What box to buy?
Economics forum
Posted on Dec. 27, 2014, 1:02 a.m. by abenz419
So I'm going to buy a box. Do some drafts with friends and maybe play some sealed at my friends just to do something different than the norm. Then I figured I'll get some trade fodder out of it too. What is a good box to buy?
I know the obvious answer is Alpha lol, but realisticly, what would you suggest. Is it still worth it to still get Khans? Fetches, Walkers, and other various things plus foils are all possibilities. Or is there something else that would be good to pick up for some limited games with friends and not break the bank as well?
At quick glance I can get Conspicarcy, Born of the gods, Journey into Nyx, M14, Dark Ascension, Dragons Maze, M12, Gatecrash, Theros, or Avacyn Restored anywhere from $80-$140. I was on hiatus from magic for quite a while and didn't play during the Dark Ascension and Avacyn Restored days.... would either of these be good sets to pick up for some limited fun that will also add some decent bulk to my binder?
December 27, 2014 1:22 a.m.
Honestly I would just wait and get a box of Modern Masters 2, I already know that Ill be getting 3 boxes and I think you would pull the most money from there.
December 27, 2014 1:51 a.m.
We're looking for something different to do instead of playing all the same decks that we all play and see often. It wouldn't make very much sense to put that off for a few months just so we can wait for modern masters 2 to be released. Plus it'll be triple the price of anything I've already mentioned.
December 27, 2014 1:59 a.m.
VampireArmy says... #7
I'll just weigh in my opinion of each, Simply my opinion, not putting my word as fact or anything.
Conspiracy : Literally intended to be drafted. You said you played a long time ago and that you wanted something newish. This kinda gives you both. You'll some of the stuff from your past and you'll see either stuff from more recent sets or at least mechanics from more recent sets. If I were you guy's I'd pick this first (picking up foil commander/legacy cards isn't so bad either in terms of trade fodder)
The entire theros block didn't bring that much to the table in terms of money (save for the few things here and there and I for one didn't enjoy the draft environment too much. Maybe you guy's are different but that's just me.
Dark Ascension, Avancyn Restored , Gatecrash : They are decently fun to draft, flavorful and good mechanics to play with but in terms of pulls, there's very few that will be worth a whole lot. This is especially true with Dark and Avacyn.
The Two Coresets : I hate drafting coresets. It's always been very bland to me. There's almost nothing in either these 2 that would be worth the bulk IMO.
Verdict : Conspiracy, It seems like the best in terms of money and fun level but that's just me. I'm no expert
December 27, 2014 2:18 a.m.
JakeHarlow says... #8
Conspiracy, Modern Master, Innistrad, Return to Ravnica. If you want to do Standard, then Theros actually has good value right now with Elspth, Ashiok, Thoughtsiezes, and other decent stuff.
December 27, 2014 3:42 a.m.
You can't buy any KTK? I would say, that it is the best :) If you can't, then go with a conspiracy!
December 27, 2014 4:01 a.m.
thebdizzle says... #10
Conspiracy takes the cake here in my opinion.
Great stuff for EDH and possibly some Legacy playables. Seems like a good idea to me.
December 27, 2014 4:29 a.m.
Hjaltrohir says... #11
Conspiracy for the money cards and 'built for drafting' factor
December 27, 2014 5:37 a.m.
Conspiracy does sound like a good idea, thanks. I was under the impression that Avacyn Restored was a pretty decent set thats why I was a little surprised that a box was only a $140 right now. There really isn't that much worth while in it?
December 27, 2014 9:12 a.m.
I was taking a look around. It seems to be the general consensus that Conspiracy would leave behind some decent trade fodder after we're done drafting and everything, but after going over the set the only thing that's really holding any value from conspiracy are the foils, with the exception of a handful of cards that are more than a couple dollars. What's left over as trade fodder is kind of secondary to finding a fun set to draft, however it's still something to think about. Is it still worth it?
December 27, 2014 9:20 a.m.
aeonstoremyliver says... #14
AVR has a few good rares/mythics that are used in EDH and Legacy. Cavern of Souls, Griselbrand, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Sigarda, Host of Herons, and the other two Angels in the cycle. Bonfire of the Damned was once around $50.00 in Standard, now it's around $5.00. There is also Terminus and a Time Walk esque Miracle card I can't recall.
Overall value of AVR isn't high when compared to CON, RTR, INS, or KTK.
December 27, 2014 9:20 a.m.
Let's get this straight, Avacyn restored is a wonderful set full of flavor and awesome. There's only like one mythic I would be disappointed in drawing. Is it worth the $140 price tag for entry into drafting? Only if you're specifically wanting to draft that set. You aren't likely to pull a lot of stuff you'll be using in eternal formats. There's plenty to like, not a lot to love.
Conspiracy is a fantastic set and can be had for as little as 80 bucks these days. Seriously I saw a couple places selling for $70 on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. It's in print and is a great set and it's in print and has some REALLY valuable foils and is absolutely loaded with cards you'll want to play in EDH and some you'll want to play in modern or legacy.
If I compare the two, sure maybe avacyn restored would have the edge due to its theme if they were the same price but you're looking at saving 40-60 bucks by going with what's in print and with savings like that you can almost draft an entire second box or just buy the singles from Avacyn that you really want.
I would agree with VampireArmy. Theros was a fun themed block but pales in comparison to Khans or Conspiracy when drafting. Honestly I would compare it to a Core set. You'll probably have fun if you drafted it because hey, drafting. But you won't have as much fun as you will with practically all of your other choices.
aeonstoremyliver you're thinking of Temporal Mastery
December 27, 2014 10:01 a.m.
RTR boxes are also under $100 on Amazon & have Abrupt Decay, 5 shocks, Deathrite Shaman, Sphinx's Revelation, Pack Rat, etc. Plus it's really fun to draft.
December 27, 2014 11:15 a.m.
Hjaltrohir says... #18
Pack Rat and Sphinx's Revelation don't hold too much value any more, it is mainly the shocks and GB staples
December 27, 2014 11:42 a.m.
KrosanTusker says... #19
I think Pack Rat'll go up, while we're talking RTR. They see a bit of use in some Jund-ey builds.
Seems strange that you can't get Khans (which is a very fun set, full of power and value) but out of the options listed, I would go with Conspiracy. Which is also a lot of fun, with not inconsequential value either.
December 27, 2014 2:45 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #20
I second the notion that I think Pack Rat will go up. It's too damn strong to be sitting where it's at. It just needs a home.
December 27, 2014 5:17 p.m.
I can get khans, as i ask if it's still worth getting a box of khans now that all the prices have come down. As for the sets I listed that was just some of the stuff that was in that price range that I saw from a quick look when I made that post.
miracleHat says... #2
Return to Ravnica. Innistrad. If you want to go balls deep then Modern masters, I don't know how much conspiracy is going for.
December 27, 2014 1:12 a.m.