Idea: Imagine that WoTC has announced that most modern staples should be $5-$15 cards as opposed to $20-$40, with the most expensive Modern cards at around $40-60, as opposed to around $100+. By doing so, they hope to dramatically increase the number of eternal players, the demand for singles sales at LGSes, and the demand for modern packs. As a first step to pushing modern, they propose to publish 6 modern decks each year for $100 that at semi-budget versions of regular modern archetypes that previously costed $3-500 or more.
So the big question is: If Wizards lost (gained?) their mind and decided to do this, what would the decks look like?
Your task: Pick a (likely T2/T3) modern archetype and develop a semi-budget version of that deck that previously costed around $3-500. Start by noting the archetype staples the deck relies on and the desired potential impact on the cost of those staples. Then discuss the budget concessions the deck makes, if any, to get a reasonable budget that would currently price out in the $300-$500 range. Finally, present the the full deck that WoTC would be selling for $100. For more expensive archetypes, the resulting deck won't be good out of the box, especially in terms of consistency, but should offer a clear path to getting there.
One note is that could be a good idea to use one-ofs of a number of staples and use cheap replacements to replace the remaining copies of what would normally be three-of or four-of in a fine-tuned deck. This won't work for some staples that don't have replacements (Valakut and Bitterblossom, for example), but is a way to cut corners for price in a deck. It's especially true in a product for sale, as it drives the demand to buy more of the product to get the three-of or four-of you want for the "real" deck.
I'll go first, since it's my idea. Here's my first cut at a UB Tempo Faeries Duel Deck product:
Key staples to reduce in price:
Bitterblossom (currently $35, targeting $10 - this is most of the deck's cost/value)
A variety of one-ofs, including Vendilion Clique, Thoughtseize, and the manabase staples to push the price of each of them down.
Budget concessions, total budget of around $400:
A tempo creature-oriented faeries list that uses Mistbind Clique as opposed to more controlling recent versions that rely on Liliana of the Veil, Snapcasters, and various delve finishers.
A much more budget UB land base that only uses one-ofs of the normal UB and Faeries manabase staples to push their price down, filling out the rest with more recent UB lands (e.g. Sunken Hollow, Choked Estuary, Fetid Pools and Faerie Conclave) than a fully tuned real faeries deck, slowing a deck that generally wants to go fast and reducing the value of Fatal Push.
Smuggler's Copter instead of any of the swords, which are generally much better in the deck
A much more budget sideboard, foregoing cards like Damnation that would generally be there. Note that this sideboard would probably be tuned to whatever other "duel decks" WoTC is publishing that year
These changes reduce the budget and effectiveness of the deck significantly, but also offer clear upgrade paths, both on the tempo plan and switching to the more recent controlling faeries builds. Again, the use of one/two-ofs means that if you buy two of the deck and combine them, you dramatically increase the consistency of the deck.
I like your idea. Unfortunately I don't see Wizards having one ounce of incentive to do such. They tried it once years ago with the Modern Event Deck and seem to have ZERO interest in another. Take a look at that deck if you wonder how they would handle it. It may have some of the good stuff in it but it would be watered down to the point of you may as well just assemble the deck yourself.
A neat idea, that will probably stay just so, an idea.
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Oh, I agree that they're unlikely to do it; it would be a huge price shift for many cards, and a big question is if it would generate enough demand to be worth it. Hence the "Wizards lost (gained?) their mind" statement :). I also just found it an interesting exercise to think about what it would take to do in terms of prices, and to think about how a deck would fit into this direction; I thought others might find the exercise interesting, too.
It may overlap with the Budget Modern thread a bit. I never get tired of checking out deck lists.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
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So the big question is: If Wizards lost (gained?) their mind and decided to do this, what would the decks look like?
Your task: Pick a (likely T2/T3) modern archetype and develop a semi-budget version of that deck that previously costed around $3-500. Start by noting the archetype staples the deck relies on and the desired potential impact on the cost of those staples. Then discuss the budget concessions the deck makes, if any, to get a reasonable budget that would currently price out in the $300-$500 range. Finally, present the the full deck that WoTC would be selling for $100. For more expensive archetypes, the resulting deck won't be good out of the box, especially in terms of consistency, but should offer a clear path to getting there.
One note is that could be a good idea to use one-ofs of a number of staples and use cheap replacements to replace the remaining copies of what would normally be three-of or four-of in a fine-tuned deck. This won't work for some staples that don't have replacements (Valakut and Bitterblossom, for example), but is a way to cut corners for price in a deck. It's especially true in a product for sale, as it drives the demand to buy more of the product to get the three-of or four-of you want for the "real" deck.
I'll go first, since it's my idea. Here's my first cut at a UB Tempo Faeries Duel Deck product:
Key staples to reduce in price:
Budget concessions, total budget of around $400:
3 Choked Estuary
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Fetid Pools
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Island
1 Mutavault
1 Polluted Delta
3 Secluded Glen
3 Sunken Hollow
2 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
//Artifacts
2 Smuggler's Copter
4 Bitterblossom
//Instants
2 Fatal Push
3 Mana Leak
2 Remand
3 Vapor Snag
//Sorceries
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Serum Visions
1 Thoughtseize
//Creatures
2 Mistbind Clique
2 Quickling
4 Scion of Oona
4 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Dragon's Claw
1 Echoing Truth
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Negate
2 Pithing Needle
2 Relic of Progenitus
A neat idea, that will probably stay just so, an idea.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
It may overlap with the Budget Modern thread a bit. I never get tired of checking out deck lists.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."