Set releases bring with them plenty of hype, excitement and eager anticipation but lost within all of that is the idea of ‘smart shopping’ as players understandably rush to fill their collection and build their fantasy decks. For the more cautious investors out there, here are 10 lessons learned from keeping a close eye during the Shattered Destiny release to help you make the most out of your budget in future set releases.

1. Get rid of your new Legendary cards on Day 1 – like they are on fire.

Shattered Destiny Legendaries were listed at, on average, almost twice the amount on Day 1(1200 Plat) compared to Day 2 (700 Plat) of release. Sell whatever Legendary card – especially the most expensive ones – you are lucky to open or Draft on the 1st day as quickly as you can. You will almost certainly be able to buy the same card much cheaper 2-3 days later.

2. Do not sell your Legendary cards below a certain threshold.

Once the Release Weekend events get going around Day 4 or 5, some Legendary cards will find themselves oversupplied as a direct result of the heavy Drafting. Determine a price point for each Legendary under which you should never sell. They are of ‘Legendary’ rarity for a reason, their prices will go back up. For example, Forge of Cadoc (a 1000+ Plat card) was seen at 650 Plat on Day 3 while Tectonic Megahulk was at 250 Plat (a 500+ Plat card).

3. You can start buying cards on the 3rd day of Release.

The inflated prices of Rares and Legendaries that we see during the first 2 days of release are greatly diminished starting from Day 3 of release, making it the earliest date to get your hands on the chase cards without losing greatly on value.

4. Don’t be fooled by the cool-looking Unique Rares.

Cards like Samson, and Izydor are (as were Eurig and Te’Talca in Shards of Fate) amazing cards in terms of flavor, lore and design. They are also some of the most overvalued cards at release, usually starting out at 150-250 Plat. Such fun troops that don’t fit in any competitive deck will more often than not end up in the junk rare pile, with long-term values around 50 Plat.

5. Finding the undervalued, preeeecious Rare is possible.

With each new Set, there are few cards that are overlooked in terms of competitive potency. Fewer even are those that are actually underpriced right from the get-go. The gem Rare in Shards of Fate was undoubtedly Cerulean Mirror Knight – which proved to be the foundation every Inspire deck, most notably the Tier 1 Gore Knight deck. It hung around 300 Plat the first few days of release before stabilizing in the 400-450 Plat range. In Shattered Destiny, Goremaster – aka ‘The Chargemaster’ – seems destined to take the title this time around. Initially hovering around 60-100 Plat, its price took off after being a feature in Bootlace’s article and is currently fluctuating between 200 and 400 Plat.

6. Fear the Big Bad Dragons Bunnies!

Whether it be majestic Dragons, divine Angels, or ghastly Zombies, every fantasy-based TCG happens to have a fan-favorite race whose cards fetch prices beyond their power-level or constructed playability. In Hex TCG, it’s the Shin’hare! Being some of the most popular and therefore most- traded cards, you can count on the Shin’hare to maintain their values well into the future.

7. Some cards take much longer to settle into their eventual valuations.

As soon as they are spoiled, we all know cards like The Ancestor’s Chosen, Royal Falconer, Arborean Rootfather, and Highlands Magus will be good. But the real question is how good? Will they form or strongly influence a Tier 1 competitive deck? Or will they spend their lifetime sitting in your collection, never quite making it into any of your top decks? While these contenders battle it out in tournaments and metas are formed, these type of cards’ prices change on a daily basis – finding their rightful place 3-6 weeks after release.

8. Chase Uncommons retain value while Chase Commons quickly turn into dust.

It took Shattered Destiny Commons 3-4 days to hit the Plat price floor while the Uncommons are still going strong as we speak – with future stars like Scraptech Brawler, Paladin of the Necropolis, and Mentor of Oakhenge fetching around 50 Plat each.

9. KS Collector AAs do not lose value after their release.

Contrary to original art cards, Alternate Art cards handed out to KS Collectors at least retain their release-day value, perhaps even increase in price as the people willing to sell their exclusive cards tend to offload them as soon as they get them – which is release day. Guardian Angel AA and Genesis Pool Naiad AA are currently listed at around 500 Plat higher than the first few days of release, though I’m sure much less of them are actually being sold.

10. Wheel of Fate chest spin rewards get out of control – use it to your advantage!

Due to their scarce nature, non-Common Wheel of of Fate chest spin rewards are usually the items with the highest price variance on the Auction House. The release of a new Set takes this to even crazier levels with many of them going back and forth between 500 and 3000 Plat. The name of the game is patience –whether you are selling high or buying low, wait till the variance is in your favor before making a move.