I completely understand why everyone wants to trade for 2014 signature series cards. They are cool, they are rare and they are the most valuable cards in the game. The hard thing for people to come to terms with is that you almost have to give up a limb to trade for one.

Here are some things to remember.

Duplicates

Each time I have traded for my two sigs, I have done so with someone who has more than one copy. That DOES NOT mean they will be easy to trade for, just more likely to be reasonable when getting a great offer. You will have to overpay as usual, but at least there is some likelihood the person will give up their extra copy.

Firepower

Let me put it this way – do not expect to trade 9 base cards or even boosts for these cards. You need to trade top inserts to get them. If you do not have top inserts, that’s understandable, but its something to work towards. Work up through the game, trading your rarer base cards and pack pulled nice cards for lower inserts, use those inserts to trade for others, and eventually amass a collection worthy of trading for one of these cards. You will likely need 5-7 Super Rare popular inserts with low card counts, maybe more depending on the person. To be completely honest, the first 2014 sig I traded for I had to go 18-2, two trades of 9-1. That’s how much you have to give up.

That being said – the 2013 sigs can be had for a lot less of a ransom, and usually are pretty cool cards too. If you just want a sig as a status symbol, 2013 works just fine.

Need

Let me be perfectly clear, you do not need sigs to be competitive and you dont need sigs to have fun with the game. In fact, trading for the sigs are likely going to be counterproductive to your gameplay. I learned that the hard way. If I could go back and tell myself what I know now, that 18-2 trade probably would go differently.

Etiquette 

If you find someone you think will trade you for a sig – send them a same card 1:1 trade to see if they are even interested. They can look at your card sheet and see if you have enough for them to trade their card. Not only will they appreciate the note, but they wont block you for what they believe to be a lowball offer. Most people who have the sigs to trade are big time collectors, and are understanding there are people out there who just dont know what’s up. They will be happy to educate.

The people who own these cards have gotten them one of two ways – pulled them in a pack or traded for them. If they dont have 10,000 cards, these are either the best pull they have ever had and will be tied sentimentally to the card, or gave up as much as you are about to give up to get theirs. They may just not want to trade it. That’s why its best to ask.

Most importantly, if you get a denial on your big gun offer, dont worry. It will happen eventually. Just dont go offering multiple times to the same person again and again and expect to not get blocked. Its better to just have patience.