Post #15: Commander with No Green

After playing Commander/EDH for a couple months, I've noticed that Commander is a very expensive format to start playing in. With increased popularity, Commander staple cards are becoming very expensive because they are either out of print or not many copies of the card exist in circulation. Since formats like Legacy and Vintage spike the prices of dual lands (from Alpha-Unlimited), keeping them out of reach, and the new Modern now jumping the prices of Shock lands from Ravnica block to $20+, getting the proper fixing for your more than often multicolor deck becomes extremely taxing on your bank account. The lands for your EDH deck establish the foundation for how the deck will perform because the ability to fix your mana before your opponents will give you the edge in every match. The prices of cards like Mind's Eye and Damnation that see play in many EDH decks are also slowly rising. Sadly, cards like Solemn Simulacrum and Life from the Loam, which are very good in EDH, have a price that is dependent on more competitive formats, making them more expensive. I'll give out some of my tips for getting those expensive cards and building solid decks without dishing out your savings and staying on budget. These tips are aimed at almost every other format too. 

Trade. I can't emphasize this point enough, but trading is probably the best way to get any card you're looking for. If you've purchased cards in the past and haven't found a use for them, slip it away into a trade binder or booklet so you can try to 'move' those cards for cards you really want. If you're the type to get really attached to your cards, then this option might not be the best for you. Trading does take a while to get used to and become good at, but you'll get there eventually. I recommend getting a trading binder of some sort and putting your rare cards, uncommons/commons that are worth $0.5+, and foils and organize them in. The more presentable it is, the more enticing it is to a potential trader it becomes. It's almost as if you're trying to a sell a product to potential customers. 

 

How do avoid getting ripped off in trades? There are two different types of trading, trading in terms of value and trading in terms of utility. Personally, I do both. In value trades, both parties assign a value to their cards and in the trade you attempt to make the values of the trade equivalent with each other. You can accomplish this by looking at the local stores sell prices or you can download a pricing app for your smart phone. Either way, the prices should be kept current. Even with these resources, I try to keep someone around who is current on pricing because formats can change over night and it's good to know what cards are hot right now and which ones are not. If you're just starting to trade heavily, I strongly suggest having a (Goblin) Guide with you to help you out with pricing. The other type of trading is for utility. Some cards just have a higher 'overall' value than other cards. This is more aimed at older cards, such as expensive lands and cards that have been out of print for a long time. Older cards tend to trade at a slightly higher value than newer cards. Also, some trades can be conducted by rarity or necessity. I think these trades are fine as long as both parties understand what the cards are going to be used for.

My final tips on trading are to be observant. If you're opening new product, do it with an audience. Sometimes, you'll open cards that you really really don't care about, but someone else will. Make some trades, if they want a card badly enough, they'll make an offer you'll like. Also, try out new card shops, the more you go to, the more card pools you have access to. Hit those shops up when their big events like FNM or when their weekly casual night is. The more players, the larger the card pool. Don't be hesitant to make small trades. Sometimes a small trade can lead to a bigger trade down the road.

Another tip to making your deck unique without spending the big bucks to buy foil versions of all your cards is to look at promos and alternate art versions. Most of the time the extended art versions or foil alt art promos are within a dollar of the original art's value, sometimes less. Unless the card had a low print number, most promos are very affordable. You could also purchase version of a card that are played or slightly played which are usually several dollars cheaper than the original. In trades, you could also argue about a cards condition and usually knock off a few dollars off it's value with someone reasonable. You could also get into the artistry of the game and do your own custom paint or proxy jobs. They are a bit time consuming and require some research, but some of the work I've seen have come out very well.

To stay on budget and find great cards for your casual or commander deck, look at the most recent set. For casual, M12 has a lot of playable cards that are more than affordable, like Master Thief, Elixir of Immortality, the mage cycle, among other rares that are within 1-3 dollars. Since a lot of people are opening M12 product right now, they won't be hard to find as well. Look around after a draft and see what people are opening, you'll usually find someone who packed a playable rare they weren't planning on using. If you're a player who wants to stay current but doesn't have the funds, switching formats in trading is a good idea. You could trade away your EDH/Commander staple cards for Standard or Casual cards and vice versa. Switching formats in trade becomes a really good tool as you find different audiences looking for different things all the time. 

Personally, finding old, expensive cards is really fun, but you have to be very patient. For new cards and casual players, it's much easier to find them because the cards are still in print. There are other ways of getting the cards you want, but the methods are a bit more complicated. You could always check out the Trade Document on the right hand side of the website. =] Until next time Magic players.

-David J.