Bang For Your Buck #2
Bang For Your Buck
ducttapedeckbox
20 May 2013
3170 views
Bang for your Buck (Revived & Revamped) -- Episode 2
Intro
20 May 2013
3170 views
Bang for your Buck (Revived & Revamped) -- Episode 2
Intro
Hey everyone! You may remember
from a few months ago. With school out for the summer, I am going to try to get back into writing these articles, except with a twist. I will no longer solely feature budget decks, but rather write about any aspect of budget Magic that the T/O community would like! I will detail my new format at the end of the article.
In this episode, I decided to give my take on deck building and managing your collection on a budget. Below I will highlight my suggestions to those of you who love to play Magic, but may not have the money or want to spend the money on constructing a deck with four Thragtusks. Without further ado, let’s get going!
ducttapedeckbox’s Budget Tips
1
Get rid of those darn Tarmogoyfs! If you’re fortunate enough to have a card of such high value and consider yourself a budget player, you probably have it in a sleeve, in another sleeve, in a hard top-loader somewhere in your room. Of course, not in your trade binder - it’s too valuable to risk losing. If this is you, what are you waiting for? Sell it! Trade it! Just get rid of it! It’s not doing you any good sitting on your shelf collecting dust (ok, maybe it’s a bragging piece when you’re with friends). You can construct entire decks that you will use with the value of that one card.
Numbers 2 and 3 easily apply to any player, not just budget ones, but I think it is more of a necessity for budget players to place increased emphasis on these.
2
Know your META! Winning on a budget can be tough, but is easily doable if you know what you’re up against. If you know the bulk of your games will be versus quick aggro decks, don’t wait until Game 2 to sideboard out your 5+ drops for smaller cards. One of the most important things about being a budget player is being smart about it. It is usually easier to go into a tournament with a stock $500 deck that is almost guaranteed to win. Where’s the fun in that? To be successful, you have to embrace the fact that you won’t be playing one of these decks, and still realize that you can win.
3
Know your DECK! Just as important, if not more important than #2 is to know your own deck. As simple as it sounds, I’ve played against many people where it is evident that they do not know their deck. If a stranger stops you on the sidewalk and asks for your complete deck list, you should be able to give it to him without hesitation. In sticky situations, you need to know every possible card you can draw to plan out a win.
4
Control yourself! As fun as it is to get that adrenaline rush when you open a booster of the latest set in hopes of pulling a Voice of Resurgence or Ral Zarek, it is not in your best financial interest. The chances of you pulling one of these high-value cards is not too good, and you could just be buying the cards you actually want for the same, if not a lesser price. This may be one of the toughest things to do as a budget player, but I ‘m sure that you won’t miss pulling a bulk rare that even some budget players won’t use.
5
No more Mr. Nice Guy. If you see someone running around like crazy at a tournament in dire need of a specific card, the non-budget you might have given the person a pretty good deal on that playset you have. Not the budget you. Do not make trades unless you are trading cards of equal value, or are making a profit on the trade. With that said, make sure you know the stable cards and the unstable cards. Trades in which you can acquire a stable card and get rid of other volatile ones are the best. If your deck runs one or two expensive cards and they’re tanking in price, just wait it out. Chances are your deck will still function fine without them.
Well, those are my top 5 budget-players tips. What did I miss? And after reading this, hopefully you are encouraged to challenge yourself. That booster box you want to order? Don’t order it. That awesome deal your LGS has on boosters? Ignore it. Take your current collection, and build off of that. I can guarantee that many of you can construct your current decks without pouring more money into boosters. But, if you need something, remember rule #4! Buy the single, not a pack.
With that said, please don’t take this as encouragement to not buy more cards. That is not what I’m suggesting.
Future Articles!
I hope you all enjoyed my tips for budget players. I know some of them may seem obvious, but some are extremely hard to follow.
Since articles of just additional tips would get boring, I want to know what the T/O community would like me to write about! Here are a few options:
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Something like the first article in this series, where I would analyze a Standard budget deck (under $50 excluding SB) and give my opinions on it (with input from tempest and SomethingRandom), and help the deck builder improve the deck.
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Specific card analysis. I’ll have T/O members suggest cards that they think are musts in budget decks, and I’ll look at why and explore a few decks that make these cards truly work
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Something else! If you have something that you’d like me to write about, speak up! I’m open to anything, as long as it’s budget-related.
If you’d like to vote for what you’d like to hear about next, please do so in the comments below. Include what you’d like to hear about, and the specifics:
- For 1, please include the deck and it’s link. Make sure that the deck has a detailed description so that I know the goal of the deck.
- For 2, please list THREE cards that you’d like me to look at. The most popular cards (or the ones I think would be best to write about) will be included in an article.
- For 3, please include… well whatever you’d like to hear about!
I hope you all enjoyed this article, and I’d love to hear any feedback! Please don’t forget to give me input on what you want for the next article as well!
Arachnarchist says... #2
I would also add that if you as a budget player are fortunate enough to pull a valuable foil, anything from AEtherling to a Sphinx's Revelation , you should trade it in. Even if you think you may want to play that card, you can trade a foil for a non foil and a whole bunch of other stuff.
May 20, 2013 8:39 p.m.
I think seeing some kind of list of budget versions of higher-value cards. Such as Archaeomancer could be considered -to an extent- a budget Snapcaster Mage . Maybe including some like that in a future article would be a good idea.
May 20, 2013 9:07 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #4
@ Enratic -- Thanks for the support! Any suggestions for the next one?
@ Arachnarchist -- Great point! I guess we now have Rule 1a. Any suggestions for the next article?
May 20, 2013 9:07 p.m.
cartwheelnurd says... #5
@bleath02 the issue with this (I think I saw this on a budget article on Daily MTG) Is that if you're building a budget deck you want it to not try to be an expensive deck. If you're trying to play Archaeomancer because you want Snapcaster Mage then you aren't playing a budget deck. You're playing an expensive deck without the necessary expensive cards. A budget deck is its own thing aside from the expensive net-decks.
For the next article, could you talk just a little about the impact of dual lands on budget decks? Since a budget deck can't have playsets of shock lands, so could you talk about how to make the mana base of 2-3 color decks consistent witout spending too much, and about how much Hallowed Fountain is better than Azorius Guildgate that you might be compelled to make the switch.
May 20, 2013 9:24 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #6
@ bleath02 & cartwheelnurd -- I'm kind of in between your two opinions. As mentioned, you cannot replace a single card in a deck due to budget - that's just an incomplete expensive deck. What you can do is keep the idea/strategy. You have to re-work the entire deck, but keep the same idea in mind. I think I will be exploring this idea in the next article with Darkness1835, who suggested the idea to me.
I will also include a section about the impact of shocklands on budget decks (or write an entirely separate article if I have a lot to say).
Thank you for the discussion, and keep the suggestions coming!
May 20, 2013 9:35 p.m.
As long as we're on the subject of budget building, what about Modified Budget Boros?
May 20, 2013 9:44 p.m.
Well, #2 and #3 are more for everybody. A simic aggro deck, whose mainboard non-land cards probably would amount to less than 5 dollars and maybe 60 - 80 for the 4 Breeding Pool and the 4 Hinterland Harbor , got 2nd place here.
http://www.tcdecks.net/deck.php?id=10678&iddeck=77926
The sideboard probably costs more than the mainboard as well.
You could probably look into archtypes popular for cheap, like mono-red or WW.
May 20, 2013 9:49 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox, i was wondering if my deck Mostly Ghostly would still be going up next?
May 20, 2013 11:08 p.m.
@bleath02 while I get where you're coming from I disagree with your analysis of Archaeomancer . He is not a budget Snapcaster Mage . Sure, they -kind of- fit the same role if you're expecting to only play main phase sorcery spells. But if you're looking to play him over Snapcaster Mage in a current deckbuild, then you'll very soon find that he doesn't fill the same role.
What I feel is the most important thing to know about budget deckbuilding is, that if you're building on a budget, you CAN'T get an expensive deck and substitute the cards for cheaper versions. It just doesn't work that way. You have to build around good, cheap cards. If your deck heavily relies on Sphinx's Revelation you can't instead run a playset of Think Twice .
Also, as someone said on another thread on TappedOut, when playing budget, you have to sacrifice creativity, for playability. A budget deck has to be efficient and you can't mainboard those "quirky" interactions, because usually the powerlevel is not high enough of the individual card, to justify this.
THat's just my two cents about budget at least.
May 21, 2013 1:35 a.m.
AlphabetEnthusiast says... #11
I guess I'm not a huge budget player anymore, but I use to be, and I think one of the biggest things people need is to not be afraid to spend $10-$20 on singles. The next like 3-5 times you would buy a booster pack, just don't, and put that money aside in a magic fund or something. With $20, you can buy all the really good uncommons you'd likely need like Lingering Souls , Rancor , the guild charms, Putrefy s, Blood Artist or whatever. In addition you can get a bunch of less used rares. Also you need to be flexible on what deck you are going to run, and realize that a budget is a very real constraint, and might force you into certain colors or deck types to have a decent deck.
May 21, 2013 2:08 a.m.
For item #1, here is my budget deck submission (Might of the Wild).
May 21, 2013 7:56 a.m.
I have to agree with you, stop buying packs. It's the equivalent of holding on to a 5-6 suited hoping for runner-runner flush. You have decent enough odds to hit it on an occasion but you'll miss it more often than not.
I would add to that by saying order your singles online. The LGS's in my area have about a 15%-20% markup versus online stores (example: Ral Zarek is going for ~$17 on TCGplayer + $.49 shipping. At my LGS he's $23). Unless it's Thursday and you absolutely need that card for FNM tomorrow, the money you'll save by ordering online is worth the wait.
Drafting is also a good way to build your card base. If you're good at drafting, you can win packs that way and still get the cards you pull. Drafting has its own meta-game that takes a minute to pick up but can really help you add to your collection for not much money.
Lastly I would say DON'T TRADE LANDS away. These are far and away the most expensive part of any tier-1 deck. I'm not saying you have to have 24 shocks/checks to have a good deck but mana-fixing is a big part of any consistent deck. Even if you're not wanting to run BUG or Jund right now, hang on to those Breeding Pool and Blood Crypt because you may want to run them later and be in desperate need of mana-fixing.
May 21, 2013 9:28 a.m.
I'm glad to see that there are others in the Magic community who are just as cheap as I am! When you lessen the wallet vs. wallet focus of the game, it really brings out the best of the problem solving / critical thinking. Looking forward to reading more of these posts in the future!
May 21, 2013 10:30 a.m.
@ducttapedeckbox I wouldn't mind seeing some decklists for multiple formats not just standard. Maybe and EDH one or some cool janky combo casual deck ;)
May 21, 2013 4:41 p.m.
PrivateCarly says... #17
Here's my budget Bant Auras deck that I've made about the best I can make it I think, and another person looking at it with the budget mindset would be fantastic.http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/bant-auras-budget/
May 22, 2013 12:44 p.m.
Made it easier for the link. @PrivateCarly if you do [ [deck:DECKURL] ] minus the spaces with the "bant-auras-budget part of your URL replacing DECKURL you get a clickable link like above.
May 22, 2013 12:53 p.m.
Would I be considered a budget player if I shelled out 25$ for a Sphinx's Revelation foil a week ago? Should I just trade it away for 2 Geist of Saint Traft or for a playset of shocks?
May 22, 2013 1:29 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #22
I'm very happy that this article has sparked a great discussion. Keep it going! I will respond to some comments below.
@ thyhax -- Is that your deck for submission?
@ JokerWx13 -- It will be the next deck to be featured, but not necessarily the next article.
@ psychoza -- Received. I will detail the order of next articles below.
@ aeonblue -- I'm not sure I follow your view on shock lands. They're more of a luxury when playing a budget deck, and the Guildgates do a fine job of the mana fixing you need, so why not sell them/trade them for what you definitely need?
@ Enratic -- We will be starting on solely standard decks (where most of my experience is), but may expand to other formats in the future.
@ PrivateCarly -- Received.
@ TempoPlat -- In my opinion, one transaction doesn't label you as a "budget" or "non-budget" player. It relies on how much you spend constructing decks and how you manage your collection.
Future Articles and Feature Order
Articles will be written on various budget-related concepts, and not solely feature decks. Therefore, if you submit a deck, it may not be the next article written.
This is the two articles I have planned (may be 3).
- How to build a budget deck in a pricey archetype (with the help of Darkness1835
- Impact of Shock lands in standard budget decks (may be part of the above article)
- Deck Feature
This is the wait list for having a deck featured. This does not indicate the order in which the Bang for your Buck articles will be written This only indicates which deck will be featured next, when the focus of the Bang for your Buck article is a deck feature.
May 22, 2013 2:55 p.m.
Sure, why not. That'll be my submission into the Bang For Your Buck future articles, ducttapedeckbox. If you've noticed, it does have a section for upgrading out of budget-ness.
May 22, 2013 4:43 p.m.
robogeek45 says... #24
if you are still looking at budget decks, Izzet-Lightning. Needs somue stability, but fun.
May 23, 2013 11:05 a.m.
A few questions: Is Deathrite Shaman a good pick up at the moment? Also, what about a Modern Masters Booster? What would be your bottom line for a MM box, and would you suggest opening it or not?
May 23, 2013 3:34 p.m.
Sollisnexus says... #26
Do you mind taking a Budget Modern Deck? If so Sublimital Messages is my budget Mill deck
May 23, 2013 9:07 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #27
@ thyhax -- Oh, I saw you linked a deck and assumed it was for submission. If you want, it doesn't have to be (but I'll gladly feature it)
@ robogeek45 -- You'll be #5 in the deck queue
@ vishnarg -- I don't really know about picking up either of those; I'm probably not the best to ask about the stability/market price of cards, but maybe someone else here can answer your questions.
@ planeswalkersollis -- Not sure if I'm going to be taking Modern decks yet, but I'll put you in as #6 for now.
May 24, 2013 2:29 p.m.
CaveShinobi says... #28
Hey, would it be fine to review my deck please? WB Life-Stealing Control I'm currently having some issues mostly with the current ramp. I already have some idea of what I should be changing there, but I'm still rather unsure. It's, well, an Orzhov deck where I try to control the game either by killing creatures with and/or making the opponent discard nonland and noncreature cards from his hand, all the while trying to build up the mana for Debt to the Deathless .
May 25, 2013 9:24 p.m.
SnowCoveredRevenge says... #29
I would like to add that you shouldn't trade chase cards into stores, you should always trade them to individuals. you get more
May 25, 2013 10:10 p.m.
killroy726 says... #30
I would prefer the first option. My FNM deck is very budget oriented and i could use some pointers on it: FNM deck on the cheap (help please!) its a grixis aggro/control deck ive hammered it out some to what i think it should look like
Enratic says... #1
Thanks for the tips! Budget players (myself included in that fine upstanding branch of society) love these articles!
May 20, 2013 8:08 p.m.