Heya All, I like a growing number of people in my area have decided to finally get into Vintage (yay!). Before all of you start dismissing me as somebody with illusions of grandeur, I know this format requires $. I'm not asking for cheap power because no power is cheap power. I am just asking what is the best way to acquire power. Here in the London where I live, I know of no unsanctioned vintage tournaments where I could win power or even duals for that matter. The stores do not stock any vintage gear and if they do, are riduculously overpriced because of lack of stocks. This just leaves me with E-bay I am starting small. Currently collecting FOW's and Meddling Mages (Mages first because I could play extended with them). Then moving on to the various moxes and lotus. Hopefully in 3 years time I will have enough (apartment mortgages and car loans are holding me back). So if anyone has any tips I'll be glad to hear em.
Play proxy events when you can. The prizes at these events are often Power. Make a guess at what will be played there, choose a net deck you can build with what you have and the allowed number of Proxies, Win the Power.
There are alot of good budget decks to choose from to start.
Play proxy events when you can. The prizes at these events are often Power. Make a guess at what will be played there, choose a net deck you can build with what you have and the allowed number of Proxies, Win the Power.
There are alot of good budget decks to choose from to start.
Sadly there are no such tourney's here in London. Perhaps in spain or italy but I can't seem to find any here. Currently building UW fish. But how did you aquire yours? Proxy tournaments?
I have gotten all my power through a simple process of selling off my bulk, on eBay, then using the proceeds to purchase power and semi-power. It seems that a lot of about 8,000 commons, 1,600 uncommons and 400 rares, all bulk mind you, usually nets me between $290-$350. $200 of that goes right back into buing up more bulk, (eBay, craigslist) and the rest goes into my power fund. About every 3 lots nets me a piece of power and enough money to keep the cycle going. I am currently at Pearl, Emerald, Ruby, 4x Bazaar, 2x Workshop, 4x Drain and am going for the rest of my Shops and an Imperial Seal.
A friend of mine knows a cop who gives him access to property seizures...and often gets cards out of it. His Black Lotus cost him about $350. I bought my Time Walk off him for instance. Not only did I get a good price but I got to pay in installments. My Library of Alexandra I got in a trade for some Foils for a Madness deck. It was in beat shape so I got it for $30 in trade, and actually the foils cost me next to nothing.
I have gotten all my power through a simple process of selling off my bulk, on eBay, then using the proceeds to purchase power and semi-power. It seems that a lot of about 8,000 commons, 1,600 uncommons and 400 rares, all bulk mind you, usually nets me between $290-$350. $200 of that goes right back into buing up more bulk, (eBay, craigslist) and the rest goes into my power fund. About every 3 lots nets me a piece of power and enough money to keep the cycle going. I am currently at Pearl, Emerald, Ruby, 4x Bazaar, 2x Workshop, 4x Drain and am going for the rest of my Shops and an Imperial Seal.
Wait so you buy and sell in bulk ? damn that's good. I was actually thinking about that. Well not exactly the same. I have a mate in asia who could get me chinese and japanese boxes. I'm pretty sure i could make some good returns by selling them to a US / Europe market . Thanks for the Idea mate. And as for you Sakura ... damn man... Police seisuzes? its an awesome thing but why mtg cards?
I don't own any power currently because there is no need to with proxy events in the US. Playing a budget Fish deck and hopefully winning is one way, as is buying/selling for a profit. Neither is easy, but if you put some time into you should be able to get powered.
A friend of mine knows a cop who gives him access to property seizures...and often gets cards out of it. His Black Lotus cost him about $350. I bought my Time Walk off him for instance. Not only did I get a good price but I got to pay in installments. My Library of Alexandra I got in a trade for some Foils for a Madness deck. It was in beat shape so I got it for $30 in trade, and actually the foils cost me next to nothing.
The trick is to NOT own power. I have pimped and/or foil versions of just about every playable card in Legacy and Extended, which in a pinch can also double as enough of a Vintage collection to be competitive with a few proxies. Why spend $1000 on a Lotus when I could take acetone, blank a foil jank common, and draw a Lotus on it?
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Hey all... I'm retired, not dead. Check out what I'm doing these days (and beg me to come back if you want):
The trick is to NOT own power. I have pimped and/or foil versions of just about every playable card in Legacy and Extended, which in a pinch can also double as enough of a Vintage collection to be competitive with a few proxies. Why spend $1000 on a Lotus when I could take acetone, blank a foil jank common, and draw a Lotus on it?
I think its because there arent any proxy tournies in the OP's area.
I have been doing much like Spectral_bears in selling my jank rares and (un)commons to get a pimp legacy deck.
I could have gotten maybe one mox, but i went for legacypower instead. meh, maybe ill someday get the 4 bazaars ive been longing for
Media is not making me steal. But in a way is like the story of the very hot girl with the short skirt teasing the old sick guy with a history of rape.
I purchased AR, Time Walk, Sapphire, Jet, and Ruby for $1800 about two years ago off a teammate so I had adequate chance to inspect the cards before I bought. I haven't bought any power since.
Why spend $1000 on a Lotus when I could take acetone, blank a foil jank common, and draw a Lotus on it?
The only good answer I can give is that you live in an area where you're stuck playing sanctioned tournaments.
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I am no longer on MTGS staff, so please don't contact me asking me to do staff things. :|
I got mine mostly through buying, some through trading, but mostly buying though
last week was a major hit though, I trade my Juzam Djinn for an extra Library and finally dared to cracked open my Beta Booster that I won at the Amsterdam GP in March to find a Mox Sapphire :o:D
Nice pull on the pack! Most old packs are searched and full of Purelaces and Aspect of Wolfs. Might I suggest getting that pack mint Sapphire graded. For the cost of grading it can nearly double the value, especially on the best Mox. CONGRATS!
Are there any reputable dealers you guys would suggest i go to for power? I mean besides the usual ABU/ Star city etc? Also on a more personal note, would any of you be willing to travel to gather power? I know it sounds crazy but here in the UK, we're so well connected to Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland etc. Seeing that most of these countries have a large vintage following, would you be willing to 'Power' Travel ?
Are there any reputable dealers you guys would suggest i go to for power? I mean besides the usual ABU/ Star city etc? Also on a more personal note, would any of you be willing to travel to gather power? I know it sounds crazy but here in the UK, we're so well connected to Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland etc. Seeing that most of these countries have a large vintage following, would you be willing to 'Power' Travel ?
In that kind of situation I'd be far more willing to travel than to buy power online. I can't imagine making an investment in power without having held the card in my hand and closely inspected it; the potential for counterfeiting is just too great.
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I am no longer on MTGS staff, so please don't contact me asking me to do staff things. :|
Lucky for me I bought most of my power when it was "cheep" (10 years ago) The rest of it I just traded hard at tornys until I had more Rav Duals and other playable type 2 cards than I could use. Then I went and found a guy that sells stuff on ebay for his store, and I traded him a stack of playable type 2 cards for power. (I have a buddy, that is really good at adding up numbers and haggling, for a wingman)
I did that to get the 3 moxes I did not have. I did this over the course of 3 pre releases (at the dissection pre release I got ride of all my Kami cards (the ones I did not think would matter in extended) and I did the same thing for a lot of my Rav stuff(kept a play set of duals) at the Planer Chaos release). I think a good player can tell which cards will keep their value better than a dealer.(on average, I am sure there are some smart dealers around here)
Now I might need to do that again, the lotus I bought all those years ago has a big fold in it(I was young and did not have much money, I took what I could afforded) and I would not mind trading up.
Are there any reputable dealers you guys would suggest i go to for power? I mean besides the usual ABU/ Star city etc? Also on a more personal note, would any of you be willing to travel to gather power? I know it sounds crazy but here in the UK, we're so well connected to Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland etc. Seeing that most of these countries have a large vintage following, would you be willing to 'Power' Travel ?
I wouldn't buy power from online stores unless you really have to, its just very expensive. You can try sites like magictraders as well, but buying power in real life is probably best.
Are there any reputable dealers you guys would suggest i go to for power? I mean besides the usual ABU/ Star city etc? Also on a more personal note, would any of you be willing to travel to gather power? I know it sounds crazy but here in the UK, we're so well connected to Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland etc. Seeing that most of these countries have a large vintage following, would you be willing to 'Power' Travel ?
I second not buying from online stores, the markup is honestly obscene. Stick to eBay users with TONS of feedback, and those that are establish sellers of Power, such as brapsmagic and danbock. I too travel a lot for Vintage play and the chance to win more Power. The Vintage scene here in Altanta, the south in general, sucks so to get any real play I have to travel quite a bit.
I traded for all of mine. Selling cards and reinvesting the money into magic is key. The hobby becomes free, and you are left with a huge collection at the end.
So far I have traded for/won:
1 Unl Power Set -Recall
1 Beta Ancestral Recall
4 English Signed+Altered Drains
1 Imperial Seal
2 Library of Alexandrias
1 Gem Mint Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Set of Blue Duals
+1k in traders and 600 in cash left.
All in 3 years. Make it a self-sustaining hobby, it will eat your time, but not your pockets.
I got my first Power along time ago (Judgement) (that's when I came back in). I went to States and found a guy with a Timetwister and we discussed what he needed. I asked him to give me an hour. With a list of cards out to search for, I traded for those cards and got the Twister in like 30 minutes. If I remember right, I didn't really give away awhole lot. Used alot of hot uncommons as fodder for trading up.
I bought a Pearl with the money I got from selling mr. Goobafish there my Imperial Seal (which is chinese, by the way) and my Library. I obtained those in auction and bought one.
You could always jack someone's power. Not that I am recommending that, but that is what someone did to me long time ago. Thankfully I had plenty of extras, and they didn't cost more than $25 for a mox at the time. I never got the cards back from the guy, but the guy did end up paying; not in cash but in blood.
I recommend just putting a hundred or two away each month into a savings account. You will have enough for what you need to play one of the cheaper competetive decks in less than a year. I recommend Mishra's Workshops as your first 4 cards to get.
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In Vintage (Type 1) > Budget Deck Discussion forum:
I bought a Pearl with the money I got from selling mr. Goobafish there my Imperial Seal (which is chinese, by the way) and my Library. I obtained those in auction and bought one.
Nice work. Power>Semi power. I wouldn't be spending on this stuff if I didn't already have my power.
And as for you Sakura ... damn man... Police seisuzes? its an awesome thing but why mtg cards?
You would be amazed what drug dealers buy, and what crooks buy when they suddenly have alot of cash. Actually, I have known alot of drug dealers who are into gaming.
I got my first power by meeting a guy at my local games shop, he had a mint Time Walk in his trades folder - 4hours of trading later it was mine for under £100 worth of my trades (kamigawa).
My Pearl was traded for last year at worlds, traded in all my foil rav lands and some sinkholes.
My Black lotus was pure hard cash.
I would suggest finding a local dealer who you buy off and making it clear that you are interested - London - try Alan (Cardguy), he occasionally gets them in.
Turning up to Vintage events cash in hand and you will most likely pick the odd one up.
Keep working on it and eventually you get there.
Yes I was going to sell my stuff to Alan, but I am still playing type 2 at my local card place. Very hard to stay competitive in type 2 and gather cards for type 1. I presume I could sell my legacy staples like Goblin Lackey's etc for some extra money. Vintage event? Could ya tell me where I could find some? The last one i saw was at the M-fest and there were only like 10 ppl. If you know of some places in the UK where they allow proxies it would be great. I missed the one in Oxford the other day and would love to attend one BTW Do you think Gencon Uk would have any of these ?
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There are alot of good budget decks to choose from to start.
Sadly there are no such tourney's here in London. Perhaps in spain or italy but I can't seem to find any here. Currently building UW fish. But how did you aquire yours? Proxy tournaments?
NO RUG
Team America
U/W Stoneblade
Zoo
No FOW bant
Modern:
In testing
Wait so you buy and sell in bulk ? damn that's good. I was actually thinking about that. Well not exactly the same. I have a mate in asia who could get me chinese and japanese boxes. I'm pretty sure i could make some good returns by selling them to a US / Europe market . Thanks for the Idea mate. And as for you Sakura ... damn man... Police seisuzes? its an awesome thing but why mtg cards?
Acually, that is quite common at http://Propertyroom.com
https://twitch.tv/annorax10 (classic retro speedruns & occasional MTGO/MTGA screwaround streams)
https://twitch.tv/SwiftorCasino (yes, my team and I run live dealer games for the baldman using his channel points as chips)
I think its because there arent any proxy tournies in the OP's area.
I have been doing much like Spectral_bears in selling my jank rares and (un)commons to get a pimp legacy deck.
I could have gotten maybe one mox, but i went for legacy power instead. meh, maybe ill someday get the 4 bazaars ive been longing for
The only good answer I can give is that you live in an area where you're stuck playing sanctioned tournaments.
Nice pull on the pack! Most old packs are searched and full of Purelaces and Aspect of Wolfs. Might I suggest getting that pack mint Sapphire graded. For the cost of grading it can nearly double the value, especially on the best Mox. CONGRATS!
In that kind of situation I'd be far more willing to travel than to buy power online. I can't imagine making an investment in power without having held the card in my hand and closely inspected it; the potential for counterfeiting is just too great.
I did that to get the 3 moxes I did not have. I did this over the course of 3 pre releases (at the dissection pre release I got ride of all my Kami cards (the ones I did not think would matter in extended) and I did the same thing for a lot of my Rav stuff(kept a play set of duals) at the Planer Chaos release). I think a good player can tell which cards will keep their value better than a dealer.(on average, I am sure there are some smart dealers around here)
Now I might need to do that again, the lotus I bought all those years ago has a big fold in it(I was young and did not have much money, I took what I could afforded) and I would not mind trading up.
I wouldn't buy power from online stores unless you really have to, its just very expensive. You can try sites like magictraders as well, but buying power in real life is probably best.
I second not buying from online stores, the markup is honestly obscene. Stick to eBay users with TONS of feedback, and those that are establish sellers of Power, such as brapsmagic and danbock. I too travel a lot for Vintage play and the chance to win more Power. The Vintage scene here in Altanta, the south in general, sucks so to get any real play I have to travel quite a bit.
So far I have traded for/won:
1 Unl Power Set -Recall
1 Beta Ancestral Recall
4 English Signed+Altered Drains
1 Imperial Seal
2 Library of Alexandrias
1 Gem Mint Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Set of Blue Duals
+1k in traders and 600 in cash left.
All in 3 years. Make it a self-sustaining hobby, it will eat your time, but not your pockets.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=519290
I recommend just putting a hundred or two away each month into a savings account. You will have enough for what you need to play one of the cheaper competetive decks in less than a year. I recommend Mishra's Workshops as your first 4 cards to get.
Nothing says budget help like receiving $5000 in recommendations.
I guess leaving out Time Walk, Timetwister, and Ancestral Recall is budget.
Nice work. Power>Semi power. I wouldn't be spending on this stuff if I didn't already have my power.
You would be amazed what drug dealers buy, and what crooks buy when they suddenly have alot of cash. Actually, I have known alot of drug dealers who are into gaming.
Yes I was going to sell my stuff to Alan, but I am still playing type 2 at my local card place. Very hard to stay competitive in type 2 and gather cards for type 1. I presume I could sell my legacy staples like Goblin Lackey's etc for some extra money. Vintage event? Could ya tell me where I could find some? The last one i saw was at the M-fest and there were only like 10 ppl. If you know of some places in the UK where they allow proxies it would be great. I missed the one in Oxford the other day and would love to attend one BTW Do you think Gencon Uk would have any of these ?