Rising Card Prices
Economics forum
Posted on May 11, 2014, 3:56 a.m. by Lhurgyof
I was just curious if anybody else has noticed the prices of magic cards becoming really, really inflated lately.
Cards like Underground Sea and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale have just about doubled in value, going from ~$150 to ~$300 and~$400 to ~$750 respectively. Some have really, really spiked. Invoke Prejudice 's price has gone up five-fold from this time last year.
Unsurprisingly, this trend isn't only found in older cards. Cards like Sensei's Divining Top , Umezawa's Jitte , and Misty Rainforest have been consistently rising in price from the time I got them. This is obviously due to the popularity of modern and the changing of seasons, but I've never seen card prices inflate quite so rapidly.
Seraphicate says... #3
These cards are very (x3958130485) unlikely to ever be reprinted, and because of that, their value goes up, both as collector's items and as Legacy playables.
On the note of modern cards (just the Misty Rainforest , quite sure the other 2 are banned) it could very well be because people don't quite like the state of standard at the moment, that some have decided to move to modern. Some people liked it when standard was faster, though that would just be me and my ponderings; everybody is different, so I could very well be wrong.
May 11, 2014 10:07 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #4
The reserved list is here to stay. There is no way it will be lifted. It is just a fact of the game.
May 11, 2014 12:06 p.m.
misty rainforest dropped liked $25 since i sold my extras lol, the rest are big legacy cards, esp with Tabernacle which shot up in popularity in the lands deck recently. dont forget non reserve list cards can be reprinted, this includes JTMS, Force of Will , fetch lands, etc with a big number of things being recently printed, delver, DRS, Abrupt Decay , Supreme Verdict Terminus Entreat the Angels are all cards that are legacy staples but Underground Sea will always see play and never be reprinted, and if anything has a dwindling supply
May 11, 2014 12:25 p.m.
They're all great cards that'll probably never be reprinted. Go figure.
May 11, 2014 12:39 p.m.
Damn, I traded for a well played Invoke Prejudice for some standard legal card at the time and have a close to mint copy of one. I'm damn tempted to trade them off, but they're just too much fun, plus that art though :o
May 11, 2014 1:11 p.m.
MaRo and Wizards as a whole has stated how the Reserved List is a bad thing on multiple occasions. With the price of Legacy now, it will either die or they will save it by remove certai cards from the list or abolishing it altogether.
May 11, 2014 2:59 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #10
My money's on the Reserved List not changing. The list is so that the secondary market doesn't die if these cards are reprinted. If they're never reprinted, then the stores and players who have invested massively in the Reserved List cards make money. The way I see it, the list was implemented to protect those invested people from losing tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars at once.
May 11, 2014 3:30 p.m.
Yeh it's an unfortunate by-product of a mad time in history. The underlying principle still needs to be upheld - to protect the assets held by certain investors. I don't think they'll make the same mistake twice. Legacy might be a lost cause, but modern won't be.
May 11, 2014 5:13 p.m.
Perhaps though, they could "open up" the loophole on printing them in limited print run sets (i.e. from the vault and judge rewards).
I feel like that would probably end up being a happy medium.
May 11, 2014 11:19 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #13
That is still a reprint.
Also while MaRo, and Wizards may not like the list, I believe I saw them state that it is here to stay.
May 12, 2014 1:41 a.m.
Gorgosaurusrex says... #14
Why don't they make functional reprints of cards on the reserved list? They can have the same (or a very similar) effect but have a different name. Would printing a new set of duals in a very limited release devalue the AUBR duals?
May 12, 2014 11:32 a.m.
MindAblaze says... #16
I wonder, if the format dies what will the impact on the price of the staples be?
Does it make sense for them to adjust the reserved list to allow for limited print run releases... something like "Legacy Masters" with new card frames and art so that people can have access to things. Modern staples went up with the release of Modern Masters (although Modern season probably played a big role in that too.)
May 12, 2014 11:47 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #17
It is not about devaluing them. It is about not reprinting them at all. That was a promise they made forever ago. This promise may very well have saved the game, and allowed it to become what it is today. Limited print run is still a reprint, it will not happen.
I would like for these cards to be reprinted. I would love to own some. It will not happen though. It is essentially a verbal contract between the company, and collectors.
May 12, 2014 11:54 a.m.
Legacy is going to move to mtgo for new players. That's pretty much where it's headed. Now, I'm wondering what will be in conspiracy for legacy players (besides the new cards). Will it reprint any of the staples not on the reserved list (such as Force of Will
) or will it contain only cards good for modern and commander? We'll find out in a few weeks.
As for legacy/vintage staples in paper, get them now. But if scg stops it's legacy side of the IQ, those prices will drop significantly, about 50% of the price they are when/if that happens.
May 12, 2014 11:56 a.m.
MindAblaze says... #19
Generally, pissing off your investors is not a good thing. I see why they would do it, especially to back out of a promise made many moons ago...you just don't do that. It is kind of about devaluing them though...when people have spent 1000s of dollars stocking their stores and their collections with your merchandise...you don't go out and be like...oh by the way...all that time, money and effort you've put into acquiring all that stuff...here it is in a new booster pack...in foil!
May 12, 2014 12:01 p.m.
That is certainly the interesting question. What will the price of ABUR lands be if no-one uses them apart from EDH?
At some point is it not prudent to ask - is the reserve list hurting investors?
Logical reasoning goes like this - the reserve list stops reprints. This means that the price of these cards goes up due to lack of supply. The fact that most people can't afford or even find these cards means they can't play legacy. Legacy dwindles in popularity. Eventually wizards stops supporting legacy and the playerbase falls. If the playerbase falls and people no longer seek those cards the prices crash.
OR - will the price support itself just on collectibility alone?
May 12, 2014 12:03 p.m.
I highly doubt we'll see Force of Will in a summer ultra-casual release. That would be like Wizards saying they want to put Karakas in Archenemy 2. lol
May 12, 2014 12:05 p.m.
zandl they did put dack fayden in this set, which is going to see competitive play. Also this is a multi-player draft format, I can't imagine this being 'ultra-casual'. It'll be just as competitive in the pods as it is during any other draft. Next, name a commander set where they didn't go all out to make it competitive casual. Recently, we had oloro, nekusar, TNN, The jund deck had an infinite combo in it also... They do make it very strong...
Plus where else are they going to reprint it? It will never see a standard printing again, it could/should make the ftv stuff, but I would think last years ftv:20 would have been the place for it...
I'm not saying it will be in there, but it has the same chance as any other card....
May 12, 2014 4 p.m.
ChiefBell assuming legacy goes to mtgo only... In the short term, there will be a large flood on the market due to people 'cashing out'. Then over time the collectible side will help the rise as they are gobbled up by investors and edh players looking for the 1ofs.
The price will support itself on being collectible alone, but only after a period of time when the market floods with them.
May 12, 2014 4:08 p.m.
Where, in Legacy? Probably not.
Actually, FTV makes the most sense out of anything. Why would they put a $90+ card in a $30 MSRP, Walmart deck when they can just put it into the most price-gouge-able product they make?
May 12, 2014 4:08 p.m.
I don't think WotC really cares if it's in a $30 Walmart deck or a $150 FTV; they still get the same amount of money either way.
May 12, 2014 5:39 p.m.
So then why don't starter decks have shock-lands in them? Why wasn't Jace, the Mind Sculptor in Commander 2011 or 2013? How come we got no Tarmogoyf in Planechase?
May 12, 2014 6:26 p.m.
We still had TNN and Baleful Strix in Commander 2013.
I'm not saying they'll go so far as to print Force or Goyf in stuff that's more widely available, but they do have a habit of putting juicy money cards in whatever they release.
May 12, 2014 8:20 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #28
They do it for a draw, but they have to have a balance. Money cards sell sets. If those cards cease to be money cards, then there will be less interest. The secondary market keeps this game afloat. They have to watch it out of the corner of their eye while they are planning.
They do not make money from it, but they do benefit from people having trust in their product long term.
May 12, 2014 8:23 p.m.
TNN was stated by Wizards to be a design mistake and Baleful Strix wasn't really a money card; it was valuable because it was rare and not because of what it does (it's a 1/1 flying/deathtouch for 2 that draws a card). It's basically a slow removal spell that garners a bit of added advantage.
zandl says... #2
Uh . Top and Jitte aren't Modern cards.
You've listed primarily Legacy cards; people are just realizing more and more that those cards won't be reprinted and, if you want to get into Legacy, you need them.
Really, I feel we're getting close to one of two things: the death of Legacy via price barrier or the rescue of Legacy by the abolishment of the Reserved List.
May 11, 2014 4:32 a.m.