards can become addictive at times, but it's all just about self control. Right now, my decks don't need anything from this set. Sure, the new Bitterblossom art look sweet - subjective opinion - , but I already own the card.. so it's not mandatory to buy them. The only UMA spending I would most likely do is buy just one booster pack, two packs if plenty extra money comes end of november and that's it. Will not buy BB if the price does not drop low enough.
Sounds like you simply don't like the idea of randomness in general. So there's an easy solution: never buy packs and only buy singles
Not at all. They aren't mutually exclusive and you know it. They can increase the value and power of cards in the packs and still have all the randomness they want.
And yes I buy singles as well. I buy sealed and singles but as time goes by I tend to buy less sealed product as it it getting worse and worse.
How about printing a "Netdeck Masters" instead? I mean people who refuse to draft tend to be very bad players, let's not cater to them.
That isn't what I said and lets shuffle them up any time you want. I'm your huckleberry.
I suggested a Staples Masters set and a Draft Masters set. Make them both. Everyone is happy. Problem is one would outsell the other easily, and we know which one that is.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Sounds like you simply don't like the idea of randomness in general. So there's an easy solution: never buy packs and only buy singles
Not at all. They aren't mutually exclusive and you know it. They can increase the value and power of cards in the packs and still have all the randomness they want.
And yes I buy singles as well. I buy sealed and singles but as time goes by I tend to buy less sealed product as it it getting worse and worse.
You cannot have randomness without a nonzero amount of low-value "feelbads" cards. If every card in the set were worth more than the packs, then the sellers of those packs would hike up the prices (which is exactly what happened to the first Modern Masters). These are idea of putting massive value in a cheap product is fundamentally difficult or outright incompatible with business practices in a free, open market. Somebody IS going to make that money back by selling it at its "true market price," it's just a matter of who along the chain sees that profit.
I suggested a Staples Masters set and a Draft Masters set. Make them both. Everyone is happy. Problem is one would outsell the other easily, and we know which one that is.
Those both already exist. It's called Masters sets and Conspiracy/Battlebond. The problem is you want Master's set level value at Battlebond prices, which will never happen for exactly the reasons stated above. It sounds like what you want is a set that is nothing but the value rares and mythics (similar to a From the Vault), which would either be exorbitantly expensive, or would destroy the value of all their cards through over-saturation (as other card companies have done).
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
Ah yes the "great" argument of "you're poor and therefore don't get to have a hobby" while also throwing in some "I'm okay with buying this expensive product because I have money". So glad you threw in that non argument smugness in there.
The one big issue with the product line is that Wizards of the Coasts strategy has been split. Most other TCGs on the market are a game first and a collectible second, with expensive cards being reprinted regularly to keep prices in check and to make sure both casual and hardcore players have access to the same cardboard.
Magic the Gathering is treated far, far differently, and it took a while for me to realize the truth behind all of this price scalping going on. Basically, to muscle out other card games and push the presence of the game on the market the company inflated the prices of modern cards intentionally via very controlled reprint practices. The only reason this works is because the game has a very dedicated core of players and has a strong online media presence in comparison to the competition. Because the cards are so blasted expensive, it takes forever for players to get the cards they need, so in the mean time they end up following the basic rule of grocery stores: get someone into your store and if they can't afford the fancy thing that drew them there, they will still likely buy 3-5 cheaper things they probably didn't intend to via impulse.
Yes, it's basically hardcore usage of human psychology to earn money, and yes it's basically as bad as what casinos do with gambling, because unlike groceries that can usually find at least some use even if they aren't the thing one is looking for, Wizards built the entire game around disposable cards and only a few playable ones. A buyer will likely impulse buy a dozen or more things they will only get limited, if any, use out of, than have those things get relegated to bulk storage or tossed in the trash. None of the impulse buying aids in the goal of buying that mox opal, and the company knows this. Hence they keep people doing this constantly while chasing after the super expensive modern playable cards.
The only reason they don't do this in standard is because the same trick doesn't work on less dedicated players. Those players swoop in, draft and play standard, then just constantly trade out on the market. This process then feeds into the system set up with the impulse buying that long term dedicated players are roped into. To put it bluntly, it is a never ending cycle of pain for the dedicated player.
Ultimately, the issue of finance is one of the most highly quoted reasons for people leaving magic. The focus on market watches over gameplay and the huge amount of time and money it takes to build a deck outside of one shot, short lived wonders; it's a miracle most people still play the game at all, really.
I actually have a rather different view.. well at least of the game... well mostly just the last line... else i am mostly in agreement with the bait tactics.
It is very strange, but i think it is the high value that keeps people in the game. Take away the value, the system surviving on it falls (lgs, scg, artists, ermm cosplay?) and easy access to other humans playing falls and the player base dwindles.
The players will likely all leave. Well most of them, but there will always be a core group left.legacy proved this. There was a time when most cards are worthless and lotus was a couple of hundreds. The price spike overall is a recent thing, it is an anomaly. It can die. Not that it will, but it can.and playerz will likely leave in droves. But the game will still live, regardless of the company that spawned it or whether it has equity. Which is why i am oki with them printing equity to the ground, or not. I know the game will always be around.
This is exactly what most Modern/Legacy/Commander players have been clamoring for, prices slashed by 20-50% for format staples. Who cares if you can't afford a sealed box of UMA, when the cards you need to play the game haven't been this affordable in years?
I'm going to take the opportunity next month to open 2-3 boxes, stash the a case for the future, and finish up playsets of Modern/Legacy cards. I like that WotC is careful to curate their reprints to maintain value of staples. I played casually and at LGS from '99 until '10, taking a long break before getting back in late '16. I had gotten my life in order during that break, and now have the disposable income when I didn't before. I might not have bothered if my old binder of cards hadn't appreciated in value during the interim. Whatever WotC is doing, it's enough to keep me invested in their game.
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
Ah yes the "great" argument of "you're poor and therefore don't get to have a hobby" while also throwing in some "I'm okay with buying this expensive product because I have money". So glad you threw in that non argument smugness in there.
The one big issue with the product line is that Wizards of the Coasts strategy has been split. Most other TCGs on the market are a game first and a collectible second, with expensive cards being reprinted regularly to keep prices in check and to make sure both casual and hardcore players have access to the same cardboard.
Magic the Gathering is treated far, far differently, and it took a while for me to realize the truth behind all of this price scalping going on. Basically, to muscle out other card games and push the presence of the game on the market the company inflated the prices of modern cards intentionally via very controlled reprint practices. The only reason this works is because the game has a very dedicated core of players and has a strong online media presence in comparison to the competition. Because the cards are so blasted expensive, it takes forever for players to get the cards they need, so in the mean time they end up following the basic rule of grocery stores: get someone into your store and if they can't afford the fancy thing that drew them there, they will still likely buy 3-5 cheaper things they probably didn't intend to via impulse.
Yes, it's basically hardcore usage of human psychology to earn money, and yes it's basically as bad as what casinos do with gambling, because unlike groceries that can usually find at least some use even if they aren't the thing one is looking for, Wizards built the entire game around disposable cards and only a few playable ones. A buyer will likely impulse buy a dozen or more things they will only get limited, if any, use out of, than have those things get relegated to bulk storage or tossed in the trash. None of the impulse buying aids in the goal of buying that mox opal, and the company knows this. Hence they keep people doing this constantly while chasing after the super expensive modern playable cards.
The only reason they don't do this in standard is because the same trick doesn't work on less dedicated players. Those players swoop in, draft and play standard, then just constantly trade out on the market. This process then feeds into the system set up with the impulse buying that long term dedicated players are roped into. To put it bluntly, it is a never ending cycle of pain for the dedicated player.
Ultimately, the issue of finance is one of the most highly quoted reasons for people leaving magic. The focus on market watches over gameplay and the huge amount of time and money it takes to build a deck outside of one shot, short lived wonders; it's a miracle most people still play the game at all, really.
I actually have a rather different view.. well at least of the game... well mostly just the last line... else i am mostly in agreement with the bait tactics.
It is very strange, but i think it is the high value that keeps people in the game. Take away the value, the system surviving on it falls (lgs, scg, artists, ermm cosplay?) and easy access to other humans playing falls and the player base dwindles.
The players will likely all leave. Well most of them, but there will always be a core group left.legacy proved this. There was a time when most cards are worthless and lotus was a couple of hundreds. The price spike overall is a recent thing, it is an anomaly. It can die. Not that it will, but it can.and playerz will likely leave in droves. But the game will still live, regardless of the company that spawned it or whether it has equity. Which is why i am oki with them printing equity to the ground, or not. I know the game will always be around.
As with most things it isn't really a black and white situation with the card game. A lot of games have cards of high value to drive them, even games like Pokemon. The main difference is that the number of extremely expensive cards is kept in check by a healthy amount of secondary products and promotional reprints. Wizards of the Coast doesn't actually do this. My own guess is that they want to keep the market separate between certain groups of players. Maybe they are afraid of the type of gameplay that some formats have and do not feel that those represent the game in the way they want, or that they are afraid that making the card pool accessible will do too much harm to the existing secondary market (ghost of Chronicles).
I think they need to set the cap lower on the prices, especially going forward with Arena. There's nothing wrong with cards having a high value for a short period of time, then dropping to some moderate value like 15-30 dollars and being kept in check as much as a bunch of cards all being above 50 dollars and only coming down for brief periods below 50 or 40 dollars.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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 reason it gets fuzzy is due to collecting and prize seeking being on the same bar, with one simply being seeking a card due to it's monetary value and usage over picking it up because it's cool.
Going to be frank: Magic the Gathering is a prize seeking game when it comes to masters sets and many of the modern cards used heavily in the game. If the law came down where Wizards would be scrutinized for making "gambling" a thing with packs, there is really only two outcomes. They either end up making a chronicles 2.0 to crash the prices of modern, or they drop reprinting anything that has gotten out of hand with prices because doing so could bring litigation to their door. I'm pretty sure Arena is going to push people towards a newer format than modern, since people will want to play with cards they own through the system over at the LGS, so they may be able to completely skip over this issue depending on how they handle reprints and sets going forward.
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!
If wizards sell these at lower MSRP, stores and resellers will simply adjust prices and we will still sell at adjusted market values.
Bottomline for us players is that more cards is always better. Any reprint is always better. More cards will simply drive prices down.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
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That alone will not kill the price. Given those conditions LGS will just soak up the quantities and charge market value. Which is what happen with mma. Thats just a reload button for price gorgers. (Thats partly the effect of a high msrp, It cost LGS more to soak up the stock).
What will do the trick, is to have unlimited print to demand run + distribution to mass market channel (to remove the effect of LGS artificially ordering less). That should kill the prices of those 15 cards (assuming ftv). Now if we want to kill swathes of cards, Standard print run is your man. I am actually all for it
And no. People will still not be happy.
I think the 25 dollar manamorphose is symptomatic of a bigger problem. Scalpers. I think the only solution is to print better cards in Standard at all rarities, especially common. The problem is us. We are the ones paying the ridiculous prices (assuming the 25 dollar manamorphose sticks). The problem is why is it even a problem? Should'nt most people have manamorphose already? It was a 4 dollar card not too long ago. Then i realised at 4 dollars it might not be very palatable just to complete a set. I got my manamorphose when they were like 1 dollar or less.cos i collected over the years. So what is the solution? I actually think wotc is doing a great job with the printing at least with standard. They print so much of it, it is actually really cheap, and post rotation BAM. There is just too much stock for scalpers to consume. So in addition to the massive print run, they should print more and better cards that are minimally competitive in modern, maybe throw a bone to legacy and vintage; be it an entirely new card or a reprint. Then, if there are enough cards such that competitive decks can be built in modern with cards post RTR, at that point in time, if scalpers still have a hold on you... its really on you.
(Oh yay me 1000th post)
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881
Oooh Dicey:
[dice=1]100[/dice]
It's a good thing no one is saying they should be in Standard sets, minus some that easily could be in Standard sets since Core sets came back and not warp the format. Seems you forgot about things like Battlebond and Conspiracy, places where they also did high level reprints and had $4 boosters.
Fetches are not the problem in each of those formats. Take Zendikar, fetches were not a problem except for the "problem" of shuffling takes too long, but even then there was a slew of other searches during that time *cough* Valakut & Stoneforge *cough*. It's the combination of them plus nonbasics with basic land types that makes it terrible. Fetches alone are never the issue when you can only look up basics, so let's stop the thinking that they alone made that happen.
Do you also teach them statistics and that you are not always guaranteed a win? When someone opens up a box, gets Lavaclaw from their box topper, and only opens up about $100 worth of stuff I can point them your way so you can tell them how they don't know math.
Here's a hint, always expect the worst.
If you're lucky enough to open them. You keep forgetting luck exists.
A.k.a "Let's all ignore the stupid choice WotC made because I can find it cheaper." You might as well go "Let's all ignore Apple not putting a headphone jack in their phones because I can buy an adapter." When something stupid is done you point it out, not ignore it.
By the way triple booster packs at Wal-Mart are going for 3/$35 ('bout $12 per pack) so if that's the only way you can get them then that is something you have to consider, but something tells me you forgot about that too.
Difference being a $4 feel bad feels a HELL of a lot better than a $10-$14 feel bad. You talked about math earlier, so which do you think someone might hate less? Spending $4, $10, or $14 for a $1 card? You don't have to be very good at math to figure out.
The box topper is literally a reward for buying bulk so....yes, you do in fact have a higher likelihood of reaching EV. You seem to be forgetting a lot of things.
Criticisms about a product? OH NO!
Is that the issue, that the set doesn't have every card they want? Looks to me like folks are complaining about a few cards of their own choosing, rather than dozens, but good on you for getting it wrong.
Criticisms bad! WotC good!
I see in all of your examples you only listed Standard sets which is like comparing apples to oranges. Masters is a complete reprint set and Standard sets are not those, they have new cards that could be amazing or not with a future that is uncertain (Death's Shadow as an example). A closer comparison would be to the Conspiracy sets or Battlebond which are reprint sets, even if they have new cards.
I would much rather have sets like those that still have high end reprints, but doesn't cost me an entire day worth of meals. Silly as that might be to you.
List tags are malformed.
That and bumping up the rarity of certain cards. Tarmogoyf, Snapcaster Mage, and Cavern of Souls are not mythic, in any way. The only reason they were bumped up is because of their price, and nothing else. They were scared the prices of them might fall too far.
This stuck out the most to me. Why should players have that card? Should they just buy it for no reason?
They get in in standard, wotc caters to standard.
Outside of that should wotc care for non-customers essentially?
I mean, i brew decks so to me, looking out for cards to use is part and parcel, i don't suddently want a card because the price went up. If you suddenly want a card because it is the latest hottest new thing ... i guess thats the price. I am not sure how any system can help someone in that situation
Again the problem with the price spikes are scalpers, i think the only solution is to build with stuff post rtr, since cards from that era have massive print runs. Manamorphose (like many other older cards), they can print in standard i guess if it is something wotc wants, but printing more modern useful cards in standard, that would give options and prevent scalping (i think). Simply attempting to tank prices is reactionary. And i dunno blaming uma for not printing manamorphose... it could have been any other card that got useful and then became a target for scalping, should wotc just reprint everything then and should we just buy whatever they print then? I dunno i feel the prices issue is always self inflicted. If it is lousey value, don't buy it! Speak with your wallet. The best example i can give is iconic and m25, the value was low, so now box prices are low. Same with uma, if it sucks, it will tank. But for other random cards that got scalped, thats a different systemic issue. Yes my solution is always to print it in standard not a focus on reprints but modern competitive cards. That will give people options. If there are options deck a, b, c out of a set of a,b,c,d,e,f,g competitive decks. I think we will be in a good spot. Now arguing for why should'nt everyone be able to play all decks, a,b,c,d,e,f,g: that is a different argument.
Reality is but a perception of your being --
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881
Oooh Dicey:
[dice=1]100[/dice]
I agree. The problem is that players do not agree. Or at least the people buying the thousands of boxes of UMA don't agree. I would love for WOTC to pack dozens of $100 cards into a $4 pack, but they're never going to do it as long as players continue to buy these Masters sets at the prices they are.
Either way, at the end of the day, hobbies cost money; usually a lot. If you're not comfortable with spending money, either stick to budget decks, proxy your cards and play casually, or find a new hobby. I am fully comfortable paying the price I am for the UMA boxes I'm getting because the likely value contained within is at least the price of the box. But I'm also in a spot financially where it's not as big of a deal to spend that much on my hobby. And it turns out many thousands of other buyers also agree.
But the best thing of all is that you, the player, get to reap all the benefits of the price drops this set will give us for all provided reprints. You can buy all the singles you want and never touch a sealed pack. Just know that all those reduced-priced singles are coming from packs bought and opened by people like me.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
It was a .25 cent card at SCG when I got a playset. The reason for buying is for Pauper Storm. I think most people who played a budget Storm of some kind has at least a playset of this card. Fast forward to the future.. I no longer play storm, then this guy pm'd me on facebook asking if I still had my manamorphose set.. he bought the set without a second thought for 16$. I would have been making big money right now, if I bought hundreds of manamorphose when it was still cents. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
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Hehe thats awesome, well less so for him but thats the thing everyone is trying to make a quick buck, including the guy cornering the market... is that wotc's fault? I think its a systemic problem, and only a mass print would solve it, but it must still make monetory sense for wotc. I like conspiracy, but i think standard print run is bigger and more impactful. Conpiracy should focus on premodern with maybe just a dash of modern to prop its value up
Reality is but a perception of your being --
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881
Oooh Dicey:
[dice=1]100[/dice]
Ah yes the "great" argument of "you're poor and therefore don't get to have a hobby" while also throwing in some "I'm okay with buying this expensive product because I have money". So glad you threw in that non argument smugness in there.
Forgot to say, congrats on your reach 1k post. Anyway, the guy who bought the Manamorphose set was actually glad because the other sellers were selling for higher.. around 20$ per set.. what I did was do an undercut to sell faster. Sorry, I'm not familiar with Conspiracy so can't comment on that.
_____________________
Back on topic. Terese Nielsen's awesome UMA art on Pattern of Rebirth made me want it to be Modern legal. PoR on an eldrazi token, sac token and boom! Ulamog. Ceaseless Hunger comes to party. Well, but a Standard reprint is probably impossible.. as the power level of PoR is quite high.
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Hehe they could reprint it and ban it if too strong, they have banned stranger cards
Reality is but a perception of your being --
Visit my blog!!! - http://huffalump-magic.blogspot.com/
"The brain is wider than the sky,
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The one the other will include
With ease, and you beside."
—Emily Dickinson
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881
Oooh Dicey:
[dice=1]100[/dice]
Yes yes and more yes. (This goes for premium priced "Masters" packs only, not Standard packs.)
They also need to forget about draft, forget it forget it forget it even exists in a Masters set. If they want to print a Draft Masters and cater it to that then just do it. Print all the chaff they want charge a regular 4 bucks a pack and find out nobody buys it outside of the LGS. Then print a true Masters set with staples and strong cards minus the chaff, minimize the feel bad packs and get cards that players need into their hands. If needed keep them out of the scalpers hands by selling only at box stores and limit the sales of one box per customer per day.
Or the alternative, watch prices continue to rise, watch the player base dry up and watch the game in paper die.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
The one big issue with the product line is that Wizards of the Coasts strategy has been split. Most other TCGs on the market are a game first and a collectible second, with expensive cards being reprinted regularly to keep prices in check and to make sure both casual and hardcore players have access to the same cardboard.
Magic the Gathering is treated far, far differently, and it took a while for me to realize the truth behind all of this price scalping going on. Basically, to muscle out other card games and push the presence of the game on the market the company inflated the prices of modern cards intentionally via very controlled reprint practices. The only reason this works is because the game has a very dedicated core of players and has a strong online media presence in comparison to the competition. Because the cards are so blasted expensive, it takes forever for players to get the cards they need, so in the mean time they end up following the basic rule of grocery stores: get someone into your store and if they can't afford the fancy thing that drew them there, they will still likely buy 3-5 cheaper things they probably didn't intend to via impulse.
Yes, it's basically hardcore usage of human psychology to earn money, and yes it's basically as bad as what casinos do with gambling, because unlike groceries that can usually find at least some use even if they aren't the thing one is looking for, Wizards built the entire game around disposable cards and only a few playable ones. A buyer will likely impulse buy a dozen or more things they will only get limited, if any, use out of, than have those things get relegated to bulk storage or tossed in the trash. None of the impulse buying aids in the goal of buying that mox opal, and the company knows this. Hence they keep people doing this constantly while chasing after the super expensive modern playable cards.
The only reason they don't do this in standard is because the same trick doesn't work on less dedicated players. Those players swoop in, draft and play standard, then just constantly trade out on the market. This process then feeds into the system set up with the impulse buying that long term dedicated players are roped into. To put it bluntly, it is a never ending cycle of pain for the dedicated player.
Ultimately, the issue of finance is one of the most highly quoted reasons for people leaving magic. The focus on market watches over gameplay and the huge amount of time and money it takes to build a deck outside of one shot, short lived wonders; it's a miracle most people still play the game at all, really.
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!
There are hobbies that don't cost a lot of money, including casual Magic. Competitive Magic has never not been expensive. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but that's just the reality of this game, and has been since day one. Most of what I am able to do in this game is because I buy sealed product from time to time (especially rare or limited edition things) and resell them for profits. Then I use that profit to buy things like singles I need for Modern and Commander or more specialty products like Comic Con Walkers, Mythic Edition Ravnica, and now Ultimate Masters.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
How about printing a "Netdeck Masters" instead? I mean people who refuse to draft tend to be very bad players, let's not cater to them.
Mtg cards can become addictive at times, but it's all just about self control. Right now, my decks don't need anything from this set. Sure, the new Bitterblossom art look sweet - subjective opinion - , but I already own the card.. so it's not mandatory to buy them. The only UMA spending I would most likely do is buy just one booster pack, two packs if plenty extra money comes end of november and that's it. Will not buy BB if the price does not drop low enough.
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Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Not at all. They aren't mutually exclusive and you know it. They can increase the value and power of cards in the packs and still have all the randomness they want.
And yes I buy singles as well. I buy sealed and singles but as time goes by I tend to buy less sealed product as it it getting worse and worse.
That isn't what I said and lets shuffle them up any time you want. I'm your huckleberry.
I suggested a Staples Masters set and a Draft Masters set. Make them both. Everyone is happy. Problem is one would outsell the other easily, and we know which one that is.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
You cannot have randomness without a nonzero amount of low-value "feelbads" cards. If every card in the set were worth more than the packs, then the sellers of those packs would hike up the prices (which is exactly what happened to the first Modern Masters). These are idea of putting massive value in a cheap product is fundamentally difficult or outright incompatible with business practices in a free, open market. Somebody IS going to make that money back by selling it at its "true market price," it's just a matter of who along the chain sees that profit.
Those both already exist. It's called Masters sets and Conspiracy/Battlebond. The problem is you want Master's set level value at Battlebond prices, which will never happen for exactly the reasons stated above. It sounds like what you want is a set that is nothing but the value rares and mythics (similar to a From the Vault), which would either be exorbitantly expensive, or would destroy the value of all their cards through over-saturation (as other card companies have done).
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
I actually have a rather different view.. well at least of the game... well mostly just the last line... else i am mostly in agreement with the bait tactics.
It is very strange, but i think it is the high value that keeps people in the game. Take away the value, the system surviving on it falls (lgs, scg, artists, ermm cosplay?) and easy access to other humans playing falls and the player base dwindles.
The players will likely all leave. Well most of them, but there will always be a core group left.legacy proved this. There was a time when most cards are worthless and lotus was a couple of hundreds. The price spike overall is a recent thing, it is an anomaly. It can die. Not that it will, but it can.and playerz will likely leave in droves. But the game will still live, regardless of the company that spawned it or whether it has equity. Which is why i am oki with them printing equity to the ground, or not. I know the game will always be around.
Reality is but a perception of your being --
Visit my blog!!! - http://huffalump-magic.blogspot.com/
"The brain is wider than the sky,
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will include
With ease, and you beside."
—Emily Dickinson
For sales or trade, visit my blog or visit my ebay blog for my listings :http://myworld.ebay.com/arcane7828
881
Oooh Dicey:
[dice=1]100[/dice]
This is exactly what most Modern/Legacy/Commander players have been clamoring for, prices slashed by 20-50% for format staples. Who cares if you can't afford a sealed box of UMA, when the cards you need to play the game haven't been this affordable in years?
I'm going to take the opportunity next month to open 2-3 boxes, stash the a case for the future, and finish up playsets of Modern/Legacy cards. I like that WotC is careful to curate their reprints to maintain value of staples. I played casually and at LGS from '99 until '10, taking a long break before getting back in late '16. I had gotten my life in order during that break, and now have the disposable income when I didn't before. I might not have bothered if my old binder of cards hadn't appreciated in value during the interim. Whatever WotC is doing, it's enough to keep me invested in their game.
As with most things it isn't really a black and white situation with the card game. A lot of games have cards of high value to drive them, even games like Pokemon. The main difference is that the number of extremely expensive cards is kept in check by a healthy amount of secondary products and promotional reprints. Wizards of the Coast doesn't actually do this. My own guess is that they want to keep the market separate between certain groups of players. Maybe they are afraid of the type of gameplay that some formats have and do not feel that those represent the game in the way they want, or that they are afraid that making the card pool accessible will do too much harm to the existing secondary market (ghost of Chronicles).
I think they need to set the cap lower on the prices, especially going forward with Arena. There's nothing wrong with cards having a high value for a short period of time, then dropping to some moderate value like 15-30 dollars and being kept in check as much as a bunch of cards all being above 50 dollars and only coming down for brief periods below 50 or 40 dollars.
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!