Readers are the most vital component of any website or blog, and as such, I like to reach out to my readers and find out what they really want.  I've been exploring a lot of ideas on how to improve this site, and the #1 request is an increase in the frequency of updates.  I read a lot of blogs, and I've noticed that the majority have much more, but shorter, updates.  Initially, this site was started as a blog.  If you look at the first articles, they are short blasts, not full length features.  These were very popular, and seeing other successful blogs doing the same has got me reconsidering the direction of the site.  Somewhere along the line, the decision to switch to full length features was made, and that encumbered the site greatly.

My only goal is to deliver fun, interesting and hopefully profitable information to you, the reader, and to keep you coming back for more.  The goal is not to earn a sponsor, or to pay my rent, but to simply give goodness to the MTG community.  To that end, I implore you - if you like this site and want it to be all that it can be, just take a moment and vote in the poll to your right.  If you really feel generous, leave a comment too.

There has been tremendous bally-hoo around the net about the extreme and rapidly rising costs of many Legacy related cards.  Many of which are essential to high level tournament play and performance.  The most notable of these are the original dual lands.  As a side note, I hate it when people refer to anything but the original dual lands as dual lands.  Man lands, shock lands, CIPT lands, etc, none of these monikers bother me in the slightest.  But, when you’re talking about a card and it’s not a dual land, don’t call it such.  Please, for the sake of kittens around the world, because I kill one every time I hear the two words (dual land) to describe a card not named Taiga, Scrubland, Tropical Island, Tundra, Underground Sea, Volcanic Island, Bayou, Plateau, Badlands, or Savannah.  Don’t be a pain in my O.E.D. ass.  Please, call a spade a spade and only original dual lands, dual lands.

What is a budget-conscious person to do in these troubled times?  Actually, not every Legacy deck has a $1,000 manabase.  In fact, there are some excellent budget options for every type of player.  Please remember though, I’m talking about Legacy budget type options.  What do you mean?  This is not a casual, kitchen room table sort of thing.  I define Legacy budget as a deck that costs under $500 to construct.  I know, I know, one can build the best deck in Standard, Jund, for around $250 quite easily.  But, there’s no other way to slice it, this ain’t Standard.  If you want to, and care about Legacy, you need to shell out a bit more green.  Let’s take a look at the options.     

First up are some zany puppets from Labyrinth, or in Magic terms, little red dudes... 


Goblins

Total cost for the provided deck list is around $350 if you bought everything from SCG.  Chances are you should be able to find some of this stuff off-line though.  There are multiple commons and uncommons in the deck but some of the cards were printed in the previous century.  The four hardest suckers to catch are going to be Lackey, Vial, Wasteland, and Piledriver unless you have an unhealthy fetish for Mountains with scimitar symbols on them.  If you go to any larger Legacy event, like a SCG Open, then you will effortlessly find the fab four mentioned above.  At only a hundred above the Darth Vader of Standard, Jund, I really like this choice.  No card is outrageously priced the way duals are starting to become and who doesn’t love the timeless classic of the little red men that could?  Well, if you just raised your hand here’s a different option.

Hitting second is a blast from the past, you got it, it’s...


Mono-Black Control

This one adds up to right around $350 buckaroos as well.  Once again, I’m using SCG prices for this deck and all the decks I will talk about in this article.  This version of Mono-black Control has a nice mix of old and new cards so if you’ve drafted at all in the past six months you’ll have a couple cards already.  The rough stuff to get are the Wastelands, Tombstalkers, and Shades. For black fetches, just get the ones from Zendikar.  Shades are not super in-demand so you can find them.  Tombstalker is from Future Sight which is not too old, so there’s a good chance people at your local shop have some.  Wastelands you basically need to buy online.  You’re just not going to find them unless you’ve been playing Vintage or Legacy for a few years in which case this article is useless to you.  Sorry guys, you’re NOT my target audience for this piece, maybe next time.  The Disk might cause some heartache to find as well, but copious amounts of them exist online.  Aggro players have a deck; control players have one; where is combo at?

In a not-so-distant past, I made fun of this deck as well as the person who put it back on the Legacy map for us, Cedric Philips.  It was a faux pas - sorry Mr. Philips. 


Charbelcher

Charbelcher clocks in at approximately $450.  And, will be tougher to assemble than the previous two decks.  There are a good number of commons and uncommon in the deck but also some reserve list cards that are only going to go up.  Thankfully there are only a few.  Chrome Mox will be around and cheaper once Extended season is over which is very soon.  I don’t see this card as too difficult to get.  The Lion’s Eye Diamond is the true brat of the bunch.  They’re going for $30-$40 online and even SCG is out of stock on them at the moment meaning the price is not fixed; it’s going up, up, and away.  Try to get them now.  The last two cards are one Bayou and Taiga.  They are duals, but they’re not blue ones, and there are only two of them.  Not easy but not incredibly difficult either.  This brings us to the 4 spot in the lineup, the cleanup hitter.

From the dawn of Magic and throughout its existence this is one of the most recognizable archetypes, a timeless classic...


White Weenie              

The meter runs to $450 for this mean son of a bitch. 
The hard-to-get uncommons are Vial, Swords, Wastelands, Mom and Karakas.  The hard-to-get rares are Port and a Jitte.  The other stuff has been printed more recently.  Vial, Port, Jitte and Swords you should be able to get off your local big trader.  Finding a theme with the Wastelands yet?  Just get them.  Point blank, do it!  SCG can’t even keep Karakas in stock, so trolling the internet is the best and possibly only option.  Really, besides Karakas, the deck is fairly simple to collect.  But, the Karakas is big and definitely needed with the presence of Mangara in your deck and Reanimator in the Meta.  Last up, some closing thoughts.

The cost for each deck was totaled without a sideboard.  I did this for a few reasons.  First, depending on just about anything, your sideboard will change meaning its cost will change.  There are just too many variables to take into account to accurately give an estimate.  With that being said, sideboard cards are sideboard cards for a reason; they’re generally hate cards with too narrow a scope to make it into the final 60.  This means sideboard cards on the whole are cheaper than deck staples making their cost relatively low.  Thus, it shouldn’t cost much beyond the quoted prices above to bring a fully functional 75 to your nearest awesome Legacy tournament.             


Also, you’re not finding reserve list specials in sideboards; this is just not happening.  The availability of well-known and specific sideboard cards is always high.  If these are the cards you’re having the most trouble getting, you’re already in good shape to begin with.

You might be wondering, perhaps even pondering why I have left off the most popular of budget decks, Merfolk,  I did this for a few reasons.  With the increased prices on Wastes and Forces a Merfolk deck can run at right around if not above $500.  This makes it a non-budget deck by my definition.  Second, I figure most people have already heard of Merfolk, and I was trying to find more obscure decks to suggest.  Moreover, if you decide to run the version with green, you double the cost by bringing in the need for Goyf, Trops, and more fetches.  If you’re interested in a list, here’s a first place one from a large tournament. 

There you go, five deck lists for the price of one article.  That’s what I call a steal.  And remember; just buy a damn playset of Wastelands already.  You’re gonna need them.

 This was written in response to some comments that I received on my Top Level Trading post at Quiet Speculation.

Sometimes my trades make people wonder, "how does this guy sleep at night"!? Is it right to take a trade that is in your favor? How much you can make on a trade without being immoral? What is the limit? These are tough questions that anyone with a conscience wrestles with each time they trade.

...read the rest at MTGMetagame.com

I've been discussing this with a local friend, and we're a little fascinated by Sarkhan the Mad.  I'm going to make this mostly about the numbers.  Since his main draw to us is his ability to draw cards in R/B decks, we want to know what the average R/B deck will expect to get out of his "0" Loyalty ability.

Using the 1st place list from Kuala Lumpur, modified to fit in 3 Sarkhan the Mad:

4  Arid Mesa
4  Dragonskull Summit
4  Lavaclaw Reaches
8  Mountain
4  Scalding Tarn

3  Ball Lightning
4  Goblin Guide
4  Hell's Thunder
4  Hellspark Elemental

4  Blightning
3  Burst Lightning
3  Earthquake
4  Lightning Bolt
4  Searing Blaze
3 Sarkhan the Mad


I've cut the Quenchable Fires and 1 copy of Ball Lightning to give us max value on our Planeswalker's draw ability.  This may be a horrible cut, but we needed a theoretical deck list to work with, and I wanted to cut high CMC cards.  I'd rather have Hell's Thunder, since Unearthing it and then turning it into a Dragon is really unfair.  Additionally, Hell's Thunder is harder to kill in combat, ensuring it survives to turn into a Dragon.


Dragons are just the bonus with Sarkhan, anyway.  The fact that you can use Sarkhan to draw another one, then next turn make TWO dragons, seems quite good and quite deadly, but we're concerned with our Sarkhan EV today.  Let's take a look.  These are assuming a 60 card deck, obviously, so the numbers change with every draw step.  We can fine tune them later, but let's just try to put a baseline number on his draw power.

Now clearly you'll have 5 land out before then and have likely cast some spells, including your first Sarkhan.  Lets say we curve out nicely, hit our first 5 land drops, cast a 1 drop, 2 drop, 3 drop, and a Bolt, then a Sarkhan on Turn 5, on the play.  That leaves us with 49 cards in deck upon casting Sarkhan.


A bit of quick math shows us that more than 50% of our cards cost 1 mana or less (62% to be precise).  Over 75% cost 2 or less.  The odds of hitting a second Sarkhan should see it happen maybe once or twice in a PTQ length tournament.  We've got a 38% chance of scoring a freebie, a 24% chance of hitting a 1-drop, a 14% chance of hitting a 2-drop, 20% for a 3-drop, and 4% for a 5-drop.  That puts our average CMC in the above scenario - curving out and playing a turn 5 Sarkhan without missing a land drop, on the play, at at about 1.32.  If you do nothing but activate his primary ability, you will be able to activate him 5 or 6 times on average.  Even if you get the worst possible outcome, you'll get a 3-drop, then another Sarkhan.  He'll be a 2-for-1 anyway, find you gas, and replace himself. 


Clearly these percentages are not hard and fast numbers, but you get the idea.  It is almost impossible for him to get you fewer than 3 cards in this deck if left unmolested.  It's fine to make Dragons too, and to Lava Axe people, but tho
se require little math or thinking.  A slight wrist movement to turn the guys sideways is often sufficient.  


I wanted to show that Sarkhan the Mad is actually an elite card-drawing spell, albeit he requires the right deck.  He's such a prime piece of planeswalker because of his colors.  The bottom line is, he's a 5-drop in red/black that gives you a one-sided Howling Mine for at least 3-4 turns, if not much longer, and he can change gears to end games in a second.  I feel 3 is the right number for this style deck because of the reach it gives you in all dimensions.  Noteworthy is the fact that you will still get, on average 2-3 activations of Sarkhan the Mad if you decide you need a dragon right off the bat.

It seems that Sarkhan is great at generating card advantage.  If he only draws you a single card, he's likely either saved you damage or traded them down a removal spell like O-Ring or Maelstrom Pulse, which are normally the worst against you.  It's a 2-for-1 only on paper - it's really not much of a deal.  If you make a Dragon, they have to deal with the Dragon while Sarkhan draws you cards or lava axes them.   If they remove the Dragon and the Sarkhan on the subsequent turn, you got a true 2-for-1.  Remember, after making a Dragon, you can put Sarkhan to work on your library and expect to draw at least another 2 cards, quite possibly more, so it seems like making a Dragon is the best standby plan whenever your board allows it.  It's also OK to draw once and then untap, play or unearth a Lightning type creature, and turn THAT into a Dragon post-combat.  Unearthed Hellsparks and Hells Thunders love to turn into 5/5s.

If the Dragons start sticking, it's all over.  The reason Sarkhan the Mad is quite good is because a 5 mana personal Howling Mine is playable.  It's rare in Red-Black, who usually can turn cards into damage, so it gains even more value on its color combination.  The choice to turn Sarkhan into a giant evading beater, direct damage, or a Howling Mine means he gives the perennially linear Red Deck a single card that gives a wealth of options.  This level of power and this suite of options was dearly missing from Red decks.  Remember how good Sygg, River Cutthroat was in Jund because he let you just draw more utter gas?  It's a similar concept here.  His 5 cost is really pretty rough, but at 4 mana he'd be way overpowered.  You aim to hit 5 around the time you want to stop casting guys (or run out), which is why Hell's Thunder is exceptional.

Its possible that the metagame shifts in such a way that Sarkhan doesn't usually live to see full value, but as I see it, any turn they spend committed to killing the Planeswalker is a turn you have basically earned for free.  3RB sounds fine for a Time Walk to me.

Thanks to the good folks at Wizards of the Coast, we're able to bring you yet another EXCLUSIVE preview card, this time from the upcoming Rise of the Eldrazi expansion set.  It's another exciting one, this time a Mythic Rare vampire named Nirkana Revenant.

Let's start with competitive constructed play.  It's unlikely that the new vampire will see play in the eternal formats.  6 mana is just too much for a creature that doesn't win the game outright in those formats.  Extended is much the same - this would have to be a finisher in an existing deck, and there aren't any extended decks that want a 6-drop Mana Flare.

That brings us to the only formats where the card is going to see competitive play - Standard and Block.  There is already a deck that will give it some value on being a Vampire.  It's a game-ender if you've got a Vampire Nocturnus online, and even without, it doubles your mana and hits like a truck.  The lack of evasion would be an issue if Nocturnus didn't exist, but as it stands, I'd like to test two in Standard Vampires as the big bomb it seems to be lacking.  Sorry, Nightmare.  You super-don't-count. 

Block Constructed is a popular format on MTG Online, and the Vampires deck there would probably benefit from 2-3 copies as well.  Since Vampires works well against the MTGO metagame and Mythics tend to be more expensive online, this card might have a home and thus, command a higher than average price.  The loss of Nocturnus really hurts here, since he's the only real tribal synergy that the clan has, outside of Kalastria Highborne.  Nevertheless, a format in which mono-black decks are viable will give this card a home.

It should go without saying that the card is a limited bomb.  It's still scary in black-light decks, but it clearly gains a huge amount of value when you're heavier in the color.  EDH players relish flavor, tribes, raw power and Mana Flares.  This has all four.  Obviously any mono-black EDH deck auto-runs this card.  This + Whispersilk Cloak make me wish the card were a Legendary Creature. 

Overall, the card has enough power and appeal to be worth more than a bulk Mythic.  It's unlikely that any deck will mark the number 4 next to this card on their registration sheet, but since it's a Mythic it will still be +EV when you open one in a pack.  It's not a card to try to acquire aggressively by any means, unless it starts out below $4 or so.  It's likely that it will see at least some competitive play, but it will be far from the marquee card of the set.  It's clear that Gideon Jura holds that crown for the moment, and he deserves it.  Card is good, people.  But you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?  We'll discuss him more shortly, but for now, the spotlight is on Nirkana Revenant and her sleek elegant Double-Shade design.  Frozen Shade, you've come a long way, baby.

Would you trust this man with $65?  I sure wouldn't, but I did.  F**K YOU, Aaron Harang.

Why am I cursing out the Cincinnati Reds' ace pitcher?  Because he's Fantasy Baseball Kryptonite, and I have him on my team.  I spent $65 to enter this league, for reference.  Fantasy Baseball is a game just like Magic, with resource management, risk tolerance and evaluation, and savvy trading.  Clearly you can see why I'd be such a fan.  I'm a Roto Junkie, you see.  I live for Fantasy Baseball season.  And I really, really don't like crappy Pitchers.  Pitchers are so volatile.  That arm motion is unnatural and leads to injury.  Since they're so risk-prone by nature, drafting a pitcher with "issues" doubles up your risk.  Why the HELL did I spend $2 of my hard-earned Fantasy Baseball Bucks to put fat dumb Aaron Harang on my roster?

Same reason you probably paid $10 for this stupid crap in October, right when the Cincinatti Reds were, shockingly, NOT playing Baseball.  Sometimes, you just get caught up in the cachet of a name or concept.  After a certain point, the speculative hypotheses stop being true.  We "know" that Planeswalkers are expensive and usually good.  We know from experience that cards like Elspeth are insane, $40 bombs.  So we paint the Chandras Ablaze of the world with the Elspeth brush, and we hope and pray.

There is no hope or prayer in Baseball.  Nor is there in Magic, so put down the Psalms and start looking at numbers.  For the baseball-inclined, here's a link to Harang's career numbers.  If you're not baseball-savvy, his numbers are really not that that great.  If you do what the big stat-heads in baseball  do, and compare similar pitchers to get an idea of his general potential, you will see that he's really not that great.  But not long ago, he was considered a high draft pick and had great potential.  He almost went unpicked this year, until I decided that I was getting a bargain on him.  I then promptly missed my best sleeper pick of the year, Brian Matusz, who's going to be a real stud on a rebuilding Baltimore team.

Baseball yammering aside, let's compare Chandra Ablaze to the Good Planeswalkers.  The best right now are Garruk, Ajani Vengeant and Elspeth.  Jace TMS is up there too.  Note that they all cost 4 mana.  Note that they all have the ability to impact the board 100% of the time, regardless of context.  Ajani can lock down or Helix, Garruk can make a Hill Giant, Elspeth can stream dorks and Jace can Unsummon.   Chandra Ablaze costs 50% more, and her ability to impact the board is situational.   By comparing her to the elite Planeswalkers, we can easily see that she's not on the same level at all, just as I can see by looking at Aaron Harang's minor league and major league numbers that he was never meant to be an elite pitcher.  Somehow, his name became synonymous with above-average pitching, which is really just not accurate.  To call him near-elite is a joke.  His strikeout rate in his prime years was not quite there, and he's really had trouble replicating that over the last 3 seasons.  His ratios are average at best, never posting a sub-3.50 ERA over a season.  For reference, an ERA under 3.00 is considered elite.

Then why in the name of all that is White Mana did I decide I wanted him on my team?  I ignored the facts and simply got my "information" from name recognition.

Let's not fall for this again, kids.  Rise of the Eldrazi is coming out soon, and we have two new Planeswalkers to mess with.  I'm not saying that they're bad.  In fact, I think it's one of the best set of 'walkers we've seen lately.  The point is, don't be a sucker for a big name.  It seems that every time some splashy Mythic hits the spoliers, we all lose our collective minds.  MY GOD EMRAKUL IS BIG, LETS SPEND $50 ON HIM!

Not the way of enlightenment, young Jedi.

Let's look at precedent.  What's the best analogue we have to the Eldrazi?  Look to your left and right.  One of these cards fetches double digits on eBay.  The other hardly sells at all.  Darksteel Colossus is bigger, tramples, but doesn't start Vindicating your opponent (which doesn't matter much, since two hits from either is game over, and both are likely to connect.

Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre and Darksteel Colossus are amazingly similar cards, yet Ulamog has name recognition thanks to the fact that his little Eldrazi racket seem to be headlining this set.  Clearly, he's the least powerful of the Eldrazi, but hype alone is propping up his presale price.  With Ulamog, Emrakul and Kozilek, let's temper our expectations a little bit.  You should come to your own conclusions on the matter, but look into the history of the game.  Unless the mana acceleration is shockingly good in Rise of the Eldrazi, and I mean Grim Monoloth/Voltaic Key good, these are not going to be tournament staples.  It's possible that there are enough cards that generate horrible little mana-producing monsters while generating other value, but I would be hesitant to consider these giant haymakers as tournament cards.

If they end up being castable in Standard (since we all know about Through The Breach, Sneak Attack, and so on), it will be Emrakul who reigns supreme.  Casting him is akin to winning the game, and frankly, a big indestructible Vindicate without evasion or shroud seems like it's just asking to lose the game to a sandbagged Mind Control or Path to Exile.  If you're spending top dollar on a guy (Pitcher or Eldrazi), spend a little extra and really get the best.  Nothing sucks like overpaying for mediocrity.  Emrakul will at least give you an extra turn and some serious evasion.  Kozilek is a nice consolation prize because he at least cantrips like it's his job.

The point is, don't let name recognition or hype sway your valuations of cards.  Remember what happened with Silence?  Everyone lost their collective minds about the card, traded it at $10 all day long, and then wondered why suddenly the card was worthless.  Hype is ephemeral.  It can dissipate in a moment and if that was all that was propping up a card's price, the card will crash.  Ab
yssal Persecutor just called in and was offended that he wasn't mentioned.  Well, maybe if he were more relevant...

You mad?

The former marquee chase rare of Shards of Alara is back in Black.  Sarkhan the Mad is the newest addition to the Planeswalker lineup, showing once again that R&D; are really seeing how far they can push the type.  Sarkhan embodies everything that is Red and Black gorgeously by trading time for assets.  The most appealing aspect of the Planeswalker is his ability to generate a board presence.  The most successful Planeswalkers are those that can protect themselves efficiently, and turning your worst guy into a 5/5 flier is good for a lot of protection.

As a Dragon Factory, he would probably be decent, but it's his "0" ability that puts him into the realm of playable.  He can turn into a funky sort of Dark Confidant once he's done making dragons and get you at least a few extra cards.  Red and Black really don't get card draw without the expense of life loss, so this ability is pretty rare.  The -4 ability is a nice option if Sarkhan is topping out the curve of a deck like current Red-Black Deck Wins. 

Hype alone will cause the Planeswalker to command double digits.  It's possible that this does a "Chandra Ablaze", which is to top out at its release price and steadily fall due to lack of use, though unlikely - Sarkhan looks a fair bit better than Chandra Ablaze, so his $10-ish starting price will likely be supported. 

You mad?

The former marquee chase rare of Shards of Alara is back in Black.  Sarkhan the Mad is the newest addition to the Planeswalker lineup, showing once again that R&D; are really seeing how far they can push the type.  Sarkhan embodies everything that is Red and Black gorgeously by trading time for assets.  The most appealing aspect of the Planeswalker is his ability to generate a board presence.  The most successful Planeswalkers are those that can protect themselves efficiently, and turning your worst guy into a 5/5 flier is good for a lot of protection.

As a Dragon Factory, he would probably be decent, but it's his "0" ability that puts him into the realm of playable.  He can turn into a funky sort of Dark Confidant once he's done making dragons and get you at least a few extra cards.  Red and Black really don't get card draw without the expense of life loss, so this ability is pretty rare.  The -4 ability is a nice option if Sarkhan is topping out the curve of a deck like current Red-Black Deck Wins. 

Hype alone will cause the Planeswalker to command double digits.  It's possible that this does a "Chandra Ablaze", which is to top out at its release price and steadily fall due to lack of use, though unlikely - Sarkhan looks a fair bit better than Chandra Ablaze, so his $10-ish starting price will likely be supported. 

Now that we're starting to see some real spoilers from Rise of the Eldrazi, it's time to start considering where this set might be going.  Worldwake's financial values were headlined by Jace and the as-yet unplayed Abyssal Persecutor.  RoE looks to be headlined by the colorless, yet not artificial Eldrazi Mythics.  There are also rumors of more Planeswalkers, which will undoubtably push the set's value even higher.

Deathless Angel

It's hard to imagine a current deck this will go in, unless that deck's 99 cards tall.  Sure to be an immediate hit in EDH games, and most likely not playable in Standard or the other Constructed formats.  This is a better version of Spearbreaker Behemoth, so once you ignore the luster of the "angel" tribe, you realize it's not really that good a card.



 
All Is Dust
Yow.  This card just made Eye of Ugin "worth it" all over again.  The best analog to the card is Akroma's Vengeance.  It seems very easy to get to 7 mana all of a sudden, and this card will likely start out Chase, even if it doesn't stay high.  It'll probably debut around $15-20 if early Ebay action is any indication.  Whether it stays there is dependent entirely on play.

Splinter Twin 2RR
Enchantment – Aura
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature has “T: Put a creature token which
is the copy of this creature onto the battlefield. This token has haste. At the beginning of next end step, exile it.”

Barring some kind of crazy combo, this won't really see much play outside the Casual realms.

Emrakul, The Aeons Torn & Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

There's no way these Eldrazi badasses should be $30, but they're so appealing to all players on the spectrum.  These are mostly hype until some truly earth-shattering mana acceleration comes to the fore.  Legacy players are certainly looking forward to Sneak Attack decks with these fatties.

LLighthouse Chronologist
 Timmy players will have a blast finding ways to put this in Standard decks, but EDH players are currently salivating madly.  The thought alone of this card in EDH has already pushed it into the $10 range, and it will stay there until the frenzy calms down.  At the end of the day, it's just a 3/5 creature.

Guul Draz Assassin
Not an awful card, but just too slow for competitive play.  Will be insane in Limited, but should end up a Bulk Rare when all is said and done.


Lord of Shatterskull Pass
Same situation as Guul Draz Assassin.  Some players may get excited by the "level up" mechanic, but the card is still not all that good. 

Realms Uncharted
Another big-money card in the making, this Zendikar-themed reprint of Gifts Ungiven could prove to be one of the most powerful cards in the set.  Standard decks may struggle to make use of the tutor, but Extended and Legacy players have a lot to work with.  Don't rule out a combo in Standard that brings this card to the next level.  Remember, we'll have a whole new set of lands come Magic's return to Mirrodin.  This is the kind of card, like Ranger of Eos, that does an awful lot of work across formats, and only gets better as the game goes on.  This should be a high priority on opening day.  They're Ebaying for $5-$10.

As many of you know, I've been very, very busy.  I run this site, which has gone slightly neglected from time to time, I write for ManaNation and MTGO Academy, run the Dragons Den in Lafayette, Indiana, and from time to time, I've been known to actually play a game or two of Magic.  Combining this with my new life initiative to get serious about my health and fitness again, which entails spending a lot more time each day in the gym and cooking (rather than slamming burritos at Taco Bell), my free time is at a serious premium.

That being the case, I was presented with two options:  let this site sit fallow and slowly fall into disrepair, or find a way to take some of the workload off of my own shoulders.  Clearly, I'm not about to let this site slip.  I feel awful when I don't update it regularly, so I did the only logical thing I could think of: I got someone sharp, trustworthy and knowledgeable to work with me on editing the site!  Don't worry, I'm still running the show, and I'll still be producing my own content, but with another editor, I can accept more material from readers and have it up in a more timely fashion.

This site is responsible for so much good in the community, both for myself and for other players.  It would be truly awful to let it sit fallow.  I promised myself when I started this site that I wouldn't let it get like the "other" blogs, which go strong for a few months than fade into obscurity, and I'm keeping that promise.  I'd like to introduce you to your new Editor, Mulldrifting's own Lauren Lee!

You may have noticed some articles in the past few weeks posted by someone named "Lee", and that's her.  She's been doing a fantastic job. (Photograph courtesy of Alexander Shearer.)

Hey everyone!  It's been a while since I've had a chance to sit down and do some writing for my own site.  As those who follow me on Twitter will know, I've been quite the busy bee lately, having opened my own retail game store.  We focus on Magic: the Gathering right now, with plans to expand to other games once we've got our feet firmly on the ground.  We're called Dragon's Den, located in Lafayette, Indiana (look us up on Facebook!)

I wanted to take a moment to share some insights from the other side of the table, as it were.  I'm hardly pushing the volume a dealer like Star City Games does, but the dynamics of the business are, at their core, very similar.  I allow players to sell me just about any card, and my prices are much more dynamic than the other local stores.  To give you an idea just how dynamic, I don't even own a price gun.  There's no reason to sticker a card when its price could, and does, change daily.  My buy prices reflect the card's current price, my stock of the card, its demand in the local market, and my overall ability to convert it into cash.  Players who trade with, or sell to, the store understand that on a given deal, the house really has to win.  This is because I have overhead expenses, and individual traders do not.  It's funny how many people don't seem to grasp that concept, regardless of the size of the dealer.

I wanted to pop in and deliver a few lessons that every-day traders can learn from some of the methods of a small card shop, which have been derived in part from the operating procedures of the larger dealers.

1) Know your Market/Metagame!  This is a no-brainer, but it bears repeating.  I have not stocked a Vampire Nocturnus for over 3 weeks.  They just disappear and turn into cash as soon as they arrive.  When I'm trading, I go out of my way to snag them.  If someone's reluctant, I will slightly over-pay for them since I know that $0.5x in margin right now is better than $1.0x margin never.  If you're trading for a hot card that you KNOW you can move at high value/profit, don't be afraid to grease a few palms with extra cardboard to get it.  You know buddy Dave is DYING to get an Elspeth, but is the guy trading it to you not sure whether he wants to come off his copy?  Throw in an extra $5 rare, citing the fact that you're willing to give him "more than book value".  This tactic, if it can even be called a tactic, will facilitate many trades.  That $5 rare may never move, rendering its value $0.  Then you turn around and flip Elspeth for a massive profit to your buyer in waiting!

2) Develop good relationships with everyone, and always have some standing offers people can take advantage of.  My unwritten motto in my shop is that if I haven't got it in stock, I'll bust my ass to find you a copy.  I had a customer call me asking for, shockingly, two copies of Elspeth.  I hadn't any.  I also had a customer who had left his collection with me to price out and consider selling.  He had two copies of Elspeth.  Because I had standing offers on the table (I'll find you any card, and I'll always buy your stuff), I was able to make two phone calls and orchestrate a deal.  I didn't make a lot of money on the deal, but I made a couple bucks that I wouldn't have otherwise.  More importantly, both parties now know me as a facilitator, one who will work with them to achieve their goals in Magic.

By maintaining these relationships, many doors you cannot see will open up.  I have had customers tell me that I'm the first person they talk to when they want to sell cards because I always have cash and I'm not picky about what I buy.  Much of what I buy is bulk - commons and uncommons, crap rares, etc, but I have my reasons for picking those up.  What reasons?

3) Bulk is your friend.  There's a reason that every major dealer has a per thousand buy price on bulk cards.  There are a few, actually.  In my neck of the woods, there are a lot of collections that sit around attics for ages.  Most players don't want me to go through 10,000 cards and price them individually, nor have I that kind of time.  They usually bring me a binder and a few 5k count boxes.  I'll price the binder out, then quote them a bulk rate on the box.  The good stuff goes into the display case, and I root through the 5k boxes for any hidden gems, of which there's almost always something!

Since the cost on bulk cards is astoundingly low, it takes very few to make back your investment.  Obviously, finding a Wasteland is the dream, but most often it's the 25c boxes that do my heavy lifting.  Players love these.  There's an air of treasure hunting to digging through the quarter box.  EDH players in particular love that there are cards they may have never seen before.  Selling 8-10 of these pays for a thousand bulk cards, so the margin is high even though the turn-over rate is low.  Still, at absolute worst, smaller shops often sell their bulk to larger dealers who can move the inventory faster.  Thus, everyone along the chain wins.  The end-user gets money for cards they don't want, the small store makes its margin and serves its customers, and the large dealer gets more stock to do with as it sees fit.

Bulk rares are even better.  Most places put bulk rares on buy at $0.10 each, which is what I do as well.   This reflects, once again, the low chance of turning over a given rare.  I throw these rares into the dollar box, so if you do the math, you'll see that once again, my margin is super-high, but mitigated by turn-over rate.  These fixed-price boxes have been wildly successful.

The take-away for the average trader is this: put together a $1 binder!  Tell people you'll trade for bulk rares, or even buy them, at the standard 10 cent rate.  Many people will take you up on this.  Throw those rares into a $1 binder and use that to make up ground whenever a trade is "light" on one end, use them for good-will trades to garner favor amongst friends, and just generally trade them up.  This also goes for current-format Uncommons and Commons.  Many people will give them away, but that's like giving away money.   Have a separate binder or box for them and include them in your trade stock!

In general, the practices that apply to a store apply to a solo trader as well.  You don't have the luxury of a large space to store and display inventory, but there's nothing that says you can't be smart about what you take to tournaments and conventions and trade like a mad-man!

Last time, we ran through White, Blue and Black.  This time, we'll finish off the review with Red, Green, Artifacts, Lands and all two of the Multicolored cards.

Bazaar Trader

This little fellow is going to be very popular at EDH tables - too bad he's not legendary!  There have been goofy decks floating around that try to win games in Standard, but any deck that revolves around a 2-cost 1/1 without any form of shroud or haste is probably in bad shape.  A hair above bulk only because of EDH.

Chain Reaction

It seems that the decks that would use this already have an effect that they'd rather use.  It's going to see some play, especially in sideboards, but it won't be a high-dollar rare due to its narrow scope of use.  It'll be something in the 3-4 dollar range.

Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs

People seem to love the concept of Big Red decks, but they just don't usually seem to have the tools.  If they ever did come to the fore, they'd likely run 2 copies of this badass.  As it stands, he doesn't really have a home outside of Limited, where he's a Grade-A beatstick.  He was mildly popular at the pre-release but most people have realized he's just not that good.

Mordant Dragon

Limited Bomb, Constructed Unplayable.  Bulk.

Stone Idol Trap

You don't know the full breadth of your vocabulary until you try to describe how badly this card blows you out in combat.  I could see this being a massive tempo swing against a Boros-style deck, or perhaps against Eldrazi Green in its early turns.  Having been nailed with it in Sealed, it is truly impressive how inexpensive a 12-toughness Ball Lightning can be.  It feels awkward to play with, and is easily telegraphed, but if you manage to cast this in combat, you'll kill an attacker and almost assuredly get in for a bunch of damage.  The card's under-rated but probably not undervalued.  Look for it to find a home somewhere.

Comet Storm

These have been selling fairly well, despite being the prerelease promo.  Some control decks are playing 2 copies of this instead of Earthquake, and it's easy to see why.  The card is totally devastating when the game runs long, and has the ability to wipe the board and go to the dome at the same time.  The price should stay low due to its promo status.

Dragonmaster Outcast

So much has to go right for this card to not suck.  It's got the same affliction as Scute Mob.  It's probably over-rated right now at $8, but it's the kind of romantic card that Johnny type players simply adore.  It might find a home in Bushwhacker if Bushwhacker was still a good deck.

Harabaz Druid

Noble Hierarch this is not.  We've been trying multiple configurations of the Ally deck, and most of them suck.  The most promising ones still just fizzle out after one big turn and scoop it up to any removal.  Keep an eye out for some better Allies in Rise of the Eldrazi, because the druid can fuel some absurd turns.

Joraga Warcaller

While a good mono-green deck has yet to rear its head, rest assured that he's a 4x in every single one of them.  He's actually one of the most promising cards in the set, giving green a way to mana dump AND giving them an extra Elf lord.  He's appropriately priced at $6 right now, since Elves are popular regardless of tournament play.

Strength of the Tajuru

Bulk rare for constructed, but the damage this can do in Limited is truly shocking.

Terastodon

See "Strength of the Tajuru".

Wolfbriar Elemental

This guy's really insane.  He's got massive synergy with Master of the Wild Hunt, since he poops out Wolf tokens, and he works well with Elvish Archdruid to turn your otherwise fallow mana into something productive.  He's at his worst unkicked, when he's "only" a 4/4 for 2GG.  Remember when that was considered "aggressive"?

Omnath, Locus of Mana

My oh my, does Timmy love this jolly green giant.  He's sitting pretty atop the $10 spot right now, and hasn't anywhere to go but down.  There are just far too many ways to kill a vanilla X/X green creature, and most of them are played by Jund, Grixis or UWR Control.  Fun though he may be, he reminds me a lot of Lord of Extinction.  Hyped at first, but not truly a good card.

Amulet of Vigor

Minds far superior to my own will find, and actually have already found, ways to break this card in half.  It will likely be Extended or an Eternal format that houses the broken deck, since Standard doesn't offer too many ways to abuse Amulet.  This is one of those rares that'll hover between $3 and $6, but foil copies for Vintage players could fetch significantly more in time.

Basilisk Collar

Aside from the Red deck I saw that used this with Orcish Artillery to absolutely obliterate the opposing board position, there are applications for Choose Your Own Nighthawk in almost any aggressive deck.  I could even see this as a 2-of in Jund, where it makes your Siege-Gang Commanders and Masters of the Wild Hunt into life-gaining machine guns.   There's too much potential in this card to remain unplayed, but it's not on par with Sword of Fire and Ice or Umezawa's Jitte - the most expensive equipment.  Still, it will remain one of the best rares in the set for all around versatility and use.

Celestial Colonnade

The Man-Lands are, on the whole, some of the best dual lands in Magic.  Second only to the Ravnica and Original duals, the amount of value these provide puts the Urza's Legacy man-lands to shame.   Colonnade has found a home in the URW Control decks, where it provides the threat density the deck had been lacking.  It is one of the better lands in its appropriate deck.

Creeping Tar Pit

Having taken up residence in Grixis Control decks, my very own preview card has been impressive.  It doesn't have the stopping power of some of its brethren, but once you've ground out a war of attrition, a few hits for 3 will likely be all you need to get them into burn range.  Seriously good, seriously under-rated.

Lavaclaw Reaches

I was wrong when I tweeted that Lavaclaw Reaches were better than Raging Ravine in Jund.  Having playtested it, Ravine has almost been unilaterally better, and I've cut my Lavaclaws entirely in favor of Ravines.  This belongs in a faster deck with smaller spells, where it would shine.  Since a deck like this would  be playing second fiddle to Jund right now, it will likely be the least sought-after land from the set.

Raging Ravine

See Lavaclaw Reaches.  This card is an absolute monster in Jund.  If the deck's enemies thought their removal was spread thin before, wait until they need to start sending LANDS on a Path to Exile.  Deceptively good, especially since Jund can often wait until the later turns for double green and red.

Stirring Wildwood

Better than I originally gave it credit for.  4 toughness is pretty excellent in this format, and the price is certainly right.  The Wildwood was performing well in a Doran-colored midrange deck, but the deck was just not quite "there" compared to other midrange decks.  Another star without a home.

Eye of Ugin

Pricing this card has been a chess match.  Most people are smart enough to figure out that they've printed this card for a reason, but no one knows exactly what Eldrazi spells will look like.  It's pure speculation, and that alone has caused it to remain a $5 card.  That price feels correct, since it accurately reflects the risk/reward of the situation.  It's unlikely that it would hit more than $10, simply because it's unlikely that a deck will run more than a few copies of the Legendary Land.  By selling at $5, you have an equal chance of selling a junk rare at a normal rare price, or selling a high-quality rare at half-price.  I'd still acquire these on the cheap if someone values them at Bulk rates, but don't go out
of your way to get them at $5.

Wrexial, the Risen Deep

Coolness Factor: off the charts.  Playability in Tournament Magic:  Low.  He has already won many a game as an EDH general, since his enormous size, evasion, and triggered ability together make Hell on earth.  He hasn't got the same devastating effect on the board as a Baneslayer Angel, and is in general too fragile in a world of Terminates, Pulses and Paths.  Get a foil copy for EDH before everyone realizes how sick of a general he really is.

Novablast Wurm

I have almost no opinion on this card other than "oh look a Mythic fatty".  Limited Bomb, Constructed Unplayable.  Might trade well to EDH players and small children.

Lodestone Golem

Were he a 4/4, he'd be completely nuts, but as a 5/3, he's merely "very good".  Vintage decks are already cooing over their new Jugg-o-Sphere, and even Standard Esper decks are making use of the crippling beater.  The Sphere effect can really put a damper on the opposing strategy, and multiples are devastating.  It's a shame that land destruction is so bad these days, or he'd be even better.  Bear in mind that foil copies are already $20+ due to Vintage decks.

Seer's Sundial

This is an EDH card if ever there was one.  It's far too slow and plodding for Constructed, but will fit right in next to Horn of Greed in EDH decks. 

That wraps up the Worldwake Rundown!  The set feels rather weak as a whole, but has some extremely powerful cards.  The Dual Manlands are an unprecedented level of awesome, and will be format staples for years to come.  Don't forget that we're going to start seeing less and less Worldwake being opened as we approach Rise of the Eldrazi.  That will have a larger impact on prices than most people realize.  Look at Conflux as an example - Noble Hierarch and Knight of the Reliquary are seeing more and more play, and they're becoming very hard to find.  This is not a new phenomenon, so be ready for it this time and stock up on the best cards.  I know I'll be snapping up Man-Lands like a fiend at my store.

It's time, children.  Gather 'round!  I must preface this with a sincere apology - I prefer to do these reviews as the set is spoiled, but if you've been following my Twitter at all, you'll know that last Friday, I grand-opened Dragons Den.  Located in Lafayette, Indiana, it's the town's only dedicated MTG shop, and the public response has been phenomenal.  We had 24 people come out for Sealed Deck on Friday, fired 3 drafts over the weekend, and an 8-man Standard last night.  It's been a great success so far, and as you can imagine, a massive drain on my time.  I've been working with some other editors to keep the site running through all of this, but considering that I am running the store all by myself, my time has been very much under pressure.  Regardless, I've seen enough of the set now to know where I stand on a lot of cards.

Admonition Angel

Large, In Charge, and...Homeless?  She's huge and evasive and packs a hell of a punch, but the main issue is not her size - it's her home.  Most decks that need a massive flier will use a Sphinx or a Baneslayer.  It seems picky, but since her trigger can't nuke lands, there's no guarantee they won't just peel a Terminate and keep on chugging.  If she could really put them out of the game by annihilating lands, she'd be a whole different story.

Archon of Redemption

I don't think anyone is mistaking this card for a Constructed playable, but I could be wrong.  Enjoy the fact that he's a Limited powerhouse and that it's got a picture of a guy riding a lion.  Aces!

Marshal's Anthem

I had one of these with Kor Skyfisher in Sealed Deck.  I won that game.  It could be the right card for a Constructed deck, but its price of $3 is probably correct.  Decks that need them will be highly specific - it lacks the broad spectrum appeal to be anything more than a mid-range rare.  Its power, however, is truly ridiculous.

Stoneforge Mystic

I love everything about this card.  At 1W, she does an awful lot of work.  I'd play this card in the right deck if it only had the "tutor" ability, but the ability to tutor up and play off-color equipment really sweetens the deal.   This might have legs in Extended, where some really good equipment has taken up residence (Sword of Fire and Ice and Light and Shadow!)  In Standard, she fetches out Basilisk Collar, which is one of the more absurd equipments I've seen in a long time.  As with Marshal's Anthem, $3-5 is the most you should expect.

Talus Paladin

Allies might be good, but he's not going to be the reason why.  Bulk Rare, but tradable.

Terra Eternal

See: Talus Paladin.  Replace Allies with Man-Lands.  This needed to cost 1 mana to be any kind of protection against land destruction decks.

Goliath Sphinx

A Goliath waste of a rare.  Clearly just here for Limited, where it ends games faster than a Master of the Wild Hunt activation.

Jace, the Mind Sculptor

[Joke about Bulk Rare Removed due to no one getting it! -kbr]  Jace is already on par with Baneslayer Angel, and the Pro Tour coming up will tell us if that's correct or not.  Local players seem to have a glut of Jaces, which makes me question their lofty price.  If Jace makes a big showing at the top tables of PT San Diego, he'll continue living the Suite Life in his mansion on Park Avenue.  If not, expect a big tumble.  See: Lotus Cobra, which is now selling for $10.   Marquee cards live and die by hype, so if Jace doesn't perform admirably on the biggest stage of the game, expect him to dip.  I may eat my words for this later, but I think $60 is the highest Jace goes until well after Rise of the Eldrazi.  I'd be trading mine away, since there's nowhere left to go but down.

Jwari Shapeshifter

Same issue as many rares in this set; powerful in a niche deck.  If Allies can fix the problem of "we lose to removal", just like a Sliver deck, Shapeshifter will have a home.  Even so, the deck won't be Tier 1 until Rise comes out, if ever.

I can't even get this damned thing to fire off in EDH.  Things I've done in the span of time I waited to get this online:  Hard-cast Tidal Kraken, suspended and resolved Deep-Sea Kraken, paid (30) to manually remove EVERY ice counter from Dark Depths, killed my opponent with aforementioned sea monsters. Bulk rare, untradable, and I'm very bitter about it.

Selective Memory

You can deck yourself with this and a single Treasure Hunt.  Someone, likely of Japanese descent, will break this.  I have neither the time nor inclination to do so in Standard, but I'm sure some nut will.  They're 25 cent rares, and I'll stockpile a few in case the combo deck ever becomes real.  Not gonna make big money here, but it's better than missing out.  MTGO would be the best place to make that trade, since "crap rares" are usually 15 cents and shoot up to $1 when they become relevant.

Thada Adel, Acquisitor

Still not enough good Merfolk to make a Tribal deck, the Acquisitor seems meant for older formats, where she may or may not see any play.  If she does, it will likely not be a 4-of.  Low-end rare, but you can probably trade a few to EDH players, where she's completely insane.

Abyssal Persecutor

As good as advertised, and then some.  This mean son-of-a-bitch packs an ungodly amount of power into 4 mana.  Although the deck itself is questionable at present, the GWB Doran Rock/Junk decks can turn 3 the Demon without much trouble at all.  The drawback, in a fairly large sample of games, was totally irrelevant.  Decks that already play good removal will have the best chance of ignoring the drawback, so resist the temptation to "get cute" with things like Bone Splinters and just admit that you're very happy to Path him to win the game.  $30 seems reasonable given his insane power, and it could slowly creep higher if a deck like Jund decides its time to start Persecuting.  That's a topic for another day, however.  I'm acquiring them as I can, and you ought to be as well.

Agadeem Occultist

Great ability on an 0/2 for 3, which means that he's just another lightning rod in Allies.  If the tribe ever finds a way to protect itself from Wraths and Bolts, it'll be a contender and Occultist will show up in some decks, but until then, it's a true bulk rare.

Anowon, the Ruin Sage

He'll be popular for being a Vampire, and the common "dies to bolt" complaint rings true, but there's a subtle power to Anowon that only really shows up late-game.  If both players are playing off the top of the deck, he can basically lock an opponent out of a game entirely.  You've got to play him as the absolute LAST creature you can to maximize impact, but I watched a match go far south last night when the Vamps player threw down a Ruin Sage and slowly ground the board empty.  Not a high-dollar rare, but not bulk by any means.

Butcher of Malakir

Grave Pact was nice.  5/5 fliers are nice.  Cool cards are nice.  Nice doesn't make cards "good".  Bulk.

Death's Shadow

I'm hesitant to just label this a bulk rare, since it clearly has promise in a deck like SuiBlack.  At 11 life, he's a "bear", and below that, he becomes an actual threat.  In a deck running 8 fetch lands, Vampire Lacerator and Sign in Blood, he MIGHT just be playable.  It seems like a lot of work, but Suicide Black is always a compelling archetype.  Playtesting will show this card's power or lack thereof, but don't write it off just yet.  There might be some gold here.

Kalastria Highborn

A Vampires match came down to Highborn activations last night, with the order of triggers being the difference between a win and a loss.  The card is clearly crucial in the Vamps mirror.  It should stay around $6, but if Vampires becomes a real Tier 1 contender, which it seems to be, it could trend higher.  I like the deck and this card very much, and people are not quick to part with theirs.

Quest for the Nihil Stone

Blech.  I liked this at first, but I cannot make the deck work.  Ben Bleiweiss you were right this time.  My inner Sado-Timmy wants it to work, but alas, it's terrible.  Bulk!

Next time:  Red, Green, Artifacts/Lands and the Gold Cards