You should already know about a lot of good gift items. This is a new list of things, compared to the established sockgame, jewelry, and things I’ve written about in the past.

I wish I could give you options like an ugly christmas sweater, Gruul themed dog shirts, or phone cases, and I wish you could pick it up at Target. I wish you could, but we are not at that point yet. That is ok, because we have room to grow. The game isn’t in decline, and trying to squeeze blood from a stone hasn’t happened yet. That is a good thing. As this won’t be covered in the weekly roundup, let’s talk value and how to find cool things on the cheap.

SDCC Poster — ~$50

While this poster raised the price point of the overall San Diego Comic Con promotional card set to a level that players rejected, the poster is very cool and printed on card stock. You can find copies form $45-60, with most at $50. The artist Brandon Holt is local to me in Minneapolis and the art itself is fantastic, reminiscent of some of the original Tolkien drawings.

Time Spiral by Scott McGough

Planar Chaos by Timothy Sanders

Future Sight by John Delaney

$5-6 each

Dominaria is right around the corner. These books will get you up to speed on what happened on Dominaria most recently so you can be caught up before the set comes out, saving you the time spent googling the story and having to trust third party sites which are commonly interpreted or, worse, incorrect.

There are more on Jaya, sure, but to learn about the most recent (60 years ago) history on Dominaria and Bolas's return to life and Dominaria, these three are good ways to learn.

Gremlin dice holder - $17

We’re now a year past Kaladesh’s release and the likelihood that the gremlin dice bag will last more than a few months is low. If you think this thing is cool and haven’t gotten one yet, you best hurry. It’ll stop being made soon and $17 turns into $25 or $30 quickly. They’re good looking artifact-dogs.

Jace Hoodie — $90

I would move mega fast on this. Since it’s Etsy, and I’m highlighting it, you likely have about a day before this page is shut down. Cosplay as clothing are pretty rare for Magic as it needs to be officialy licensed for it to stick around.

I think things like this are cool and I fully support that they should exist. Ant Tessitore wrote about how cosplay isn’t just a full costume, it’s things like this too.

Liliana Shirt — $20

In case you haven’t been to an event in a while, which is totally cool, you might have missed these. The MTG Pro Shop I often forget about, as they have the clothing from Grand Prix or Pro Tour events in stock almost always. I just think the idea is so fun without being over the top Magic clothing.

Chaos Draft — $40

If you have ever done a Chaos Draft, you’d know how much value you rarely get. With using packs from Magic’s past, to make sure your friends will actually join you, you need a Worldwake, Future Sight, Alliances or equivalent pack to make cracking them worth it. Opening Invasion or Born of the Gods can cost more than $4 a pack, but what you’ll open won’t cover the cost of the pack 90% of the time. One person will open a Jace or a fetchland, and the other seven people just threw away $30-40.

Now, if you have a rich friend, they’ll just buy everything and keep all the cards, accepting the cards and taking loss as fun.

Enter Cool Stuff Inc. The Bronze, Silver and Gold Chaos Draft boxes are sold out, which while great, are hard to get people to buy into for reasons said above.

How about $5 each though? Yes, you’re unlikely to open mega valuable cards, sure, but you do get a deckbox, a spindown die, sleeves and it’s only a $5 draft with friends.

I could see some adults pitching in $10 and it covers a draft, food and each person brings a few beverages. It’s wicked cheap and the experience with friends makes it totally worth it.

Framing — $50 - 300

The only place I recommend for most Magic related numbered prints, lithographs and most original paintings is MatboardAndMore.com. They have archival materials, they’re approachably priced and they sponsored the first Magic Art Show.

I use them for any standard size framing I have and they’ve been wonderful to work with. If you want to frame cards, or artist proofs, they have custom matting options that are shockingly affordable. Read this Framing 101 I wrote a while ago first, and get in there.

A Masterpiece — < $30

I did a search of Kaladesh Inventions, Zendikar Expeditions and Amonkhet Invocations and found a full fifty-nine options that were under $30. As we often see the Force of Will or Mana Crypt as the marquee aspects of them, I urge you to look at the more inexpensive ones for a holiday gift. They still have considerable interest in a cube or commander deck like Canopy Vista or Fire-Lit Thicket.

Fire-Lit Thicket by Adam Paquette

Digital

OMA - 20-50% off

Official Magic Playmats, 20% off

Classic Art Token Singles and Full Sets / Token Collections, 50% off

Classic Art Playmats, Playmat Bags, and Dice Bags, 40% off

Magic Prints, 10% off

Josh Krause over at OriginalMagicArt.com will be having a few sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you’ve been on the fence about one of the playmats or other pieces, this week is a great time to snatch a deal. If you have the time, you can stack a few things too. He has a newsletter, which if you sign up for, you can save an additional 10%, though original art not included. And if you sign up for his loyalty program, which includes some social media sharing and you can earn a $5 off coupon. If you’re bored on Friday, you can get some extra money off if you take the time, which I would, were I you.

Origins Fat Pack - $32.25

Fat packs are always phenomenal gifts. For nine boosters, it’s a decent deal. Luckily, the flip planeswalkers are being reprinted in the upcoming From the Vault: Transform, keeping the cost of this fat pack low. That said, they won’t be reprinted after that easily. I would easily pick one of these up for a Magic friend, whether they’re into holding or just cracking it instantly. Never forget about fat packs for gifts, they’re a perfect price points for adults.

Token Deal from Mr Jigs — 30% off

I just talked to Rico Evangelho, aka Mr Jigs, and he said he’d have a deal from now until end of day November 27 that kicks in an extra 30% off the tokens in this link with passcode “MDBD2017” at checkout. He’ll have some Black Friday week sales situations, but with the code, you’ll basically get 50% off some of the tokens. Super great to get some stocking stuffers for some friends and yourself. For that price, get a bunch!

Of course, I would always recommend talking to a Magic artist and buying an artist proof, an artist proof with sketch, an original sketch, or a print during the holiday season, but that’s an evergreen recommendation. Few mega artist sales exist much anymore because demand is so high, but if you ask mega nice, buy two and get $X off isn’t uncommon this time of year.

Happy holidays!

— Mike