Yearly Drive

Every year, I like to drive around to the LGS's in the Twin Cities and rifle through their Magic the Gathering sections to see what I might find.  This also gives me an opportunity to just shop around instead of going to my LGS, and try and spread my dollar around.

This year it landed on the weekend of the Grand Prix of Minneapolis, just like last year.  I am also planning on doing my trip next year around the Pro Tour Minneapolis in Aug 2018.

I also tend to head to the Minneapolis convention center to check out the vendors to see what I can grab up there as well.  I will get into that in the next blog, just cause I want to have a completely separate blog for all that stuff.

Cedar Cliff Collectables

So with the first stop we headed down to Cedar Cliff Collectables in Eagan, MN.  I would like to start out with saying that I really only like to go to this store because they think they know the prices and how the game plays, but their prices do not show it.  It is very easy to get in there and find a lot of gems that they have priced completely wrong.

Don't get me wrong, the younger guy that works there is very helpful and knows his stuff.  He is great to visit with, and is a geek you could spend hours with just talking about geeky stuff.  The owner, and older gentleman, has some social issues.  He is the typical low esteem nerdy guy.  The type of guy that I grew up with where he feels the need to shock and awe everyone he meets, so he can prove how cool he thinks he is.  You might think you are having a conversation with him, but at no time is he listening to what you are say.  The pauses in his speaking are the times where he is just planning his next "witty" sentence that might cause a stir in your mind.  At all times he is just trying to get a rise / shock out of you.

If you have children, do not go into this store with them!  I repeat, do not bring children into this store!

An example of what I was able to pick up:

Those Mana Vortex from The Dark were picked up for $5 each.  List price has been around $12, and just spiked to $25 this morning.  They are Reserve list cards, so all in all a great pickup.  Now, they might know the prices, and they might be priced to move, and my perception of the whole store might be playing into their hands.  But when I am in there, and the conversation ends up on how much money was made on such and such a deal, because the buyer was stupid and didn't know the real value of the items, I tend to think they are people that expect to know all about the value of the items they are selling.

I also picked up the Thoughtseizes for $15 each with list prices of $20, and that Emrakul around $6.

These were all $1 pickups, so you can't go wrong.

And then I was able to get these closer to list.  I just wanted to speculate on them as future prospects.

Now I know I am not picking up Promo cards, but I have always really liked these so I decided to grab them.  Lightning Helix was the highest price around $10, but the rest were all around $1.

These cards actually went to the card count.  I know I did not post it at the top of the post, but we are at 63 now!  Yeah, just the Wrath of God pulls it down.  But I did need that Earthquake and who does not pick up an Unlimited Counterspell when you see it?

Vintage Speculation here and another really clean pickup at $6.00 each, as they are list with $13.  It is like a creature Chalice of the Void for 1WW, how can you go wrong?

What is that?  The last Invention I needed?  What was that?  Oh yeah!  Boom!

And............. this.  

Mead Hall Games

Yes, this is my previous LGS, and I decided to just stop in to see what I could find.  Thought I would show them a bit of love, and decided that I would just go there to pick up singles.  Still a bit peeved about that last pre-order.

So yeah, not waiting long on trying to finish out the Invocation set, and I guess I just see an opening to just get it closed out so I can move on to the way it was.

Also grabbed this one, speculation city!

Lodestone Coffee & Games

Yeah I know, this is my LGS and I was supposed to go to stores that I don't normally go to, but I just wanted what I wanted, and I knew they had them.

All this...

 

 

 

 

 

So yeah, I can honestly say that I have given up on trying to wait on finishing this set.  These purchases allow me to support the LGS and fill out the stuff I am looking for.  I just wonder if they get upset with me cleaning out some of this stuff, like they are trying to build up an inventory and I just keep pulling that back.

Ok ok, I know....  But now I have a playset.  It was either this or I was going to buy out their Bazar of Baghdads, and that would have been horrible for my budget!

To my surprise if found this beauty!  I can't believe I was able to pick this card up at an LGS!

And then BAM!  Surprise!  Surprise!  Surprise!  What in the all holy hell was this doing in there?  Just Boom!!!  Yeah, Phase 1 and Phase 2 price tag is around $660.  Must...hold...off...and...just...trade...for...cards....

Don't ask...

No idea...

Whoa!!!  Specy Specy!!!  I swear this card is going to do something fun at some point.  It is like a 5 CMC Balance that you end up with a 4/5 Vigilance dude.

Grey Duck Games

This is the closest LGS to my house, so I always just stop in to see what they have.  They have a good $1 bin and I can pick up some long game cards.

Dollar Mythics!

Dollar Speculation!

Dollar Foils!

Dollar Gearhulk!  Ok yeah, this was not a dollar, but it was there and I did not have a foil gearhulk.  I have a royal ass ton of the regular one, and 1 short of a playset of the Inventions, so figured I would pick up this to make the set.  I was thinking of going after the Pre-Release one, but I think I will wait for after rotation.

And this little gem!  Seriously snagged this one on the cheap, but think that after rotation I will end up down on this pickup.

Shut up, just shut up.  I know, I could have just bought an M10 booster box, or maybe a Mirrodin box.  Or any of the other boxes I needed, but instead I buy this sack of poop, for List!  Yeah, $9.99 a pack!  Who is the idiot now?  I could say that I wanted to support the LGS, or that I just wanted to crack some packs, but I honestly have no good reason why I did this.  Non...e.  I might open it today, but I am not sure.

So yeah, that was my day of driving around stopping at LGS's to see what was out there.  Now I am back in saving mode.

SDCC 2017

Yeah I know, what the fuck am I doing buying these things?

They are so pretty though!!!!

So yeah, I have been collecting these since 2013 so of course I need to keep buying them.  I was really hoping that with Magic Origins being the last core set, they were going to stop doing them, but Nooooooooooo.  Now I have to budget for them every year, and considering that it is cheaper to just buy them off of eBay rather than going to SDCC, I just do that.

Some say, well why don't you just buy them on Hasbro.com?  And to those who say that, I say fuck you sir, in the goat ass...  If you have even tried to buy them on Hasbro.com you know what I am talking about.  It has been impossible for me to pick them up.  I keep hitting that refresh button, and it keeps telling me that they are SOLD OUT.  Yeah... Goat ass for you.

But let's take a look at them.

A little Gideon for you.  This one has some value, but I am just all in for that art.

My thoughts on this card is a whole bunch of suck, but it is a good EDH card.  Not the best, but a good one.

Zombie master herself.

So in Standard right now, I can see this one having the most value, but in the long run, not sure how much value this card will hold.  Lets hope it does keep the value.

I was a little surprised they put this one in the SDCC set, and I am happy as a UG player, but really?

And then there is this.  Sexy time all around.

So yeah, I open up the package and put all the cards in a perfect fit sleeve, but this is what we will put up on the shelf where the rest of them sit.

I can't wait to see what they come up with next year.  Still trying to figure out how I am going to get that Hascon set.

Just keep swimming...

Card Count: 66

I got 3 trades in with 2 cards hitting the card count.  The slow down shite.  I did not take pictures of the trading fodder I traded for, just because we are just tracking the card count, but I might start to do that with the pictures and posts.

One trade was from Deckbox and it was all fodder with the exception of one card, and that is the only reason I did the trade.  I will go through it when we get to the picture.  The other trade from Deckbox also did not hit the card count, but they are cards I needed for the collection.  This is another that I have to go through with because they are Phase 2 and Standard cards I still need.  I have still only added Phase 2 cards to Deckbox because I don't want to use up my balance on CardSphere just yet.

The CardSphere trade was the only 2 cards I got to hit the card count, but it was a wonderful add.

So here are those CardSphere cards that got added to the card count.  Much love for the Tenth Edition!!

Ok... ok... ok.  Yes, 3 Standard cards, yes 1 Protal card, yes 1 Portal Second Age card.  Again, Phase 2 and Standard, I know, but hear me out.  I still need them...  :-)  This trader also has a note in Deckbox for me saying "Always trade with this person".

And this one.  I know!  It is a promo, and I don't collect promo's but the trade just needed to get done. There was a bunch of fodder that I traded for, and this is the only card that I really cared for.  Maybe I will start taking pictures of the fodder I try and go for.

So yeah, 66 more cards needed, and I have 5 in the queue.

When Traders are Impatient

Card Count: 68

CardSphere: Dispute feature

So in CardSphere there is a feature where you can dispute a card you have sent, or that you are receiving.  I have used this feature a couple of times because they sent the wrong cards, or the conditions were not to what was posted, but never have I ever used the Dispute feature because it had been 14 days and the person I sent the cards to did not say anything.  This has happened to me, and I don't know what I feel.  It is a bit upsetting, but more to the fact that the person is giving me a bad mark because the post office is slow.

Does this really cause someone to be able to dispute something without even trying to setup a chat?  I mean, come on!  Just say, "Hey, just checking in to see if you got my cards I sent you yet?"  How fucking hard is that?  I hate talking to people just as much as the next guy, but come on!

So yeah, the guy was a dick, and I still wish there was someway I could block people from interacting with me, but oh well.  He said that it had been 14 days but the envelope had a date stamp of 10 days ago on it, so whatever.  I got the card, the guy is a dick, I will avoid him in the future as he is on the "Do Not Smell" list.  Charity my ass!

Here we go!

Ass hole!  I got a dispute for this fucking thing...  Loser!

This was the next trade that came in, quite lovely!

Then I got these come in, and those Legacy core sets are getting so close to being done.

Even some more Core set cards and I just can't wait to be done!  There was supposed to be a 6th Edition Crimson Hellkite, but he accidently sent a 7th Edition one.  Of course I had to dispute it, but luckily he was understanding and just cancelled the disputed card, and I got my balance back.

But the wonderful part about this much of trades.

Champions of Kamigawa done!  I thought this was going to be the last set I was going to be able to complete, and I get to finish this set up with these three basic lands!  So fantastic!  I only have 1 more Expansion card I need.  1 fucking more!

With that being said, and the card count being what it is, I need 67 core cards and 1 expansion card. 30 card are from Legacy and 38 are from Modern.  Just so excited.