by Blaine Rybacki

Well hello again readers.

After a long siesta, which was comprised mostly of college finals, family, and an onerous schedule, I'm back again to give my perspective on the little game we love. The last time I submitted an article I touched briefly on trading at major events and with Grand Prix Oakland coming up (Which I will be attending – if you're there look for the top hat!) I figured I would pick up where I left off.

Security

Last time I wrote about checking up prices, finding out what dealers would be present, and getting your trade collection in order but one thing I neglected to touch upon was taking extra steps to assure the safety of your precious card gold mine. As I've attended more and more events over the years, one prevailing thing I've noticed is the relatively lax way in which most people guard their collection. To safeguard against theft one very simple rule I've learned is to never let any of your cards or bag out of your sight if at all possible. While you're pretty sure that guy you’re trading with is trustworthy, don't just let him walk off with your card to ask a question of his friend. Likewise, don't leave your backpack in the safekeeping of your friend who has a propensity to wander off and forget things.

Although more often than not your friend does manage to remember to watch your backpack and that guy with your card comes walking straight back these are still somewhat risky situations that should be avoided. Even if you’re completely certain your friend would never steal from you; people aren't usually as concerned for your possessions as you are and are just more likely to let their attention wander and possibly create an opening for a bag thief. If your bag is overly heavy or cumbersome than something you may want to consider is leaving some of that extra junk at home (it is rare that anyone will take the time to sort through your 1000 count box full of Conflux commons) or to possibly upgrade to a larger and more secure bag. This leads me to my next point – the backpack.

Another common problem I see is people using old or ratty backpacks to carry around their cards in. Now, this may not seem like an issue, and god knows we all think your tore up Pikachu backpack is kickass, but if a bag has any noticeable openings or loose zippers you could inadvertently be creating an opening for a thief. A simple loose zipper that never seems to stay closed or a large tear in the front of your backpack screams easy access that could allow a thief to just reach in and snag a deck box while your attention is distracted. This is especially true while you’re wearing your bag on your back or if you leave it sitting on the seat next to you. Personally, I have become wary of backpacks since Grand Prix Chicago last year when a streak of backpack thefts occurred where thieves were sliding the packs out from under people’s feet by the straps. True, this doesn't happen very often, but backpacks are notoriously light, easy to carry, and easy to snag from a distracted individual. Recently, both because of the increase in the size of my collection and due to security reasons, I have upgraded to one of those luggage bags on wheels. These bags are cumbersome, heavy, very easy to spot in a crowd, and usually the zippers are a little harder to access compare to a backpack. Additionally if I place this bag between my legs under a table, there is no way in hell someone can slide it out without me noticing. Of course, the other nifty feature is the fact that it has way more space available than a normal backpack and is easy to transport due to its nifty little wheels.

Lastly, try to bring only the essentials to these large events. As I said earlier, bringing large boxes filled with almost unplayable commons and uncommons is most likely going to be just dead weight. Also, bringing decks that you won't be using for the main event is most likely a bad idea. This is especially true if you are going there with the motive to trade if you don't win it big in the main event. All these extra decks will do is distract you from your primary (or secondary) objective of trading and possibly come up missing at the end of the day. Bringing only the essentials also applies to things not magic related. Even if your mom told you to bring a coat and your PSP in case you get cold or bored, leave those things in the car if at all possible. I can't count the number of times I've seen people sitting outside looking miserable because they just had their brand new mp3 player or laptop come up missing at a large event. While these things may be a nice way to waste time between rounds, they end up being just one more item that you have to keep an eye on and could distract you from trading. Take it from me, if I see someone wearing headphones or on a laptop I'm most likely not going to approach them for trading.

Lastly, I'm going to touch on what I feel would be some relatively solid suggestions for trading at this time.

With Extended season midway through and Worldwake becoming tourney legal on Friday one thing that myself and many other traders I've talked to are starting to focus upon is the upcoming standard season. Obviously the new Jace, the Mind Sculptor is going to pop up somewhere, and odds are Jund will still be a force to be reckoned with, but one thing to keep in mind is staple cards that have been seeing a steady rise in price. In particular I mean cards from the shards block such as Ajani Vengeant, Ranger of Eos, Maelstrom Pulse, etc. These cards have become increasingly difficult to find but are still very sought after by players of every competitive level. One thing that I started to do a month ago was stockpile Ajani Vengeants and Rangers of Eos in anticipation of a gradual if not spiked price rise when standard comes around. With the release of Loam Lion, the new one casting cost ally [Hada Freeblade], and even Death's Shadow players have started to have a renewed interest for Ranger of Eos in a multitude of decks. Not to mention he still plays a vital part in Bushwhacker and has even seen a little play in Extended.

I'm not going to go into great detail concerning trading for Extended staples. Most readers of this site should know what cards to look out for and that it would be a good idea to trade off any Mirrodin era rares quickly because of their oncoming rotation. The only exception to this of course is if you plan to play them in Legacy or know Legacy players you can trade them to. Also, holding back cards to get the highest value is a good idea, but also knowing when to sell is important as well. Waiting too long to trade off those Life from the Loams or Ancestral Visions will most likely end in you holding on to them for another year until Extended comes around again.

And finally, Legacy! The quickest growing format is now experiencing some very quickly growing prices for cards. Old duals are starting to skyrocket in price, if you don't have them already go get them now. Additionally Force of Will has finally seen a jump from the $25-$30 range to around $40 a pop. This change is recent so, if you can, go out and get them while most people still believe them to be at the old price. The same goes for cards like City of Traitors and Entomb. In short, price check Legacy staples now and start aggressively trading for them before they rise even higher in price. I would take some time to touch on Tarmogoyf but as the author before me stated he's going for silly amounts of cash and should be acquired if at all possible.

Well, thanks again readers. Any questions, comments, or hate mail can be sent to dreadedsunset@gmail.com.