The gamble that entails with trading card games
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! community, players vary in ages from 8 to even 70. What makes Yu-Gi-Oh! unique from most other hobbies is that the market for certain cards fluctuate based on overall performance shown at regional and national tournaments. A card that was originally $10.00 has increased to $30.00 within an hour. This goes to show that you MUST have the expenses to continue such a hobby if you are competitive. Nowadays, players tend to join the “meta” (copy current strongest strategies) and build decks that typically counter every move your opponent makes during their turn. The downside to this strategy is that these cards that are overpowered now — will eventually devalue when Konami releases newer product or a “Forbidden & Limited List” that prevents players from using certain cards released in the previous format.
By observing go-to websites used by many Yu-Gi-Oh! players, you can get an understanding of which cards are worth the most on the market, and which are cost effective. In addition to being part of Facebook’s private Yu-Gi-Oh! groups, I can study the content shared and the benefits that are entailed with each individual group. Certain groups require users to provide references for buying and trading purposes, to prevent scamming from occurring. These groups are handled by well-informed players and generally “vendors”. Using these online sources and feedback from local players, my goal is to find out why people love Yu-Gi-Oh! and why do people accept the market as it is, constantly fluctuating and pressuring those less fortunate to “gamble” for chance of pulling a valuable card.
