My [s]Pack to Playable[/s] #NoBuy Journey: Tinker Time

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

There seemed to be at least some passing interest in this project, so I'm mainly chronicling this to remain accountable. Some rules;

- The original pack to power concept only allowed purchasing of one pack and as such you needed an ability to always trade up and grow the collection. You can't do that in this era however, hence my calling it Pack to Playable #NoBuy
- I can't buy single cards, ever. I can accept gift cards, promos from events, but otherwise can only add cards from packs and can only trade from this pool of cards for this deck.
- Each week, our FNM costs $5 to enter and we get $5 in credit, which I can turn into a pack to add to the pool.
- I can always buy more packs to bolster the collection, but this is typically a losing endeavor as I'm likely to lose money on the process. So I won't be doing that unless I'm just...desperate. The same goes for trading with the LGS as I'll always be losing money at this.
- Trading sure is different in 2023! Luckily I can simplify the rules with the times and say that I can't put money into this, but I can accept gift cards, trade from my collection, and store credit that goes directly from credit into cards/packs.

Yeah, it's easier to buy a deck outright, but where's the fun in that! I can blog about these perfectly serviceable cards without spending four figures to buy a stock list on TCG Player, or something!

weekly progress

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Week 1 (the beginning) Pack to Power Playable;
OUT
Wall of Roots|p30A - 0.56
Drown in Ichor - 0.38
Seizan, Perverter of Truth|mul - 0.29
Venser, Corpse Puppet - 0.29
Blightbelly Rat - 0.08

IN
Starting card pool: 3 packs - 1x New Capenna, 1x Neon Dynasty, 1x All Will Be One, one Tinker Time box deck
Expressive Iteration|stx - $1.59
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider|jmp - 0.17
Cathartic Pyre|mid - 0.24
Yavimaya Coast|dmu - $1.29

Money Input: $50usd
Retail Value: $53usd

Week 2;
IN
1x March of Machines, 5x Dominaria Remastered

Money Input: $90usd
Retail Value: $70usd

Week 2: DMR was actually very nice to me! I didn't make a lot of value (in fact I went into the red) but I got a lot of good tools like deep analysis, a check dual, counterspell retro and some reasonable removal. Fact or Fiction too, this looks like it was actually a pretty cool set, though I was hoping I'd get a Birds of Paradise|dmr. Ah well. Now, since I'm in the red, I guess I need to stop buying and go back to grinding some FNM since spending $40 in exchange for $20 is very much a losing proposition.

Oh, I guess I should leave the moxfield link on this thread too huh? So I'm not posting some unwieldy ever-growing list of cards? https://www.moxfield.com/decks/vOXgryUoiE2ln_MOqYVAvQ

<-- attached is my current "top value" cards, which for my nerdy butt I'm kinda excited to look at. I'm still needing to trade at lower end though, can't be looking for an Old Gnawbone anytime soon.

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

Well I made some moves last night! But mostly a kind stranger gave me some stuff to help this journey along so thank you to them! I played Modern last night and earned some packs. +2 Midnight Hunt packs, and I was given a Commander Legends collectors pack (which was cool and nice and totally not worth the astronomical sticker price of these considering the best I got was an extended art Clan Crafter. I'm just happy Gimbal can use it reasonably well!

I also remembered the Questing Beast and Kitty Cart I got from random promos at FNM, so I added them to my pool too.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/vOXgryUoiE2ln_MOqYVAvQ

SPOILER

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The biggest news is I'm out of the red and into the black and am nearing the $200 mark. I think this project is actually going to work! And, I have a perfectly serviceable deck here right now that will only get better the more I trade! Now here's to me remembering to enter commander next week before the slots are filled up so I can play and trade to grow this thing even more!

my best value cards

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Current stretch goals: Trade for Old Gnawbone & Parallel Lives.
Final boss goals: Successfully trade for an ABU dual.

UnNamed1 · Post by **UnNamed1** » 1 year ago

Great progress! I look forward to seeing this move on!

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

I think I'm coming around to Gimbal being superior to R&R, in like all cases except linearity. The team up card doesn't really have synergy pieces and so maybe that's better than where I'm at specifically in the context of this project? Idk I'm not very excited by R&R and the low ceiling they have. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong.

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

I'm switching from Gimbal to R&R! They don't require all the specialized deck slots and I think that's important for a project like this.

The deck link is updated too!

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

I made some moves last night. I finally moved that panharmonicon and finished getting my pain lands.

Trades 5-12

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Out
panharmonicon $6
Curse of opulence $1.38
Inspiring statuary 0.17
-$7.55

In
Shivan reef 0.88
Seat of the synod 1.81
Storm the vault $5
$7.69
Unctus, grand metatect 0.53 (random promo for the day)
+$8.22

Retail value: $180.93
Monetary input: $90

Getting something that flips into Tolarian Academy is probably relevant. It feels like it was hard just to find these few cards someone would trade, and most binders are shock lands, Swords, y'know big ticket items. Most people don't carry bulk for trades which is what most my binder is. Hmm, I wonder how I can fix that.

I did get to "play" the deck, and I saw ur lands and g spells. 🙄. I wonder if I can justify proxying a good mana base so I can actually play the game while eventually trying to trade up into legitimate cards, or if this is breaking the spirit of pack to playable.

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

So I went down the rabbit hole looking for ways to bulk up my trade stock on the cheap. Found a seller with a 500 piece lot of just foils, promos, archives like a virtual grab bag. I don't normally put any thought to these, but at $20 for 500 cards I think it's a reasonable ish lottery when I just want volume. It's still a "sealed" product so I don't think it violates the integrity of the project. And if it doesn't work out? It's $20, that's less than one night of Dominoes. 🤣

I'm excited to see what I get! 👀

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

I was... actually impressed with those lots i opened last night. All in all I think I still "lost money" but there is a lot of volume I think I just added and that should give me lots of added trade volume! I need to catalogue it and see where that puts my project dollar wise and confirm if I went positive or not.

Moonlighter · Post by **Moonlighter** » 1 year ago

This is cool to keep up with. Thanks for looping us in!

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

Moonlighter wrote: ↑
1 year ago
This is cool to keep up with. Thanks for looping us in!

Hey, I'm glad my project has some eyes! I'm going to try to get the lots entered tonight and get a final number maybe but...it's a lot lol.

Edit: I'm cataloging in stages because, y'know, 1000 cards, and I just added blue. I was surprised to see a gain of $13. I don't know how, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth 🤣

I can't believe I'm actually gonna turn a profit I think, ohmygosh.

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

I cataloged the next portion of cards this morning and I'm ~ half way to break even point. I can't believe this actually worked out 😳

Now I'll just have to hope I can actually move these lol

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 1 year ago

Whew, I finally got those lots cataloged to this project!

5/26
In
500 card lot of foils & showcase cards x2, $20ea

Retail Value: $272.07
Monetary input: $130

5/26 adds

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aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 11 months ago

I think I'm going to tweak the rules from pack to playable to just a "no buy" style. Yeah I "made money" off those lots but not really if no one is buying. Can't trade with people when you show up with a binder of 0.04¢ cards.

I'm just gonna bring all my collection into this pool and trade from it, only adding to it with what I get from events, trades, and store credit. I'll also be able to have a playable deck. 👀

Proxy free, of course, because proxies would invalidate the project goals! I got lots of trade stock, so let's try to turn it into a benefit!

3drinks · Post by **3drinks** » 11 months ago

aliciaofthevast wrote: ↑
11 months ago
I think I'm going to tweak the rules from pack to playable to just a "no buy" style. Yeah I "made money" off those lots but not really if no one is buying. Can't trade with people when you show up with a binder of 0.04¢ cards.

I'm just gonna bring all my collection into this pool and trade from it, only adding to it with what I get from events, trades, and store credit. I'll also be able to have a playable deck. 👀

Proxy free, of course, because proxies would invalidate the project goals! I got lots of trade stock, so let's try to turn it into a benefit!

I had a feeling you'd make this realization gurl. I wish I'd see more players with not chase cards in binders too, but it's all players that just want to flip. "Time is money", I guess.

kirkusjones · Post by **kirkusjones** » 11 months ago

aliciaofthevast wrote: ↑
11 months ago
I think I'm going to tweak the rules from pack to playable to just a "no buy" style. Yeah I "made money" off those lots but not really if no one is buying. Can't trade with people when you show up with a binder of 0.04¢ cards.

I'm just gonna bring all my collection into this pool and trade from it, only adding to it with what I get from events, trades, and store credit. I'll also be able to have a playable deck. 👀

Proxy free, of course, because proxies would invalidate the project goals! I got lots of trade stock, so let's try to turn it into a benefit!

Have you considered trading online? MOTL is pretty dead these days, but there have got to be other options.

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 11 months ago

kirkusjones wrote: ↑
11 months ago

aliciaofthevast wrote: ↑
11 months ago
I think I'm going to tweak the rules from pack to playable to just a "no buy" style. Yeah I "made money" off those lots but not really if no one is buying. Can't trade with people when you show up with a binder of 0.04¢ cards.

I'm just gonna bring all my collection into this pool and trade from it, only adding to it with what I get from events, trades, and store credit. I'll also be able to have a playable deck. 👀

Proxy free, of course, because proxies would invalidate the project goals! I got lots of trade stock, so let's try to turn it into a benefit!
Have you considered trading online? MOTL is pretty dead these days, but there have got to be other options.

I've never done that before, but doesn't that open up to more risk?: Additionally, they really doesn't solve the value problem. No one is paying shipping to trade $2 or less in cards.

kirkusjones · Post by **kirkusjones** » 11 months ago

You'd be surprised what people will trade for. I was a pretty active trader for four or five years and only had one bad experience.

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 11 months ago

kirkusjones wrote: ↑
11 months ago
You'd be surprised what people will trade for. I was a pretty active trader for four or five years and only had one bad experience.

To put it in prospective, most of what these lots contained were foil bulk from baldur's gate and commander legends (I think that's what CMR was!) Like I said, retail wise it put me in the black but realistically we're looking at a lot of Gilanra, Caller of Wirewoods and Glacian, Powerstone Engineers level cards.

Now, of course when I add the rest of my collection into this, that changes the formula! But a lot is "ship to card conduit* status 😋

aliciaofthevast · Post by **aliciaofthevast** » 9 months ago

Ohhhhh. People stopped bringing stuff to trade so I kinda lost interest, and Tinker Time isn't really a great deck out of the box lol. But also it was such a hard sell binder grinding in this era but I didn't think it'd be this bad. Ah well.

I still have my thicker display copy (and his tokens!) though so maybe some day Gimbal will come back haaaaaa.

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