Mind Over Matter | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com Play More, Win More, Pay Less Thu, 25 Aug 2022 06:14:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/favicon.png Mind Over Matter | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com 32 32 Life Lessons on Collectibles, Pt. 2 (2004-2012) https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/08/life-lessons-on-collectibles-pt-2-2004-2012/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/08/life-lessons-on-collectibles-pt-2-2004-2012/#respond Wed, 24 Aug 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=118754

Over David S.'s 25+ years of playing this game, he has learned a lot of lessons. This follow-up celebrates the experiences and friendships that come with Magic.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/08/life-lessons-on-collectibles-pt-2-2004-2012/feed/ 0 The Case Against Power https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/the-case-against-power/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/the-case-against-power/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:00:20 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=91686

Today's article subject spawned from a discussion that began in the QS Discord chat. One of our members was contemplating stepping away from the game for a while and wanted to know the best place to park his money and/or what to trade into. As expected, a lot of people immediately jumped to Power. The general […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/the-case-against-power/feed/ 16 Ravnica Allegiance: Spoilers, Facts, Specs & More https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/ravnica-allegiance-spoilers-facts-specs-more/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/ravnica-allegiance-spoilers-facts-specs-more/#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2019 12:00:24 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90531

The sequel to Guilds of Ravnica and the 80th expansion set in Magic: The Gathering's history is due to release on January 25, 2019.  Here's what we know about Ravnica Allegiance (RNA) so far, including any cards in the spoiler, the guilds represented, and cards to speculate on before the full spoiler is released.   The Guilds […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/ravnica-allegiance-spoilers-facts-specs-more/feed/ 29 MTG Metagame Finance #25 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-25/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-25/#respond Tue, 25 Dec 2018 17:44:01 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90930

The holidays are in full swing and the new year is right around the corner. And as some of you may know, the stock market has been a bit shaky in the last month or so. But it seems Magic is still doing pretty well during this slightly volatile time. I think a good portion […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-25/feed/ 0 MTG Metagame Finance #24 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-24/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-24/#respond Fri, 21 Dec 2018 01:05:52 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90841

Ultimate Masters is still in full bounce back mode, and the last World Magic Cup has come to a finish. Plus, some sweet Ravnica Allegiance spoilers have hit the market so there’s gonna be a nice mix of things to talk about again in this piece. Owing to the spoilers, this might be a little […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-24/feed/ 0 MTG Metagame Finance #23 (Free Giveaway #2!) https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-23-free-giveaway-2/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-23-free-giveaway-2/#respond Fri, 14 Dec 2018 10:00:16 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90756

Ultimate Masters has hit the market and there’s already been a lot of movement. The prices of the reprints dropped as they usually do when a set first hits the market. But it seems like the prices have started to rebound a lot quicker this time around. There’s a slight possibility they could drop again […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-metagame-finance-23-free-giveaway-2/feed/ 0 Mtg Arena Has Been Framed! Who Is the Real MTGO Killer? https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-arena-has-been-framed-who-is-the-real-mtgo-killer/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-arena-has-been-framed-who-is-the-real-mtgo-killer/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2018 10:00:44 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90705

Magic Online has a problem. A card value problem. In a recent Channel Fireball article, Florian Koch showed just how much card prices have fallen over the past few years: That's right. To own a playset of the cheapest version of every Magic card ever printed on MTGO would have cost you roughly $28,000 in […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-arena-has-been-framed-who-is-the-real-mtgo-killer/feed/ 4 MTG Questions: What’s an Easy Way to Sell Bulk? https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-questions-whats-a-fast-way-to-sell-bulk/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-questions-whats-a-fast-way-to-sell-bulk/#comments Fri, 07 Dec 2018 10:00:42 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90648

This is the first article from my new series, MTG Questions. You might be familiar with the Hold ‘Em & Fold ‘Em series (rebranded as MTG Metagame Finance), which takes a tournament-oriented perspective. I decided to start this series to focus on more general aspects of MTG finance. The two series will work together, as when […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/mtg-questions-whats-a-fast-way-to-sell-bulk/feed/ 12 Preparing for the December 6th Announcement https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/preparing-for-the-december-6th-announcement/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/preparing-for-the-december-6th-announcement/#respond Thu, 06 Dec 2018 22:37:50 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90668

Welcome back, folks. It's been a while since I last wrote an article, in large part because I've been unwilling to make any financial moves on MTGO before reading the December 6th announcement about competitive play on Arena. What is announced there could have major ramifications for investing on MTGO, and so I've been very […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/12/preparing-for-the-december-6th-announcement/feed/ 0 Hold ‘Em & Fold ‘Em #20 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/hold-em-fold-em-20/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/hold-em-fold-em-20/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2018 16:15:32 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=90488

Many people have been saying there’s been a little less movement regarding Magic finance during the past few weeks or months. Some people are saying there’s a slowdown. Others are saying it’s normal because the holidays are around the corner and players have less money to spend on Magic cards. Regardless, Magic continues to move […]

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Buyouts don't affect English and foreign language cards equally. David looks at the recent spikes in Reserved List cards, and discusses where foreign copies may be the play.

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David spent the weekend at Grand Prix Atlanta hitting up dealer booths and tracking his sales. He breaks down his earnings by store and shares tips from the experience.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/11/insider-gp-atlanta-selling-review/feed/ 6 Insider: Shotgun Speculation on Commander https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/08/insider-shotgun-speculation-on-commander/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/08/insider-shotgun-speculation-on-commander/#comments Mon, 14 Aug 2017 09:10:38 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=82479

Speculation on Commander 2017 has been rampant since the first leaks surfaced. Sig investigates the implications and shares a couple older cards that may still have room to run.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2017/08/insider-shotgun-speculation-on-commander/feed/ 4 Insider: The Aluren Phenomenon https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/12/insider-the-aluren-phenomenon/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/12/insider-the-aluren-phenomenon/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:00:58 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=34247

Who could have predicted Aluren's sudden tripling in price? In hindsight, the writing was on the walls - it was just a matter of when. Sigmund looks at the contributing factors and highlights other cards with similar attributes worth keeping an eye on.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/12/insider-the-aluren-phenomenon/feed/ 2 Rebels — The Never-ending Stream of Conscripts https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/07/rebels-the-never-ending-stream-of-conscripts/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/07/rebels-the-never-ending-stream-of-conscripts/#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2012 05:05:32 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=29634

Carlos builds a rebel Commander deck from the ground up, headed by --who else?-- Lin Sivvi. Read on to see his unique take on a classic archetype from years past.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/07/rebels-the-never-ending-stream-of-conscripts/feed/ 7 Elephant in the Room: The Casual-Competitive Schism https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/05/elephant-in-the-room-the-casual-competitive-schism/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/05/elephant-in-the-room-the-casual-competitive-schism/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 05:05:11 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=27607

Carlos tackles one of the most difficult questions facing the Commander community today: How can we reconcile different expectations of competitiveness while ensuring everyone is having fun?

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2012/05/elephant-in-the-room-the-casual-competitive-schism/feed/ 5 Insider: The Money in Morningtide https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/11/insider-the-money-in-morningtide/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/11/insider-the-money-in-morningtide/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:14:09 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=23957

Hello, readers! We move ever deeper this week into the fairy tale of Lorwyn with its expansion, Morningtide. These two sets were supposed to be the "light side" version of fairy tales - giants, dwarves, toadstools with faeries sitting on them and more.

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/11/insider-the-money-in-morningtide/feed/ 1 Competitive Commander Archetypes: Update Part I https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/07/top-competitive-archetypes-in-commander-an-update-part-i/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/07/top-competitive-archetypes-in-commander-an-update-part-i/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:02:06 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=18740

Neale's back with the biggest and baddest decks ever to stack up to 99 cards! Today's competitive Commander deck update featuress Jhoria, Azami, Zur, and more!

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/07/top-competitive-archetypes-in-commander-an-update-part-i/feed/ 6 Deck Tune: The Writhing Of Korlash https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/06/deck-tune-the-writhing-of-korlash/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/06/deck-tune-the-writhing-of-korlash/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:05:56 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=15656

Neale's back with a new deck to tune! He starts with a controlling Korlash build and ends fawning over Dralnu and Jin-Gitaxias. You'll have to read to find out why!

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/06/deck-tune-the-writhing-of-korlash/feed/ 7 Combat Unnecessary in Charlotte https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/05/combat-unnecessary-in-charlotte/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/05/combat-unnecessary-in-charlotte/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 07:12:30 +0000 http://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=13389

A couple of weeks ago, I booked my flight to Pro Tour: Nagoya, by way of Indianapolis, for the StarCityGames Invitational the weekend before. There was only one small problem: I wasn't yet qualified for the Invitational. I went to Charlotte with the aim of solving that problem. Along for the ride were Corey and […]

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