Breaking out of the budget mode

[Ric_Flair]

I have noticed a lot of activity surrounding budget decks on TMD 2.  I have been playing Vintage (again) for about a year and I started out with ZERO Vintage cards.  No dual lands, no Power, not even Force of Will.  I had played Type 1 until sophomore year in college when I sold all of my old cards, dual lands, Mana Drains, Power, and the like for about $2100.  At the time it was a good deal.  Now, of course, I am kicking myself.  

Anyway, I thought that I would never be able to get back into the game and I really resented the fact that Power makes your deck better no matter what.  For a long time I believed that this was a flaw in the format.  I still believe this, but I was mistaken as to how big of a flaw it is.  Without Power I went the route most people do--I built a Sui Black deck.  The deck is explosive, easy to play, and has some powerful cards, [card]Demonic Tutor[/card], Necropotence, and Yawgmoth's Will.  Still no matter how good the deck was it simply could not compete with decks that had Power and more than one color.  So abou six months ago I decided that I was going to stop playing budget decks and go for the big cards.  I am in law school and I have very little spending money, but I figured that the longer I wait the harder it will be to get the cards I want.  So I took the plunge.

Before I get to my tips on getting Power I thought I would take a minute and address the concerns of the Budget Vanguard.  I think some of their arguments need debunking.  

They claim Power is unfair.  This is true.  But it is not as true as it seems.  Yes Power is unfairly good.  Yes it AUTOMATICALLY makes your deck better, but two things: Power is not that hard to get and you don't need all of it.  Even Keeper doesn't use all of the Moxen.  There comes a point where your deck list is too tight to admit even one off color Moxen in.  This means that some decks out there don't need all the Power to run at peak efficiency.  Never brainlessly add Power to a deck, unless they are on color Moxen.  Adding blue for Ancestral and Time Walk is sometimes not worth it.  Adding off-color Moxen is also not necessary.  Also many cheaper cards are just as good as power.  I firmly believe that Sol Ring is just as good or better than off color Moxen.  And in many decks (those with Welder) it is beyond debate that Mana Crypt is better than off color Moxen.  Never pass up cheap cards that make a noticeable difference in your deck.

The second issue here is that Power is just not that hard to get.  So while those who have it, have a noticeable advantage in the game, being one of those players is not that much of a commitment.  I have practically no spending cash and yet in less than three months I have acquired 4 pieces of Power, a set of Drains, and all of the blue duals but Volcanic Islands.  This is not one of those infomercial claims.  These are real facts.  It is simply a matter of putting your mind and resources into the effort.

So in the end I think that if the Budget vanguard spent less time worrying about how unfair Power was and more time acquiring it they would stop complaining.  I am also convinced that a lot these players are playing the wrong format.  If your concern is not so much that the Power are expensive, but the more principled argument that they are unfair (which is a more rational and supportable argument in my mind) then you should really play 1.5.  I am not telling anyone what to do, but merely pointing out the compatibility between the argument that Power is unfair from a game point of view and the policy concerns that have given rise to 1.5.  

Now that I have had a chance to say that here are some tips to acquiring Power.  Many of them I have used.

1. Never, EVER stop looking for a deal.  

Samite Healer taught me this.  One day he and I decide to go to a PTQ in Rhode Island.  We get there after the event starts and in walks this guy who does not look like a Magic player.  He is a bit scruffy and seems more like a person convicted of Assault and Battery than a person that would cast Assault and Battery.  But he has a stack of cards with him.  He is looking for cash.  Jeff and I are the second people to look through the stack and surprisingly there are a lot of blue duals.  I rifle through and pick out 4 blue duals (Volcanics, one of which is Unlimited) and 2 Taigas.  I ask the guy how much he wants for them and he says $5 each.  I pony up the cash as quick as I can.   For the first time in five years I have dual lands again.  I bought a playset of Force of Wills for $20 at a local PTQ.  

The core of this story is always be ready and able to make a deal.  You never know when this is going to happen.  It could be on the bus downtown or on your way to the can in a college dorm.  ALWAYS be ready to make a deal.

2.  Condition and Black Border doesn't matter.

This is my own lesson.  Lots of people disagree with me.  Lots.  But if you are trying to get Power, more is better.  If you can get an Unlimited Ancestral for $200 and a Beta for $400 there is no functional difference between the two.  Get the white bordered one.  You can trade up later.  This is sort of a "foot in the door" in the principle.   Condition matters a bit more, because I have seen cards that are only liberally cards, that is they were once made of cardboard and once had a picture but now look like they are made from a napkin.  These cards are probably not worth getting unless they are really cheap.  Still if a card is in good condition or better it is probably worth getting and saving a few bucks.  You'll never play with it outside of a sleeve, so who cares?  

3. Power trades better for Power.

People don't like to trade down.  The amount of Type cards one would need to trade for a piece of Power from a rational person is mind boggling.  If you want to do that, fine, but more likely than not this will wipe you out of cards that are good even in Vintage.  But if you can get a piece of Power it is much easier to grease the wheels with less rare cards.  For example, suppose you could pick up a Pearl, generally the cheapest of the Moxen.  You pick up the Pearl at $200, a good price.  Then you find a person with a Jet.  That person is much more likely to trade a Jet for a Pearl and other stuff than for a stack of other stuff.  Once you get one piece of Power it is much simpler to trade for other Power.  Also recognize that certain cards, like Workshops, Bazaars, Masks and sometimes Drains if grouped in playsets can fetch much better stuff than other cards. These cards are almost "de facto" power.  Further recognize that playsets of these de facto Power are worth more than four individual cards.  That is, a set of Workshops might be worth $400-500, while an individual Workshop is probably not worth more than $90.

4.  Sell your junk rares.

I know many dealers by junk rares.  I made $58 dollars selling one set of junk rares and $39 selling another set.  I am not without my Pale Moon playset and a set of Shifting Skies...but I don't miss them.  Many dealers will give 10-15 cents a piece for these cards.  And we all have a ton of them.  Even if you don't have a stack, trade for them.  Get people to throw them in on deals.  Eventually you can trade them in for cold, hard cash.

5.  Gifts = Power.

I am the point where I do not need another blue button down shirt.  I have about 11 of them.  Use your gifts to get Power.  I got a set of Drains for my birthday and an Ancestral for Christmas combining gifts from people.  I even took back stuff I did not want for cash to put towards Power.  I also sold a stack of two year old gadgets, my old palm pilot and the like on ebay for money that turned into Power.

6.  Play in Tournaments.

I am guilty of not following this rule, but Samite Healer, Jacob Orlove, and other people I know have all gotten Power by winning it.  This is the best way to get it.

7.  Know a Local Dealer.

I know quite a few dealers and I am a steady customer.  Over the years I have gotten breaks on cards, especially big cards, because they know it is in their business interest to keep me as a customer.  I have been set up with deals on the cheap, I got my Ancestral this way.  I let them know what I am looking for and they keep an eye out for me.  If they have stuff I want, I buy it.  If not, they keep looking.  They also give me good advice on the value of cards.  Knowing and regularly patronizing a dealer is a good way to get a line on Power.

8.  Search non-traditional stores.

Jacob once told me of a story about going to a backwater store in California and picking up a Mana Drain for like $15.  I remember going to a store in Rhode Island that sold Magic cards when they first hit but slowly moved away from them.  They still had a Lotus in the display case for $265, but by the time I got back to the store it was closed and torn down.  I kick myself every day for not getting that Lotus when I had the chance.  These types of stores, ones that are not abreast of the current trends in the game, often have good old cards for cheap.  

So Power is out there.  It is not that hard to find or get.

[jpmeyer]

And in fact, 10-15 cents is typically on the low side for crap rares.  If you both look around and haggle, you can get sometimes get 20 cents for them.  I've gotten lots of Mana Drains and duals from dealers like that (and while this was like 2 years ago, at the time I was only getting 10 cents and not 20 for my rares.)

[Matt]

They still had a Lotus in the display case for $265, but by the time I got back to the store it was closed and torn down.  

And you didn't dig through the rubble?!?

Good semi-article. I bought an UNL, gem-mint Mask for $15 at just such a backwoods store.

[Ric_Flair]

If there were rubble I would have dug through it.  It was weird I drove past it one day and stopped in and saw the Lotus, then I thought later: "That is a great price.  I should buy it."  

Two weeks later I go back and there is no store, no building, no rubble, just a lot.  It was as if the Magic gods were punishing me for being so risk averse.

[Dr. Sylvan]

Two weeks later I go back and there is no store, no building, no rubble, just a lot.  It was as if the Magic gods were punishing me for being so risk averse.

"And the Great and Just MaRo took note of the primitive store, realizing its failure to remain in touch with reality, and lo did He reach down from the heavens and smite the store in His infinite mercy, releasing the souls of all its inhabitants without a trace. And He beheld the scene of liberation, speaking, "That'll teach that damn Sculimbrene kid to skip a good deal."

"And on the second main phase, He rested."

[MuzzonoAmi]

How many budget people actually complain that often?  I want names and addresses, so  I can go kick all their asses. My Vineyards > your Moxen.

And Matt, who pays $15 for a Mask? There's a backwoods store around here that was selling them for $5. I got both of them.

[Magi]

I dunno, there's something about being the underdog that makes victories much more sweeter. I did do a little whining though during the great price hike that happened the past year, but I realize that I was a bit wrong in my prediction that budget is gone...the rift between budget and uber has just grown a bit bigger.

I am a budget player, so I build the best budget deck possible (Fish + Variants). There's only 1 upper tier deck around here anyways...

I like your points though Ric. Due to the lack of hardcore T1 in my area, I've taken up 1.5 to sort of keep my skill in check.

[dandan]

This is so similar to the situation in tennis. The only thing that stops me winning Wimbledon is the fact that I am using a $5 wooden racket. It is so unfair that Federer is allowed to use those expensive carbon-fibre rackets and his serves are too good for me to return. And look at those trainers!!
[/sarcasm]

[Ric_Flair]

@ MuzzonoAmi:

How many budget people actually complain that often? I want names and addresses, so I can go kick all their asses.

Here are a short sampling of threads complaining about budget issues in the format:

From TMD 1:  

http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14850
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14839
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14820

Note: These were found on pages 1-3 of 27! in the Newbie forum.  My bet is I can find more.

From TMD 2:

http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9307
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14901 (this is the unrestrict thread, but lots of budget bitching here)

And I did not even use the search feature.  These are just particularly paritisan bitching sessions I remember.

[Vegeta2711]

Ric you notice how 4 of those threads are started by the same guy? Centroles, Rancor = Viriam Vikam or whatever the hell his name it. We all know he's a moron, just ignore him.  

[Ric_Flair]

AWESOME!  I had a sneaking suspicion they were the same guy, but I was not sure.  I also see an uptick in budget decks based on stuff published at SCG, but I mainly felt the push coming from the forum boards.  Thanks for the correction.

[rvs]

How many budget people actually complain that often?  I want names and addresses, so  I can go kick all their asses. My Vineyards > your Moxen.

Oh please.... that's bitching if I ever saw it.

And Matt, who pays $15 for a Mask? There's a backwoods store around here that was selling them for $5. I got both of them.

So what? It wasn't a good deal for him though?

I must say that was a total non-post MuzzonAmi, contrary to what you usually post. However, now my post is also of similar quality I guess

[Jacob Orlove]

This is the community forum. Standards are lower.

[Dr. Sylvan]

This is the community forum. Standards are lower.

...as Jacob increases his lead in the "highest postcount on the site" contest. ;)

Ric you notice how 4 of those threads are started by the same guy? Centroles, Rancor = Viriam Vikam or whatever the hell his name it. We all know he's a moron, just ignore him.

Does this mean I can't do the TMD ORACLE anymore? Because that was hella fun.

[MuzzonoAmi]

MuzzonoAmi wrote:
How many budget people actually complain that often? I want names and addresses, so I can go kick all their asses. My Vineyards > your Moxen.


Oh please.... that's bitching if I ever saw it.

MuzzonoAmi wrote:
And Matt, who pays $15 for a Mask? There's a backwoods store around here that was selling them for $5. I got both of them.


So what? It wasn't a good deal for him though?

I must say that was a total non-post MuzzonAmi, contrary to what you usually post. However, now my post is also of similar quality I guess

You're right. I knew I kinda fealt dirty after writing that one.

Oh well. I assume that I'm allowed to slip every so often, eh?

[Ric_Flair]

Oh well. I assume that I'm allowed to slip every so often, eh?

I slip up so much people think I walk on my ass cheeks.  You've earned many, many slip up posts.

[Magi]

Oh well. I assume that I'm allowed to slip every so often, eh?

An american saying eh?

that's 2 slipups now.

[MuzzonoAmi]

Just be glad I'm not speaking Picksburghese.

[kirdape3]

If all else fails, buy them from people you know.  Ceedz0r ponied up his Ancestral for $230 to me.