Today I continue the topic of identifying profit opportunities.
Top uncommons:
All the uncommons from the currently printed/drafted block are very easy and don't go above 0.5 tix. This is true now for the Zendikar block, and it was true last year for Alara block before Zendikar hit. When new block comes, uncommons from the previous block go up in price. You have a lot of time to react, so there really is no excuse for wasting this opportunity.
Examples from recent time:
-Bloodbraid Elf - was selling at 0.5 tix before Zendikar only to raise to 3 tix after Zendikar.
How can we use this info?
-Wall of Omens - clearly the best uncommon from the Zendikar block, still easy to get at 0.5 tix. There's still a lot of time to hop on this train before it starts speeding into 2-3 tix territory.
Wizards announcements:
Be it new ban lists or format changes. The problem with this opportunity is that you need to be quick - the info is readily available on the mothership and you have to react faster than the bots. On the bright side, you can earn on both prices going up and down, as some bots are slower to react and will still buy for higher prices. I'm using MTGO Library for quick price comparisons - but I won't post a link here, as that site is linked to the CBS bot that got infamous as a scam. Norton lists that site as dangerous, so enter at your own risk.
Examples from recent time:
-new Extended staples - as Wizards announced the new Extended, staples from Lorwyn - Alara Standard went up in price, while the old Extended staples that were no longer in the format went down. There was very little time to react, as I've logged in several hours after the announcement and it was already too late.
How can we use this info?
There are two lessons here - if you want to profit from Wizards announcements, you need to react fast. Second - you need to diversify, as you never know when Wizards will come and demolish the value of your collection.
Rotation:
If you identify the new top deck for the changing format after the rotation, there's no way you won't profit. You need to know the format to estimate correctly.
Examples from recent time:
-Jund - the prices for all Jund cards stayed pretty low until the last moments of Lorwyn - Alara Standard, only to raise 50-70% within days after the rotation.
How can we use this info?
Know your format. Standard rotation happens once every year, and it's a shame to waste this opportunity. It's still to early for me to guess the correct top deck in the new Standard as the dust from M11 has not settled yet, but pay attention to the tournament results in the months to come, and analyze which decks will survive and which will perish.
These are all the profit opportunities I'm trying to seize. If you know any more, I'm eager to learn about them. I'll write more about each of these opportunities in the future.
The recommendations page holds my current advices for profitable buys and sells. I will update it regularly, as right now there are only 2 cards on the buy list.
Top uncommons:
All the uncommons from the currently printed/drafted block are very easy and don't go above 0.5 tix. This is true now for the Zendikar block, and it was true last year for Alara block before Zendikar hit. When new block comes, uncommons from the previous block go up in price. You have a lot of time to react, so there really is no excuse for wasting this opportunity.
Examples from recent time:
-Bloodbraid Elf - was selling at 0.5 tix before Zendikar only to raise to 3 tix after Zendikar.
How can we use this info?
-Wall of Omens - clearly the best uncommon from the Zendikar block, still easy to get at 0.5 tix. There's still a lot of time to hop on this train before it starts speeding into 2-3 tix territory.
Wizards announcements:
Be it new ban lists or format changes. The problem with this opportunity is that you need to be quick - the info is readily available on the mothership and you have to react faster than the bots. On the bright side, you can earn on both prices going up and down, as some bots are slower to react and will still buy for higher prices. I'm using MTGO Library for quick price comparisons - but I won't post a link here, as that site is linked to the CBS bot that got infamous as a scam. Norton lists that site as dangerous, so enter at your own risk.
Examples from recent time:
-new Extended staples - as Wizards announced the new Extended, staples from Lorwyn - Alara Standard went up in price, while the old Extended staples that were no longer in the format went down. There was very little time to react, as I've logged in several hours after the announcement and it was already too late.
How can we use this info?
There are two lessons here - if you want to profit from Wizards announcements, you need to react fast. Second - you need to diversify, as you never know when Wizards will come and demolish the value of your collection.
Rotation:
If you identify the new top deck for the changing format after the rotation, there's no way you won't profit. You need to know the format to estimate correctly.
Examples from recent time:
-Jund - the prices for all Jund cards stayed pretty low until the last moments of Lorwyn - Alara Standard, only to raise 50-70% within days after the rotation.
How can we use this info?
Know your format. Standard rotation happens once every year, and it's a shame to waste this opportunity. It's still to early for me to guess the correct top deck in the new Standard as the dust from M11 has not settled yet, but pay attention to the tournament results in the months to come, and analyze which decks will survive and which will perish.
These are all the profit opportunities I'm trying to seize. If you know any more, I'm eager to learn about them. I'll write more about each of these opportunities in the future.
The recommendations page holds my current advices for profitable buys and sells. I will update it regularly, as right now there are only 2 cards on the buy list.
Sorry for the comment on an old post.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say I disagree on the wall. Bloodbraid Elf was playable in a lot more archetypes than the wall will ever be. Just being the best uncommon from a set doesn't make it that great imho.
Kitchen Finks was also playable in almost every archetype (Aggro, Control, Ramp) if not in the maindeck, then it was in the SB. I don't think the comparison is that good.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Well, you may be right. There's also the possibility that I've identified the wrong card - and it should be Tectonic Edge. Time will tell :)
ReplyDelete