Fetchlands price hike
Economics forum
Posted on April 8, 2014, 11:21 p.m. by ExpectDragons
Fetchlands have seen a big price hike in recent weeks pricing them out of the market for allot of people and it's not like every player could afford them before. From what i hear it's down to a combination of two factors, the pro tour which spiked the prices of staples and the large retailers who deal in singles artificially inflating the price by buying up & controlling the supply in the market to take advantage of the higher demand. Starcity games being the chief suspect as they largely set market value on cards across the board, pretty outrageous if the case but it's speculation without comment from sources from the inside, perhaps we should hire a spy? lol
But if true it should hopefully mean this artificially created inflation in prices will subside before long, if not then for now rather refute claims that modern is an expensive format as i usually do i'll have to concur. So what have you heard about it, any speculation as to when prices & supply will return to how they were just a couple months ago?
They aren't going down any time soon unless there's a reprint. Fetches have a perfect trifecta: they are much stronger than any other alternative cards, they are played in almost every T1 deck, and they have only been printed in one modern legal set, which was almost 5 years ago now. Until one of those things changes they'll only continue to rise.
April 8, 2014 11:32 p.m.
ExpectDragons says... #4
well sets spend about three years in development before release and given that modern will be three years old at the start of the next block that should herald in sets that take modern into account through more reprints and a steady stream of new cards that actually make their way into competitive decks. Only one from the current block that competitive play in modern play that i've seen is Courser of Kruphix in some Jund decks but that may be short lived.
Rosewater has been quoted as saying the next block will be a new plane so a fetchland reprint until at least fall 2015 isn't going to happen.
April 8, 2014 11:47 p.m.
blackmarker90 says... #5
There is no reason that they couldn't put the fetches in Huey
April 8, 2014 11:52 p.m.
ExpectDragons says... #6
doubtful, they're synonymous with the set's the were printed in and may have some kind of link with the story arc (i don't read any of the MTG story lines).
April 8, 2014 11:55 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #7
Thoughtseize was a Lorwyn card that had a ton of lore connections to that block (Dreamspoiler Witches etc) and they reprinted it. Anything could happen.
April 9, 2014 12:12 a.m.
blackmarker90 says... #8
All 10 of the fetches have ambiguous names so that if wizards felt the need to, they could be reprinted in any set they felt like. You could find a Misty Rainforest on any plane, what about a Verdant Catacombs or Flooded Strand ? Ambiguous enough to be printed whenever aren't they?
April 9, 2014 12:16 a.m.
unholycookies says... #9
I hope they're reprinted. Then everyone will horde it. We'll be crazy with modern frenzy. That and I kinda want lots of them....you know.....I like hording......I think many of us do.
April 9, 2014 1:09 a.m.
I foresee them getting reprinted in 2 or 3 block. But definitely not in Huey. The money WotC will get from sale for a fetchland reprint is just to interesting for them to pass up in some kind of future. Maybe it will be in something like Modern Master 2 but I don't see a product like that in at least 2 years.
This is all speculation and for now, we can only hope.
April 9, 2014 3:13 a.m.
You can get them fairly cheaply off ebay still. That's how I got mine. I maintain the view that people who already have them will be pissed off with a reprint (myself included).
April 9, 2014 6:49 a.m.
If you can afford them now, you will be able to afford them if a reprint happens. Wait a year and BOOM! They too will be expensive.
April 9, 2014 8:59 a.m.
That viewpoint is the reason Wizards made the original Reserve List... since then Wizards has stated that they will no longer add any cards to the Reserve List, so that they can retain the ability to maintain a balance in the game, and allow the largest number of players possible.
Being "pissed off", to me, would just mean that you don't want to have a level playing field, and want to be in an elite group of players... a group based on nothing but having surplus money, and not necessarily any ability or skill.
To sum up... A reprint is inevitable, as it is a barrier to entry for the Modern format. The only question is "When?". - Could be next Block... could be 5 years...
If you're going to be "pissed off" about losing money, you're probably playing the wrong game.
April 9, 2014 9:17 a.m.
It's a collectors game. There's nothing wrong with trying to profit from it. I'm completely neutral about a level playing field. My only motivation is buy low, sell high. That's it. I don't even play modern so I have no interest in this stupid money vs skill debate. I only collect cards so I can sell them later.
It's not so important because a year or so after reprint they'll bounce back. If anything it MIGHT create more opportunity for future profit. I just don't want a temporary bubble.
But no, I dont play modern. I just buy and sell these cards. So to make silly points about 'elite groups of players' and this stupid access to modern theory is missing the point. It's not about playing the game for me, it's about profiting from the game. I have my personal copies for EDH, I'm approaching this from the view to sell all my excess copies.
April 9, 2014 9:29 a.m.
Modern isn't my format so I dont have much emotional investment in it.
Although it is worth questioning whether a reprint will lead to price decrease in the long term because I dont think it will. Maybe for a year or so, yeah, but not for a long time.
When you happen to be someone who can afford all the cards anyway, it doesnt matter how much something costs - you become more interested in maintaining your investment. It's like a cognitive shift. Someone who doesnt have access thinks one way, and someone who can thinks a different way. There are two sides to every story.
April 9, 2014 9:34 a.m.
Ohthenoises says... #16
For me, I have access, I could buy a playset of each fetch. That doesn't mean that I WANT to pay $75 for a Misty Rainforest so the prospect of reprints makes me happy.
April 9, 2014 9:36 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #17
just got outbid on a set of verdants, my bid worked out at twenty three pounds each plus postage, allot of money but still not enough :/
April 9, 2014 9:40 a.m.
As someone who has access to the cards and has them, bring on the reprint. I would like to see more players get involved in ANY format that allows fetches. It's not limited to modern, but edh and legacy also.
It's about being able to play more tournaments and games with more players.
You want to maintain your investment, invest in the blue chip stocks, in this case stuff on the reserved list.
A reprint of the fetches inevitable because without it modern will start to slow down in growth and die out. Something WoTC is going to try and not do I believe.
April 9, 2014 9:40 a.m.
Having more players would be nice. I grant that point. However my local has enough that have playsets of ABUR lands etc anyway..... must depend on the area.
It's nice playing a popular game anyway.
April 9, 2014 9:55 a.m.
MaRo has stated that even the shocklands are named so that they could be used in a non-Ravnica set:
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/48780077968/given-that-the-shock-land-names-were-deliberately
Just like blackmarker90 stated, the fetches have ambiguous names that could fit on any plane, not just Zendikar. The earliest they'll be reprinted would be after the shocklands rotate out (well, obviously), which would be this fall.
April 9, 2014 10:06 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #21
i'm lucky, i started playing magic with an unsanctioned group that only plays modern, EDH and other casual format for fun so until a week ago i hadn't played a single game of Standard. All the better for it, far better player that i would be had i started out in standard and with a far more diverse collection but sadly only one set of fetches :/
April 9, 2014 10:09 a.m.
Personally I put far less stock in shadowy buyouts or market manipulation than the simple economics. Looking at the available numbers, Magic has been exponentially growing over the last several years. Zendikar was 5 years ago, and the print run was much smaller because the player base was 1/2 is not a 1/3rd of what it is today. Demand is high because supply is so low.
April 9, 2014 10:09 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #23
personally i think they should release a modern from the vault like product with one of each in the set plus some other staples, high enough price tag so as to not flood the market with them but priced so it works out cheaper than buying them individually at current price levels. A product like that wouldn't take long to put together, might as well make them all foil as well lol i'll take four! ;D
April 9, 2014 10:21 a.m.
shop around, you can usually pick things up for 5-10% cheaper than TCG low if you use FB groups or forums. Personally I wouldn't say its an artificial spike, since everyone has already mentioned, low supply, high demand, basic econ. Prices will never return to last years without a reprint. People are ready to buy the cards at their prices, so there is no reason to sell them cheaper.
As far as a reprint, its possible something like Marsh Flats
will be in the modern event deck, or hell even conspiracy could have something, but personally I wouldn't get your hopes up until MMA2 is announced as an official product.
April 9, 2014 10:44 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #26
no, not a draft product, a small box set like from the vault of twenty or so cards say, one of each fetch, a goyf, bob, clique, bitter blossom etc but price it so you save money over buying them individually but not low enough that every tom dick and harry is going to buy as many as they can get their hands on. That way you increase supply without introducing cards into standard and do it in a decent time frame, a new draft set would take ages to develop.
April 9, 2014 11:17 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #27
besides which modern masters was supposed to be a one off for the anniversary, i expect it'll happen again but not for a long time
April 9, 2014 11:19 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #28
That will never happen. The price would have to be 350 on a set like that, and that would be low. The lands will support a whole block on their own. Which ever block prints fetches will set records for opening.
April 9, 2014 11:26 a.m.
PooPlayer regarding mm as a one off: "If the set works and accomplishes what we wantmore Modern playerswe'll contemplate making another set like it some time down the road. But for now, our plan is to stick with our small printing and keep a close eye on what happens."
Scroll down to 'This sounds eerily familiar...' The last paragraph.
I believe this accomplished what they wanted in a large scale.
April 9, 2014 11:31 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #30
at present the current block is heavily mono orientated with tap lands, R&D have mentioned repeatedly that they want to slow standard down so i'm not sure how fetchlands fit into that mode of thinking. Having fetches where the only viable land to search up is a basic for something so versatile seems a waste for a block regardless of whether it's good for other formats.
April 9, 2014 11:32 a.m.
I would argue in a return to zendikar or similar where landfall is present fetches would appear.
April 9, 2014 11:41 a.m.
ExpectDragons says... #32
putting the finishing touches to a powerful landfall deck in modern atm, so would look forward to fresh landfall creatures to exploit
blackmarker90 says... #2
At this point in this discussion the only way Fetches will go down is if there is a standard reprint of them. The amount of money they bring in for businesses is too lucrative for them to drop, as well as the fact that the fair majority of T1 decks run them pretty much solidifies the fact that they are worth what they cost.
April 8, 2014 11:29 p.m.