Jace and Vraska reprints
Economics forum
Posted on Jan. 21, 2014, 3:21 p.m. by Ryan_Schulze
So, what is gonna happen when the Duel Decks come out that have Jace, Architect of Thought and Vraska the Unseen ?? What happens to the price of the $20 Jace when you can grab him and the $9 Vraska for $20 total? What is WoTC doing??
Ryan_Schulze says... #3
True, but It doesn't drop out for over 6-7 months.
January 21, 2014 3:26 p.m.
SharuumNyan says... #4
Wizards isn't as effected by the secondary market, because they don't make direct profit from it. If they can sell a bunch of duel decks for $20 a piece they make a profit. They don't make any profit off a $20 Jace.
January 21, 2014 3:29 p.m.
blackmarker90 says... #5
While they are standard the shops themselves might charge more for the duel deck itself (look at the Mindseize commander deck) but it will still be $20 at major chains, but Jace might drop at first then stabilize at a reasonable $15-$20 (where he is now)
January 21, 2014 3:33 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
Please post in the proper forum. Moved to Economics.
Reprinting Jace, AOT does not mean that the reprint and original will be worth the same. Duel Deck printings of planeswalkers are always worth less than the originals. The original will probably fall, but, as SharuumNyan said, it won't be very useful once it rotates.
January 21, 2014 3:33 p.m.
Wizards, although cautious of the secondary market value, do not decide to print or not print cards based on what their current value may be sitting at.
They make money by increasing the number of players, and by increasing the amount of cards those players purchase.
If Jace, Architect of Thought is currently sitting at $20, it simply means that it's a card that players wish to use. - Since new players will also want to use it, giving them access to it in a guaranteed purchase means that they will solidify their market by ensuring that those players are likely to continue playing (and thus continue buying).
Also, the limited prints, such as duel decks, FTV sets, and event decks rarely have a large impact on the secondary market price... and often it will increase the price. - Thragtusk was a good example. It was in nearly every limited set printed during the time it was in Standard... which meant that players had 1-2... this just meant those players wanted to get a full playlet, increasing their demand.
Same thing happened with Dark Confidant and Tarmogoyf in Modern Masters. Modern Tournaments at my LGS have more than doubled, and everyone is looking for better modern cards.
January 21, 2014 3:36 p.m.
SharuumNyan says... #8
Yeah, Tarmogoyf is the best example. It was over $100, then dipped to around $80 for a couple of months once Modern Masters came out and people were trading them in for cash, then they went right back up again.
The same will happen when the fetch lands are reprinted...except it'll actually make the format fairer by having the complete set of them available.
Wizards often sells items for way lower than their secondary market value, which is why they sell on eBay for way more. A box of Modern Masters for example. If you got a box at MSRP, there was practically no way to not make your money back and then some. And I'm sure the Modern deck will be worth way more than $75.
January 21, 2014 3:50 p.m.
Cobthecobbler says... #9
I would just like to point out that WoTC cares very little about the secondary market. (Except when it comes to the reserved list) That being said:
The duel deck versions of each card will not resemble the original printings.
A good example of this is comparing old shocklands to new ones. Same cards, way different price points.
While the original might see a slight decrease, it's still going to retain value.
January 21, 2014 4:05 p.m.
Have you seen the new art in the duel decks? It's some of the worst ever printed.
This is actually a consideration for how it will affect the original price. If the new art is not as good as the original, people will try to get the original if possible, and the price will see little change.
Just keep in mind that aesthetics are highly subjective. I'm sure there will be people who really like the new art.
January 21, 2014 4:32 p.m.
Cobthecobbler says... #11
There are also people who dont care about art, and who will laugh at the guy who spent $20 on his Jace just the other day, when on the same day they got theirs for $10.
January 21, 2014 4:38 p.m.
Ryan_Schulze says... #12
I'm with Cobthecobbler. When Sorin, Lord of Innistrad came out in the duel decks it was an awesome value for me and also rounded out a very strong Orzhov enchantment deck that I'd been working on. Saved myself a buuunch of money and got to pick up a 2nd Obzedat, Ghost Council . I think it'll just allow for certain types of players to fill out there builds for cheaper. And this is not to neglect the above comments but the point I originally had was meant to flow closer to Cobthecobbler comment.
January 21, 2014 5:01 p.m.
kiranearitachi says... #13
i just bought 3 jaces and might pick up the duel decks to have one of different art
January 21, 2014 5:15 p.m.
blackmarker90 says... #16
The alt art jace will probably sit where the foil lay art polukranos does, same price as the regular non-foil
January 21, 2014 6:15 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #17
@blackmarker90: The foiling means little in this context because all Duel Deck poster cards are foiled. There's some inherent value in that quality, but not very much; generally, it's not enough to raise the prices up to nonfoil original values.
SharuumNyan says... #2
Jace, Architect of Thought is going to drop in price the second it rotates out of Standard anyway. It doesn't have any longevity because it's not going to see heavy play in other formats. It's no Mindsculptor.
January 21, 2014 3:24 p.m.