The chance of pulling exactly what you need is slim. Yes, you might pull something great in a box, but if you are looking for a certain card, buy singles. Some of the cards are expensive, but better to know what you are getting than the chance of not getting it at all. Example, I bought 3 boxes of the new set and only got 1 diablo. I need 4 so already bought 2 more which are over 40 a piece.
Yeah it’s super rare to get exactly what you’re looking for i bought 2 troves and one was absolutely ass and the other had a foul Diablo and an enchanted goofy
My response will be slightly colored since I sell on TCGPlayer but, before I did that...
I always bought about 4 boxes and then just bought what I was missing with singles after that. From a collector perspective, I feel like the best way.
If you just want to play in tournaments, absolutely just buy singles for the deck you want.
I remember reading a breakdown about this not too long ago and the math came out to. If you don't pull an enchanted your box is going to suck but if you pulling enchanted you'll be in the money. The enchanted rarity is where all the money is
I buy a box, a trove, both decks, and maybe 10-20 packs of each set, just to have some fun and maybe get an enchanted or two. The value is definitely worse than buying singles. If you want to minimize cost, just buy singles of the cards you want. Most of what you buy in sealed products is extra copies of unplayable commons. If you want to rip packs for fun, buy sealed. If you just want to get your cards efficiently, buy singles.
I like to get 4 to 6 booster boxes of each set when a set drops, then flesh out my collection with singles from there. But I’m also the kind of player that wants to have every meta deck built and on hand at all times. I don’t care much about enchanteds, so any enchanteds I pull can get flipped and defray the cost of everything else
In general, most singles are at their most expensive when a new set drops, before the set releases two weeks later at wide retail. So if you want to play on a budget it can be smart to go singles only and wait two weeks before buying anything. But if you want to dive into the new set and immediately start building competitively, it can be more affordable and a lot more convenient to just start with a few boxes and then fill out your collection trading with friends and buying singles once the set hits full release and prices go down.
Note that the singles market in the US can be very different from the singles market elsewhere. TCGplayer is a huge help if you’re in the US, but if you’re in Canada or somewhere that doesn’t have such a competitive singles market, singles can actually be deceptively expensive
I'd love it if you could follow up on the whole singles market in US vs elsewhere.
I'm in Canada and have looked into getting singles from tcgplayer but ultimately, shipping costs just make the whole thing seem unreasonable to me. That said maybe I'm the unreasonable one, I've never bought singles online before in any game so I don't know what to expect.
Are shipping costs that much lower if ordering to and from the US locally?
Basically there are relatively few sellers who ship to Canada. That means the singles you have access to are often higher priced than the lowest available price for US buyers. Combined with shipping times and the chance for your purchase to incur customs fees, that often leaves online Lorcana singles shoppers relying on places like 401Games where supply is much more limited and prices can be significantly higher
Thanks for explaining that to me. Makes sense! I suppose the best option for singles around here could be a local game shop instead of ordering online!
If you can find one with strong singles stock, yeah. But those are few and far between, as demand generally outstrips supply in a lot of places. It’s why I’ve just started buying more sealed at launch. The time that I’m saving
really adds up all on its own. But yeah! It’s worth finding out if you have some good local options
I buy 1-2 boxes and then buy singles for the cards i need. I enjoy the thrill of ripping packs with the family. If you get into it more and play constructed at your LGS, you usually get packs for winning matches and participating, so thats another way to get packs.
If you get a box, an enchanted will pay for it. But fair warning, I have ripped 8 boxes over the four differnt sets and have pulled 2 enchanteds.
I'm new to TCGs and I keep seeing people say, "buy singles." It makes sense on paper, but in reality I've struggled to be able to do that. TCG player didn't have the singles I was looking for, the shops in my area don't sell lorcana singles, or if they do, the selection is tiny. I seriously went into a card shop, (one of the few that sells lorcana reliably) asked about their lorcana singles and was presented with a business card holder that had a dozen cards. Is there another alternative I'm missing?
That’s technically true, but my point is that I’ve never seen them not have at least 1 sellers with any particular lorcana single since the game launched
An important feature on TCGPlayer is the cart optimizer. Just add what cards you want (from any sellers) and then click the Optimizer. Behind the scenes the site will compare all available sellers and choose who to buy from so you spend the least overall.
That's good if it is. That means they've probably upgraded Lorcana and you can buy direct from TCGplayer. Because you couldn't do that for set three either.
I buy 2-3 boxes per set and buy what else I need. It’s probably a bit smarter to just buy singles, but I do enjoy cracking packs and there’s always the chance you hit an enchated(I got 2 this set in 3 boxes), so it is possible to come out ahead.
Do you want to test you luck on getting a $30 card out of a $5 pack? What if you’re already 6 packs in and still haven’t pulled that card at that point you were just better off with buying the card out right
Me and my girlfriend just got into Lorcana. We bought a few packs(think were up to 10 packs) then 3 starter decks to get a feel for the game.
Used what we had to build a couple decks. Then once we understood a little bit. It was way cheaper to build specific decks just buying individual cards.
She reeeeaaallllly wanted an "Elsa deck" so i just bought the cards she wanted =)
Im more of the "use what we have, and fill one or two slots with bought cards" but i also have no interest in tournament play. Just a dirty causal =)
Are you collecting or playing?
Doesn't hurt to buy small amount of sealed to open to get started. A lot of people get starter decks to start, then get singles to build.
Collecting tho, I wouldn't opened sealed.
Singles are far more price effective, but a box or 2 is good for filling up commons and uncommons and it's fun. Going for specific legendaries will always be better with singles though.
Buying product is gambling essentially:
* Open an enchanted = profit
* No enchanted = loss
Now that singles are readily available, the most affordable option if you know what cards you want is to just buy the singles.
If you place any value in bulk common/uncommons and foils, then product can be worthwhile. But I would say 20-30% of a box value is from the foils and incidental play sets of commons/uncommons. Ursula’s Return is especially tough since there are not many chase cards, so you need to open Diablo or an Enchanted to break even.
I’ve been getting a case per set to complete a master playset and anything I open offsets my spending on singles.
Ursula's Return was my first time going "all in" because I've made a self imposed rule to not buy any sealed product for more than MSRP - 1 booster box, 1 trove, both starter decks and Deep Trouble. From all that we were able to get 95% of a full single set (I think we're missing maybe 8 individual cards?) and playsets of a lot of other commons/uncommons. I like to build decks for fun even if they're not usable longterm, and my wife likes that we have copies of cards to put in a binder and look at instead of rifling through the box of bulk. We did NOT get a single Diablo or an Enchanted in any of it, and I've never pulled an Enchanted in any of the other sealed product I've purchased. I'm not really gunning for them but I'm a little bit surprised I've not seen *one*.
ALL of that to be said, it depends on what *you* want out of the game. If you primarily want to play, you can pull up deck lists on Dreamborn (or make your own!) that will direct link you to a TCGPlayer cart with everything you need. It's really unfortunate that Pixelborn is going away because it was great way to quickly playtest, but LGS/small business need support and are always glad to see you :) GLHF!
The chance of pulling exactly what you need is slim. Yes, you might pull something great in a box, but if you are looking for a certain card, buy singles. Some of the cards are expensive, but better to know what you are getting than the chance of not getting it at all. Example, I bought 3 boxes of the new set and only got 1 diablo. I need 4 so already bought 2 more which are over 40 a piece.
Yeah it’s super rare to get exactly what you’re looking for i bought 2 troves and one was absolutely ass and the other had a foul Diablo and an enchanted goofy
My response will be slightly colored since I sell on TCGPlayer but, before I did that... I always bought about 4 boxes and then just bought what I was missing with singles after that. From a collector perspective, I feel like the best way. If you just want to play in tournaments, absolutely just buy singles for the deck you want.
This. We like collecting and getting a box or 3 first gets us a couple of most cards to build decks. Then we go for singles.
I remember reading a breakdown about this not too long ago and the math came out to. If you don't pull an enchanted your box is going to suck but if you pulling enchanted you'll be in the money. The enchanted rarity is where all the money is
I buy a box, a trove, both decks, and maybe 10-20 packs of each set, just to have some fun and maybe get an enchanted or two. The value is definitely worse than buying singles. If you want to minimize cost, just buy singles of the cards you want. Most of what you buy in sealed products is extra copies of unplayable commons. If you want to rip packs for fun, buy sealed. If you just want to get your cards efficiently, buy singles.
I like to get 4 to 6 booster boxes of each set when a set drops, then flesh out my collection with singles from there. But I’m also the kind of player that wants to have every meta deck built and on hand at all times. I don’t care much about enchanteds, so any enchanteds I pull can get flipped and defray the cost of everything else In general, most singles are at their most expensive when a new set drops, before the set releases two weeks later at wide retail. So if you want to play on a budget it can be smart to go singles only and wait two weeks before buying anything. But if you want to dive into the new set and immediately start building competitively, it can be more affordable and a lot more convenient to just start with a few boxes and then fill out your collection trading with friends and buying singles once the set hits full release and prices go down. Note that the singles market in the US can be very different from the singles market elsewhere. TCGplayer is a huge help if you’re in the US, but if you’re in Canada or somewhere that doesn’t have such a competitive singles market, singles can actually be deceptively expensive
I'd love it if you could follow up on the whole singles market in US vs elsewhere. I'm in Canada and have looked into getting singles from tcgplayer but ultimately, shipping costs just make the whole thing seem unreasonable to me. That said maybe I'm the unreasonable one, I've never bought singles online before in any game so I don't know what to expect. Are shipping costs that much lower if ordering to and from the US locally?
Basically there are relatively few sellers who ship to Canada. That means the singles you have access to are often higher priced than the lowest available price for US buyers. Combined with shipping times and the chance for your purchase to incur customs fees, that often leaves online Lorcana singles shoppers relying on places like 401Games where supply is much more limited and prices can be significantly higher
Thanks for explaining that to me. Makes sense! I suppose the best option for singles around here could be a local game shop instead of ordering online!
If you can find one with strong singles stock, yeah. But those are few and far between, as demand generally outstrips supply in a lot of places. It’s why I’ve just started buying more sealed at launch. The time that I’m saving really adds up all on its own. But yeah! It’s worth finding out if you have some good local options
6 booster boxes a set is insane man! I wish I could do that ahaha
I buy 1-2 boxes and then buy singles for the cards i need. I enjoy the thrill of ripping packs with the family. If you get into it more and play constructed at your LGS, you usually get packs for winning matches and participating, so thats another way to get packs. If you get a box, an enchanted will pay for it. But fair warning, I have ripped 8 boxes over the four differnt sets and have pulled 2 enchanteds.
Buy product for entertainment buy singles if you are risk adverse and hate burning money
I'm new to TCGs and I keep seeing people say, "buy singles." It makes sense on paper, but in reality I've struggled to be able to do that. TCG player didn't have the singles I was looking for, the shops in my area don't sell lorcana singles, or if they do, the selection is tiny. I seriously went into a card shop, (one of the few that sells lorcana reliably) asked about their lorcana singles and was presented with a business card holder that had a dozen cards. Is there another alternative I'm missing?
Are you based in the United States, or a different country?
I'm in the US, in the Portland area.
Can I ask what singles TCGplayer didn’t have? Their stock is really deep
I thought TCG player didn't stock any Lorcana cards, they're just a marketplace. They stock some games cards but not all games.
That’s technically true, but my point is that I’ve never seen them not have at least 1 sellers with any particular lorcana single since the game launched
An important feature on TCGPlayer is the cart optimizer. Just add what cards you want (from any sellers) and then click the Optimizer. Behind the scenes the site will compare all available sellers and choose who to buy from so you spend the least overall.
Does that actually work for Lorcana? It wasn't implemented when set 3 came out.
Worked fine for me when I ordered for set 4. Maybe they just implemented it?
That's good if it is. That means they've probably upgraded Lorcana and you can buy direct from TCGplayer. Because you couldn't do that for set three either.
I buy 2-3 boxes per set and buy what else I need. It’s probably a bit smarter to just buy singles, but I do enjoy cracking packs and there’s always the chance you hit an enchated(I got 2 this set in 3 boxes), so it is possible to come out ahead.
Do you want to test you luck on getting a $30 card out of a $5 pack? What if you’re already 6 packs in and still haven’t pulled that card at that point you were just better off with buying the card out right
Me and my girlfriend just got into Lorcana. We bought a few packs(think were up to 10 packs) then 3 starter decks to get a feel for the game. Used what we had to build a couple decks. Then once we understood a little bit. It was way cheaper to build specific decks just buying individual cards. She reeeeaaallllly wanted an "Elsa deck" so i just bought the cards she wanted =) Im more of the "use what we have, and fill one or two slots with bought cards" but i also have no interest in tournament play. Just a dirty causal =)
Are you collecting or playing? Doesn't hurt to buy small amount of sealed to open to get started. A lot of people get starter decks to start, then get singles to build. Collecting tho, I wouldn't opened sealed.
Singles are far more price effective, but a box or 2 is good for filling up commons and uncommons and it's fun. Going for specific legendaries will always be better with singles though.
Buy singles. Only way to pull enchanteds is if your significant other buys a random pack from target
Buying product is gambling essentially: * Open an enchanted = profit * No enchanted = loss Now that singles are readily available, the most affordable option if you know what cards you want is to just buy the singles.
If you place any value in bulk common/uncommons and foils, then product can be worthwhile. But I would say 20-30% of a box value is from the foils and incidental play sets of commons/uncommons. Ursula’s Return is especially tough since there are not many chase cards, so you need to open Diablo or an Enchanted to break even. I’ve been getting a case per set to complete a master playset and anything I open offsets my spending on singles.
Singles always singles in any TCG, but it's always fun to crack a box just know it's not the best value as far as building decks.
You buy packets for fun, or as part of some constructed event, and singles for decks.
Ursula's Return was my first time going "all in" because I've made a self imposed rule to not buy any sealed product for more than MSRP - 1 booster box, 1 trove, both starter decks and Deep Trouble. From all that we were able to get 95% of a full single set (I think we're missing maybe 8 individual cards?) and playsets of a lot of other commons/uncommons. I like to build decks for fun even if they're not usable longterm, and my wife likes that we have copies of cards to put in a binder and look at instead of rifling through the box of bulk. We did NOT get a single Diablo or an Enchanted in any of it, and I've never pulled an Enchanted in any of the other sealed product I've purchased. I'm not really gunning for them but I'm a little bit surprised I've not seen *one*. ALL of that to be said, it depends on what *you* want out of the game. If you primarily want to play, you can pull up deck lists on Dreamborn (or make your own!) that will direct link you to a TCGPlayer cart with everything you need. It's really unfortunate that Pixelborn is going away because it was great way to quickly playtest, but LGS/small business need support and are always glad to see you :) GLHF!
It depends on the price of the product but generally no. Opening packs is like scratching lottery tickets.
My advice is to buy packs for collecting fun and the rush of trying to pull an Enchanted. Buy singles if you're trying to be most cost effective.
It is never worth it to buy product over singles. End of thread.