In the modern internet age, we have limitless sources for information in regard to Magic. Spoilers can be found among a hundred different sites, and articles such as this one are strung across the entire interweb. Today, I want to cover one of those sites I was recently turned on to: reddit. The easiest way to describe reddit is a worldwide forum. Everything from pop culture to world history is discussed somewhere in the recesses of reddit, and Magic is no different.

This past week, I was asked to do what is called an AMA—Ask Me Anything—on financial Magic. I had a great time and was able to answer some great questions, which I’d today like to bring to you. These questions were submitted by the community and then voted on to show what people wanted to hear about most. I don’t have enough room to cover everything in this article, but if you want more information on my AMA, you can find it here.

Sluitstripje: What do you reckon is in the future for Snapcaster Mage?

I believe we will continue to see a downward trend for the next few months until the card is no longer drafted. After that point, the card should level out between $17 and $20 and stay there for the rest of its life in Standard, with slight price hikes here and there, spiking to $25 at times. After its rotation, I would expect to see a slight decrease, but only temporarily, after which it will appreciate at between 5% to 10% each year until people realize the demand outweighs the supply (similar to Dark Confidant), at which point I would imagine we will see a huge price spike. If you are looking to pick them up for long-term investing, it’s a great move. Otherwise, I would get out now while it still has a value above $20.

Razzledazzled: Yeah, what should I be doing with this foil Snapcaster Mage I have?

Foil Snapcaster will probably follow a very different line than its non-foil counterpart. With the majority of demand coming from the Legacy market, it’s likely that the price will stay at a stable mark even with the rotation—when we may see a slight drop, if any. From there, I would put the appreciation on a similar scale to the non-foil, being between 5% and 10% each year while being far more dependent on the metagame than the non-foil.

I can see a significant price hike at some point following the trends of the non-foil, but I think it is far more likely to appreciate on a much more even scale considering people already know how good the card is, and those who want the foils probably have a set by now and are far less likely to be impulse purchases down the line. On that note, I would still hold the card—it’s unlikely to be reprinted in the near future due to how block- and mechanic-specific it is. The price can only go up over time.

Blinka: Do you expect the enemy-colored Innistrad dual lands to exhibit a similar price hike as has been the case with the Scars of Mirrodin duals (especially Seachrome Coast and Darkslick Shores)?

I don't believe the price hike will be as drastic, but assuming we don't see better duals between now and the rotation (including Avacyn Restored and Magic 2013), I can certainly see the prices double—unlike the M12 duals, they have not been printed three to four times. I think they are a very safe hold now, and it’s unlikely they will drop any further.

Doctor_Faustus: Wizards has said they are going to reprint Modern staples. What do you predict these will be?

I believe we will see the shock lands reprinted in the next year—or two years at most—and I am currently on the fence about ’Goyf. The power curve has begun to catch up to the big green monster, and with each passing year, he looks less and less scary in the Standard environment. I expect to see a Dark Confidant reprint at some point, as well as a few other key cards such as Academy Ruins and other midrange staples through the next few years of the Planechase, Commander, and From the Vaults series.

KarlAgathon: I suffer from extreme trade anxiety.

Every time I try to make a trade, I always wonder if I'm going to want the cards I traded away for a deck in the future—even a casual deck—and I regret the trade. It's not as though I don't have enough money to spend on the game or enough cards in my collection . . . I'm just paralyzed by indecision when it comes to trading. So, I never trade.

What would you suggest I do if I want to conquer this ridiculous problem?

First, I would put together a play binder. In this binder, I would put everything I may want to play—for example, a set of dual lands, Snapcasters, and Modern and Legacy staples if those are your formats of choice. If you are a Commander player, this can be harder given the number of playable cards, but you can usually still cross cards off you will never play.

From there, write a list of the cards you need to fill those holes in your play binder, and take what you have left and make a trade binder. Make your first priority filling up your play binder, and once you have most of what you need, begin looking for new and interesting cards while not having to worry that you may be trading away something you want for a deck. This also eliminates a greater possibility of theft—you should not carry your play binder, or at the very least, you should keep it in your bag. I hope this helps, and let me know if there are any other details I can provide to make this easier on you!

Treason: Hi, Ryan, thanks for doing this. Do you foresee any underused cards gaining immense popularity with the release of Avacyn Restored?

I believe Champion of the Parish may see a huge spike when the set first releases. This is due to my prediction of some highly playable Humans coming from AVR, which is very likely. Beyond that, I would expect Spirits to hold value, and in cases like Dungeon Geists, we may see another rise if the format becomes very tempo-oriented. I believe Séance (a pet card of mine) will gain some addition value if we see any solid 187 (enters-the-battlefield effect) creatures. Mentor of the Meek may see some play, but I feel that he is still too slow and fragile to gain a respectable spot. With the rise of Humans in the next set, Stromkirk Noble is likely to have an impact on the metagame . . . as well as Sever the Bloodline.

Wyvryn: Recently, Scavenging Ooze doubled in value (from $20 to $40). Seeing how this card is currently out of print, what do you think will happen to its value in the foreseeable future?

I believe we will see a reprint in the future, but until that happens, the demand has been proven to be there, so I can only see the card holding value if not gaining value down the road. I would not put much stock into Ooze currently—its price is already high—but I also wouldn't be in a rush to unload them either.

lordBen: What is a professional Magic trader?

I understand the words separately, but together, it doesn't seem like a real profession (no offense intended). Do you work for a store? For yourself? Do you trade in bulk, or are you cruising FNM looking for foil mythics for cheap? Are you like a stock broker, trading in futures of cards you may not have?

I work for myself as a backpack trader. This is a person who has a collection and who is looking to buy collections and turn them for profit while trading away what can't be sold for things that are more liquid. You could not offend me—do not worry :)

I do a lot of futures trading, which is a large part of my overall income. Some examples of this in the past have been Knight of the Reliquary and Dark Depths, both of which I made a few hundred to a few thousand dollars from. Looking for metagame players before others catch on is a huge part of what makes a successful floor trader. I typically stray away from cornering myself into a particular category, but the easiest way I would explain what I do is to think of a stock broker who is able to analyze a market, day to day, month to month and apply that to Magic cards. I have been living comfortably from Magic for about two years now, and although I love my job, though it is certainly not for everyone, I spend forty or more hours a week working hard.

Epyon_: I usually end up trading cards a week or so before a card starts to climb in price (Sword of War and Peace) or keep cards to long and they become worthless (Fauna Shaman). How do you decide the correct time to trade off cards when you feel they won’t be gaining any more value?

It is truly about metagame analysis. Don't just look at the cards that are good now. Instead, look at the cards that beat the current metagame, and invest from there.

Fauh: What do you predict is going to happen when the Titans cycle? Will other 6-drops become more viable and thus more attractive? And what will happen to the Titans?

Answer: I think the prices will almost all stabilize around $5 with Primeval holding at $10 if he continues to see Modern play. I think the entire metagame will become far more oriented toward more counter-control and board sweepers with the aggro becoming much more Sligh-like. I expect cards such as Drogskol Reaver to rise in popularity as a solid endgame while the 6-drop spot truly holds little in terms of late-game-altering effects post rotation. We are losing almost every playable 6-drop we currently have, so unless we see something in the next few sets, we may have a void in that spot.

Le_Pyro: Do you think Liliana of the Veil will increase in popularity in Standard post-rotation? What do you think of her popularity in other formats? Finally, where do you think she is headed pricewise?

I believe she certainly will be a player in not only Standard, but Legacy and Modern as well. As with most low-costed planeswalkers, Lliliana sticks before many decks can deal with her, and she forces your opponent to play your game. The downside I can see holding her back is the popularity of tokens in Block and even the current Standard. She does not fare well in these metagames, and if that is what the format becomes, I could see her dropping to as low as $20. Over time, given her Legacy playability, I believe she is a solid hold that will only gain value.

Rabidmonkies: What card has paid off the biggest for you? What card do you currently own the most of?

Let's see . . . Percentagewise, I would say Dark Depths had to be the highest profit margin considering I had a good number of them at $1 and under when I saw Vampire Hexmage spoiled. This, of course, became a $40 card overnight, which netted me over a grand at the time. As far as the card I had the most off when it spiked, I would have to say that was Plow Under or Death's Shadow. Plow Under saw a $5to $6 dollar spike in its hay day, and although Death's Shadow only rose about fifty cents, it was enough to net me a large sum of money. Currently, I believe I own a hundred or more Skyshroud War Beast, Splinterfright, Kessig Cagebreakers, Sever the Bloodline, and Skaab Ruinator. As for the one I own the most of, I am not sure—I haven't counted lately—but it is probably the Ruinator. I feel that card is criminally underpriced and underplayed.

ThePolarStar: Do you suggest trading off Huntmaster of the Fells or holding onto them for now?

I believe Huntmaster has hit his peak for now. I have unfortunately not been very good with this card—I didn’t believe it was as good as it has proven to be—but from what we know of mythic creatures in the past, it has probably hit its bubble. If the card drops below $20 again, it may be a solid buy. If the format after rotation seems friendly to midrange aggro, it could see even more play than it is now. Sell for now; look into reinvesting in the future.

As I said before, I believe there were some extremely informative questions that many readers would want to know as well. I hope you were able to take something away from this week, whether it’s in one of the questions or about reddit itself. I would certainly check out reddit if you haven’t already; there are facets for anything you can imagine, so it can be a catch-all for your current events needs.

I want to thanks Jason (Hookhand) for asking me to do the AMA and the entire Magic: The redditing community for their support in this. I had a great time and hope to do another one someday. If you have any questions in regard to this article or reddit, leave me a tweet or post in the comments below. This week’s article proves I am more than willing to field any questions, so feel free to ask.

On a side note before I depart for the week, I just want to shamelessly plug my podcast, which is now on its fourth episode and picking up speed. We can be found at http://brainstormbrewery.com.

Check it out weekly for up-to-date financial information as well as some of our insane brews!

@CryppleCommand

Ryan Bushard