Shopping for Cards Online
Are you in the market for a new deck? Maybe some new cards to add to your collection? The good news is there’s really no trick to building cheap decks. The bad news is that the best way to make a deck suited to your preference (casual, competitive) is to figure out what you are interested in and go from there. So the problem, is choice.
If you are interested in going the competitive route, there’s Debris, Alius, Anti-Meta, Tengu, and Archytypes (Agents, Six Sams, etc.). Depending on the amount of publicity (aka wins) the deck in question is getting, the more inflated the prices.
On the other hand, there’s the casual route that Archetypes and “Rouge Decks” run. It is a place where ultimate freedom exists. Some casual decks even get run competitively, it all depends. But the distinct difference is the amount of individuality or experimentation that can be had.
I think the first thing for newer players is to gather some of the stronger cards in the game and then build decks around those for confidence building and practice.
Buying Online
I have never had a bad experience buying cards online. I also have the good fortune of living relatively close to the Cardhaus.com card shop. I always shop around and wait a little before I pull the trigger to make sure my interest in the cards will last, and I try to use Paypal whenever possible.
(Paypal.com is a service that enables you to pay, send money, and accept payments without revealing any financial information. )
There are a few sites that I check regularly for card prices:
Trollandtoad.com
This site is always trying to beat the competition. Of course, they have to make their money too, so some cards might fluctuate a little above what you might expect. I would suggest checking this site before any others.
Strikezone.com
After I check Trollandtoad, I check Strikezone. They sell a variety of “mint condition” to “somewhat played” cards and are usually a little above TrollandToad in terms of price, but sometimes below. Sometimes I just want the card for a low price, and I don’t care about the condition it is in, as long as it is playable. I have always felt that Strikzone caters to that attitude somewhat.
Cardhaus.com and Yugiohmint.com
When I want to check the relative value of a card (about how much it is “worth”) I go to these sites and compare them with the above sites. They price a little to somewhat significantly higher than the previous sites. I also use these sites if TrollandToad and Strike are out of what I am looking for, and of course:
Ebay.com
“Ebay has everything” is generally true. So if the cards you are looking at buying are a little too expensive at any of the above sites, there is also Ebay. Expect to see a lot of “playsets” (3 of a kind) for sale. Ebay tends to be in between Strikzone and TrollandToad in terms of card price, and is ceaper in many cases.
Don’t forget to check both Auction Only and Buy It Now – Lowest Price. With the Auction, you might be able to get a card by bidding for a little less than it is worth.
Buy It Now – Lowest Price offers you the cheapest price that you’ll be able to get it for at that time – including shipping. A lot of the time, you will see a low “Buy it Now” price, but make sure to check the Shipping underneath. Ebay charges their users when they use their system to make a sale, so users put the bulk of the cost into the Shipping in order to save money on these small purchases.
Ebay Buy It Now is frequently used to judge card prices for trades that are being compared on cash value.
Deck Price Comparison
Trollandtoad and Strikezone will be compared. Cardhaus, our third option, will not be discussed because…the prices will probably be too high.
FABLEDS
The Fabled Cerburrel – $4.99TT – $6.04SZ
The Fabled Ganashia – $0.79TT – $0.56SZ
The Fabled Catsith – $0.99TT – $0.66SZ
Fabled Grimro – $11.99TT – $12.48SZ
Fabled Krus – $5.49TT – $5.30SZ
Fabled Kushano – $1.99TT – $1.28SZFabled Ragin – $3.99TT – $3.87SZ
Fabled Valkyrus – $7.49TT – $7.32SZFabled Final Value:
Trollandtoad: $37.72
Strikezone: $37.51A $0.21 difference in favor of the underdog, Strikezone! What a close race.
GLADIATOR BEASTS
Gladiator Beast Laquari – $4.19TT – $3.48SZ
Gladiator Beast Bestari – $0.49TT – $0.28SZ
Gladiator Beast Equeste – $0.29TT – $0.24SZ
Gladiator Beast Darius – $1.49TT – $0.33SZ
Gladiator Beast Murmillo – $1.47TT – $2.74SZ
Gladiator Beast Gyzarus – $4.89TT – $6.04SZ
Gladiator Beast War Chariot – $3.84TT – $4.68SZ
Gladiator Beast Essedarii – $7.99TT – $7.90SZ
Gladiator Beast Heraklinos $1.99TT – $1.67SZ (SE)Gladiator Beast Final Value
TrollandToad:$26.64
Strikezone: $27.36Here we have a surprising difference of .72 cents in favor of TrollandToad.
DEBRIS/JUNK/DOPPEL
Debris Dragon – $1.74TT – $2.72SZ
Dandylion – $5.99TT – $5.33SZ (SE)
Spore – $.29TT – $0.16SZ
Glow-up Bulb – $54.99TT – $44.99SZ
Lonefire Blossom – $10.99TT – $10.34SZ
Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter – $9.79TT – $13.31SZ
Card Trooper – $1.49TT – $2.55SZ
Junk Synchron – $0.49TT – $.031
Sangan – $2.09TT – $2.09SZ (surprising)
DoppelWarrior – $1.99TT – $1.99SZ (again)Debris/Junk/Doppel Final Value:
TrollandToad: $88.11
StrikeZone: $83.79Some way, StrikeZone pulls out another victory against TrollandToad.
Both of these top sites have very competitive card prices. For those looking to build a deck, it is worth pricing out every card. One site might have a lower value for the bunch even though one might seem cheaper for individual cards.
Recently, several huge announcements have created a very positive forecast for card prices. Powerful cards like Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, Pot of Duality, Dark Simorgh, Archlord Krystia and more are being reprinted at lower rarities. This will drastically drop their prices, effectively making them 5 to 10 dollar cards.
Latest Card Reprints
Elemental Absolute Zero in Generation Force Special Edition – [LINK]
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon Tin – (Duality, Dark Simorgh, Stygian Street Patrol, Unknown) – [LINK]
Wind-Up Zenmaister Collectible Tin – (Duality, Krystia, EHERO Gaia, Unknown) – [LINK]
Phenomenal work with the article. Keep up the good work!
This is great work Matt! I am very happy that you were favorably impressed with http://trollandtoad.com. I have sold to them and bought cards from them over the years and can echo your recommendation. Also, their customer service people are great. Please keep putting up informative posts like this one.