LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - Chad Smith, longtime casual Magic player and tournament scrub was astonished by shifts in the value of his previously "worthless" trade binder, say sources close to Smith.

Smith's binder, a beat-up thee-ring with a Slipknot bumper sticker across the front, is loaded with overcosted, Timmy-Power-Gamer style fatties, particularly from Onslaught and Legions, which Smith is heard to have called the "best sets ever."

"Like, a couple weeks ago he'd go around looking for cards like Serra Avatar and Avatar of Woe and no one would want to trade with him," said Alex Marsh, a close friend. "But now everyone is coming up to him and saying, 'Dude, can I trade for your Silvos or Rorix?' And he's all like, 'Dude, those are frickin' Pit Fighter Legends, man. You're gonna need something huge, like an Akroma or something.'"

"It's insanity, like, they used to want those stupid little Goblin Piledrivers and saclands before, but now they are trying to trade for the good stuff," added Marsh, who has never won a sanctioned match outside of Friday Night Magic. "You just can't beat a 11/11 Kilnmouth Dragon, man. That's huge!"

Veteran players are expressing similar shock. "Just a few days ago I found this little kid and traded off three Imperial Hellkites I got in drafts for some of his primo stuff," confessed Stanley "Trader Stan" Wong, who has served as the shop "card shark" for over two years. "But then Kastle got top 8 with that Vegetation stupidity, and now I wish I had only traded off the Cloudscrapers." Wong then made for the door, cursing under his breath on his way out.

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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - Chad Smith, longtime casual Magic player and tournament scrub was astonished by shifts in the value of his previously "worthless" trade binder, say sources close to Smith.

Smith's binder, a beat-up thee-ring with a Slipknot bumper sticker across the front, is loaded with overcosted, Timmy-Power-Gamer style fatties, particularly from Onslaught and Legions, which Smith is heard to have called the "best sets ever."

"Like, a couple weeks ago he'd go around looking for cards like Serra Avatar and Avatar of Woe and no one would want to trade with him," said Alex Marsh, a close friend. "But now everyone is coming up to him and saying, 'Dude, can I trade for your Silvos or Rorix?' And he's all like, 'Dude, those are frickin' Pit Fighter Legends, man. You're gonna need something huge, like an Akroma or something.'"

"It's insanity, like, they used to want those stupid little Goblin Piledrivers and saclands before, but now they are trying to trade for the good stuff," added Marsh, who has never won a sanctioned match outside of Friday Night Magic. "You just can't beat a 11/11 Kilnmouth Dragon, man. That's huge!"

Veteran players are expressing similar shock. "Just a few days ago I found this little kid and traded off three Imperial Hellkites I got in drafts for some of his primo stuff," confessed Stanley "Trader Stan" Wong, who has served as the shop "card shark" for over two years. "But then Kastle got top 8 with that Vegetation stupidity, and now I wish I had only traded off the Cloudscrapers." Wong then made for the door, cursing under his breath on his way out.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!