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[Azn_Boy]

They can't afford to wait on fetches due to accessibility issues in Modern.

It's more of a price issue than accessibility. Zendikar was the most opened and successful set before RtR came around. Even then, Zendikar fetches were $10 around this time last year. The price shot up because of Starcity. The Onslaught fetches need a reprint though.

Edit: I also do not want a standard format with Shocks + Fetches. The manafixing we already have is pretty damn good. It would also be a kick in the shins to players (Especially the new ones) when they find out that the $100+ they spent on their 12 shocklands would be a waste of money.

 

[OnPoint]

It's more of a price issue than accessibility. Zendikar was the most opened and successful set before RtR came around. Even then, Zendikar fetches were $10 around this time last year. The price shot up because of Starcity. The Onslaught fetches need a reprint though.

Edit: I also do not want a standard format with Shocks + Fetches. The manafixing we already have is pretty damn good. It would also be a kick in the shins to players (Especially the new ones) when they find out that the $100+ they spent on their 12 shocklands would be a waste of money.

All the fetches are in desperate need of a reprint. Sorry. There's no reason to segment them.

Why would the money spent on shocks be a kick to anything? They're going to be legal for over a year still.

Standard's mana is going to get worse once Innistrad/M13 rotates. Fetches+Shocks without the buddy lands would be awesome.

 

[Azn_Boy]

All the fetches are in desperate need of a reprint. Sorry. There's no reason to segment them.

Why would the money spent on shocks be a kick to anything? They're going to be legal for over a year still.

Standard's mana is going to get worse once Innistrad/M13 rotates. Fetches+Shocks without the buddy lands would be awesome.

There would be no need to play more than 3-5 shocks per deck if we have all the fetches.

The fixing would be worse when we lose Innistrad, but too many people have been spoiled for the past year. This is standard's 2nd best format in terms of manafixing, putting in fetches would possibly push fixing past Vivid Lands/Reflecting Pool (IMO anyways) and make it the best.

Fixing would be just fine with just gates and shocks, making 3 colored decks would still be possible (Much better than trying to make a 3 colored deck during Scars/Innistrad) albeit your deck would be much slower.

 

[kirblar]

Shocks/Buddylands/Farseek led to an issue with control/"big" strategies being a huge amount better than everything else- hence why aggro got pushed as hard as it was in response w/ the last 2 sets. Those decks have much more reliable mana, because those cards penalize aggressive strategies. Shock/Fetch manabases do the complete opposite- they reward them.

 

[OnPoint]

I think it would be great. I don't know. I just want Fetches. They cost too damn much right now.

Transmute Artifact has shot up from $15 to $30. I hate this game sometimes. I scooped two up real quick at $15 a piece but they were literally the last 2 I could find.

 

[kirblar]

I think it would be great. I don't know. I just want Fetches. They cost too damn much right now.

Transmute Artifact has shot up from $15 to $30. I hate this game sometimes. I scooped two up real quick at $15 a piece but they were literally the last 2 I could find.

I bought 4 @ SCG for 9.99 (MP, but realistically, SP- SCG is just super tight) when it T8ed the open. They're good for pricing when you catch em pants down. Card has virtually no supply available. (They bought everyone out last night.)

 

[OnPoint]

I bought 4 @ SCG for 9.99 (MP, but realistically, SP- SCG is just super tight) when it T8ed the open. They're good for pricing when you catch em pants down. Card has virtually no supply available. (They bought everyone out last night.)

I thought I had more time but they moved quick on this. It's a damn shame.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Bringing the fetchlands into Standard would also have the added benefit of making the Standard players buy up an entire Modern manabase - making the transition to Modern that Wizards has been trying to push that much easier.

But man - a year of Standard with perfect mana? That would be intense. I almost feel like the return of filterlands makes more sense in terms of keeping Standard power level in check.

 

[kirblar]

I thought I had more time but they moved quick on this. It's a damn shame.

There was no supply available out there and SCG was actually underpriced relative to the market.

Bringing the fetchlands into Standard would also have the added benefit of making the Standard players buy up an entire Modern manabase - making the transition to Modern that Wizards has been trying to push that much easier.

But man - a year of Standard with perfect mana? That would be intense. I almost feel like the return of filterlands makes more sense in terms of keeping Standard power level in check.

Shocks + Fetches -> Fetches + Filterlands is a much nicer transition than Shocks + Filters -> Filters + Fetches. Shocks/Filters don't play nicely.

 

[OnPoint]

There was no supply available out there and SCG was actually underpriced relative to the market.

You and I need to talk more on the weekends.

 

[kirblar]

You and I need to talk more on the weekends.

Yeah, I basically scoop up results and try and buy stuff asap for playsets if I think it'll be an issue for me long-term. (I went in on City of Traitors a month ago and grabbed the transmutes as soon as I noticed the "reserved list tag" on the Tezz decklist.) I'm pretty close to a virtual Modern playset - just really need goyfs and a few utility cards. Bought into Affinity due to the Opal change.

 

[OnPoint]

Yeah, I basically scoop up results and try and buy stuff asap for playsets if I think it'll be an issue for me long-term. (I went in on City of Traitors a month ago and grabbed the transmutes as soon as I noticed the "reserved list tag" on the Tezz decklist.) I'm pretty close to a virtual Modern playset - just really need goyfs and a few utility cards. Bought into Affinity due to the Opal change.

You think City is poised for a jump, or am I behind on that

 

[WanderingWind]

I really think y'all should trade me 2 Voices. Their prices are only going to go down

 

[OnPoint]

I really think y'all should trade me 2 Voices. Their prices are only going to go down

There's a store here selling them for like $35 piece, last time I checked. Crazy talk, I say, that it's such an expensive card.

 

[Zocano]

I've been really tempted to dig through DGM packs to get Voices just so I can trade them off. I've been trying to hunt for 2 more Lilianas. I would *like* to get into modern but Jund is my favorite color combo (kill me, I know).

I kinda missed out on the Jund midrange craze (sadly) in standard. And in some desparate attempt to actually play a deck like that in these last 4-5 months before rotation, I have been trading heavily. 2 Thundermaw Hellkites and the like. It's really dumb of me to do so: I traded a Sphinx Rev and Jace for 2 Thundermaw's and a few other cards. Not sure if I regret it. I don't really play white at all (which is why I trade off those cards like they're nothing), but it still is dumb off me to trade for innistrad cards and hellkites because of the rotation.

edit: and I don't even have any thragtusks. Ugh.

 

[kirblar]

You think City is poised for a jump, or am I behind on that

SCG just jumped it to $50, but hasn't done a buyout sweep yet. It's been behind the curve due to being not-good in Commander/Casual formats. People have been expecting someone to go in on that card eventually though.

 

[WanderingWind]

Yeah it sucks. Trade them while they're hot!!

 

[Zocano]

Yeah it sucks. Trade them while they're hot!!

It's not so bad with RTR block cards but I really got into buying cards when RTR hit so I have pretty much every card I'd want from this block, but most of the cards I actually need for the deck I want to make are from M13 and Innistrad and are also super expensive still. I probably just have to wait for Theros to fully "settle into" standard. Right now I am running a BUG aggro deck and it's heavily built on RTR cards so it's pretty simple (and cheap).

 

[OnPoint]

It's not so bad with RTR block cards but I really got into buying cards when RTR hit so I have pretty much every card I'd want from this block, but most of the cards I actually need for the deck I want to make are from M13 and Innistrad and are also super expensive still. I probably just have to wait for Theros to fully "settle into" standard. Right now I am running a BUG aggro deck and it's heavily built on RTR cards so it's pretty simple (and cheap).

You wanna trade for a foil Thundermaw I'm never going to use?

 

[Zocano]

You wanna trade for a foil Thundermaw I'm never going to use?

I actually have the 3 I need. :<

I'm short Thragtusks and Huntmasters.

edit: And Garruk and Liliana. Crying forever. I'll just hope Theros has good jund colored stuff.

 

[WanderingWind]

I mean, you don't really want to trade for things about to rotate out soon, IMO. Voices also don't suck, I'm joking there.

"Hahah, that Porsche is lame, you should sell it to me. Derp!"

But for real. Anybody comes into some Voices, let a weeping angel know

 

[OnPoint]

I actually have the 3 I need. :<

I'm short Thragtusks and Huntmasters.

edit: And Garruk and Liliana. Crying forever. I'll just hope Theros has good jund colored stuff.

Do you have a tradelist anywhere?

 

[Zocano]

Yah that's the problem I am having, really. The prices are going down to more reasonable levels but they're also about to rotate out so as much as I may want to play that deck before it's gone, I am ultimately losing in the end in the long term. Ah well.

Do you have a tradelist anywhere?

Uh, I'm out of town currently and I don't know everything in my trade binder off the top of my head. It's pretty much solely RTR block stuff, though. I'll be back home tomorrow and I can throw together a tradelist on that site you guys use.

edit: oops double posted without realizing it.

 

[Zocano]

.

 

[Azn_Boy]

Yah that's the problem I am having, really. The prices are going down to more reasonable levels but they're also about to rotate out so as much as I may want to play that deck before it's gone, I am ultimately losing in the end in the long term. Ah well.

That's how standard works unfortunately. You want to buy into it around September and preorder cheap singles.

 

[Zocano]

Two of my friends have quit out of standard and it's totally understandable. I'm probably going to do the same but I will see how I transition into Theros. I've wanted to get into modern as well but that is just a whole other leap to make (especially price wise) and as much as I just enjoy playing for fun, I don't want to make a sloppy deck that will just lose constantly (at FNM). I'd like to have a semi-competitive deck (because, hey, I like to win, too).

The good thing is though, I love limited and draft RTR block a lot at an LGS.

 

[An-Det]

Nice to see Mutavault number-crunch-confirmed. I missed out on that one before they jumped up from $20 due to modern, so will be able to pick up a set at a more reasonable price now.

Yeah, I basically scoop up results and try and buy stuff asap for playsets if I think it'll be an issue for me long-term. (I went in on City of Traitors a month ago and grabbed the transmutes as soon as I noticed the "reserved list tag" on the Tezz decklist.) I'm pretty close to a virtual Modern playset - just really need goyfs and a few utility cards. Bought into Affinity due to the Opal change.

Same for me. Every major Eternal event I see, every deck tech that's released, major trends on stuff like the Source, even mtgo legacy dailies for a while, I keep an eye out for up-and-coming cards. There's occasionally some outliers that get me (Karakas skyrocketing or Modern jumping up stuff I only have singles of), but for Legacy I'm 'that guy' if a friend needs cards. Doing the same with Modern now with MM out since I totally spaced on it before this.

 

[y2dvd]

What's a good place to go for EDH deck ideas? I wanna upgrade my starting Graveyard deck I bought. I also pulled a Kira during draft and heard it's a good Commander card. Maybe I can build something cheap outta that.

 

[bigkrev]

What's a good place to go for EDH deck ideas? I wanna upgrade my starting Graveyard deck I bought. I also pulled a Kira during draft and heard it's a good Commander card. Maybe I can build something cheap outta that.

The commander deck database on MTGSalvation is a good resource http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=442195

 

[y2dvd]

The commander deck database on MTGSalvation is a good resource http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=442195

This looks like it will be very helpful. Appreciate it!

 

[Lucario]

drafting MMA right now

I have 17 removal spells. I think I got all of 'em at the table. Also got passed a foil Demigod of Revenge! :O Fifth pick

1cc:

Executioner's Capsule
Pyrite Spellbomb


2cc:

Phthisis
Absorb Vis (perfectly reasonable manafixing spell, provides reach lategame)
Tribal Flames (removal)
Rathi Trapper (tapper/effectively removal)
Sudden Shock (removal)
Mogg War Marshall (synergy w/ Tar Pitcher, turning it into three shocks.)

3cc:

3 Drag Down (I originally intended to draft a UG base domain deck, but very few relevant cards wheeled -- still, removal is at a premium in this format, and having this much of it is exciting)

2 Electrolyze (destroyed the empty the warrens deck I 2-0ed in round 1)

Faerie Macabre (my worst matchup is going to be against dredge/incremental advantage decks, which I assume are capable of out-durdling me -- reach of branches and particularly large swarms of thallids are worrysome. I have one more sideboarded, along with a Relic of Progenitus I picked up late in a pack with no other playables. I feel like this will help with that matchup -- otherwise, it's just a wind drake.)


4:

Empty the Warrens (won me my first game in combination with the deck's less expensive cards, like sudden shock and electrolyze. While I'll agree that it looks a bit odd in a slower control deck, decks like these need better finishers than Faerie Macabre, and this certainly fills that niche -- it just wins games out of nowhere, is playable in nearly every red deck, and shouldn't be going as late as it is in the MMA drafts I've done. Also synergistic with Tar Pitcher.)

Torrent of Stone (will rarely be spliced, but it's extremely relevant to be able to wipe out 4 tougness thallids. Also first pick removal.)

Dreamspoiler Witches (look at all the instants in my deck. This is a wind drake with removal stapled to it, which will likely be activated every turn. While I don't consider this a card you'll want in every black deck -- and I might be wrong there -- it's insanely playable in here, and on equal footing with Tar Pitcher)

Marsh Flitter (bad finisher + tar pitcher fodder.) Very powerful card. It's a baby cloudgoat ranger.

2 Tar Pitcher (removal engine. Very important in this deck, and an archtype staple for goblins.)

5:

Demigod of Revenge (bomb. Was lucky to be passed it fifth pick, but I understand perfectly, considering how insane it is -- I saw an 11th pick Divinity of Pride in the same draft, but it's obviously uncastable in my deck. These split mana cards create odd situations in draft!)

Mulldrifter (incremental advantage, slow finisher, great way to draw into more removal. If you see these, pick them.)

6:

Fiery Fall (extra removal + landcycling. I need manafixing, and this is more powerful than Absorb Vis)


lands:

1 Vivid land



relevant sideboard cards:


I sideboarded all of my copies of Death Denied, in my haste to submit a playable deck (I'm multitasking a bit.)

This was a massive motherfucking mistake. I sideboarded at least one copy in every game so far, and it's been a game winner every time. The best value engine (aside from Mulldrifter) in pauper is equally absurd in this format, and you REALLY want to pick up as many as you can. I have three, and despite only having nine maindeck creatures, I would consider it incorrect to cut more than one of them.

Relic of Progenitus -- As mentioned before, I'm afraid of dredge. This helps.

Faerie Macabre -- See above.

Petals of Insight -- I should probably be running this, but I can't think of irrelevant MD cards to cut for it. Let me know if you see anything.

Jhoira of the Ghitu -- Very rarely will her ability be relevant, but holy fuck would it be fun to get out a Progenitus with her.

2 Blightspeaker -- Immensely powerful card, made me wonder if I should've been playing a theoretical B/W rebel deck. However, it can only grab Rathi Trapper -- is that enough to warrant running a single copy? I couldn't tell you, but I'm inclined to say no.

Stinkweed Imp -- My deck already is going to beat every aggro archtype in the format. I don't want to play this, but I recognize it's powerful.

Warren Weirding -- Against thallid or big green decks, this may want to replace sudden shock.

Perilous Research -- Possibly relevant against removal-heavy decks, but so is Death Denied.



MISTAKES --


1: I left my copies of Death Denied sideboarded. Bad. No. Never leave that card in the sideboard.
2: I didn't really pay attention to win conditions until pack 3. Without demigod and empty the warrens, it would be extremely difficult for this deck to steal a win.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

drafting MMA right now

I have 17 removal spells. I think I got all of 'em at the table. Also got passed a foil Demigod of Revenge! :O Fifth pick

So what did you end up registering? And let us know how the matches go. I'm not going to have an opportunity to draft this for a while - I'm hoping to soak up some knowledge of the format before that time comes.

 

[Lucario]

So what did you end up registering? And let us know how the matches go. I'm not going to have an opportunity to draft this for a while - I'm hoping to soak up some knowledge of the format before that time comes.

Updated w/ my list and a bit of my drafting strategy. I'm having an insane amount of fun with this deck.

edit: absorb vis is surprisingly powerful, the basic landcycling cycle is very serviceable when you're splashing a color (which I normally wouldn't recommend in triple MMA)

edit 2: played against the UB incremental advantage archtype, I only really won because I killed all his fliers and beat in with demigod of revenge. I didn't deserve the win, but eh, it's looking likely that I'm gonna 3-0 the draft now that's cleared up.

edit 3: don't go all-in on tribal archtypes. Take powerful spells and removal first. My only exception here would be rebels, which is very clearly the most powerful archtype, akin to playing a birthing pod in limited. Most of the tribal support cards in the format seem to be easily blanked by removal heavy decks and goodstuff.

edit 4: mad auntie is also an acceptable tribal first pick, but the archtypes are all surprisingly narrow now that I've actually done drafts.

edit 5: yep, 3-0. very low EV for this format though, considering the entry costs. Gonna keep drafting until I run out of packs, which might take a while at this rate

 

[Lucario]

so yeah this shouldn't be allowed to happen.

16 lands is debatable. will see how that goes, I probably want 17. I also probably want a way to fit Mad Auntie into the deck, especially against green/X decks, but I'll figure it out.

edit: 16 lands is wrong. this is immediately obvious upon playing the deck.

 

[kirblar]

You do NOT shave lands w/ Rebels, lol

 

[Lucario]

You do NOT shave lands w/ Rebels, lol

yeah, I kind of derp'd while building. not playing some orzhov tempo thing. Oh well.

Got blown out round 1 with that deck, shockingly, as it's far stronger than my first. Opponent was losing to some heavy pressure from my dudes, even without rebels -- flickerwisp, kitchen finks, a ton of efficient beaters, and Death Denied is almost entirely unbeatable.

Unless, of course, you're up against the only sword that gives protection from every creature in your deck. Sigh. Sword of Light and Shadow completely blew me out -- he drew it in both games, and I still managed to make the first one close, but I did pull a kiki and get some kinda-sorta-valuable picks. It's a shame to lose to worse decks that just happen to have a bomby rare, but, to be honest, that's how I won round 2 in my previous MMA draft. It's variance. Shit happens.

Regardless, I'm climbing back up the ladder on MTGO after my disastrous performance in full DGM limited. Gonna be back in the 1850s/1900s in no time~

edit: getting picked up by a magic site to write articles!!! I'll let you know who if they officially hire me, it's a smaller site. Woo, beginning-ish of summer and I've already got two jobs

edit 2: death denied is absolutely incredible in 3x MMA limited. Pick it early and often.

 

[WanderingWind]

Help! I lost the link to the Naya Aggro deck with voices....I can't find a legit link that isn't some bullshit tappedout link.

 

[Exokell]

should I play more MMA limited on MTGO or cash my boosters for a voice of resurgence for my deck?(I only need one to make a set)

MMA limited is so fun

 

[bigkrev]

edit: getting picked up by a magic site to write articles!!! I'll let you know who if they officially hire me, it's a smaller site. Woo, beginning-ish of summer and I've already got two jobs

Awesome!

 

[WanderingWind]

Nvm 3-0. Naya Blitz

Feels good to not even drop a game after being the shop charity case for 2 weeks in a row

 

[noquarter]

Bought a MMA box, luckily I pulled a Ryusei, so you know the box had value . Didn't get any Kitchen Finks or playsets of anything I need, but got quite a few of the cards I was looking to get for my cube. Might get another box to hold onto to draft with friends in the future, but I have have horrible self control when it comes to packs.

 

[OnPoint]

edit: getting picked up by a magic site to write articles!!! I'll let you know who if they officially hire me, it's a smaller site. Woo, beginning-ish of summer and I've already got two jobs

'Grats man. I look forward to reading them

 

[SystemShark]

Bought a booster of MM and pulled a Yosei.

 

[MjFrancis]

I used to play Magic back in the days of Unlimited, Revised, Fallen Empires and Ice Age. Fast forward eighteen years and a buddy of mine invites me to a Dragon's Maze prerelease draft tournament he put on. I find a lot has changed and it's probably safe to say I'm hooked again for the time being thanks to my friend.

I designed a Boros deck and he supplied cards to me for prices I couldn't refuse. It's pretty much designed to exploit Battalion but there's almost certainly holes in it's design. I'd run shock lands but a) I'm not made of money and b) I didn't think this deck could spare the life as the other two decks I'm working on (extort and mill) could. I tried to keep everything low mana to keep the deck fast, and the Spark Troopers are the only card that requires more than one red or white mana source. Any further tips or helpful hints are welcome.

All of this is theory since I haven't played the deck yet and really haven't played that much since the prerelease in April. Since then, I've just been lurking and finally decided I'd had something to ask and/or contribute.

Here's the Boros deck I want to try my hand at standard with:
http://www.mtgvault.com/francis/decks/boros-2/

If that doesn't work, I uploaded a print screen:
http://i.imgur.com/JbYLso4.png

 

[CorruptShadow]

I used to play Magic back in the days of Unlimited, Revised, Fallen Empires and Ice Age. Fast forward eighteen years and a buddy of mine invites me to a Dragon's Maze prerelease draft tournament he put on. I find a lot has changed and it's probably safe to say I'm hooked again for the time being thanks to my friend.

I designed a Boros deck and he supplied cards to me for prices I couldn't refuse. It's pretty much designed to exploit Battalion but there's almost certainly holes in it's design. I'd run shock lands but a) I'm not made of money and b) I didn't think this deck could spare the life as the other two decks I'm working on (extort and mill) could. I tried to keep everything low mana to keep the deck fast, and the Spark Troopers are the only card that requires more than one red or white mana source. Any further tips or helpful hints are welcome.

All of this is theory since I haven't played the deck yet and really haven't played that much since the prerelease in April. Since then, I've just been lurking and finally decided I'd had something to ask and/or contribute.

Here's the Boros deck I want to try my hand at standard with:
http://www.mtgvault.com/francis/decks/boros-2/

If that doesn't work, I uploaded a print screen:
http://i.imgur.com/JbYLso4.png

I'd take out the Viashino Firstblade, It's only hitting for 4 on its first swing and can be chump'd. That slot would be better filled with another Skyknight, it retains the haste plus it has flying.(Evasion goes a long way) Burn would really help you, Searing Spears are cheap ($ .59) and can remove potential blockers or do direct damage. Also, if you are running up against a lot of life gain skull crack ($ .80) can be a thing to sideboard. Ditch the bomber Corps for a play set of Searing Spears. Last thing if you can manage it, replace the Wojeck Halberdiers with a play set of Ash Zealot ($2.15) they have haste and first strike, also makes your opponent think twice about flashing something back.

All in all, I think those changes would really help you, and only set you back ~$10. I tried to keep this as cheap as possible, hope it helps.

 

[JulianImp]

Today my LGS finally held a Modern Masters draft... Except only four people came (including myself). In the end we played mini-sealed using the three boosters we got, and we played each other for fun since the LGS didn't award any prizes, as they actually sold us the boosters at the same price they paid for them.

I opened a really strange pool with five red cards (nearly none of them playable) and black was only slightly better, but I had some great uncommons in white (2x Cloudgoat Ranger, Kitchen Finks). My rares were Stonehewer Giant (with only a Runed Stalactite to search with it, sadly), Divinity of Pride and Cold-Eyed Selkie, so even by paying really low draft prices I ended up losing a lot of money when it came down to the cards I got.

I eneded up going for a GWbu deck since I had a Search for Tomorrow, an Absorb Vis and two Kodama's Reach, and did fine despite having a high mana curve since none of my three opponents had that many offensive cards with which they could punish my slow starts, and once I got to five mana I just kept playing large creature after large creature.

In the last match, I realized I had kept two Otherworldly Journeys out of my deck despite having a Mulldrifter, Aethersnipe, Kitchen Finks and the two Cloudgoat Rangers in the deck, and when I added them in the deck got even better. That last match I played my opponent had a really nasty UW fliers deck with lots of synergy and good cards, but I luckily managed to pressure him enough to beat him in games 1 and 3, ending up with a 3-0 record.

Overall, all the matches were quite strange as the expansion's mish-mash of mechanics welded together in rather complex ways, so I'd say it was a really fun format to play. It's too bad this'll be the first and last time we're touching the expansion, since the boosters are so expensive (I'm talking as in ~27 dollars per pack expensive, when this "early" draft costed us about sixteen dollars per pack).

 

[OnPoint]

Julian, where do you live that boosters for MM are that pricey?

 

[Transhuman]

Argentina. And I thought boosters in Australia were expensive...

 

[OnPoint]

Jesus. And I think we have it bad here.

 

[JulianImp]

Jesus. And I think we have it bad here.

Regular boosters are about nine dollars unless you buy in bulk, as well (then they shave about one dollar less for box-level purchases).

Oddly enough, the LGS singles market has remained fairly consistant, even if it's more expensive than in the US anyway. At the particular LGS I tend to go to, bulk rares are $3 each, most uncommons (read: not Kitchen Finks) are $1 (now creeping up to $2) and most commons are about $0.40. This is mostly because the stores have to make their money back from opening a booster pack. Top-tier cards, however, usually have really inflated prices at LGS.

I think the prices are bad because trading card games are kind of expensive to import. I remember when I went to Sao Paulo and was told that they were experiencing a drough of MTG boosters merely because the imports were completely blocked (I'm not sure how long that lasted, since I haven't asked again since then).

Heck, even playing at FNM costs each player $7 for the four promo cards plus a booster pack for every two players (or two for every three players, sometimes).

Now that you mention it, I remember when I went to Puerto Rico and played the Guildpact release event... it was a single elimination eight-man draft and I got sixteen boosters for coming in second, with the guy in first place getting a whole booster box (I didn't even realize it was single elimination until I realized everybody who lost left the place and I was in the finals), and I can tell you I was amazed by such a huge payout, and haven't seen anything like that since then.

Luckily, my LGS is fairly casual, so I can try and come up with crazy decks to play without fear of getting stomped by tier 1 decks and ending up wasting $7 per week. My modus operandi for the last ten years has been playing each set's prerelease and release events, then a draft later on, and trading whichever cards I don't need that I got there or from prize packs I win.

That's why I often tend to use singletons... there's no way I'll be "investing" in any Snapcaster Mages or the like if they cost absurd amounts of money or I have to trade half of my standard-legal collection away for a single copy.