Part of the issue is also deadlines and publish date. For example, publishing on Mon/Tue/Wed means we need to have our article in by Sunday so the editor can get to it … I’d love to write an article about the banned & restricted announcement next week, but it falls on a Monday. By the time my article slot comes around again the topic will be a week old and other writers will already have hit it.

Calling out spikes is especially hard to do in article form, because if you’re wrong (often) you get chastised for it … I’ll take “not causing people to lose money” for certain over a chance at “people making some bucks.” Which is why I tend to lean more heavily on the methods side of the spectrum than the “called shots.”

Corbin,

Very fair point. I would propose that you don’t mention your entry price in the same breath as your exit execution. If I say “Chalice of the Void is $20 now, selling my copies immediately #DontChase” this should not at all come across as boasting. I definitely agree that if I instead say “Tripled on my Chalice spec, time to bail!” it comes across way too braggy. I think it’s all in the wording used.

Corey, thanks for the comment! I’ll try to use that hashtag when I next see some wild spike with people hyping the card up on Twitter. 🙂 Best thing to remind yourself is, if you missed a spike don’t fret. There will be another, guaranteed.

And, that said, we did predict both Chalice of the Void and Gilt-Leaf Archdruid literally weeks in advance, in article form and in the forums.

That is a great idea. I know personally I don’t buy on the hype of people saying “X is going up, has been bought out here and here”, but I feel like I lost out. Maybe seeing #dontchase would ease my mind a little as to if I didn’t have any it was meant to be.

I feel like we’re reading different articles. The tone of every article I’ve read on premium has shifted over the few years I’ve written for this site. And why are you posting anonymously?

I understand your frustration. I think one thing you need to keep in mind is that these spikes happen literally overnight. By the time our articles go live, another spike/buy-out can occur. With these happening so haphazardly, it’s difficult to predict an actual spike. I always try to provide ideas for where to invest and what to trade for, but I can’t just say “Gilt-Leaf Archdruid is about to get bought out, so buy those now” because I can’t predict this precisely. I can see that it’s moving upward, and I know it’s from an older set…so it feels like a good candidate. But yesterday it was Chalice of the Void’s turn. The day before it was Orzhov Pontiff’s turn. Tomorrow it may be something else, like Amulet of Vigor again. Who knows?

I do think a good article topic would be a solid look-back at what type of cards spike and why, so that we can look for these opportunities in the future. But when it comes to predicting a buy-out – especially an irrational one – it’s a shot in the dark more often than not. Sorry I can’t be more definitive, but this is my honest opinion. Others are welcome to chime in and share their own thoughts.

Either way, I love your comment and I appreciate your taking the time to share your true opinion. The only way we can improve is if we receive constructive feedback. 🙂

I like that idea. Maybe we should start using it as a hashtag on Twitter when people start tweeting to hype cards up. Someone says “Chalice of the void bought out, it’s now $20! #DontChase” This is a way of communicating price trends people need to be aware of without further adding fuel to the hype fire. Thanks for the comment!