MTGFinance: What We’re Buying This Week (Feb 28th/15)

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By James Chillcott (@MTGCritic)

One of the most common misconceptions about folks involved in MTGFinance is that we are constantly manipulating the market and feeding players misinformation to help fuel achievement of our personal goals.

It recently occurred to us here that though we dole out a good deal of advice, most of you ultimately have very little insight into when we actually put our money where our collective mouths are pointing. As such we’ve decided to run a weekly series simply breaking down what we’ve been buying this week and why. These lists are meant to be both complete and transparent, leaving off only cards we bought without hope of profit, where appropriate. We’ll also try to provide some insight into our thinking behind the specs, and whether we are aiming for a short (<1 month), mid (1-12 month), or long (1 year+) term flip. Here we go!

Buying Period: Feb 21st – 28th, 2015

James Chillcott (@MTGCritic)

  • Long: 5x Daretti, Scrap Savant (NM): $3.20 per
  • Mid: 12x Soulflayer (NM):  $1.50 per
  • Long: 4x Polluted Delta (KTK, NM): $12.50 per
  • Long: 4x Flooded Strand (KTK, NM): $12.50 per
  • Long: 4x Windswept Heath (KTK, NM): $8 per
  • Long: 10x Kiora’s Follower (NM – Alt Art Foil Promo): $0.25 per
  • Long: 10x Plague Stinger (NM – Alt Art Promo): $0.25 per
  • Long: 10x In Garruk’s Wake (NM – Alt Art Foil Promo): $0.25 per

My buying pattern was largely opportunistic this week, breaking off whatever deals I stumbled across as I sell off many of my better specs from earlier in the year.

First off, tip of the hat to Brainstorm Brewery’s own Ryan Bushard for turning me on to Daretti, Scrap Savant as an undervalued planeswalker currently being held back by the total value of the other rares from the red Commander 2014 deck. Anything under $5 seems like a great entry point for a 1-2 year hold up above $10.

I’m in for cheap Soulflayers all day long, as I’m still relatively certain that the card finds a home in Modern and/or Legacy in at least a Tier 2 deck that will Top 8 sooner or later. I’ve play tested the card in Deep Sea Delver a bunch, and it’s power level in the Delve/Aggro-Combo builds that are floating around isn’t that different from Tasigur and can easily be better with the right enabling cards.

Though I believe that we will be waiting at least a couple of years to see real appreciation in the KTK fetchlands, I’ve started acquiring playsets at the low end of available pricing, while I keep an eye out for a $200 set of 20.

I also bought up a few more promo sets for the trade binder, since the price was so sweet.

Guo Heng Chin (@theguoheng)

Note: Guo Heng Chin buys from Malyasia, so his costs will tend to be different than for those of us based in the west. 

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  • 1 x Cartel Aristocrat Foil (NM): $2.77
  • 1 x Anax and Cymede Foil (NM): $1.94

Guo says:

“Both cards were acquired for personal use with store credit. I’ve discussed both of them in my article a few days back; I think both cards have a lot of potential in Tiny Leaders and foils are relatively cheap now. 

Cartel Aristocrat is a nifty engine card in multiple archetypes, and is a difficult-to-remove threat on her own. I got my foil Cartel Aristocrat for my Anafenza, the Foremost deck where Cartel Aristocrat was an MVP ( she is one of the sac outlets for the Melira combo and a formidable threat by her own when bolstered with Anafenza’s counters. A sword-wielding Aristocrat was quite the menace as well). 
Anax and Cymede is reputedly a tier one leader with multiple ways to build around. The obvious path would be the hyper-aggressive swarm builds, but I’ve seen RW goodstuff builds floating around too. Red has some of the best board wipes in the format and white some of the best removals.
More importantly, optimal Anax and Cymede lists could be assembled on a budget. Though I have no plans to venture into Anax and Cymede yet, I thought I should secure my own foil copy preemptively, in case it spikes in popularity as Anax and Cymede is an ideal deck for players interested in getting into Tiny Leaders on the cheap. “

 

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Jared Yost

  • 23x Rakshasa Deathdealer (NM): $0.95 per
  • 10x Chord of Calling (NM): $3.99 per
  • 1x Anafenza, the Foremost (NM, Prerelease Foil): $17.50 per
  • 1x Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (NM, Prerelease Foil): $8.20 per

Jared says:

“I decided to pick up several Deathdealers, as I feel that they are very underpriced at $1. G/B/x aggro decks have been putting up decent results even after Fate Reforged has been released. Also, when Theros rotates out Deathdealer could shine in the post-Theros Standard environment.

I picked up some Chords this week as well due to the Birthing Pod ban. I feel that eventually Chord of Calling will be quite good in Modern. It was priced at $25 and higher before the M15 reprint. $4 seems very underpriced to me for such a powerful effect.

Lastly, I picked up the prelease foil Anafenza and Alesha as Tiny Leaders specs. Both generals seem strong in the format.”

 Travis Allen

Sold:

  • 16x Whisperwood Elemental, $12.50 per
  • 1x Azusa, Lost but Seeking: $39.00 per
Bought:
Nothing

So there you have it. Now what were you guys buying this week and why?

James Chillcott is the CEO of ShelfLife.net, The Future of Collecting, Senior Partner at Advoca, a designer, adventurer, toy fanatic and an avid Magic player and collector since 1994.

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4 thoughts on “MTGFinance: What We’re Buying This Week (Feb 28th/15)”

  1. I also have been looking at soulflayers for a little while. I have yet to go purchase any, but as an avid drafter on MTGO where I don’t have access to chromanticore, but I do have access to gurmag swiftwing and now typhoid rats which makes for great delve fodder for the flayer.

  2. Purchased the following

    2xBerserk
    6xEntomb
    4x Noble Hierarch
    20+ various KTK fetches
    3x MMA Blood Moon
    1x Vendilion Clique
    2x Badlands
    1x Tundra
    2x USea

    Realize the potential for a fallout on the modern but my margins on the duals are so damn good I can afford to gamble a little bit.

  3. Travis is the only one who made good moves this week. KTK fetches are obvious, but the rest is garbage.

    1. You don’t think that Chord of Calling has room to grow? I may be new to MtG but it seems to me that based off the stats of the only other printing that the price will grow. It may not hit as high a level as the first printing but definitely higher.

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