Cheap Thrills

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John Danker

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Some of you will be able to relate to this and some of you won't. If the extent of your enjoyment of TCGs is playing the game then you're going to think I'm off my rocker <chuckle>

I got off work last Friday at noon, I usually have my salaried 45 hrs. done by then, amazing what you can do on a half week day that you can't get done all weekend....anyhow, I decided to check a local sports card shop that usually doesn't have much in the way of Yugioh cards, just a few over priced singles. In back of the 30 or so singles they had showing were 10 or so stacks of commons, all in clear cheap sleeves though and they looked in good condition.

I thought, "What the heck, I've got time to burn, may as well thumb through them." They looked to be in piles by set so I asked if I could see the first couple (LOB and MRD)....low and behold...a 1st ed. Cheerful Coffin and Ring Of Magnitism!...two of the commons for my 1st ed. collection I've been looking for a long time for!....20 cents a piece <rubbing my cheap greedy hands together> Looking through the rest I found a Manju Of Ten Thousand Hands, a number of 1st ed. Gravekeepers (didn't get the Spy I'd hoped for though) a Cat Of Ill Omen and a couple of others.....somehow this just made my week....I giggled like a kid walking out of the store.

It got me to thinking about what I often refer to as "Tournament Burnout" though. You know, people who focus their entire enjoyment of the game on tournament play only and after about 2 years just lose interest, become bored, leave the game. I've always encouraged people to explore different tournament formats, collect, always be building a new fun deck (even if it isn't competitive) to judge some, help new players out, take a young kid under their wing....all these things make the whole gaming experience stay fresh and enjoyable.

I've never been one who profits or plans to sell my collection. Making money isn't the point, as a matter of fact it might very well ruin it for me if I really thought about the dollar value of what I've spent or how I've shorted myself on trades just because I wanted the card and wasn't really concerned about the monetary value.

If you've ever had a collection, weather it be coins, stamps, matchbook covers, baseball cards, or Yugioh cards you'll be able to appreciate my "Cheap Thrill"

Try adding collecting to your playing. You may very well find that those cheap thrills will increase your enjoyment of the game and keep you in it for much longer than you would have otherwise.
 
As much true a lot of your points are, Yu-Gi-Oh! is still a rich man's TCG. With that said not everyone can spend their hard earned money on a TCG like this. Even more sad is that you are right in that most only care about tourney play and will burn themselves out and complain at how the game is. I never liked the term "fun" Deck because most Decks can be competitive with the right motivation and dedication to it. There will just be some that for whatever reasons from Konami will never be playable unless more support is added. The thrill of collecting cards was the big thing for me. Whenever I dueled, I would have such a huge card pool that I literatly had like 6 or so different Decks on me (like Misawa) at all times. I only became interested in 1st Ed. last year and had the task of replacing all my commons, rares, super rares, ultra rares, secret rares, etc to 1st Ed. (at least for the ones in my Main Decks and Side Deck. I remember I was in New Jersery some years ago and Imperial Order was like $5.00 at this video shop. That was a major find becuase it just came out and was expensive. I think I also got some other super rare expensive card out at that time for like $1 worth of tries in this machine.
 
This I've done before. I've bought several common cards from my local comic store and a few rares here and there. I bought multiple copies of each of the cards so I could ensure I had plenty to use for at least two decks. I judge as much as I can that my schedule allows and engage in worthy purchancing of common cards I need. I don't like trading that much. My collection isn't very impressive and I'm picky with my trade agreements. I value cards like Special Edition Vampire Lord a lot and value my Jinzo to an extremely high level. It might sound ridculuous, but if I can afford just buying the card then I will.

I still have a few cards that I'm sure will take me a while to get still and there will be others that won't. I'm not what you exactly call a reasonible trader. If I don't feel the trade favors me, then I don't accept the offer.

Which probably explains why I don't think my collection is all that great. =/
 
i got burned out this week. Friday i played the entire day + night to saturday 8am, then at 11am i was in PTQ charleston. i did horrible round 1 and 2 so i just droped on round 3 after a win.

I was frustrated that i had to spend my entire night helping my friend make a deck were everybody else slept and started to look through jank.

I was frustrated that after the event when i finally got 12 of my cards back for my Original deck I got them quickly taken away by another friend becuase they wanted to make a Roxohdon Deck. So I got a bit bothered becuase everybody except my self got to keep stuff from their decks.

I was frustrated about what had happend so much that I decided to venture off another format to try and get my groove back, the good thing is that 2 of my other friends joined me in becuase we thought it was mest up that everybody got to keep their stuff except for me.

now I only have 2 decks, a standard and a Extended.

and im about to pump some money on my extended deck so i can get some good stuff. Maybe ill take 30 this week to buy some stuff. :D

Im happy and im not happy, but overall im glad i got a Dredgatog deck that i know nobody else will ever take away from me.
 
Tkwiget said:
I still have a few cards that I'm sure will take me a while to get still and there will be others that won't. I'm not what you exactly call a reasonible trader. If I don't feel the trade favors me, then I don't accept the offer.
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It's funny I know somebody just like that here in my town that carries around a binder of cards and nobody ever winds up trading with him because he wants so much in the trade that unless they are brand new to the game you'd never agree to it. And for me that is truly saying something because I'll walk into a shop and pay much more locally for a card than what I can pick it up for off E-Bay with a straight Buy Now. My Reasoning is I'd rather have the money put back into the local card pool to have access to the additional cards that that money will inevitably buy (and I like being the first person that new cards get brought to when somebody wants to sell them, makes it easier to get those hard to find cards) :)
 
Hehe, I love those finds. In a different topic of similar interest <blows off dust /> I used to collect baseball cards. This was the "kids choice" way before MTG came out and you couldn't play with these pieces of cardboard, only look at them 8^D. For no reason whatsoever, my favorite player of all time has/still is Gary Sheffield. He was the first rookie card I ever pulled and I stuck with him ever since. He had a short rise for a while and then he reached the peak when he was on my favorite baseball team, the Dodgers.

Alas, it all comes to an end sooner or later. However, in my in-laws town of Prescott, they have a baseball card shop I ususally hit up. They have "common bins" organized per team and everytime I'm out there. I blow a couple bucks in change picking up the Sheffield's I don't have 8^D Some are quite fancy looking and its funny how they aren't worth more considering the effort that goes into taking the pictures.

While judging does grant me some perks to feed my colllection, I still love opening a fresh pack every now and then and wondering what will be inside. The upswing of judging is that I get a list of cards and their rulings a few days before the sneak previews, but the downside is that it takes away a bit of the fun at seeing what new effects come out or what new monster I can merge into my deck. Sure there are spoilers on the net, but I try to stray away from them.

Here's to you John! Avid rummager of common bins! I wish more shops had that available!
 
Looking for cards for your collection is half the fun. Learning all the subtle nuances of the rules is, for me, another 35%. Playing with and teaching the kids is another 25%. Playing is probalby another 15% (I don't think I'll ever win a Tournament, but that's okay).

So Yugioh! is 125% fun!
BTW missed out of buying an entire BINDER of Ultra-rares really cheap by about 20 minutes. It would've made my collection. Included was the misprinted Big Shield Guardna. I cried.
 
When I first started colecting cards year ago, it was for the X-men set that Jim Lee completely illustarted. Somewhere along the way I got into collecting other sets, like the Series 2 X-men set, DC Legends and some of the Joe Jusko Masterpiece collections.

Rcently I started thinking about those days and began wondering what it was about those days that I missed. I thought maybe it was because I had more money back then, being single and still living with the folks. But trutfully, I didn't spend all that much. No, it turned out that I wasn't enjoying colecting cards as much because I had stopped collecting. My binder was a mill that turnd over cards I wouldn't et a chance to get attachef to. But that really didn't suit the collector spirit in me.

So I'm going back to that right now. I'm going to go back to collecting cards and buyin cards, which is something that my freinds seem to keep talking me out of. They always tell me that they can get me what I need. But, well, here I've been waiting foir some acrd to complete som decks I have lying around for two ban lists. If had been buying cards all this time, even a pack a month, I would have what I need or at least somethig tradeable to work towards getting what I need.

On top of all that, I love commons. Just love them. there is nothing more satisfyig then coming up with a eck ide and being able to hunt for what I need. But I've been pilfering my friends stuff for so ling, that I don't reall have all that much. So I'm going back to buying card packs. Just 1 to 3 a month. Whatever I get, I'm happy with, because it appeals to that side of me that I've been neglecting since I started this game. The collector side of me.
 
<smiling> Exactly...remembering how you used to enjoy the game? My avatar is Barrel Dragon....because it was the first really "cool" card I ever pulled and I remember how much of a thrill I got from pulling it....and the avatar reminds me that I'm in this for the fun of it constantly....and if you're not having fun still you need to take a look back at why you used to enjoy it but don't now.
 
I've tried to stay competitive in the game, but my Collector's side draws me in more... Just take a look at my trade thread it shows. I have never gotten into collecting sets, moreover Monster themes, Dark Magician, The Card Knights, Banned, etc...

I used to buy a ton of packs...random ones from and there at the stores, and I never really got anything I wanted, it was usually some common or rare. Now I have learned that in the long run, buying a Box when the set comes out, I save alot of money and I usually get at least 2 or 3 of every common, and few duplicate rares. :smiley_je

EDIT-
The most fun I have had with this game, is when I finally got my hands ahold of a D.D. Warrior--- It cost me half my binder, but to me it was worth it. Why? Not because of it's monetary, but the joy of having a very rare card with one sweet artwork!
 
i keep a list on my computer with a print out of all the cards I don't have 3+ of. My Trap list is pretty small. But the fun thing is, a lot of the stuff I'm looking for is common. I just got into the game so late, I can't find them. I freaked, just yesterday, when I came across (ready for this?) a Man-Thro' Thro' (AST, DR2 common). I love that feeling. *pstt, dude, can you score me a Mystical Moon? I need a Yugi-fix* LOL
 
My Cheap Thrill of Yu-Gi-Oh! is getting cards that I really like, not because they are worth a lot, or very good in tournament play, but because I like them a lot and just want them, I'm usually stuck thinking about getting a card or two from people, then thinking "Do I really want to trade away [insert card name] for that card..."

I have to keep stopping myself and look at what I'm doing again, to make sure I don't make a mess of a trade.

I like the thrill of buying packs and hoping to get something good, I always check in my local card shop if they have anything new for Yu-Gi-Oh!, whether its a new booster set, tin or special edition box, I immediately have 5 boosters, 2 tins or 2 boxes of them.

Commons are good as well, I got a nice collection of the better commons usually used when making decks (Snatch, Prem, Call, Magician of Faith, etc), and I like trying to get a nice chunk of commons for a super rare or two, just to have commons. I've had a Tin or 2 full of good commons, which I take to tournaments, and let anyone take a look, and always let them have the commons they need. The thrill of someone wanting about 10 commons, and me telling "yep, take them their yours", a good thrill indeed.
 
DarkLogicianOfCaos said:
i keep a list on my computer with a print out of all the cards I don't have 3+ of. My Trap list is pretty small. But the fun thing is, a lot of the stuff I'm looking for is common. I just got into the game so late, I can't find them. I freaked, just yesterday, when I came across (ready for this?) a Man-Thro' Thro' (AST, DR2 common). I love that feeling. *pstt, dude, can you score me a Mystical Moon? I need a Yugi-fix* LOL
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Hehe, I know I saw one while I was sorting my cards Saturday. I'll have to look through them again.
 
DH2K4 said:
I've had a Tin or 2 full of good commons, which I take to tournaments, and let anyone take a look, and always let them have the commons they need. The thrill of someone wanting about 10 commons, and me telling "yep, take them their yours", a good thrill indeed.
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You know a lot of younger people really strive to be accepted, they strive to be noticed, to be "cool"...to be something special.

I can think of no better way to become a hero in someone's eyes than to help a young player out with a few extra cards....a lot of parents dump their kids off at a hobby store as a baby sitter and have no intention of buying them anything, they don't have anything to trade worth a hoot...and they stare in people's binders like a starving puppy in the front of a resturant window....want to be a hero? Ask that kid what kind of deck he likes to play....then open your binder up and hand him half a dozen cards to help his deck....you won't ever be forgotten.
 
I know I once built a few kids some VS decks with some Web of Spider-Man commons and uncommons I had. (Those tend to really pile up, Yeesh!) I wish I had enough reserve to do so in Yu-Gi-Oh!

One day here real soon I'm going to start buying people's commons in bulk just to have some stock piled stuff. I may do so here on CoG.
 
I've mentioned it numerous times but I'll relate it again because it was so appreciated and successful....and in my mind would be a good project for a Yugioh team...

Evil Fiber Jar, Supreme SwitchBlade, and a number of others in our area had a donations box at the last store we frequented. People would donate their extra cards and when we had spare time we'd sort them. When a new player came in we always made sure to help them with their deck and we'd pull out the donations box. Rarely was there any "money" cards in those boxes, nothing that would compete with the singles in the store owner's case so we weren't costing him sales....we'd pull those donated cards and help a new player make a better deck....and man you'd think it was Christmas....and you can bet that player came back again and again.

If you've earned the trust of the players in your area this is a great service and a wonderful way to give back to the gaming community, most players have a TON of extras they're happy to get rid of. We even started to make "Store decks" (though we didn't get very far with it as it took most of our time to sort the cards) The intent was to make varying deck types so people could test them out to see how they liked playing a Clown Deck, or a Beast Deck, or a Burn Deck before they went to the trouble of making one for themselves. It promotes card sales and gives players a chance to play something different without effort.

This would be such a grand thing for a Yugioh team to take on as a project and as a service to the gaming community.
 
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