There really is a slow down

Total Trade Count: 203,202
Total Foil Count: 3,744

Total Need Count: 1895

This is the second December update, but the only reason I wanted to get this in was to circumvent an update before the year end review update.  I did get some interesting things in, and I am still on target to just picking up sealed product for the collection and I am going to just pick up everything in paper after rotation.  I am not even opening up any sealed product until I feel better about the way things are going.

I have not yet figured out what I am going to do about selling the collection, there seems to be a large downturn on prices so I might wait until things pick back up.  That might just be an excuse to wait this out and not sell, but the more and more I just don't look at the cards anymore.

There is a large part of me that thinks to just stop buying and move on with what I have.  Always keeping the cards and playing with what I have with my friends, but I am still thinking about it.  I am also still going through and grading every card, so that is going to take me a while anyway.

Vintage

I picked up some more cards for the Unlimited set, and now I am only in need of 9 more cards to fill out that set.  These came in from CardSphere, so I am happy some folks are trying to liquidate their older cards while we see the drop in prices.

Here is the other Vintage trade I got.  I know, this is not just in Vintage play, but considering the set they are from, I am calling them Vintage cards and you will just have to deal with it.

Sealed

This was a surprise!  I never get sealed product from CardSphere, but there you go!  Someone sent me this lovely Fat Pack from Conflux and it fits nicely in the collection!

Speculation

I know right!  I am still getting these cards in from CardSphere.  It is still a long bet that these will turn out to be worth anything, but I am just going to say it again.  "Moxen will always prove out to be worth something."  In this game we play, the Moxen always prove out to be worth something.  Mox Opal, Mox Amber, it does not matter.  Someone somewhere will use this card in some way that will prove it's worth.

This is another long bet, but it just plays so well in EDH.  Just too much value.

So this is two trades, and the second time we decided to pick up Ugin's Nexus.  Right now I am only sitting on 35 of them, but I still feel like there is some wicked combo that could turn this card into something special.

Secret Lair

So this was something I just had to get.

I did it.  I am not ashamed!  Ok maybe a little bit.

Of course I needed to get two, one to open and one to keep sealed.

I don't know if I bought them for the collectability or because I am a completionist, but either way I have them in the collection.  They are interesting, but I never play with Foils.  I am not even putting them with the other cards.  They are going into the promo folder, and I have no real desire to use them in decks.  Maybe if I build out a pimped out cube I would use them, but for now they are just there and I don't really care.

I really want to say that it is because it is the first of it's kind, and it is always a good thing to pick up the first printing of anything WoTC puts out.  But I am really not satisfied with this purchase.  But that is also why I am just becoming less and less interested in collecting MTG cards.

And here are the secret lair cards.  I think there are some valuable card, but again I don't care about foils.  I did get a couple of Gideons so that sucks.

All in all some collection cards, some sealed pickups, some speculation cards.  But I am still just down and out about collecting while I consider my move to the new cards coming out in Jan.  Just so much product to pick up, I just get so sad trying to think about it.

For the love of everything holy

Total Needs Count: 1,895

Total Trade Count: 203,450
Total Foil Count: 3,744

Ok so we are still tracking the three different counts.  One for the collection, one for the extra bulk, and one for the foils (I have no idea why).  Big deal this month is that we broke into 203k!  This is pretty cool considering I have been able to keep adding to the collection without adding too much bulk I do no need.

Debt

https://dogonsiereht-mtg.blogspot.com/2019/04/debt.html

So back in April I decided to start to go back into interest free debt and start picking up some sealed product, starting with Mercadian Masques.  I did a purchase on Amazon.com with one of my interest free credit cards, and I would like to share that I have paid that off last month.

I am currently still paying down my Urza's Destiny Booster box with a different interest free credit card, so I decided to pick up some of the Fat Packs I need for the collection.

These were some nice adds, but I was hoping to pick up the block set.  I am not going to complain though considering these are the first ones with the storage box setup, and where I am starting the collection.  I do not think I will go before these Fat Packs, but who knows with me.

Here is the second of the block, and only need the Future Sight to complete the set.  I am not too worried about that one considering that everyone wants that set.  Now with Tarmogoyf on the down slope, this is going to be a much cheaper pick up.  Also with the rise of the Pioneer format a lot of these Modern boxes are on the cheap as well.

I have yet to see if there is an actual Shards of Alara Fat Pack, but I cannot really find anything online that says there is one.  I still need the Conflux one as well, but I do see listings of that one online.

And these two were real treats!  New Phyrexia is a huge favorite of mine, and I did put some extra funds in booster boxes when this was still in print.  I just never snagged up the Fat Packs.  Morningtide on the other hand was not a set I had the privilege to be around when it was in print, and I was not purchasing new sets, but still playing around the kitchen table.  I was pretty excited to be able to get one of these.

I was able to pick these up at some reasonable prices, and considering the downturn we are currently in, I am considering just getting everything that I am looking for to finish the collection.  I know some might say that is not a good idea, and with some of my very own thoughts of getting out completely, to finish the collection might not make the most sense.

But I expect to try and finish everything out next year, and see what happens next.

CardSphere Trades

I did pick these up at the current value, and right after someone decided to send me these cards the prices dropped.  That is why I had them at the price they were set at, and it seems to be working.  As long as I am setting the value at the prices I think they will end up, I am getting the cards I need for my collection without chasing too much.

This helps me finish up my playset, and the other is a trusty spec I am trying to get.  I still do not know why the price of this is still so low, but I do feel like it has room to run.  Like my spec on the Mox Amber, it is only a matter of time for any Mox to go up in price.

Force of Negation is a card I am trying to finish out along with do a small spec on.  Having two playsets is not a bad thing, and I am considering to pick up more, but I do not want to lower my funds too low on CardSphere due to falling Vintage prices.  I am already seeing more Unlimited cards being sent as long as I have my prices set correctly.

This is the last Player Promo card I needed for the easier ones to get.  I still do need all the tokens and the Wasteland, but I am pretty sure I am going to have to get those at a GP or something like that.

I finally got these for my collection and all is good.  There is nothing special about this card outside of being a good EDH card, and it is looking like it is going to get Banded everywhere, but hey, why not just pick them up.  The prices have been falling for a bit, and with Pioneer it is no wonder someone decided to send these to me at the price I had set.

Here is the last Dominaria card I need for my playsets, and a new Spec I am trying out, Thran Temporal Gateway.  I really see this as an EDH spec, but who knows maybe someone will find a good Pioneer / Modern deck to make with it.

Lodestone Buys

So I am at my FLGS picking up my final Dominaria needs and some Modern Horizon needs, and  then I saw a very sexy Beta card.  I did not need another Llanowar Elves, but I could not pass up such a wonderful card.  Then I saw a Judge promo that I have no need for, but thought I could move it on CardSphere and get that Judge Promo badge.  So right now I am just waiting for the price to catch up to what I paid for the card, and I will try and move it. 

I might also try and get more Judge Promo cards since I am pretty much done with the Player Promo cards I am looking for, and need something else to buy.  I doubt it, but who knows.

And to bring my Spec right to the front.  $20 got me these, and I can see these going past $10 each.  Time will only tell, but I do see a lot of value in this card.

Grey Duck Games

So there is my other LGS near the house I like to show up at and pick through their wares, and I also like to support them because I can buy my son presents at their shop.  It is not a normal LGS, but more of a Game / Kite store that holds MTG tournaments.  Anyway, I like to go up there and see what they have.  Since they are not a bigger shop, they normally keep product for longer periods of time, and do not sell out right away.

Can't find these things anywhere, but I was able to grab these at the shop at a pretty decent price.  I really did not want to buy them on Amazon, but I was willing to do so if I could not find them locally.  Either way, BAM!  There they are!  I will not be opening the Collector Booster Pack that comes in these, because they are fucking stupid.

Another good reason to stop up there is because this shop actually picks up product like this to sell.  All around the other shops, no one picks these up to sell because they do not sell.  Luckily the game shop will in order to keep a good name with their distributer, and then I get to buy them locally instead of online.  I will do the same thing, open one and keep the other sealed, but I will not chase the first print cards in this game.

And I broke down and picked up their last one of these.  I know, I said I was not going to buy this at all, and I have no plans to open it.  It was the first of it's kind, so I decided to just bite the bullet and buy one for the collection.  I can only see the price of this product going down in the future, so I might as well get on with it.  Just happy they are not trying to sell the damn things on eBay...

Collection Update

So this blog is really turning into a monthly affair, but really I was waiting for my Avacyn Restored Fat Pack to come in the mail, but it is lost right now and I got tired of waiting.

I am literally sick of all the crap WoTC is releasing.  There is a Secret Lair that is coming out tomorrow, and I will be picking up a single set for the collection, but I am tired.  I am just tired of this hobby of mine.  The plan is to finish the collection ending at War of the Spark.  I will finish up those playsets and just be done with it.  I do not plan to open any Throne f Eldraine or any set after.  I will take 2020 off and only try and pick up sealed product for the collection until I really figure out what is going on.

If I need anything else for playing, I will plan on buying them as singles for the decks I play.  I will just finish up all the sets I have, and I will stop printing labels.  I do plan on reorganizing the collection, just not sure how I am going to do it yet.  I am leaning towards sets, and that will make things easier to grade everything over again.

All in all, it is all in an attempt to sell off the collection.  Piece by piece after I actually finish the collection and take pictures of everything.  I will more than likely sell everything past a single card so I will keep one of every card and one of every sealed product.  That will give me enough time to see if my son is interested in the game.

So for now, I am just going to finish off all the other items I need in the open sets.  That will be Guilds of Ravnica, Ravinca Allegience, War of the Spark, Core 2020, Ultimate Master Box Toppers, and Modern Horizons.  I will also try and finish up my Beta and Unlimited sets, but those are pipe dreams.

More to come, but don't expect another post until the year end review.

Pioneer and the state of my mind

Total Trade Count: 204,162
Total Foil Count: 3,751

Total Need Count: 2,022

Collecting Update

Yup it is real.  I have no real interest in picking up any MTG product right now.  I am not really sure where this is coming from either.  I am bored and my collecting has no priority in my life.

I am grading every single card in my collection to have a more accurate list of cards that I own, but that is more for the sale of the collection.  It will more than likely take me a year to get complete, so there is something that I am doing.

I still need to update my collection to account for the new format of Pioneer, and that is just annoying, but I will get more into how I feel about that.

There is just no desire to open any packs what so ever, and the thought of sorting and organizing my collection just makes me bored.  I mean, I have been spending more time with my investing hobby, and listening to a lot more on that topic.  With that I am always thinking about converting my MTG collection into those assets, but I just have not been able to pull the trigger on that type of transaction.

It is always a question of trying to sell the collection all at once, or to take the slower path of selling over the long term while making more of a return on the collection.  I just don't know.  And honestly I will not really know until my son is old enough to play with me, and to see if he enjoys the game as much as I did.  The last thing I would want to do is sell the collection before he has a chance to enjoy the game.  I would never want to have the conversation with him and say, "Well I used to have a bunch of Black Lotus, but I sold them."

So for now I am just chugging along, picking up what I need to in order to keep up with my sealed product needs, and once I figure it out I will start up on my singles collection later.

Pioneer

This piece of shit.  Ok to be fair, I am really happy for the format and from a collection stand point it is really great for me.  I saw a really large uptick on cards that were worth next to nothing.  Some of my Spec's actually look a lot better now, and I really think my buy into Ixalan will pay off in strides because of those flip cards lands.  But from a collecting stand point, I need to go through all my Modern cards and re-sort everything into Pioneer playable cards to keep going with my collection. 

I just need to rethink on how I am storing everything.  I think that as soon as I get through the grading process, I can really dig into what to do next.

In the end, I am really happy that they are coming out with supported formats like this, I am just annoyed that I have to do work.

My Little Pony

Ok...  Ok...  Ok...

So I bought this thing.  I am never going to open this thing or use the cards, but I fucking bought it.  I paid MSRP too.  I am not against them printing these types of cards.  I am not against cards from other properties being Magic cards.  I just fucking hate it that there is another thing I need to buy to keep up with my collection.

It is just another thing that makes me want to stop collecting all together, and trim down to a couple of decks.

Vintage

I got this beauty and I only need 12 more cards to finish my Unlimited collection!  It was at a good price too!  Not the mintiest card, but still playable.

Standard

This pickup was just in time!  Prices of this card had been tumbling for a while, and some lucky trader decided to cash out and receive the price I was willing to pay for them ($8.00).  Not that long after I got them in Pioneer was announced and the price doubled.  Lucky for me! 

And this might be a simple brag, and there are plenty of cards that I sent out at $1 to reach the heights of multiple times higher, but this card was a true thorn in my side.  It is just one of those standard cards that plays well in Modern, and I was really just hoping to pick it up on the slide down as it gets closer to rotation.  Lucky me, I was able to snag them up just in time.

Other Pickups

Yup, I ended up paying X2.5 for those Sun Sentinels, but I am closer to finishing out the last of the Planeswalker deck 1st print cards.  Stupid products.

This is a speculation that I think is going to go even further now that Pioneer has been announced.  I am still trying to pick up more of these, but that is also because I love Moxen!

Picked up another one of these too.  I am not sure what is going on, but grabbing Modern Master cards is just a lot easier and my prices are being met quite fast, as low as I have them set.

And more Modern Horizon cards for the collection.  Again, just surprised that I am able to pick these up so quickly now that Pioneer has been announced.  I do think there is a correlation, but I am not sure if it is Pioneer or the Next Set Syndrome.  What ever it might be, if you can fight off FOMO and just wait, you can always get cards at a lower price once they have been released.

Promo

And this is the second to last Player Promo card that I need from the 5th release and up.  I only need one more and I can move on to my next promo set to collect.

End

So this is another example of going to a monthly blog while I try and figure all this out.

WoTC did announce that they were going to release more Commander products in 2020, so it looks like there is going to be more sealed product I will need to buy.  But since they are mostly Commander decks, I will just be picking up 2 each.  One to open and one to keep.  They also announced a draft set being released for Commander, so let's see how that goes.

There is also going to be a new Un-set that is a pre-made 5 deck set which is pretty cool.

I am still not excited about next year at all.  Seems like a lot of stupid products I need to pick up in order to keep up with playable cards, and if they keep up with the Collector Boosters, it is just going to get more stupid with elevated prices at release and the cards just ending up at a massive loss.

If WoTC only knew that they could just release less products but raise the price everything would more than likely go smooth.  Now that they are raising prices while also sending out more sets, it is no wonder why people are moving toward EDH.  All you need is a single card for any of those decks and a $0.50 card could be very valuable in the deck you want to play.

I know, I do not need to buy everything that is released.  As a collector I only like to have everything in my collection, but seeing what is going on it is slow and steady at this point.  The bubble of excess needs to be avoided.

Rotation is now done

Total Trade Count: 204,260
Total Foil Count: 3,753

Total Need Count: 2,030

Today is just an update, and I am bored. 

Rotation occurred and I just finished sorting all the sets that have rotated out into my Modern and Legacy collections.  Not sure how many rotations I will be around for after this one.

The only thing keeping me in MTG is the fact that I do not have anything else to do.  I have been considering liquidating the collection and transferring it into equities and debt, but we will have to wait and see.  For now, I am still an EDH player and the collection will stay at least until my son gets old enough to not want to play the game.  Or if I really get a bug in my butt, and I just start to sell everything.  I just don't know yet.

I can tell you this much, I am just trying to finish out the sets that I have left, and I will pick up sealed booster boxes to keep up, but no more speculation or buying singles that I do not plan to use in an EDH deck.  Throne of Eldraine will be my last set that I complete a playset of, at least until I change my mind.

Throne of Eldraine

Here is my pre-order, and yes it is only three boxes.  Since the Mythic Edition boxes have gone away I needed 1 for the collection, 1 to trade later, and 1 to open.  I have yet to open anything, so we will see what happens.

Of course I got my 2 Bundles as well.  I will more than likely keep up with the Bundle and Booster box for the collection, but I will no longer be opening any of it.  I will just pick up the singles if I keep up with that part of collecting.

Here are those Collector Boosters and the Buy-a-Box promos you get for pre-ordering, and I will not be opening those at all.  I consider them a huge waste of money.  The only reason I have these is because they came with my pre-order.

Ok so these are pretty cool, but I think I am saying that because I like EDH so much.  I do hope they keep up with these type of releases.

And finally these sacks of shit...  See, just too much stuff to buy of the exact same thing...  What is the point?

SDCC 2019

So I did pick this up after market off of eBay.  I missed the Hasbro site release because of a work meeting, so there it is.  A full $50 more than list price, but hey I missed it.  Lucky I was able to buy this with credit on a no interest for 6 months deal.  $25 a month, worth it.

Vintage

Not going to lie, this is the only thing I am really happy about.  I am down to needing 13 more cards to finish my Unlimited set.  Most of these cards came in through CardSphere, but that Disk I was able to pick up at my FLGS - Lodestone.  Picking up the older cards is really the only thing I truly enjoy now, and to actually have a full set of Unlimited and Beta is still a dream I am hoping to complete.

Modern Horizon

This is a set that I think is cool, and it was a big success.  I am still picking up cards I need here and there.  Mostly acquiring cards off of CardSphere, but it is slow as it goes with them.

Ok so I was picking up as many Mox Tantalites as I could, only because anything with Mox in the front of the name goes up in price at some point.  Case in point, Mox Amber.  No one thought that card was going to do anything, and now look at it.  $25+ right now because someone figured out a way to put it in a deck and do something with it.  Might as well pick up these at $4 while you can.

Outside of The First Sliver, everything up here is just what I needed to finish out my playsets.  Prices have been slowly dropping, so I have been able to pick some of these up.  I still need to snag the land cycle, but that will be coming around XMas time.  People really start dumping their collections right about this time, so I can assume the supply of cards will increase from now until the end of the year.

If you wanted a tip thought, that Sliver is a good spec.  All the WUBRG Sliver Legendary creatures end up $80 at some point.

Conclusion

I might still try and pick up some cards that I think are going to do well in the long run, but right now I am just going to avoid new products for a while.  I will pick up things to keep sealed, just because it is never easy getting all the sealed product you are looking for after they go out of rotation.  It is much cheaper to pick them up at pre-order, and then pick up the singles after rotation.

Well that is until the player base goes way down, and boxes do not get opened up as much, then just pick up a little extra sealed product to trade into LGS credit to pick up on trades.

I am not saying that I am leaving MTG, but I am taking a break for a while.