There really is no worse feeling than buying some new cards, only to see them half in price a week later. But why does this happen? Surely a 5/5 haste flyer for 5 mana with an ability is always good, and surely a Planeswalker like Ugin, the spirit dragon is never going to be a bad card? Right?

Well, yes and no.

Rotation has a huge effect on price, as the cards that are good in standard are rarely as show-stopping in the older formats. While sphinx’s revelation was a game breaking concession causer for many in standard, it’s outright anaemic in legacy.

This is largely down to the number of cards in older formats. Cards like Whisperwood Elemental may be the best of today’s bunch, but not of all time. The other main cause is wizards of the coast thinking it’s a good idea to print new cards that are so powerful they make superman look weak. Some new cards simply outclass old ones.

So how can you avoid these problems?

To avoid the rotation problem I like to sell or trade a lot of my standard cards during the middle or early end of the season, this way I still got to use them but can turn them into cards from the newer sets that will be useful in the future. The reason I do this during the middle of the season is because people are still after these cards so they still have a high price.

There are 3 main ways to do this:

Ebay: Medium hassle but you can get a decent return and then buy the new cards you need with the money you make. Don’t forget about the seller fees taking a chunk of your money at the end though.

Online store buylists: This is by far the quickest and least hassle. Either work out what you will get paid from the buylist or just send your cards in and wait for a reply with the price you will get. Many stores will also give you a percentage extra if you want to exchange cards for cards.

Trading: This is definitely the most time consuming and effort to get the cards you actually need, but can reward you with great deals or throw in trades that turn out to be worth their weight in gold a few months down the line.

For wizards printing the atomic bomb in card form there is nothing that can be done to stop it. But you can still keep an eye on spoilers and popular decks to see if anything will make a big impact and then look to get that card or avoid cards that will get destroyed by it.

When to keep cards

Some new cards are good enough to make it into modern or legacy, and these are the ones you’re going to want to acquire now and hold onto. These are the Ugin, spirit dragons, the Eidelon of the great revels, the good lands or the Snapcaster Mage type cards. If you think you will ever play modern then it is better to keep the cards that fit into those decks (which are easily found on many sites online).

What to be on the lookout for

Every new set is different but as a general rule of thumb, lands are almost always worth getting. You need to cast your spells after all, and so does every other player!

When a set launches there are usually a few stand out cards that everyone knows will be good and a few medium level cards that turn out to be very strong in practice. Picking up low and medium level playables like Fleecemane Lions, Goblin Rabblemaster or Hero’s Downfall early is a good way to save yourself some cash.

With experience you’ll be able to see what cards will go in what decks a lot easier, so like most things keep at it and eventually you will be battling with your favourite tournament decks.