Will Tarmogoyf drop in price anytime soon?
Economics forum
Posted on Sept. 2, 2014, 5:07 p.m. by seuvius
If so when do you see it happening? I know he's used in many decks so the odds of it happening are low but he is way to overpriced and I'm tired of being griped at for not having a playset in my BUG Control deck,its just not reasonable to spend $200 on a card that's only pricey because he's used in so many decks,dont get me wrong he's good just not $200 or even $100 good.
Yeah its crazy,I hate how people will actually spend that much on a tarmogoyf lol
September 2, 2014 5:12 p.m.
aFriendlyAlly says... #5
He is 200 good. Because he's the best card in the slot and almost irreplaceable. Is he 7x better than a card thats 30$ like snapcaster? Probably not.
As for him dropping, the only way i see that is for a modern master 2 reprint with a bigger print run than the 1st.
September 2, 2014 5:13 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #6
Dark Confidant I believe is the second most expensive card in modern.
September 2, 2014 5:16 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #7
i think Dark Confidant is the second most expensive creature in modern. Also keep in mind that Goyf is one of the most used staples in all competitive formats.
September 2, 2014 5:17 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #8
September 2, 2014 5:21 p.m.
Idk maybe I'm just complaining because I'm poor haha but the most expensive card I own is the ROE emrakul,I could imagine trading over three of them for one tarmogoyf
September 2, 2014 5:25 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #10
Make sure you're posting in the right forum. Moved to Economics.
Goyf won't fall until something happens that changes supply (i.e. a reprint) or demand (i.e. a banning). It's unlikely to be banned because it doesn't do anything banworthy, at least in the opinion of most players. A reprint is probably more likely, but it would need to be handled carefully. Tarmogoyf is difficult print in Standard because of its power level, but this is also one of those situations in which WOTC needs to also think about what such a reprint would do to the barrier to entry.
Standard is basically WOTC's flagship format. Sets are designed for Limited, and there's growing demand for Modern support, but Standard is the most universally supported and most popular format. The worst situation for Standard is one in which players are discouraged from playing due to a high barrier to entry. A Tarmogoyf reprint would add demand from another format, and, depending particularly upon rarity, might not increase supply enough to keep prices in stable stagnation or stable decline.
If we were to see a Standard reprint, I highly, highly doubt that it would be anytime soon because the fetches in Khans affect Tarmogoyf 's power, literally. I personally think a secondary product makes more sense because it doesn't introduce balancing issues, but we've yet to see.
In my opinion, though, $200 is far too high a price. Yes, it's a good card, but an $800 price tag on just one playset of just one staple creature is simply too daunting. It intimidates those who might otherwise like to experiment with Modern. Tarmogoyf is one of the few glaring flaws in Modern; it's a necessary evil because it's good enough to win games, but not good enough to get banned. It's far from being reasonably-priced, though. And yes, I know that WOTC's primary concern is not the secondary market. However, player interest in constructed formats should be one of WOTC's priorities, and reprinting Tarmogoyf provides opportunities for marketing, player interest, and a reduced barrier to entry.
September 2, 2014 5:31 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #11
Do you think they could possibly errata it as legendary? Would that even do anything
September 2, 2014 5:43 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #12
VampireArmy Even if it was legendary i bet people would still play it as a four of. XP
September 2, 2014 5:45 p.m.
And exactly when and where should they reprint Tarmogoyf ? It would be too good in the current standard and we don't know if they have a modern masters 2 planned and if so when it's released. Reprinting goyf in a duel deck or commander would be too small print run wich wouldn't cause any tremendous drop in price. Therefore it's very unlikely that the price would be lowered in the near future.
September 2, 2014 5:46 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #14
A card actually being good is really only part of the price puzzle. The demand is high due to it being printed some number of years ago and again in a limited print run along with it being part of one of the most successful decks in Legacy and in Modern.
$200 a card... well, I don't run decks that use him.... yet.....
September 2, 2014 5:50 p.m.
The thing about Goyf is: it's the best Plan B for any Modern deck. Just look at GP Kobe. Affinity splashing for Goyf (ok, it's not your usual Affinity-list, rather a burn deck with Goyf), U/R Twin splashing green for Goyf. I've seen Scapeshift-lists play Goyf, even 4C Gifts decks play Goyf. If you don't know what the Plan B of your deck should look like, jus splash green and play 4 Goyfs. It is that easy.
September 2, 2014 6:02 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #16
Drastic Measures Time! >:3
A. Reprint Tarmogoyf and make it a common and watch standard fall apart.
B. Reprint Tarmogoyf in every single nonstandard set until he lowers or die trying.
C. Sell Booster Packs of nothing but Tarmogoyf until his price crashes into the ground.
D. Turn Tourney and FNM prizes into Tarmogoyfs. So everyone can get sick of them.
E. Ban Tarmogoyf in every format and reprint him when he becomes worthless and then unban and watch his price graph go all over the place.
F. All of the Above
It would be funny to see at the very least but it probably would not end well.
September 2, 2014 6:02 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #17
I bought mine at 120 a piece. That was earlier this year. I never looked back. I play the four of in Jund. It seriously has payed for itself in spades! It wins games. It puts opponents in a shitty spot when they see 2x 7/8s staring down at them. Dropping a 3/4 on turn two is a little too much for some folks.
If it were reprinted, it would not be anywhere as good as it is in modern. Remember, it was a dollar rare during its time in standard, and that was with Dark Confidant
in standard with it! It was in standard with Thoughtseize
as well. It took a while for it to flourish, and the original Jund was built as a budget deck with bobs and goyfs respectively.
The point is, that the card is well worth it's price tag. I used to complain about it too, when I didn't own any, and I gave in after borrowing my friends for a tournament. It is a beater. It's a force to be reckoned with. It DEMANDS an answer when it comes out. To put it short, goyf rules. Play it or get beat by it.
September 2, 2014 6:02 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #18
@VampireArmy: Errata is not a tool for rebalancing, except perhaps when a major rules change impacts the way the card functions. You wouldn't just add the legendary supertype to something not intended to be legendary.
September 2, 2014 6:07 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #19
Just to nitpick, because Tarmo Affinity annoys and disturbs me, that that Affinity list did not splash for Tarmofuck. Yuusei Gotou built an Affinity shell around Goyf, removing a few Affinity staples and adding some other "on the edge" Affinity cards to maximize Goyf's effectiveness,
September 2, 2014 6:07 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #20
Understood. It was a random thought. I've learned over the last few days just to accept goyf for all if his fuckery and keep my path ti exiles handy
September 2, 2014 6:18 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #21
Epochalyptik, goyf is pretty fucking legendary.
Just saying lol.
September 2, 2014 6:19 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #22
Where's that dude with the shop skills... We need a goyf meme with a HIMYM Barney Stinson joke...
September 2, 2014 6:20 p.m.
TheAnnihilator says... #24
Lol, Snowstorm. As a prize for FNM, 1st-8th place, you get a FNM Promo Goyf. 1st place gets a PLAYSET.
September 2, 2014 6:44 p.m.
If they gave goyfs out as prizes so many more people would enter tournaments lol maybe one day when I become rich I can have my playset and laugh at the people who complain about the price....one day
September 2, 2014 6:58 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #26
seuvius, it is worth it. My wife still gets all bent out of shape about it, but it is worth it when I come home and hand her 100 bucks from tournament winnings. Like I said, the goyfs and the rest of my modern/legacy Jund deck have payed for themselves by now. Shit, I am not even rich. I am older with a few bucks a month as a MTG budget. When I bought the goyfs, it was a gift for myself for a promotion that I got at work (anyone else remember that train wreck of a thread).
As an aside to the other posters here, most decks that run Goyf, do not really need/should not run it (I am looking at you, Twin, scapeshift and affinity). The decks where it naturally fits in, it works fucking great.
Now let me say something a little crazy... The "new goyf" decks we keep seeing? Yes, those random goofs do not belong there. And if people look at their affinity/twin/scapeshift deck and say to themselves, "you know what would make this awesome? Goyfs." Then you need to give up on affinity/twin/scapeshift and just play something good. I have single-handedly DESTROYED all three of those at my LGS with post DRS jund. Merfolk has also since been hated out. And only two dudes play tron good enough to not give up on it. The top 4 at my LGS looks like this:
JundG/r TronU/B Faeries"deck x" (usually something we have not seen in a while like burn, dredge vine or 8-rack)
September 2, 2014 7:55 p.m.
I bought Tarmogoyf about a year ago when they were 125 each. Sold the deck I was using, and then decided to build the deck again. Now Im looking at and additional 200$+ more than I paid the first time. Sucks, but Im going to pay it, because goyf is the boss.
I can see goyf dropping maybe slighty when modern season is over, but not enough to save you much. The card needs a reprint.
September 2, 2014 7:58 p.m.
Would you mind looking at my BUG control deck and let me know if it needs goyfs or not?
September 2, 2014 7:58 p.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #29
Sadly to say, the price tag on Goyf is only going to go up in the short term. With the reprinting of the ONS fetches, it's going to be a lot easier to get into Modern. With renewed interest in Modern comes renewed interest in our favorite Llurgoyf.
September 2, 2014 8:40 p.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #30
Actually I feel that Goyf is one of the huge limiting factors in Modern as it has been pointed out. I wanted to begin construction on a BUG tempo deck, but I realized that such a deck would require 4x Goyfs. I don't have the kind of money to invest in Goyf, especially since there is no equivalent to him. I can work around Bob with a Phyrexian Arena , but Goyf? Not a chance. I hope a reprint comes it would be nice to experiment with that kind of power.
September 2, 2014 10:17 p.m.
Epochalyptik, goyf is pretty fucking legendary.
Just saying lol.
Most quotable thing I've seen in a long time.
September 3, 2014 2:25 a.m.
gnarlicide - Yeh but your winning isn't to do with the fact that goyf is bad in those decks, your winning is to do with the fact that jund is fucking terrifying. Affinity? Anger of the Gods , Creeping Corrosion . Twin? Thoughtseize , Abrupt Decay . Scapeshift? Tectonic Edge , Fulminator Mage . Like jund is just fantastic.
Paying 2 mana for a 3/4 is never bad. Paying 2 mana for a 4/5 is stupid. Anything extra and shit gets real. I don't see any reason that other decks shouldn't run goyf at all. It fits the best in rock and it's variants because t1 fetch into thoughtseize into t2 3/4 goyf is disgusting, but at all stages of the game it's a relevant threat.
Goyf is just a creature that helps you beat people to death, that demands an answer. It fits very well in twin because it makes the deck more versatile. When I thoughtseize tarmotwin and see a goyf, I still have to choose the splinter twin otherwise I die on the spit or shortly after. However I know that I have to 'waste' some killspell on it when it is played that I would rather have used on a deck ever exarch or pestermite. That's valuable. If you put more 'answer this or die' threats in a deck it puts pressure on the control deck to do just that. That's why I think tarmotwin is pretty good. I have no experience with tarmoshift or affinitoyf.
September 3, 2014 2:45 a.m.
Maybe Goyf should be the mascot of Modern Masters sets and be printed every three or four years until there are enough of them in circulation that they're at most $100. I really wish I had been playing in the original Ravnica block.
September 3, 2014 3 a.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #34
Goyf was printed in Time Spiral block. Granted, if you had been playing in R,CoG, then you would have probably also continued playing into TS.
September 3, 2014 6:37 a.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #35
@ gnarlicide: Goyf is the reason I love crushing RUG Delver and Jund in Legacy.
Blizzicane says... #2
Tarmogoyf will not fall unless there is a huge reprint of him aka: being reprinted in a standard set. But it is about time he gets reprinted the second most expensive card in modern is not even close to his price.
September 2, 2014 5:10 p.m.