[1337]

this seems to be, in a nutshell, what you need to win a standard tourny, according to wotc's qualifier list:

8  Island
4  Mutavault
1  Reflecting Pool
4  Secluded Glen
4  Sunken Ruins
5  Swamp

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26 lands


4  Mistbind Clique
4  Scion of Oona
2  Sower of Temptation
4  Spellstutter Sprite
2  Vendilion Clique

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16 creatures 4  Bitterblossom
4  Cryptic Command
4  Nameless Inversion
2  Peppersmoke
4  Thoughtseize

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18 other spells
 Sideboard

 
1  Consign to Dream
3  Faerie Trickery
2  Peppersmoke
3  Puppeteer Clique
4  Shriekmaw
2  Sower of Temptation

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15 sideboard cards
 

and how much does all this cost you ask?

$682.08!!!

i just dont get how people can spend that much on a deck of magic cards >.<...

[Skyblast2]

That is why you buy kithkin decks, really, kithkin is what you buy if you are new because it is easy to run, and simple to build and easy, and cheap to buy.

[imachampion]

Draft. By drafting a set when it comes out...you get many of the hard to find cards. What you don't draft...you will get in prize support and in trade fodder that you open. Another way to do this is to be ahead of the learning curve when it comes to new cards. Spot that Tarmagoyf among the Quiron Dryads. I bought my Tarmagoyfs for under $2 each. A little foresight can go a long way. I really don't see the point in buying an entire deck. I would stay cheap until the next set comes out...and the new best deck is unveiled. Thats just me though.

Don't forget to trade. You don't have to keep every rare you crack. Find a goal and trade for it.

BTW. Thats a block deck. In standard you have Damnations for the board.

[1337]

oh im sorry, i dont go to tournaments, i play casual, so i dont really know about what sets go in which form of tournament. my bad.

[leesteht]

If you play casual, then it really shouldn't be an issue of getting that deck. However, as with ANY sport or competition there are costs. Whether that be bats, golf clubs, sneakers, anything you can think of there are costs, and hopefully you win here and there to supplement those costs.

So casual play, you just play a prerelease or buy some boxes and open them for the stuff you may need.

[esternaefil]

Simply put, and I'm about to sound like a douchebag here, it doesn't matter if you actually care.  The players who want to win don't care about the aggregate cost associated with remaining competitive in a tournament environment.

The players who want to win will already own mutavaults, will already own bitterblossoms, will already own thoughtseizes.  These are the cards that were standouts from day one.  Just like in Mirrodin block, the players who wanted to win already owned Arcbound Ravagers, already owned Skullclamps, already owned Blinkmoth Nexi.

These are things that you acquire if you want to win.  If you don't want to win, then what does it matter how expensive the best deck is?

Last year at around this time everyone was complaining about the 600$ best decks based primarily on their 300$ mana bases.  Simply put, the best decks in type 2 will almost universally hover around 500-600 dollars.  This has been the case since the dawn of time.  In onslaught block, you could not GET a set of Piledrivers for less than 100$, sharpshooters were close to that much.  Patriarch's biddings were 20$ each... The cards were expensive.

This is the economy of the game.  If you don't want to play that deck, play something else, but if you do that, you have to be aware that you are costing yourself precious percentage points when it comes down to actually winning games/matches/tournaments.

But if you don't care that much about winning, why are you throwing away 30$ to enter a PTQ in the first place?

[leesteht]

Although I can agree with what was just said, I can say however that rogue decks do sometimes win. If you have a cheap deck and want to tests it's abilities then $30 isn't that bad.

[esternaefil]

Oh, absolutely rogue decks can win... I myself have enjoyed plenty of low-tier success with my rogue UR control deck in type 2.  it's certainly rogue.  BGut in terms of consistency and capacity to defeat alternative strategies it's almost always best to take one of the state tier decks.  It takes a specific sort of deck design to be able to honestly attack the format from an alternative angle.

[mikey k159]

to build faeries? well they sell there kidney, maybe a left nut, possibly some hair, maybe a rib or 2! lol, im just kidding

anyway... rouges can win, its just the fact that rouges run out of gas easier than affinity does, and most decks have the tools to beat it

even faeries and reveillark can beat it, and there matchup against it is like 60/40 in rouges favor

[YaNK_]

I might sound a bit of a snob.  But too some people that money well, isnt that much. 
Some parents allow their kid to run rampant with their cash, and if you are looking at 1 or 2 parents that are making 100,000 or so dollars a year well..
Another thing is some people, can make that money easily, even working at some fast-food place
Heck by just saving I have earned over 200 in a year, and that is just by doing my chores and collecting change.

[Lythand]

I think the underlying point here is, no matter what competition you compete in wheather it be Magic, NASCAR racing, Golf, you are going to need to spend money on the best equipment, to be dominant and win. Sadly, magic has become a "Money sport". Hence the reason I rarely play in tournaments. I spent well over 100$ for the last Mananation tournament for sub par cards. Not even the top tier stuff. I would rather spend money on cheap rares, make fun decks, and play casual. The only tournaments I frequent a lot, are the PDC tournaments, but that's magic online.

[contra-coup]

People buy entire deck lists?  Weird...

Trades, limited grabs and the occasional singles purchase has put me behind every tier 1 deck I've ever owned. 

It should be noted that owning a faerie deck doesn't guarantee you a 1st place, not even a top 8.  You have to be a good player to win, always.  I've played a bunch of people who've ran faeries and were swept by me playing experimental junk-control at FNM.  You need the skill-set to go with it.  I forget who said this, but it goes something like: some players, when they miss that turn 2 Bitterblossom they don't know what to do.  There's countless players across the world's FNMs who personify this and make that $682 no better than a $30 random list.

[leesteht]

Let me just say this. In my article for Denver, I mentioned being lazy and ending up paying $80 for 4x Stillmoon Cavalier where I could have paid $20 from Coolstuffinc.com. When I purchased them I was a bit hesitant. With JUST the $80 investment, I can say that I beat 5 Kithkin decks and 2 of the Faerie decks with the Cavaliers. 7 of my 14 match wins had something to do with Stillmoon Cavalier.

I won't promise that spending $80 for cards will result in $3000 victory, but what I can say is it's proof that cards proove valuable for a reason.

Sometimes a .10 cent common can win you games, it certainly depends on the format.

Most everything there is that has some element of competition has some sort of premium for an edge.

[Xarius]

When I first started playing I was out mowing peoples lawns, and shoveling snow in the winter for my cash.
I used to make well over $3000 a year mowing lawns and shoveling peoples sidewalks/driveways.
I didn't have an allowance, my parents simply couldn't afford it. So I learned to work for my own spending money.

I won't promise that spending $80 for cards will result in $3000 victory, but what I can say is it's proof that cards proove valuable for a reason.

Like Lee said, there are reasons why many cards fetch top dollar, they're VERY useful, and they have a good potential to help you win games.

For casual play with friends you really don't need a tournament level deck to play with.

If you do want to get a tournament level deck on the cheap, check out the RDW (Red Deck Wins) top 8 lists.

The deck that won the US nationals costs around $150 to build at most.

2  Keldon Megaliths
22  Snow-Covered Mountain
4  Ashenmoor Gouger
4  Blood Knight
4  Demigod of Revenge
4  Figure of Destiny
4  Magus of the Moon
4  Magus of the Scroll
4  Flame Javelin
4  Incinerate
4  Skred
4  Murderous Redcap
2  Pithing Needle
3  Spitebellows
4  Sulfurous Blast
2  Unwilling Recruit

Total Cost @ Coolstuff (before shipping + tax)

$146.84

I think thats proof enough that you really don't need to drop $600 on a deck to win tournaments.

[JoeChaos]

Another tip is: if you have friends, you can borrow cards from each other, saves lots of money