Why is mtg so expensive

Let me ask you another hypothetical question, what would you have done with the amount of money you've spent on Magic: the Gathering since you first started playing? Maybe you could've bought some new clothes, stock up on groceries, bought a new car, or be able to pay your bills and mortgages easier. Whatever the case may be it most likely would've been something that's more essential to your livelihood than expensive cardboard rectangles. You're literally spending thousands of dollars on a gaming experience you only get two days a week at most but is it worth it?

That depends on who you ask. Now I don't regret all the good times I've had in this gaming hobby with my friends at my locals for nearly 18 years. Sure it'd be nice to pass the torch to the next generation but what good is it If they already see how taxing it is to peoples' financial situations and mental health? They're mostly playing Digital because it's more convenient to them without having to put in the effort so that future generations become lazier and lazier.

Maybe that's the way it's meant to be. We've already lost the generation gap war to convince them otherwise. This isn't the 90's anymore where there's still a need for a physical location to play these games. It's this pay-to-win loot crate gaming model that's milking the crap out of us and it's not just predatory towards children 13 and under but gets people addicted to the point where the risk just isn't worth the reward.

I'd like to say that there is a reward but it's small compared to how much you're willing to pay for it. Unfortunately there isn't a cheaper alternative that's just as successful because there's always that rush when it comes to opening booster packs that you don't get from other gaming genres. I've never been in financial trouble due to my MTG spending. I make a budget where I calculate my pay and subtract my bills, then put the majority of the remainder in savings and spend a small portion on MTG.

I don't think it's very wise to use widely-sweeping stereotypes like saying that all MTG players are financially irresponsible. That card is bad and you should feel bad for playing it. Used to do it too when our playgroup was just starting. That time, even our parents bought booster boxes for us. Things change, and these days we have jobs.. Do I buy an ikoria booster pack to crack, or do I order the damping sphere s and other cards that my deck needs? Only need one copy each of the jeskai and abzan tricycle lands from ikoria.

So that's all the singles I would buy from the new set. Would not buy any booster, save money. I stopped buying boxes on a regular basis years ago, now I only really use prize wall tickets from Magic Fests to get boxes. I guess it's the price of playing comp Magic. For me as someone who plays solely EDH at the moment and pretty casually, I would say not much has changed since I started in I used to play standard but stopped a couple of years back, I tend to still buy a box as honestly I like cracking packs and having a bit of a collection, even though logically unless you get lucky with an invocation or foil of the most in demand card, you're not going to profit.

Singles prices just go up and down, when I look at the value of my decks, I would say on average cards probably have gone up slightly, but at the same time some big money cards have had re-prints, taking them down. The main issue for me is ever rising entry point of reserved list cards, sounds silly in a way but I'm not keen on proxying.

Now though even ones which functionally aren't amazing and are more casual level use have gone up hugely, in hindsight I wish I'd purchased many middle price ones as soon as I got into EDH. I feel for people who've used reserved list cards as an investment, but I do wish such cards could be re-printed. I mean could they not print them with new card, framing etc, like one of these secret lairs, if they can't print them in packs, I guess that still goes against whatever agreement they did.

Main reason I can only think of as to why it hasn't happened yet is because people are still able to place orders online even though most places aren't shipping for awhile. You'd think that there would be a lot more people selling their MTG collections with the market going down as more supply comes into the Secondary Market. Instead a lot of people are still holding onto their MTG collections thinking that they'll be able to ride out the quarantine by listening to Rudy with the certainty that most LGSs are going to re-open their doors like nothing ever happened.

These cards are only worth how much people ask them for and If there aren't any people who are willing to buy then they're just ordinary pieces of cardboard.

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths is already such a huge mess design wise that there's literally no incentive to purchase booster boxes at your LGS when you're getting a much better deal out of the Commander Pre-Cons. They were barely struggling enough as it was after the Financial Crisis where they were on life support only making razor thin margins. How are they going to survive another recession?

Last edited by Card Slinger J 1 year ago , edited 4 times in total. I have a webcam, but it's too much of a hassle setting it up to play mtg with someone. Waiting for the time I could play with friends again. A lot of the recent price spikes I've been seeing with the MTG Secondary Market nowadays seems to be pressuring a lot of players to cash out and start selling their collections.

This creates scarcity in the minds or players and collectors. Almost 20 years later, many of these Reserved List cards have grown exponentially in value, while others remain worthless because of lack of play. Unless the Reserved List is scrapped, high-value cards already on the list will continue to rise. This makes the game overall more expensive and inaccessible, as market prices rise as a whole.

On the flip side, any reprint of a valuable card can cause the price to crash. We genuinely love the game and hope it can one day be as accessible as games like Uno, Solitaire or Poker. If you are on a budget and want to get into MTG, check out these 5 cheap ways to get started. After playing from Tempest to Urza's Saga block, Ted took a 20 year break from the game before returning to the classic Plane of Dominaria in His favourite formats are Commander, Draft, and, grudgingly, Standard.

Skip to content. Table of Contents. You May Also Like. November 17, June 10, Ted. When to Mulligan or Keep an Opening Hand? June 23, September 21, Ted. January 10, May 10, Ted. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Do not sell my personal information. Cookie Settings Accept. Manage consent. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Arcane Signet being as in-demand as it is now, Wizards has gone on record as stating that extra printings of the Brawl preconstructed decks will happen.

This is an important thing to consider when buying the Brawl decks at a high price point because it's almost a guarantee that the prices will shoot downwards. People are now canceling preorders they've made in hopes that they can get a better deal in the coming days.

In the end, Magic: The Gathering has become a pseudo-stock market for investors of "fine cardboard squares", as one Magic Historian puts it. People are putting stock into the collection and buyouts of sought-after cards in hopes that they'll appreciate in value for a quick sellout soon thereafter. This isn't how this game is meant to be interacted with.

This card game is a game and while for Wizards of the Coast it's their business, they shouldn't solely be pandering fully to local gaming stores' overall need to sell single cards. The goal should be to do this but also be able to cater to the players who aren't as invested in the game. Draw them in by making expensive, powerful cards more accessible to the average casual player.

And yes, there's the Reserve List making cards more inaccessible, but there are so many workarounds that the company can take to print the cards that this is silly to ignore but still, Wizards has said they won't try to work around their Reserve List , made originally to pander to early investors. Some of these cards are vital for Eternal formats like Vintage, Legacy, and even Commander, so simply making a legendary or snow version of, say, a Volcanic Island or Underground Sea would make these formats much easier to enter.

In conclusion, Magic: The Gathering has gotten insufferably expensive for a lot of disenfranchised players. A growing number of content creators are taking note of the price hikes in cards, both in the single and sealed markets. Hopefully, Wizards of the Coast will see this outcry for a solution, and come up with one. Many people already have hypothetical solutions to the problem, and Wizards ought to follow suit with something real.