It has been a long time since I have felt a connection to Magic and have had the motivation to write content. I could write multiple articles discussing my burnout, lost focus, etc., but at this point I’d like to make it water under the bridge and capitalize on my resurgence of energy.
There is so much I want to talk about, and so much I have to say. Having built the Conviction Gaming platform and website gives a perfect outlet for me to do this, and my aim is to use this as a “blog-style” platform where I can share my knowledge, information, and enjoyment of MTG with all of you.
As many of you who follow my content already know, my passion for creation centers around MTG finance, but I blend that frequently with my love for playing Magic. My passion to play the game acts as the nucleus to everything I do on the reseller side; I was a player first and that will always hold true. Staying in touch with this side of the game allows me the benefit of being the first-mover during spoiler season (I truly believe there is no one better at spoiler coverage than me), and it helps me keep a strong pulse of the trends, especially EDH trends, which are influencing card prices.
What You Can Expect
If you’ve followed me for a while, you already know I am rigorous in my data measurements, analysis, and generally on top of speculative decision-making re: Magic: the Gathering. I will sometimes call individual cards, and other times I will provide entire lists or make macro-level recommendations (such as buying or selling Reserved List).
My calls are typically measured by a combination of net margin (how much you made after all fees, shipping, time, etc. are factored in) and hold time (how long you had to hold the card before selling for profit). I aim for a minimum of a 20% net margin on all specs, and a hold time on average of 3-6 months. Sometimes that number is shorter or longer, and it is always conditional on the reasoning behind the call (i.e., spoiler season hold times are much shorter than general speculation because the demand increases so rapidly).
If you are just consuming my MTG finance content for the first time, know that I won’t steer you wrong very often with my recommendations, and if I do, I will always own up to it. Please also know that I don’t always write exclusively about MTG finance. In fact, my content is traditionally geared towards players and helping you save money, but I like to splash recommendations for how to make money into the mix (ex: buy two copies of a card, one to keep and one to sell later). On rarer occasions, I will deep-dive into the financial side of content and provide levels of insight typically reserved for the more experienced MTG financiers out there, such as seasoned speculators or vendors. These types of posts are the exception, not the norm.
My Values
I value accountability, honesty, and transparency a lot. These values are the pillars and north star I use to develop my content, so you can always count on me to be forthright with where I’m placing my monetary bets.
I have a career 93% hit rate on specs dating to September 2018 when I started tracking it… and yes, I track my specs that closely so I can keep myself in check. I will define further what “a spec hit” means in a separate article.
If I do steer you wrong in any way, let’s talk about it! I love feedback and learning how and why I got something wrong. I have a proprietary process for evaluating cards and making my speculative picks which I cannot share, but know that being wrong is a data-point I value as much as getting calls right. It allows me to always continuously refine my analysis, stay humbled and focused along the way, and it is has a big influence on maintaining such a high degree of overall success. Learn from history so as not to repeat it, one of my favorite quotes of all time.
In summary, I am in this to have fun and to make money. Reselling cards is a business to me, and businesses just want to make money at the end of the day. It is important to remember that whenever you consume my content, but know that I will always value honesty and helping others above any amount of money.
What to Expect Next
My first series with the Cx3 (Chris’s Commander Corner) relaunch will be a deeper dive into Standard rotation. @jarenwhite1 and I just covered this briefly during our last podcast (episode 53). I plan to expand on that episode and provide in-depth analysis on what you can expect for card prices from the four rotating sets (Throne of Eldraine, Theros: Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, and Core Set 2021). This will likely turn into two articles which I will plan to drop on subsequent weeks (8/23 and 8/30).
Until then, please feel free to reach me via DM on Twitter (@ChiStyleGaming) or in the comments section below this article. If you want to support my content relaunch and everything else we do at Conviction Gaming, please consider a voluntary donation. Thank you!
Cheers,
Chris
Chris Martin is the co-founder of Conviction Gaming and co-host of the Brewin’ With Conviction podcast. He has been playing MTG since 1998 and is an avid EDH player with a knack for MTG finance.
You can find him on Twitter @ChiStyleGaming.