I'll be picking up the RUG for the generals. Riku is just too awesome for me. However, I also want Nin, the Pain Artist, I might just buy one from someone who'll buy the WUR deck. I don't get it, though. Will someone explain why the UBG (and the GWB?) are worth the most value? I am planning to buy the decks just for the generals and several staples, and sell the rest.
The cards on the secondary market come from packs and wizards sells packs so in a way the strength of the secondary market is a reflection on wizards profits through pack sales.
With that said Commander is changing the current formula store owners use to crack packs for singles. If you have a 100 players that want a card for 4x magic you need to open enough packs to get 400 of that card. If you have 100 Commander players you only have to open enough packs to get 100 cards. If they are able to open just half as many packs, probably less, that will directly impact packs sold and how Wizards truly measure their success.
Edit: They are essentially decreasing demand
I would argue that, instead of there being demand for 4x sets of cards in a 60 card deck, you are seeing demand for 1x of a card for a 100 card deck, that there is almost 4x as much perceivable value in a pack. Especially when there is an entire new sect of playable cards that wizards can print that people will have demand for. Either way the argument is kind of stupid though.
Political Puppets
Pros: Makes for interesting interactions, more political than the other decks. Has Nin, the Pain Artist
Cons: The cards in it suck.
Heavenly Inferno
Pros: Has a ton of splashy creatures, and spot removal. The generals are very timmy, and good if you like having big dudes that smash face.
Cons: That's what it does, splashy creatures and spot removal, not much past that
Devour For Power
Pros: By far the best value of all the decks, just the reprint EDH staples in it alone are worth more than $30. Messes with the graveyard, creatures in it are interesting. Both generals are different and can make for different decks. Skullbriar.
Cons: IMO, the color combo leaves something to be desired (BUG), the three colors overlap a lot in the color pie. (really the only con)
Mirror Mastery
Pros: Both generals are incredibly unique, and can be built around in many different ways. The color combination is very interesting IMO, lots of value in the cards. Only deck with the insane land Homeward Path.
Cons: Doesn't have white or black to deal with creatures straight up, obviously it's fatties aren't all the best due to the pricing.
Counterpunch
Pros: Does stuff with tokens, Ghave, Guru of Spores, assorted exclusive/good cards (Acorn Catapult, Scavenging Ooze, Skullclamp)
Cons: Kind of boring, some bad cards, very narrow and is unable to play the cards that would be good in this kind of deck.
All in all, I would suggest Devour for Power if you purely plan to take it apart and build another edh deck. If you want to build around them, Heavenly Inferno/Mirror Mastery/Devour for Power, depending on whether you like fatties+removal, Fatties+carddraw+random spells, or Graveyard Shenanigans+general goodstuff. If the political theme or token theme particularly strike you, pick those , but otherwise Devour For Power is the strongest, followed by Heavenly Inferno/Mirror Mastery.
Like the ones from Commander and Archenemy? Or like the ones that came with the MPR?
I see these being somewhere in between and when I asked the guys as my EDH group last night they all seemed interested in grabbing them all up and hoarding them. I laughed until I realized that they were serious.
Strange. Maybe they could have some value to somebody, but I don't see why anyone would want one, especially without the card version. And if they want both the card and the oversized, then they would probably buy the commander deck itself at the release. They seem nice enough as a bonus, but I'm not seeing the value. Who knows, maybe there will be a scarcity and demand though.
Instead of selling, which you will most likely lose some value on, why don't you try trading here on the forum? I'm sure some people would be happy to trade up into some more valuable cards for what you are looking for.
I've thought about it, but I'd rather not sell/trade my cards piecemeal, and I'm doubtful that I'll find the cards I need.
You're better off waiting and selling them at a major event. Most shops won't give you more than 10 cents or a quarter... but at least with the "dealers" at a event you might get some okay numbers for things that sell well for them in their junk bins so they buy for higher.
Otherwise always carry a "junk rare" book and throw in good uncommons. You'd be shocked how well people will trade for some of that stuff.
Maybe I should've been more clear. I have some more valuable rares (cards in the $5+ dollar range) and I want to obtain a large number of select cheaper rares for some casual and EDH decks.
I have some decent valued rares, and I'm in need of lots of older inexpensive singles that are hard to find besides in online stores. What stores give the best value (an extra % for cashing out in store credit included)?
From a fun standpoint, I wonder why he's on there yet yosei isn't. I have not seen a single valid argument justifying his banning.
I think it has something to do with how insane an advantage it gives when one person plays one, and another clones it, or plays one themselves, etc. I have no experience playing the card in EDH however, just my initial thoughts.
the precons were the biggest tease ever. waste of time, energy and excitement for me. the amount of ground they could have covered with creative design is ridiculous. instead of cool new generals we get jank (except for about 2 decent guys that i wouldnt play in the first place)? instead of awesome new artifacts we get that squirrel cannon garbage? the new cards are all pretty bad (minus like 4-5), and as for reprints...each deck has like 2 decent reprints at most.
maybe its just me, but im extremely let down by this and feel it could have been done much better. lazy design on their behalf to cash on on the new big thing. not even new artwork can get me to pick these up.
the only card that i am happy about is the new karmic justice. it alone dosent save a set though.
Does anyone think the prices of the decks are going to hold at $35-$40 a piece online? I've heard that the commander decks aren't going to be a limited print run like the duel decks, and it seems likely that after the hype dies down they will drop back down to $30.
On a related note: Where did you see a set of all 5 decks going for even $150 shipped, let alone $120? Since they spoiled the decklists, they've all been marked up to at least $35 apiece.
Planechase is such a fun format, and it often results in some insane turns and interactions. I can remember an EDH game where we started on Krosa, and somebody rolled double chaos into a turn 3 Progenitus... The next player proceeded to planeswalk into Celestine Reef.
What are the craziest plays you've seen in a Planechase game?
Because, unlike the other decks, the UBG deck has a Nezumi Graverobber, Fleshbag Marauder, Eternal Witness, Solemn Simulacrum, Mulldrifter, Acidic Slime, Wrexial, the Risen Deep, Butcher of Malakir, Avatar of Woe, Artisan of Kozilek, Oblivion Stone, Fact or Fiction, Grave Pact, Sign in Blood, Cultivate, Buried Alive, Living Death, Windfall, Syphon Mind, and Temple of the False Gods
I would argue that, instead of there being demand for 4x sets of cards in a 60 card deck, you are seeing demand for 1x of a card for a 100 card deck, that there is almost 4x as much perceivable value in a pack. Especially when there is an entire new sect of playable cards that wizards can print that people will have demand for. Either way the argument is kind of stupid though.
Pros: Makes for interesting interactions, more political than the other decks. Has Nin, the Pain Artist
Cons: The cards in it suck.
Heavenly Inferno
Pros: Has a ton of splashy creatures, and spot removal. The generals are very timmy, and good if you like having big dudes that smash face.
Cons: That's what it does, splashy creatures and spot removal, not much past that
Devour For Power
Pros: By far the best value of all the decks, just the reprint EDH staples in it alone are worth more than $30. Messes with the graveyard, creatures in it are interesting. Both generals are different and can make for different decks. Skullbriar.
Cons: IMO, the color combo leaves something to be desired (BUG), the three colors overlap a lot in the color pie. (really the only con)
Mirror Mastery
Pros: Both generals are incredibly unique, and can be built around in many different ways. The color combination is very interesting IMO, lots of value in the cards. Only deck with the insane land Homeward Path.
Cons: Doesn't have white or black to deal with creatures straight up, obviously it's fatties aren't all the best due to the pricing.
Counterpunch
Pros: Does stuff with tokens, Ghave, Guru of Spores, assorted exclusive/good cards (Acorn Catapult, Scavenging Ooze, Skullclamp)
Cons: Kind of boring, some bad cards, very narrow and is unable to play the cards that would be good in this kind of deck.
All in all, I would suggest Devour for Power if you purely plan to take it apart and build another edh deck. If you want to build around them, Heavenly Inferno/Mirror Mastery/Devour for Power, depending on whether you like fatties+removal, Fatties+carddraw+random spells, or Graveyard Shenanigans+general goodstuff. If the political theme or token theme particularly strike you, pick those , but otherwise Devour For Power is the strongest, followed by Heavenly Inferno/Mirror Mastery.
Strange. Maybe they could have some value to somebody, but I don't see why anyone would want one, especially without the card version. And if they want both the card and the oversized, then they would probably buy the commander deck itself at the release. They seem nice enough as a bonus, but I'm not seeing the value.
I've thought about it, but I'd rather not sell/trade my cards piecemeal, and I'm doubtful that I'll find the cards I need.
Maybe I should've been more clear. I have some more valuable rares (cards in the $5+ dollar range) and I want to obtain a large number of select cheaper rares for some casual and EDH decks.
I think it has something to do with how insane an advantage it gives when one person plays one, and another clones it, or plays one themselves, etc. I have no experience playing the card in EDH however, just my initial thoughts.
I guess Sol Ring, Grave Pact, Solemn Simulacrum, Eternal Witness, Lightning Greaves, Oblivion Stone, and Fact or Fiction (among others), is "like 2 decent reprints at most."
On a related note: Where did you see a set of all 5 decks going for even $150 shipped, let alone $120? Since they spoiled the decklists, they've all been marked up to at least $35 apiece.
What are the craziest plays you've seen in a Planechase game?