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Looks like SCG is abusing their access to the BNG godbook again to corner the market since they're buying out Trostanis:
http://i.imgur.com/9JpUl11.png
There needs to be a serious change in the secondary market to stop all this market cornering bullshit.
Lol at Ben getting salty that SCG is getting exposed.
Well, that's pretty fucked up right there.
EDIT: Tell me like I'm 4 years old why that isn't tantamount to insider trading?
Because there's no SEC? And Magic cards aren't considered a security.Quote:
Originally Posted by TsumiBand
I have to admit I enjoyed that a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arsenal
Man what if there was just like, readily available cards at reasonable prices so that this wasn't an issue in the game at all?Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
A lot of people, for whatever reason, key their prices off of SCG's. Ben has just pulled what's tantamount to insider trading almost anywhere else. The fact that it seems to be only Trostanis is interesting, though. Unless this is because of the insipid Inspired cycle.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin
Guys it is a perfectly legitimate practice to use privileged information to manipulate the mtg market for personal gain. Lets get back to to real issue, which is how counterfeiting will destroy the secondary market, cause an end to sanctioned tournaments and cause game stores around the world to go bankrupt, and how counterfeiting is wrong and you should feel bad if you do it.
Ah, the schadenfreude.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arsenal
I wouldn't support a business that reveals my transactions either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arsenal
On the other hand, I am not okay with their acquisition department having privileged access when they make their purchases, but is there any evidence that this is the case?
Wow, these are the kinds of shenanigans, if true, that could land Wizards in some hot water. Giving out godbooks, full of information extremely pertinent to future singles prices, to selected establishments grants them a huge advantage over their competitors. This is people's livelihoods being impacted by anti-competitive practices, not just us cardboard-slingers getting milked a little extra out of good deals.
In tangential news, Cabal Therapy has doubled in price recently, for no discernible reason, and Invoke Prejudice has rocketed up to ~$140 while my searching has found no significant tournament presence nor combo potential from cards spoiled. Maybe some people know aught that we don't? :wink:
As other people have already stated, issues like counterfeiting, theft, cost-of-replacement, and insider trading wouldn't be nearly as problematic in the absence of batshit-crazy prices. But it seems like Wizards likes to play with fire and keep card prices high for their own ends.
By all means, if someone has evidence that SCG is blatantly using the godbook in order to speculate then go prove it. Until then, I'm going to assume that SCG just feels that Trostani is undervalued. I have no problem with legitimate businesses trying to make money. SCG is the only reason that Legacy stays afloat.
Let me help you. If someone pirates some music online, they are simply acquiring music for free. While this has an affect on market prices, it does nothing to delegitimize actual CDs that people pay money for. Let's say that every time someone pirated a song, someone else who tried to buy a song legitimately was sold an mp3 full of static. This is akin to every time someone buys a counterfeit card they further incentivize counterfeiters to release more and more fake cards into the market.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin
How long do you think stores will survive when there is no incentive to buy real product, when by attempting to buy real product, you are playing a game of chance where you are actually better off just buying the counterfeit. If you just buy the cheap counterfeit then there is zero chance that you overpayed, thinking you got the real thing. How long do you think local gaming stores can survive like this?
I am perfectly fine, and in fact, I hope that this motivates WotC to actually reprint old and expensive cards. I trust Wizards to not completely flood the market into oblivion. I do not trust counterfeiters who are looking to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can to do the same. It would be the perfect world if WotC shut down these counterfeiters and then actually decided to tackle the problem of the reserved list and ridiculous card prices.
The guy right above him bought 20 copies. Ben apparently bought 19 (very possibly more). I don't understand why this is considered evidence that SCG had insider info, although again, I would have a problem if they were in fact using insider info.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dzra
Man the status quo bias is fucking reeking off of my screen, how do you fucking stay conscious through that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dzra
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin
We're all a bunch of cows waiting for the slaughter.
Except this happens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWGxB0jRFX8
SCG were supposed to be the ones who suggested Wizards to get rid of the reserved list in a behind the doors meeting... right before Wizards decided to tighten it even further, establishing SCG almost as a monopoly in the singles market and for eternal reserve list staples right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Barook
Riiight. :rolleyes:
Ad Hominem much?Quote:
Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin
SITUATION UPDATE And stop spamming now, please.
Received the fakes today. First impression - in trade easily distinguishable. In play, especially in used sleeves, almost indistinguishable. It also depends on a card, every card is not the same quality fake. Some are so much better. Here is 1 picture for ya, there are 0-4 fakes on this picture. Guess.
http://i40.tinypic.com/mvkzno.jpg
What about the pro players who have weeks of advantage knowing the contents of new sets? Giving out godbooks is pretty stupid and without it biting them in the ass once due to the New Phyrexia leak, we wouldn't even know about it today. But people have a short memory.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamaican Zombie Legend
Every guy, be it pro player, magazin writer and God knows who else gets the god book, has those information available. I don't think SCG (if they have a godbook or contact with somebody having a copy of one, which is, considering their influence, extremely likely) are the only ones, they would only be major players simply due to available resources.Quote:
Originally Posted by lordofthepit
I'm more suprised that this actually suprises people. I mainly posted it because I think it's amusing that Ben is getting salty about being exposed this time. It totally isn't obvious that shady shit is going on when Cabal Therapy suddenly spikes in price out of nowhere with no demand supporting the price increase.
So, in some ways awesome? Cheaper to get cards, hard to actually scam people? Though that'd be a huge blow to online trading if they look legit. Then again, actually seeing other people doesn't sound like a bad thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by prateta