Making The Most of Your Magic Money
20 Jan 2010 | David Li Wang
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – The Value of 5 Different Decks in Standard Before Worldwake’s Release
Instead of writing my usual Budget and Rogue decks, I’ve decided to take a different approach that hasn’t been done yet for this site, to appeal to some different people.
The financial aspect of Magic is a part of Magic that I really enjoy dealing with. I often give advice to friends on how to best spend their last $10 on Magic or how to anticipate a card’s changing value, in order to make a better trade. I may not be as experienced as some of you who have university degrees, but hopefully my experiences in learning Commerce, some economic theory and general knowledge of cards and prices, will provide sufficient and beneficial advice to at least some of you.
This time I will look at 5 different Standard decks and the value they provide both now and in the future.
Note that the deck lists will obviously vary but I will attempt to speak generally of them so that the advice applies to them all. Variances should not have a massive impact on the calculations. Prices are based on Good Games prices.
Before I begin, I want to reiterate that this is all my speculation based on various factors and so don’t blame me if I’m wrong because I can potentially be. No one can be perfect in their predictions.
1. The Old Regular Jund with Putrid Leech
Lands (25)
3 Dragonskull Summit $45.00
4 Rootbound Crag $60.00
4 Savage Lands $8.00
4 Verdant Catacombs $80.00
4 Forest
3 Mountain
3 Swamp
Creatures (15)
4 Putrid Leech $2.00
4 Sprouting Thrinax $6.00
4 Bloodbraid Elf $14.00
3 Broodmate Dragon $24.00
Non-Creature Spells (20)
4 Lightning Bolt $8.00
2 Terminate $2.00
4 Blightning $6.00
4 Maelstrom Pulse $112.00
3 Garruk Wildspeaker $45.00
3 Bituminous Blast $6.00
Sideboard
2 Thought Hemorrhage $20.00
4 Mind Rot $1.00
3 Duress $3.00
3 Jund Charm $4.50
3 Great Sable Stag $45.00
Total $491.50
The Verdict
Current Value: Jund is obviously a pretty expensive deck due to its popularity, but as an investment in general, it’s not an optimal one unless you’re winning a significant amount of games to make up for it. Jund is still a great strong deck but has lost some of its overwhelming dominance, as all decks eventually do. Some pilots of Jund will have more success than others and so it may seem like great value to build now, but if you’re going to build this deck from scratch now, it’s probably not really worth it.
Future Value: There are few cards that are playable outside of standard, meaning the deck will soon lose a lot of value when it reaches rotation time in October. Verdant Catacombs and Maelstrom Pulse are the money cards that see play in Extended and Legacy.
2. Vampires
Lands (24)
4 Marsh Flats $60.00
16 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs $80.00
Creatures (22)
3 Bloodghast $30.00
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir $8.00
3 Malakir Bloodwitch $24.00
4 Vampire Hexmage $6.00
4 Vampire Nighthawk $8.00
4 Vampire Nocturnus $48.00
Non-Creature Spells (14)
3 Disfigure $1.00
1 Eldrazi Monument $12.00
2 Mind Sludge $2.00
4 Sign in Blood $2.00
4 Tendrils of Corruption $1.00
Sideboard
4 Deathmark $6.00
4 Duress $4.00
1 Eldrazi Monument $12.00
1 Malakir Bloodwitch $8.00
3 Marsh Casualties $3.00
2 Mind Sludge $2.00
Total $317.00
The Verdict
Current Value: Vampires is reasonably cheap to build and most people already have some of the vampires from Zendikar drafts, lowering the cost to roughly equal to that of RDW. The cards are also useful in Zendikar Block Constructed, Extended and Legacy. However, winning in a Jund heavy metagame with Vampires, is very difficult.
Future Value: Vampires won’t experience a dip in price so soon and are unlikely to dip too much when they rotate out of Standard. With the fetch lands, which will be quite stable in price, taking up half the deck’s value, the deck is bound to be a decent investment and not to mention Bloodghast being used in Extended Dredge and Hexmage and Nighthawk, being decent playable creatures in Extended.
3. Boros Bushwhacker
Land (23)
4 Arid Mesa $60.00
4 Marsh Flats $60.00
4 Scalding Tarn $68.00
4 Teetering Peaks $1.00
3 Mountain
4 Plains
Creatures (25)
3 Elite Vanguard $7.50
2 Goblin Bushwhacker $0.50
4 Goblin Guide $40.00
4 Kor Skyfisher $1.00
4 Plated Geopede $2.00
4 Ranger of Eos $36.00
4 Steppe Lynx $2.00
Non-Creature Spells (12)
4 Burst Lightning $2.00
4 Lightning Bolt $8.00
4 Path to Exile $24.00
Sideboard
4 Celestial Purge $6.00
4 Goblin Ruinblaster $6.00
4 Harm’s Way $8.00
3 Oblivion Ring $1.50
Total $333.50
The Verdict
Current Value: Boros Bushwhacker without Baneslayer Angels is an average priced deck but it has lost a lot of its success due to being hated out by sweepers and spot removal in sideboards. Worldwake may strengthen Boros Bushwhacker or destroy it completely. We’ll find out when more spoilers are released. Nevertheless, it provides an acceptable value and due to using 12 fetch lands, 4 Goblin Guides and 4 Path to Exiles, the owner can also use them for Legacy and Extended.
Future Value: The 12 fetch lands, Goblin Guide and Path to Exile are all playable in Extended and Legacy, making a Boros Bushwhacker a great investment if you plan on using these cards for other formats or plan on trading them off.
4. Red Deck Wins
Lands (24)
4 Arid Mesa $60.00
4 Scalding Tarn $68.00
4 Teetering Peaks $1.00
12 Mountain
Creatures (20)
4 Ball Lightning $40.00
4 Goblin Guide $40.00
4 Hell’s Thunder $20.00
4 Hellspark Elemental $12.00
4 Plated Geopede $2.00
Non-Creature Spells (16)
4 Burst Lightning $2.00
4 Earthquake $24.00
4 Lightning Bolt $8.00
4 Quenchable Fire $1.00
Sideboard
4 Dragon’s Claw $4.00
3 Manabarbs $12.00
4 Mark of Mutiny $4.00
4 Unstable Footing $4.00
Total $302.00
The Verdict
Current Value: Red Deck Wins is a moderately cheap deck to build and quite consistent and has had a good run in recent months. It may be hated out after Worldwake and may not be a Standard force to fear but the value that it has already provided to its pilots, has been great. However, I wouldn’t advise to start building RDW now until further Worldwake Spoilers are released.
Future Value: Similar to Boros Bushwhacker but has less cards that are playable in Extended and Legacy and so will drop in value more than Boros Bushwhacker.
5. U/W/R Control (American Control)
Lands (26)
4 Arid Mesa $60.00
4 Glacial Fortress $60.00
4 Island
2 Mountain
4 Plains
4 Scalding Tarn $68.00
4 Sejiri Refuge $6.00
Creatures (7)
3 Sphinx of Jwar Isle $21.00
4 Wall of Denial $8.00
Non-Creature Spells (27)
3 Ajani Vengeant $45.00
2 Divination $0.50
2 Double Negative $3.00
2 Earthquake $12.00
4 Flashfreeze $4.00
2 Jace Beleren $30.00
4 Lightning Bolt $8.00
2 Mind Spring $4.00
2 Path to Exile $12.00
4 Spreading Seas $1.00
Sideboard
4 Baneslayer Angel $220.00
1 Cancel $0.50
2 Essence Scatter $1.00
3 Luminarch Ascension $21.00
2 Mind Control $2.00
2 Negate $1.00
1 Oblivion Ring $0.50
Total $588.50
The Verdict
Current Value: The most expensive control deck and possibly the most expensive deck, mainly due to the Walletslayer Angel. The deck beats Jund easily, and so in a Jund heavy metagame, it’s awesome value, otherwise it is a very expensive deck. However, if you do play Extended and play Rubin Zoo or a deck that needs a playset of Baneslayers, you’re making the most out of your money.
Future Value: The deck will lose a lot of value when it comes to rotation time and will be relying on Baneslayer Angel to make up for the loss. If you haven’t won heaps with this deck, I feel sorry for you. The value of Baneslayers will be dependent on whether it is reprinted in M11 or not.
The Deep Analysis
Jund
Number of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: 4
Value of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: $80.00
Number of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: 8
Value of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: $192
% in value of cards that have value in Extended and Legacy of deck’s total cost: 39%
Vampires
Number of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: 39
Value of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: $256
Number of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: 19
Value of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: $184
% in value of cards that have value in Extended and Legacy of deck’s total cost: 58%
Boros Bushwhacker
Number of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: 42
Value of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: $242.50
Number of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: 20
Value of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: $252
% in value of cards that have value in Extended and Legacy of deck’s total cost: 76%
Red Deck Wins
Number of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: 32
Value of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: $181
Number of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: 16
Value of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: $180
% in value of cards that have value in Extended and Legacy of deck’s total cost: 60%
U/W/R Control (American Control)
Number of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: 23
Value of Zendikar cards that will definitely survive rotation: $177.50
Number of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: 14
Value of cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy: $360
% in value of cards that have value in Extended and Legacy of deck’s total cost: 61%
Note that only rares and uncommons are taken into account for cards that have value outside of Standard in Extended and Legacy.
Basic Lands are excluded from the survival of rotation calculations.
Overall it really depends on how much success you have with the deck in terms of value but statistically, the values in order from best to worse based on % in value of cards that have value in Extended and Legacy are:
Boros Bushwhacker – 76%
U/W/R Control (American Control) – 61% but may change a lot due to Baneslayer Angel.
Red Deck Wins – 60%
Vampires – 58%
Jund – 39%
Boros Bushwhacker also looks like the top deck to stay in Standard after rotation with 42 cards compared to Vampire’s 39 but this is only looking at things from a mathematical viewpoint. Whether Bushwhacker will survive without Ranger of Eos, an essential part of the deck is yet to be known, while Vampires are very linear and don’t depend on Tendrils of Corruption that heavily, which may even be reprinted in M11.
Personally my choice of deck out of these 5 in terms of value would be Vampires, as I see the deck as being viable in Standard for the longest period of time, easy to build from cards you already have and will probably be the most dominant deck in Zendikar Block Constructed.
Hope that helped a few people! That’s all for this week! Good Games! Good Times! GG!
By David Li Wang aka RedBluePlayer on Good Games Forums and MTG Salvation
For discussion.