Is Rasta Crazy?

Economics forum

Posted on June 18, 2014, 5:07 p.m. by Rasta_Viking29

So yesterday I decided to liquidate a bunch of my standard cards

Card = Max $ if sold (based on TCG low)
4x Desecration Demon = $12
4x Nightveil Specter = $10
3x Lord of the Void = $9
4x Lifebane Zombie = $16
4x Shadowborn Demon = $16
4x Boros Reckoner = $20
2x Mutavault = $40
4x Pack Rat = $6
1x Master of Cruelties = $2
Best possible profit = $131

My LGS uses SCG pricing so they value cards more than I do. They also do 60% store credit on trade-ins so I figured I'd see what they'd give me for the lot. They offered a little over $120 and I took it.

Now I am asking if I'm crazy because I turned around and bought 11x Steam Vents at $12 a pop with the credit. Others at my LGS thought this was odd. I think it's smart. So yeah, sane or crazy?

GoldGhost012 says... #2

You, sir, are most definitely sane. The only cards that may retain value is Mutavault , and Steam Vents is almost guaranteed to go up.

June 18, 2014 5:10 p.m.

vampirelazarus says... #3

I probably would have spread out into play sets of several shocks, but that's because I need only like.... six more shocks to get a play set of each...

June 18, 2014 5:13 p.m.

ppledger says... #4

Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the Reckoners (in my experience, there's usually someone willing to make a solid trade for them, even though they're rotating out). That being said, you got your money's worth from the store and then some. Steam Vents are awesome, and certainly a worthwhile investment. They don't have much of a home in the current standard meta, but they're awesome in modern. Most of the cards you got rid of will probably drop harshly once they leave standard, so I'd say that you made the right call.

June 18, 2014 5:16 p.m.

gufymike says... #5

I'm going to go with, good investment, but remember it's a long term investment right now, especially if you got rtr shocks. But the time to buy shocks is now.

June 18, 2014 5:52 p.m.

Nigeltastic says... #6

I think other good purchases (and those were good purchases), would have been Abrupt Decay , and possibly (although less because of the modern ban) Deathrite Shaman .

June 18, 2014 5:59 p.m.

wigginIII says... #7

@GoldGhost012

Mutavault will PLUMMET come rotation. It has already dropped about 5-8 bucks in the past few months. Pre its reprint in M14, it was a 10 dollar utility land that saw play in Merfolk and little elsewhere. Mutavault will again settle around 10 bucks come rotation, so it would have been a terrible pickup. Steam Vents is the most play shock in Modern, and was a solid choice.

June 18, 2014 6:10 p.m.

@wigginIII

Mutavault was a $30-40 powerhouse land that saw 4-of play in a lot of important decks, most notably Merfolk as you mentioned. Just because it only saw mainstream play in one archetype doesn't mean it wasn't still in high demand.

June 18, 2014 7:34 p.m.

Rasta_Viking29 says... #9

Good to know there's a reason to my rhyme. I now have 56 shocklands.

June 18, 2014 8:59 p.m.

wigginIII says... #10

@NobodyPicksBulbasaur

Are you investing in m14 Mutavaults? Merfolk is no longer tier 1 in Modern, and will subsequently drop to 10 dollars post rotation. Its value is almost entirely sustained by Standard when over 70% of decks run it. Let me know how that investment works out for you :) I'll be over here with Steam Vents, the 5th most common land in Modern overall, appearing in over 32% of decks, while Mutavault is 32nd at 5.6%

June 19, 2014 10:55 a.m.

I never said I was investing. I was simply correcting a misunderstanding someone had with Mutavault's pre-m14 value.

Mutavault will be cheaper come rotation than it is right now, but I would expect its price to continue to climb over the next few years.

Mutavault , like Thoughtseize , has an inflated price for Standard use because it is also powerful in Modern and Legacy. Its use in eternal formats will keep its price from plummeting come rotation.

June 19, 2014 5:53 p.m.

TheGamer says... #12

Considering almost all these cards are dropping in price after rotation, good investment.

June 20, 2014 10:15 a.m.

wigginIII says... #13

@ NobodyPicksBulbasaur

Lol, wrong again. Thoughseize is the best discard spell ever printed, and is a foundation to many modern and legacy decks. It was over 70 bucks pre reprint. It is floating around 15+ now, and with Theros not being opened as much, and soon to be none once M15 is released, Thoughtseize will begin to slowly climb. If it dips in fall of 2015 after rotation, it will quickly recover and settle above it's current price. This is simply because Mutavault is a modern/legacy staple. Mutavault is far from a staple.

Mutavault has already dropped 30% in the last 4 months, and will drop another 30-40% come rotation. It may recover, but it will be slow and gradual. Truly, the comparison is a stretch at best, uninformed at worst.

June 20, 2014 1:01 p.m.

wigginIII says... #14

This is simply because Thoughtseize*** is a modern/legacy staple. Mutavault is far from a staple.

June 20, 2014 1:02 p.m.

Mutavault is absolutely a staple card in both Modern and Legacy. Seeing less play than Thoughtseize doesn't make it bad. Most cards see less play than Thoughtseize .

Mutavault will absolutely lose some value come rotation, but saying that its price will plummet is still a stretch. Its value will hold steady at a perfectly reasonable value and then will slowly climb, as powerful cards tend to do once they're out of print.

I'm not disagreeing with your point, per se. I'm simply disagreeing with the magnitude of your claim.

June 20, 2014 4:51 p.m.

Schuesseled says... #16

@wigginIII It was 30 bucks or more pre m14. Will it stay at 20 bucks? No it will drop, not a lot, but it will go down.

June 20, 2014 7:49 p.m.

wigginIII says... #17

Still dropping: http://www.mtggoldfish.com/price/Magic+2014+Core+Set/Mutavault#paper

October 23, 2014 5:42 p.m.

TheRedDude says... #18

necro?

October 23, 2014 6:14 p.m.

GoldGhost012 says... #19

Necro.

October 23, 2014 6:22 p.m.

Looks like someone needs to make like Frozen and let it go.

October 23, 2014 6:32 p.m.

ChiefBell says... #21

Mutavault will probably pick up again if the new aggro rock build with pack rat takes off. It's been doing fairly well recently. I have no doubt that mutavault is a good investment in the long term but it will never go up a lot - just a little.

October 23, 2014 7:11 p.m.

ChiefBell says... #22

Same guy trying to be a smart ass with mtggoldfish can't be bothered to go back to verify that a) mutavault was $30 very recently and b) it's played in multiple important decks in multiple formats.

October 23, 2014 7:17 p.m.

wigginIII says... #23

Trying to be a smart ass? I'll take that as a compliment. If you don't understand why Mutavault was $30 and is $15 now, then I can't help you. I said it was a bad spec target back when it was over 20, and it has only gone down since. I said it would hit 15 and was laughed at. Just proving I'm right. It is used in Merfolk and maybe a handful of fringe modern/legacy decks that are far from tier 1.

Some of us just can't let it go. Not when we are right :)

October 27, 2014 7:30 p.m.

ChiefBell says... #24

If you really, really don't think that mutavault will bounce back incredibly high then....... then you can't think 12 months ahead.

October 27, 2014 7:46 p.m.

wigginIII says... #25

Go ahead and make your 12 month investments for marginal gain, you'll be lucky if mutavault is $25 in a year. Don't worry, I'll remind you when I'm right.

Meanwhile I'll be making hand over fist "day trading" in standard commodities. Buy low, sell high. Mutavault doesn't see the play necessary to reap a ROI worthy of a 12 month investment.

October 29, 2014 4:58 p.m.

ChiefBell says... #26

No, no, no. Don't backtrack now. You said Mutavault was a poor spec. If I buy now at $15 and within a year or so it's $25 - then it's not a bad spec at all. Even if I bought at $20 and subsequently sold at $25, it wouldn't be a bad spec. Don't try to wriggle out. You'll only be right if it continues to lose value and I'm saying - that won't happen.

October 29, 2014 5:07 p.m.

Femme_Fatale says... #27

Please do not Reanimate posts wigginIII.

And the most important rule of T/O that many of us prefer to follow, is don't make a big deal out of anything. That is this community, we want to keep it happy, healthy and helpful. Remember these three H's before posting in T/O :)

October 29, 2014 7:12 p.m.

wigginIII says... #28

@chiefball lol, read the whole thread and see if you can put 2 and 2 together and understand my point. It equals 4 btw, but I suppose I should know now that reading comprehension isn't your strong point.

@trans I'll post whenever and wherever I feel like it. If it means reanimating an old thread to prove the haters wrong, I'll do it again in a year. I <3 h8ers!

October 30, 2014 4:51 p.m.

Femme_Fatale says... #29

One of the greatest rules of all forums is to never post in an old thread. It just irritates everyone else. If you have to resort to internet slang and offensive commentary just to try and prove an incredibly futile point, that in which is very much based on opinion and personal experience, then do it somewhere else please.

October 30, 2014 5:48 p.m.

http://images58.fotki.com/v510/photos/2/292835/5750312/TrollBGone-vi.jpg

Also, juvenile name calling is a sign of idiocy.

October 30, 2014 5:54 p.m.

wigginIII says... #31

Your concern feeds me :)

October 30, 2014 5:55 p.m.

I know. I wasn't paying for your benefit.

October 30, 2014 5:57 p.m.

Paying == posting

October 30, 2014 5:57 p.m.

Femme_Fatale says... #34

I thought you meant playing.

October 30, 2014 6:04 p.m.

wigginIII no need to be a dick about it. Femme just politely asked you to not necroing threads, there's no need to be an asshole.

October 30, 2014 7:17 p.m.

I dont even know what I meant anymore.

I do know I was posting for wiggin, but not for his benefit.

October 30, 2014 7:18 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #37

Oi only I have the right to necro at the cost of lazarus' wrath

October 31, 2014 7:50 p.m.

FEEL MY WRATH INSIDE YOU!!!

October 31, 2014 10:59 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #39

obbyis

October 31, 2014 11 p.m.

I.... umm....

....

What?

October 31, 2014 11:02 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #41

o....bb...yis

October 31, 2014 11:03 p.m.

OH I GET IT NOW >.>

....

October 31, 2014 11:04 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #43

lol you brought this on yourself

October 31, 2014 11:06 p.m.

Femme_Fatale says... #44

giggles Oh the fantasies that are swirling in my mind right now ♥

October 31, 2014 11:06 p.m.

Is that worth tagging the fluffy bunny pants master? I don't know what the criteria for that is lol

October 31, 2014 11:06 p.m.

Femme_Fatale says... #46

fluffybunnypants

Let's all rejoice in this sexual love time moment between two T/O members ♥

October 31, 2014 11:07 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #47

Dude when people threaten me with a good time I fuckin roll with it. I have a homophobic friend who won't make these jokes anymore...

October 31, 2014 11:08 p.m.

YAY SEX

And I agree, fantasies abound.

October 31, 2014 11:08 p.m.

Femme_Fatale says... #49

Threaten you with a good time? No one is threatening anyone >.>

October 31, 2014 11:09 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #50

The Metaphor

You

                        Haha
October 31, 2014 11:11 p.m.

This discussion has been closed