Selling out - Which deck to keep?

[Higgs]

It's one those I'm selling out threads but without the bickering :)

I stopped going to legacy events after Wizards shut down our weeklies because the store allowed proxies (not that I need proxies but because it killed that particular scene) and I've only played Mtg once in the last 18 months in a small Vintage event. I was intending to keep my collection to do the monthly Vintage events or just do the large MKM eternal events when they come around, but every time there is an event I feel that I've got something better to do.

At this point I'm contemplating selling out my collection and putting the money on something else because I simply don't see myself dedicating a whole evening or a Saturday/Sunday to the Mtg crowd in favor of my other interests.

I've got a fairly basic collection (no foils or foreign, minimal black bordered duals, 1 playset of each playable etc.) but it is all Vintage and Legacy staples for major decks. I could keep one Legacy deck for the future in case I get the bug again or feel like doing those annual MKM/Eternal events. So I wanted to get some opinions on which deck to keep from both a pricing and playability point of view.

I'm steering towards ANT as it's been pretty much the same deck in the last 5 years and requires minimal maintenance/knowledge update as metagames shift left and right. It's always a good choice for big events and the experience accumulates. I've also got FBB duals so if I decide to sell it in the future I probably won't lose much. The only hesitation is that the deck is quite linear and feels like the same game when you don't alternate it with something else every now and then.

My second option is Miracles. Being a blue mage since I built my first kitchen table deck I just cling to the notion of casting counterspells but I'm simply not good with the deck. I don't play often (duh) so I just feel like I'd get crushed each time I take it for an annual spin. It also requires good knowledge of the metagame and needs frequent updates as new sets are printed. On the flip side, I'd be keeping all the blue core so if I decide to come back to the game sometime in the future I'd be in a much better spot compared to having the Storm staples. It might also give me the incentive to learn the deck finally and actually be good with it.

Any thoughts or experience to share for shrinking a collection like this?

[barcode]

Keep the deck you like playing the most and is least likely to have something from it banned.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Stand still for a long moment in solitude and find the real reason for why you're selling out. Maybe you'll realize that what you really want is to sell all the cards you own.

[JBlaze]

Keep them both that way if you have a friend you can play them against each other.

[Mr.C]

I'd keep both. If I hat to keep one, I'd keep ANT. It's a deck that you can basically pick up a year from now and it probably wont have changed much.

[thecrav]

Stand still for a long moment in solitude and find the real reason for why you're selling out.

Because my collection can be traded for a Mercedes.


Maybe you'll realize that what you really want is to sell all the cards you own.

Nah, I just kinda want a Mercedes.

[TTX]

The ANT deck is what I'd keep. But it is nice to have two decks in the event of guest. You contemplating getting rid of vintage decks too?


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[Tormod]

Keep both

How much do you actually get by selling them off?

[apple713]

Keep them both that way if you have a friend you can play them against each other.

Miracles vs ANT are not the two decks you'd keep to play against guests... You'd want something like BUG vs ESPER blade. Lots of interaction, lots of fair play.



Because my collection can be traded for a Mercedes.

Nah, I just kinda want a Mercedes.

Yes some collections can. I'd imagine that many people on the source could trade their collections for high end cars. Unfortunately I'll have to sell my collection in the next year or two to help buy a Apartment in NYC. Alternatively i could probably pay off all of my law school loans with it.


Keep both

How much do you actually get by selling them off?

Meh probably about 3,000 for both. Maybe less if there aren't any foils. Maybe 8-10 blue duals, force of will, LED, 16 blue fetches + 200 in the other random cards.

[JPoJohnson]

I stopped going to legacy events after Wizards shut down our weeklies because the store allowed proxies

I must have missed something. What change is causing an issue?

[jrsthethird]

You can run proxy events, but you can't sanction them. Maybe the store doesn't want to run unsanctioned events?

[carefulmug]

Keep either ANT or the Delver variant of your choice. Miracles faces the next likely ban hammer, and, even if it doesn't, you've admitted a natural ineptitude with the deck. A great deck piloted by an inept pilot is not a great deck. Not even a good deck. Whatever blue based (or anti-blue) deck you feel the most natural with, if (as bed deck players is so good to remind us, anything(!)) any at all, go with. That's all.

Sell everything else.

Perhaps you keep some casual decks. A pauper gauntlet. A modest cube. A stable Modern deck. Otherwise...

It is time to put the childish things away.

[Raystar]

It is time to put the childish things away.

Are you defining "childish" an affection for gaming or MTG specifically?

If you are talking about MTG, I can see how the public image of the game, built by Hasbro Marketing, drive the appearance of a child aimed game. In reality, MTG, is one of the most complex intellectual challenges ever put together in the form of entertainment and I firmly believe that a "child" is not the perfect candidate to excel in it. I don't believe that "childish" is a quality that can attributed to MTG,

If, on the other hand, you are defining "childish" the pleasure that playing a complex game (in general) gives a human being...well, I guess it is a matter of opinions, but, if you don't have to fight 24 hours a day to provide for yourself and your family, I also believe that the majority of what we do as individuals cater to the satisfaction of some entertainment need. You can get that satisfaction from the work you do, the people you interact with, the activities you practice or...the games you play. I wouldn't call somebody else's interest "childish", in their opinion your interests could be also...

[Spam]

Are you defining "childish" an affection for gaming or MTG specifically?

If you are talking about MTG, I can see how the public image of the game, built by Hasbro Marketing, drive the appearance of a child aimed game. In reality, MTG, is one of the most complex intellectual challenges ever put together in the form of entertainment and I firmly believe that a "child" is not the perfect candidate to excel in it. I don't believe that "childish" is a quality that can attributed to MTG,

If, on the other hand, you are defining "childish" the pleasure that playing a complex game (in general) gives a human being...well, I guess it is a matter of opinions, but, if you don't have to fight 24 hours a day to provide for yourself and your family, I also believe that the majority of what we do as individuals cater to the satisfaction of some entertainment need. You can get that satisfaction from the work you do, the people you interact with, the activities you practice or...the games you play. I wouldn't call somebody else's interest "childish", in their opinion your interests could be also...
Best reply ever.

[Higgs]

I must have missed something. What change is causing an issue?

Without giving away too much, not having legacy weeklies in a bar was a deal breaker for me :) Also the environment was more casual and regulars were more sociable. I tried going to the well-lit gaming stores with with no alcohol, spikey Magic players and a bunch of other people playing miniature games around. It wasn't something that I would want to do every Tuesday night.

Don't get me wrong I still find the game interesting. But considering I have chosen to miss out on a bunch of Legacy and even Vintage events in the last 18 months, am I really going to start playing actively again?

ANT feels like a decent choice to keep as a single deck in my situation. I might probably do a final run this year in the big eternal events and see how I feel before selling out.

[Richard Cheese]

I guess it depends on what you're going to do with the money. Unless you're in a tight spot or pretty damn good at investing, the MTG market honestly seems pretty hard to beat.

[thecrav]

I guess it depends on what you're going to do with the money. Unless you're in a tight spot or pretty damn good at investing, the MTG market honestly seems pretty hard to beat.

Forbes or Inc, I can't remember which, does a series on strange investment vehicles. It's not a recommendation to invest in them, just kinda a "hey. did you know this one weird thing appreciates in value like crazy?" A couple years ago, they pointed out that the P9 had beat the S&P 500 in terms of increase in value since like 1995. Pretty nuts.

[Julian23]

It was in Forbes, I remember it. Let's see if I can find the link.

"Magic cards fluctuate in value based on their use in tournaments played around the world. The game, created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and launched in 1993, now boasts 6 million players worldwide according to Wizards of the Coast, Magic’s Hasbro-backed publisher. The most valuable card, Black Lotus, is currently worth $840, up 16% since the start of 2010. The S&P 500, by contrast, is up 12% over the same time period."

Source: Forbes - 10 Bizarre Investment Strategies (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/el45fjkdg/magic-the-gathering-cards-7/)

PS: #1 of Bizarre Investment Strategies is "Renting a Cow"

[Bed Decks Palyer]

How much is Lotus now?

Imho you shoul keep the cards for a moment. Unless there' some metaphysical need behind the sell out ("I want to part with what formed me and my last two decades") and/or you really need money, you shouldn't sell the cards in a hurry.
Otoh, much of the MtG prices might be a bubble, and I'm especially contemplating what will happen with them once the war starts. You might be left with unusable pieces of paper where some kind of safer investment may serve you better. Not sure if Mercedes is the one, though...

[Zupponn]

How much is Lotus now?

Magiccards.info has the unlimited printing (http://magiccards.info/un/en/233.html) selling at minimum of $3000, so I have no idea where that $840 price comes from.

[Ace/Homebrew]

I have no idea where that $840 price comes from.
June 30th, 2011 :tongue:
source (https://www.google.com/search?sclient=tablet-gws&site=&source=hp&q=Forbes+bizarre+investment+strategies&oq=Forbes+bizarre+investment+strategies&gs_l=tablet-gws.3...1712.25217.0.26543.38.36.1.1.1.0.133.3352.22j14.36.0....0...1c.1.64.tablet-gws..19.19.1848.W7Wdy1Ey02A#q=Forbes+bizarre+investment+strategies+publishing+date)

That's still a low valuation according to mtggoldfish ($1265.40 for Unlimited, 6/30/11).

[Havrekjex]

If you enjoy playing ANT, you should keep that. It's a self-contained combo deck that isn't going to need any significant updates over time, it doesn't require you to keep track of every small meta change, and it's not as likely as Miracles to get hit by a ban or warp over time. Also, your Miracles skills aren't going to get better if you barely ever get to play Legacy.

I read somewhere that a combo deck is a good choice for someone who only plays Legacy once every now and then. I think there's something to it. I'm not at all saying that combo decks are inherently easy (and definitely not storm decks), but you mostly just care about the cards your opponent might have that can stop your combo, while as a Miracles player you probably want to know every single small thing about your opponent's 75. I think Miracles is a good deck for someone that plays often and puts a lot of effort into it. Keeping track of the top decks over time sounds like a bigger engagement than you're interested in.

However: If you think you'll ever fall in love with the game all over again, Miracles should be a good deck to take out and go all-in on. So many people think they're done with the game, only to get sucked back in a few years later. If that happens, playing only ANT might not be fulfilling over time. So I guess the real question is if you want to keep that door open, or if you're confident that you'll be content with having a deck to break out a few times a year and that's that. Because that deck sounds like ANT to me.