Pack to power challenge. How was your experience?
Challenges and Articles forum
Posted on Aug. 18, 2014, 11:32 p.m. by hash-brown
Hey everyone so I started the pack to power challenge! Its where you take a pack of cards and try to trade it up to a power 9 card. Im not here to ask for trades, but instead I was wondering if anyone else here has tried it and how it went for you guys? also, any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
miracleHat says... #3
@Epochalyptik, in your p2p, did you end up trading an Elvish Champion to a Volcanic Island or something stupid?
August 19, 2014 1:08 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Elvish Archdruid into FBB Italian Volcanic Island .
August 19, 2014 1:31 a.m.
hash-brown says... #5
When People asked you what you were doing or why they should trade, how would you explain it to them?
August 19, 2014 1:53 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
I wouldn't. At the beginning, it will be obvious to some people that you're doing pack to power. Some P2Pers opt to explain what P2P is during these first few trades, especially because it seems odd.
I find that the challenge of P2P comes from trading without the other party knowing that you're doing P2P. Some people may disagree with me on "ethical" grounds, but I'm not obligated to explain why I need the cards or what I'm doing. Of course, I'm still open to banter during trades if it means I'm more likely to close a deal, allay suspicions, or generally bond with other players.
August 19, 2014 2:14 a.m.
Mine went pretty awfully. I live in an area where no one ever proposes trades that are more than 1 or 2 dollars in someone's favour. It's a phones on the table, mathematical game, rather than a human interaction.
In some ways it's nice because no one ever gets ripped off unless they trade like a card that suddenly spiked (like a Nightveil Specter ) for something that's a staple (like a few shocklands or something). But obviously as a downside it means that it's impossible to get any real value from a trade.
August 19, 2014 3:28 a.m.
This whole equality thing is such a big deal where I live I was genuinely surprised that pack to power was a thing.
August 19, 2014 3:29 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #9
I'm with Chief on this one, P2P is damn near impossible around here. Granted, it's mostly to ensure that neither party is getting a "bad deal", which in most cases is preferred, but trying to trade up around here requires a 12 year old and no one watching.
I've had a friend trying to do P2P for like a year now, and he hasn't even moved out of standard cards yet. He started with one pack of every set in standard, got 2 dual lands, and is stuck because he just can't move anything into bigger things.
I may try the 'challenge' myself, but i'd rather not be limited in trade fodder and just apply the methods that I would use with my normal trade binder instead of just a pack.
August 19, 2014 7:20 a.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #10
It went well, better than expected actually. It took me about 3/4 of a calendar year because I had to wait for large events to roll through and I caught some luck at a SCG that set me up nicely to wrap things up.
Helpful hints and other commentary?
Eternal staples will net you better value. Seems obvious, right?
Altered cards are harder to move. I actually still have one left over that I haven't been able to get rid of.
Don't be sentimental over cards that are involved in your P2P attempt.
Sales experience was really very helpful.
Epochalyptik says... #2
It went very well for me.
My advice:
Don't get absorbed in cash crops. A lot of first-time P2P traders make the mistake of thinking that trading for a single high-value card is always the best way to go from step to step. This may not necessarily be the case. Often, you may find it profitable to break single chunks of value into multiple cards. Value is good, but it's ultimately meaningless if you can't actualize it. People need to want what you have.
For example, you might change your $20 card into $5, $7, $2, $4, and $3 (trading up in the process) in order to increase the potential for trades. As long as those individual cards are more desirable, you increase your potential for finding trades.
Know the metas of all formats. It's very important to be in tune with the competitive scenes in Standard, Modern, Legacy, and Commander. Knowing what cards are played and who plays them can greatly improve your chances of finding a trade.
Psychology. This is the moral gray area of trading. You can use psychological tricks such as modifying your word choice, inflection, and physical gestures in order to encourage someone to take specific actions. A double-take at a card's condition, a hint of surprise at a quoted value, or a momentary downturn of the mouth can make the difference in securing a trade or adding extra value to an existing trade. Some people find this kind of "trickery" to be unethical, so it's ultimately a matter of personal preference.
Don't trade for worn cards. It's much harder to move cards that are visibly worn. Wear is understandable in some cases (such as with ABUR duals or Karakas ), but avoid worn cards that have been recently printed. Nobody wants an SP Steam Vents when they're so widely available in NM condition.
August 19, 2014 12:13 a.m.