- Buy singles: The best value-for-money way to build your collection is to buy the cards you want. Sure, it's less exciting (who doesn't like to crack some packs after all?), but it's the only way that insures you that you'll get your money worth of cards. Instead of buying a 200$ booster box hoping to get that sweet 50$ chase mythic, just buy the card directly. This way you'll avoid feel bads and get exactly what you want. We could also talk some "MTG finance" stuff here like the expected value of booster boxes, but this is more advanced stuff that you don't need to worry about right now. Also, as suggested by WWolfe, when buying singles avoid preordering, unless you strongly feel that a card is being severely undervalued. Usually, a cards' prices will bottom out in the 2-3 weeks after the set's release: that's when you want to buy in. Moreover, when buying singles, it is very important that you do the following, which is...
Totally agree with this.
Buy singles. Can't say more than that. I can only add another less likely or depending on the life situation you're in:
for me always expect the best from friends and fellow MtG players. Why for me? Friend of mine, Ivan, here in Bulgaria always from time to time when he buys a booster box - gives me cards. Usually loads of cards and this way, with Kaladesh stuff, which is granted by my standards, one of the most casual Modern editions since good Vedalken-Elves Artificers and Aetherborn Artificers with
Weldfast Engineer that's totally cheap and casual approaches, came just like that: from leftover cards from Ivan. However, I'm in such a stage in my life that I don't have virtually other cards beside decks. Or building decks. I'm making Naya Slivers and I'm mostly done with Devoid Emerge Eldrazi, but the cards are put aside and don't have sleeves yet, can't be said that are a collection rather than a "building manual". I'm about to do Hydras and Ninjas hopefully till the end of the year, but like brewing, when I'm done with making a deck, I get rid off of all cards that are redundant for me. I keep only decks. 30 Modern Dragon Shielded that's nearly identical with my Tribal pursuits (or close: 2nd
Talrand, Sky Summoner in the Simic Drakes that people gave 31 stars is a mystery how it's in the actual deck and not here in the list); 7 Ultra Pro Guild stash, that's still Modern, yet I only play it in casual mind-set at home; 3 near-to-Precon EDHs. Only Adaptive Enchantment was given as a gift 2 years ago by my friends, "Draconom(wall)icon" is carefully assembled throughout the years, while "Nature of the Beast" was made in a punch last Christmas, when actually several people either bought me some cards like very rarely my mother who ordered the bulk of the Beasts and the spells and a friend from a club, who was good and kind enough to buy me the commanders:
Marath, Will of the Wild and
Gahiji, Honored One, while Boris (krgr) gave me
Godsire,
Mayael's Aria,
Mayael the Anima,
Titanic Ultimatum and
Utopia Sprawl as more expensive ones. I'm mostly Modern player at regular intervals at FNMs however I have 3 quite neat EDHs, rarely tested due to the pandemic. With the collection of decks, I've built since around 2011, a full decade, and due to the renovation of my apartment last year: I got rid off most cards this way Ivan gives me, or cards I've accumulated through the years, which aren't in decks, while trying to either sell or, more of recent, exchange with people who have lot more than me as I've found recently a person in Sofia who gives a lot and has incredible amount to share even for free or for small sums of money in order to compliment my existing decks or creating some budgetary new Tribes.
Expect the best from friends and fellow MtG players per my opinion. They can always fill your collection with unwanted cards by one's own standard which you can later exchange or sell or keep as a stash. People can always give you cards they don't need usually in civilized European countries and of course USA, where's the birthplace of the game. Yet, yeah as The Golgari Guy said:
buy singles always. When I made my Nature of the Beast deck, I bought several Beasts that were just "surplus to the requirements" as Koeman said of Suarez snub, but I couldn't decide exactly what I needed here on the Deck Stats and was toying on several ones. Still, probably I'll find
Arashin War Beast, anytime. It's worth a try, but you'll always get some bulk after ordering and will probably make changes on the way of playing and building to the point when you'll either don't need most of the cards and sell them or exchange them with people for what you need, while the deck has totally different vision back from where it started. However, making the exclusion, that I have some small amounts of little sideboards to most of my decks, which probably doesn't count that much, and I always keep cards that I consider work-in-progress of building a deck that just aren't collection, since I don't have anymore or just don't maintain for long one. Like the Devoid Eldrazi and the Naya Slivers, however I haven't started on Hydras and Ninjas. There are non-sleeved cards at my home, but it's just not what it was like 5 or 6 years ago. I keep only the decks. I buy singles, but very rarely and I combine with friends for it. Also however, contrary to the cracking packs argument: if you don't have particular vision for building a deck it's not bad to buy a lot of cards till you achieve it, but at some point when you've made quite a lot of decks, especially a Tribal player like me: I and probably other Tribal players don't expect more than several cards from a set and it's just not worthy for me and for probably other players to buy sealed products unlike
buying singles that we need. Like Forgotten Realms looked fun, but I don't want more than commonly
Armory Veteran,
Fighter Class and
Bruenor Battlehammer as more unusual-one.
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord and
Den of the Bugbear are disputable but not bad as well, yet more expensive than usual for me. I'm always in a brewing stage, well it's more of having the finances, since I'm depending on my parents like never before after losing my job in 2018 and from little professional bachelor work in Bulgaria. My mother probably would buy me some cards if I ask her, but I'm trying to exploit the market and the club culture in Bulgaria as well and I'm not rushing for bragging to my mother while trying to make a good "Wantlist" at Card Market that it's not expensive either. It's depending on
buying singles and
contributions from friends for me and I'm concluding this.
Regards:
Chavo
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