So my wife and I are about to have a baby. As such, I won;t be able to keep buying cards much, if at all, for some time.
A buddy of mine and I had a friendly debate today on whether or not I'll be able to keep up with my group as they keep buying into the new expansions. I argue that I will because a good ole fashioned mana ramp deck is still solid, as is a good ole fashioned control deck, etc.
Basically, do you think decks with older cards can still hold up in casual play? Or should I just sell my cards and call it a day?
So my wife and I are about to have a baby. As such, I won;t be able to keep buying cards much, if at all, for some time.
A buddy of mine and I had a friendly debate today on whether or not I'll be able to keep up with my group as they keep buying into the new expansions. I argue that I will because a good ole fashioned mana ramp deck is still solid, as is a good ole fashioned control deck, etc.
Basically, do you think decks with older cards can still hold up in casual play? Or should I just sell my cards and call it a day?
If anything, the much-hyped power creep in MTG is... just hype.
Look at the degenerate interactions in Legacy and Vintage and tell me with a straight face that modern cards can outcompete. Sure, there's going to be Jaces and Stoneforges in those formats, and Tarmogoyfs too - but then I point you towards competitively lackluster sets like Kamigawa, and even Lorwyn to some extent (ie: nongoblins). Hell, Jund was a target of much hatred when it was in play, and now look at it: not good enough for Modern, even with its entire card base intact after bannings.
So play with your old cards. Odds are they'll still kick ass.
of course you can provided they dont' play strict standard card pools. you should at least be able to keep getting common and uncommons from the newer sets.
If it were me, I'd build a casual version of whatever legacy deck suits you most. Sure, it would be watered down and not as powerful, but you wouldn't have to worry about buying new cards for the archetype.
Take Merfolk, for example. It's tribal, and if you aren't running expensive cards, then it's easy to make it work in your casual group. Just no FoW.
If your playgroup is into EDH/Commander, or willing to get into it, it's very easy to keep a deck up-to-date once it's built. When a new set comes out, there'll probably be 1 or 2 cards you'll need for your deck and a lot of times they'll drop to the 1-5 dollar range within a few months of the set's release.
If not, then what Biomechanika posted sounds like a good option too.
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Mono-Colored EDH 1 Ulamog 1 ◊ W Avacyn W ◊ U Memnarch U◊ B Endrek B◊ R Urabrask R ◊ G YevaG
To be fair, I have been playing for about 9 months, so my "older" cards are from a span of expansions, as I have purchased chunks off the interwebs, and my newest stuff in m11/12 and mirroden besieged.
Keep your cards. Actually I play 60 card casual all the time. One of my best decks is actually comprised of all older cards. If you need inspiration to show you the power of older cards, you should do some research on vintage and legacy formats. I understand that you cannot buy anymore cards, but the fact is that older cards will always have value and power. Worst case scenario? I'd find a new playgroup that wasn't playing "standard" casual before I'd give up my older cards.
Fortunately, my group just plays casual, so all expansions are allowed.
You guys have all made me feel much better. I think part of what makes this game so evil is that whole notion of, "I have to get the new stuff. I have to keep up with the others. Blah, blah, blah."
And when I say "evil," I mean MTG is also one of the funnest games I have ever played, lol. So I was just worried that that would go away if I couldn't keep buying new cards. But that seems a little irrational now, so there it is.
Ok, after my first kid was born (now I'm at four kiddos), I had to cut back. And more, and more as my family grew.
I sold 90% of my collection, etc. etc.
I have a good EDH playgroup as well as a good kitchen-table group (actually, a Whataburger Table group, but meh...)
If i need new cards, I can afford $10 here or there to pick some up, or I can usually find someone to trade with (some older cards for newer ones).
In short: shouldn't be too bad for you, really. Just keep doing what you're doing. I'm sure with all the new cards your friends get, some of them will mesh well with what you have that you aren't using, and perhaps work a deal with them!
Currently playing: GRB Kobold Combo (Legacy/1.5) WBR That Bloody Rack! (Extended) R (Pseudo GB) Goblinesque Aggro/Midrange (Standard) UArcanis the Omnipotent (EDH) WUBRGKarona, False God + Slivers (EDH)
"...3 or 4 life isn't that huge of a deal, so who cares if you lose it? Only the last point of life matters, the other 19 are unimportant in the grand scheme..."
If anything, the much-hyped power creep in MTG is... just hype.
Look at the degenerate interactions in Legacy and Vintage and tell me with a straight face that modern cards can outcompete. Sure, there's going to be Jaces and Stoneforges in those formats, and Tarmogoyfs too - but then I point you towards competitively lackluster sets like Kamigawa, and even Lorwyn to some extent (ie: nongoblins). Hell, Jund was a target of much hatred when it was in play, and now look at it: not good enough for Modern, even with its entire card base intact after bannings.
So play with your old cards. Odds are they'll still kick ass.
To you: Do you play Modern? Lorwynn did its fair share of BS, and Jund is tier 1.
To OP: Nah man. I know people who play MTG off a $0 a year budget just fine in casual.
Creatures are really the only thing that get stronger with time. Magic's non-creatures have been pretty much timeless in their strength. Also creatures drop value a lot after rotating out of standard so if it costs more than 4 cmc then it should always drop to an affordable price.
Power creep is pretty much an illusion, wizards has pushed creatures for the last 5 years pretty far but if you look they haven't made a huge jump in power since lorwyn. Sure individual cards (stoneforge) are going to be better but I don't think they envelope is going to get push anymore as a whole.
I don't play casual except for edh but those decks have stuff from legends and antiquities in it, those cards haven't been outdated yet so I think you are safe.
As a parent who went thru the same thing, DONT SELL YOUR COLLECTION! Magic will get you back some day and when that day comes you will wish you had your cards from yesteryear. If you cant buy as much, its all good, take a break, cut back your playing time. Over time you will get back into the game. EDH/comandeer casual will always be around for you to jump back in or keep you playing during the lean times.
I think this is something that every 20-something MTG player struggles with. Suddenly you have a career, a house, 2 pets, and a baby on the way. That booster box money needs to buy diapers!
But yes, I think the key is finding a niche. EDH is a VERY easy way to pair down your collection and still play with the cards you love. That and you can call up your buddies and say "Weds night is EDH night at my house" and keep the connections up.
Building versions of your favorite decks is another. They'll still be a hoot at kitchen table nights, and you'll get to keep some of your favorite magic memories alive. I did this recently and was shocked with how happy it made me and how nostalgic it was for me. I might have top 8'd with this deck 5 years ago, but it would never hold up in anything but kitchen table now. But look! New cards have helped the deck become interesting again!
Another option is to take a break from the next set, enjoy time with your growing family, and evenutually you'll be able to come back into the fold, or your friends will find themselves in a VERY similar position soon. It's not so hard to jump back in after taking a break. I think I've quit this game 4-5 times.
The older you get, the smaller your social circles become.
Just keep your cards if it's something you enjoy doing. You will still be able to use them! I still rock an almost unchanged Onslaught-era G/W Slide deck and I demolish entire tables some nights.
I'm on an extremely tight budget and my weekly budget for MTG is one booster. It may not seem like much but it adds up to a box and a half a year. That means I could have an additional 10.5 boxes of cards if I didn't take that 7 year hiatus.
As a parent who went thru the same thing, DONT SELL YOUR COLLECTION! Magic will get you back some day and when that day comes you will wish you had your cards from yesteryear. If you cant buy as much, its all good, take a break, cut back your playing time. Over time you will get back into the game. EDH/comandeer casual will always be around for you to jump back in or keep you playing during the lean times.
+1
Although I did have to start playing MTGO instead, but I always shell for 4x common/uncommon and usually still make it to most pre-releases which gives me some trade fodder.
I picked up a pair of EvT for things like swords and factories selling the PW so they didn't cost much.
Here's one tip for your budget. Convince your new mom to breastfeed. She'll be glad she did if she sticks it out, and your reduced formula bill will thank you, even if its only 3-4 months it helps you transition a lot.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
One of the cool things about this thread is that I have made some unintended connections with other gamer parents, which is pretty rad. Any extra support I can get, I will take, lol.
One think I've been thinking about is the fact that as my buddies get more and more disgusting creature cards and planeswalkers, my thing has been to look at my collection and ask myself, "How can I deal with that?"
For example, both my buddies recently got the new Jace. While I am horribly jealous, I also giggle maniacally at the prospect of using a 2 mana Negate on their $30 Jace.
Glad to see you're keeping the collection. We all go through droughts in which we don't or can't buy new cards, but that doesn't matter for casual. Here's an anecdote to help quash any potential misgivings.
I've got a buddy who put his priorities in another place and sold his collection; then a couple years later rebuilt, reprioritized, and sold it all; then did it again; THEN rebuilt, reprioritized and stuck it all in the closet for a bit. If you love the game, you'll always be able to shuffle up your decks no matter how old they get.
Yea, time to pick a eternal format or play only limited. I think at this rate DoTP will probably have a new installation every year, you can keep yourself up to date wit that too.
If your friends bail on you, they're a bunch of jerks.
Casual play doesn't change all that much, save for after years and years and years. I'm sure someone who played five years ago could still beat up on several current decks- Goblin Bidding, Ravager Affinity, KCI, Mono Blue from kamigawa with Meloku/Jitte... I could see every single one of those decks in the form they were during their standards tear up a good number of current decks.
I could see them saying "You won't be able to keep up" if they were a bunch of grinders/PTQ hopefuls that buy heavily into each new standard, and criss-cross parts of the country going to every event. Sure, then you won't be able to keep up or provide them help as a good playtest partner... but it's all just kitchen table games? That's silly.
I actually went and bought one of each of the commander decks, which I'll sleeve up and leave in their orginal form so that I have decks that any of my friends could come and play.
I'll slowly pick up all of the Planechase planes- because it's a neat format that everyone can play.
I'll do the same with Archenemy schemes, too... I'll take all of them and put them into a box, and just like I would with Settlers of Catan, if people want to play a game, I'll break out the big box of stuff.
I'll even watch for deals on booster boxes, or when I win a decent amount for a prize, I'll take several playsets and set them aside to draft with my friends.
Commander is easy to keep up on after you've built in- and if you want to do it cheap, you can make painfully good mono-color commander decks cheap. (My Xiahou Dun, the one-eyed deck lists at only about $300-400... with a significant portion of that being the commander himself- unless you need a chase mythic, it usually won't cost you more than $20-40 a block to keep up with the best stuff for your particular commander.
There's lots of ways to play- and if your friends actually are, they'll be more than happy to work around and find one of the methods that works for what's going on with you.
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A buddy of mine and I had a friendly debate today on whether or not I'll be able to keep up with my group as they keep buying into the new expansions. I argue that I will because a good ole fashioned mana ramp deck is still solid, as is a good ole fashioned control deck, etc.
Basically, do you think decks with older cards can still hold up in casual play? Or should I just sell my cards and call it a day?
If anything, the much-hyped power creep in MTG is... just hype.
Look at the degenerate interactions in Legacy and Vintage and tell me with a straight face that modern cards can outcompete. Sure, there's going to be Jaces and Stoneforges in those formats, and Tarmogoyfs too - but then I point you towards competitively lackluster sets like Kamigawa, and even Lorwyn to some extent (ie: nongoblins). Hell, Jund was a target of much hatred when it was in play, and now look at it: not good enough for Modern, even with its entire card base intact after bannings.
So play with your old cards. Odds are they'll still kick ass.
Take Merfolk, for example. It's tribal, and if you aren't running expensive cards, then it's easy to make it work in your casual group. Just no FoW.
If not, then what Biomechanika posted sounds like a good option too.
1 Ulamog 1 ◊ W Avacyn W ◊ U Memnarch U ◊ B Endrek B ◊ R Urabrask R ◊ G Yeva G
You guys have all made me feel much better. I think part of what makes this game so evil is that whole notion of, "I have to get the new stuff. I have to keep up with the others. Blah, blah, blah."
And when I say "evil," I mean MTG is also one of the funnest games I have ever played, lol. So I was just worried that that would go away if I couldn't keep buying new cards. But that seems a little irrational now, so there it is.
I sold 90% of my collection, etc. etc.
I have a good EDH playgroup as well as a good kitchen-table group (actually, a Whataburger Table group, but meh...)
If i need new cards, I can afford $10 here or there to pick some up, or I can usually find someone to trade with (some older cards for newer ones).
In short: shouldn't be too bad for you, really. Just keep doing what you're doing. I'm sure with all the new cards your friends get, some of them will mesh well with what you have that you aren't using, and perhaps work a deal with them!
Thanks to Le_Gambit at Aether's Sig Shop even you can look cool!
Currently playing:
GRB Kobold Combo (Legacy/1.5)
WBR That Bloody Rack! (Extended)
R (Pseudo GB) Goblinesque Aggro/Midrange (Standard)
U Arcanis the Omnipotent (EDH)
WUBRG Karona, False God + Slivers (EDH)
"...3 or 4 life isn't that huge of a deal, so who cares if you lose it? Only the last point of life matters, the other 19 are unimportant in the grand scheme..."
when they release. This Should be no more than 20-30$ each three months. Works for me
To you: Do you play Modern? Lorwynn did its fair share of BS, and Jund is tier 1.
To OP: Nah man. I know people who play MTG off a $0 a year budget just fine in casual.
Join the Poetry Running Contest!
So Pro I have an alpha Volcanic Island
I don't play casual except for edh but those decks have stuff from legends and antiquities in it, those cards haven't been outdated yet so I think you are safe.
You'd be surprised what you can build with dollar rares and the commons box.
Also play EDH. You'll thank me later.
But yes, I think the key is finding a niche. EDH is a VERY easy way to pair down your collection and still play with the cards you love. That and you can call up your buddies and say "Weds night is EDH night at my house" and keep the connections up.
Building versions of your favorite decks is another. They'll still be a hoot at kitchen table nights, and you'll get to keep some of your favorite magic memories alive. I did this recently and was shocked with how happy it made me and how nostalgic it was for me. I might have top 8'd with this deck 5 years ago, but it would never hold up in anything but kitchen table now. But look! New cards have helped the deck become interesting again!
Another option is to take a break from the next set, enjoy time with your growing family, and evenutually you'll be able to come back into the fold, or your friends will find themselves in a VERY similar position soon. It's not so hard to jump back in after taking a break. I think I've quit this game 4-5 times.
The older you get, the smaller your social circles become.
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+1
Although I did have to start playing MTGO instead, but I always shell for 4x common/uncommon and usually still make it to most pre-releases which gives me some trade fodder.
I picked up a pair of EvT for things like swords and factories selling the PW so they didn't cost much.
Here's one tip for your budget. Convince your new mom to breastfeed. She'll be glad she did if she sticks it out, and your reduced formula bill will thank you, even if its only 3-4 months it helps you transition a lot.
One think I've been thinking about is the fact that as my buddies get more and more disgusting creature cards and planeswalkers, my thing has been to look at my collection and ask myself, "How can I deal with that?"
For example, both my buddies recently got the new Jace. While I am horribly jealous, I also giggle maniacally at the prospect of using a 2 mana Negate on their $30 Jace.
I've got a buddy who put his priorities in another place and sold his collection; then a couple years later rebuilt, reprioritized, and sold it all; then did it again; THEN rebuilt, reprioritized and stuck it all in the closet for a bit. If you love the game, you'll always be able to shuffle up your decks no matter how old they get.
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Casual play doesn't change all that much, save for after years and years and years. I'm sure someone who played five years ago could still beat up on several current decks- Goblin Bidding, Ravager Affinity, KCI, Mono Blue from kamigawa with Meloku/Jitte... I could see every single one of those decks in the form they were during their standards tear up a good number of current decks.
I could see them saying "You won't be able to keep up" if they were a bunch of grinders/PTQ hopefuls that buy heavily into each new standard, and criss-cross parts of the country going to every event. Sure, then you won't be able to keep up or provide them help as a good playtest partner... but it's all just kitchen table games? That's silly.
I actually went and bought one of each of the commander decks, which I'll sleeve up and leave in their orginal form so that I have decks that any of my friends could come and play.
I'll slowly pick up all of the Planechase planes- because it's a neat format that everyone can play.
I'll do the same with Archenemy schemes, too... I'll take all of them and put them into a box, and just like I would with Settlers of Catan, if people want to play a game, I'll break out the big box of stuff.
I'll even watch for deals on booster boxes, or when I win a decent amount for a prize, I'll take several playsets and set them aside to draft with my friends.
Commander is easy to keep up on after you've built in- and if you want to do it cheap, you can make painfully good mono-color commander decks cheap. (My Xiahou Dun, the one-eyed deck lists at only about $300-400... with a significant portion of that being the commander himself- unless you need a chase mythic, it usually won't cost you more than $20-40 a block to keep up with the best stuff for your particular commander.
There's lots of ways to play- and if your friends actually are, they'll be more than happy to work around and find one of the methods that works for what's going on with you.