This is a tricky question, because I think it starts with the assumption that the value of a set in paper and digital are not well related. But I think they are, so maximizing value on two objects that are correlated in price doesn’t make much sense.

What I’d suggest is to pick up any cards you need in order to complete a set right now, before interest in constructed heats up in October.

Thanks for reading, I hope I answered your question!

DGM packs have been moving up since the end of M14 release events. They are probably set to continue to rise in the next few weeks as M14 draft slows down. Be sure to sell them before the hype for Theros starts up, otherwise they will start dropping in price.

I opened a SRevelation in a Sealed event and sold it for 34 tix. Now I get to decide on what to spec on next – DSpheres, Mortars or maybe a set of Ral Zarek. I could get a couple Jaces though, so maybe that's the play if they're on the rise…

The price of Liliana was something else. I think this is due to Innistrad having Snapcaster Mage, Geist of Saint Traft, and Lily herself. These staples ensured that redemption for ISD was probably quite high, leaving few copies online.

Also, the big unknown is casual appeal which might be contributing to Lily’s high price. I’m curious to see how low she goes in Oct/Nov.

Jace is not a for sure thing, but is a reasonable bet in my opinion. You are correct in saying Jace is not like Lily. Her breakout happened in the first half of the Modern PTQ season. Right now, we are not in any season. So, although I am invested in Jace (now in paper too!), I am still waiting and watching.

What I am watching for is a price breakout in paper. If Jace is a pillar of Fall Standard, then it will go up in price in paper. Many people feel it will be $20 in paper. If this happens, and Shocklands continue to tick up in price, then we’ll see redemption pick up in volume too, putting pressure on the online Jace to go up in price. This is the feedback effect which is possible if the paper price spikes up on a card like Jace.

Let me try another angle. To me, due to it’s prevalence in Block, Jace on MTGO is ahead of the curve in terms of price. When/If paper catches up, the digital version will bump up in response. If Jace goes to $20, I think we’ll see online go to 30 tix in the short term.

If Jace stays at $10-$12, Jace will probably drift down to 12-15 tix eventually. But between the shocklands, Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay, these should ensure that redemption demand stays high, which will keep online Jace at a higher price relative to paper.

It makes perfect sense as to why Liliana reached so high but I’m still amazed that she sustained such a price past June-July! Sure it’s a staple in several formats but she’s not a x4 cornerstone of one or multiple decks in standard or modern or I might miss read decks popularity?

Concerning Jace where do you see this going? considering, unlike Liliana, Jace won’t be Legacy playable and probably not Modern (not so sure though) Maybe 30 Tix? Providing Theros dosen’t bring a playable blue planeswalker?

Welcome to the QS!

Speculating on booster packs has been a profitable and consistent strategy that we’ve developed here at QS. Read up on the forums in the RTR, GTC, and DGM booster threads, and also in past columns and the comments in those columns. The QS community has built up the booster speculating strategy through sharing of knowledge and constructive feedback. I will probably be writing a booster spec ‘bible’ in the near future to summarize.

But first, go here for historical RTR booster price

http://www.mtggoldfish.com/card/Return+to+Ravnica…

You’ll see a big dip around the release of GTC to less than 3 tix, which was a good time to buy. 3 months later, you could sell each booster for about 1 tix profit. RTR dipped so much because they were awarded for months as prizes, but drafting switched to triple GTC. This meant a high supply of RTR, and a low demand. Prices fell as a result because players could use the tix more than the boosters.

I’m anticipating a similar (but smaller) effect with M14. Look for prices to bottom out during Theros release events. Core set draft and limited continues to be popular online though, so prices will start recovering at some point. I’d expect the price of an M14 booster to be in the 3.5 to 3.7 range by Christmas. Profit could be in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 tix per booster.

Boosters are very liquid, have predictable price patterns, and the bots offer a small buy/sell spread. All these factors mean they can be a part of your portfolio that can deliver reliable profits with low risk. They are like the bonds of MTGO speculating.