I have noticed a trend in the app recently, and I talked a little bit about when I did my insert breakdown a few days ago. Insert sets in card trader are the lifeblood of the app, running neck and neck with the marathon cards as a reason why most people return multiple times per day, day after day. With sets like TK and others eclipsing the 10 card mark, with multiple parallels for each card, there is a lot of volume. So, the question remains, what is the best way to approach collecting the set, and what is the value of each card?

Collecting Strategy

There is no easy way to explain the best way to collect a set with 20 cards in it. You definitely dont want to spend a million coins every day trying to get what you need, and you also dont want the gargantuan task of putting an entire set together the day before the award. Believe it or not, the best way to do it is a bit of a waiting game in my opinion, using daily bonuses and small purchases to get as many cards as you can along the way.

The reason I say this is the best approach is because of the extreme drop off in value as cards age. New stuff is SO hot that it is almost worth twice to three times as much as the older stuff. So, if you can get lucky along the way, pull a new card, it can be easy in most cases to trade it for more than one of the cards you are missing for the set.

I think its worth discussing that that first and last card of the set are almost MUST PULLS from packs. The first card in a long set will retain its value more often than not, and this is similarly true in principle for the last card in the set. Make it a point to try to get these, and you wont be scrambling to find them as the sets conclude.

Lastly, I cant even say how important it is to be patient. Be patient with your trade offers and be patient with soliciting offers. You WILL get what you want eventually, as long as you can navigate the fan feed with extreme cautious patience. If that time and work isnt available to be had, well, may god have mercy on your soul. Trust me, sometimes its impossible to practice what I preach.

Value

This is the one thing I am going to run through pretty quickly, as some of it was already addressed above. Basically, the middle pieces of the set are interchangeable save two circumstances – card counts are different, or its a popular character.

If the character is someone like Boba Fett or Darth Vader, its best to chase it down as quickly as possible. If its some random droid or another example of checklist filler, it can wait until the end. It will be one of those easy pick ups one for one. In the same vein – dont trade away popular characters one for one at first, wait for the market to be set and then pounce immediately. You dont want to be the person who gives your prized set piece away for nothing. It can work against you too though, as you might get more up front before people realize the market has been set much lower.

Also – this is the one time I would encourage you to stay on top of eBay. If the cards are selling high – you should be able to get more in the app. If the cards are selling low, they become transitional parts of the set that can be part of your wheeling and dealing later on.

Focus

Unless you have the funds to do so, focus your energy on a specific parallel or part of the set. Dont try to get every card, unless you are fully aware of how much it will cost you to do so, either in cash or in cards.

Award

Here is the worst part of all this – the award will likely NOT be worth the entire set in trade. That means the effort you spent to complete the set will not return what you get out of it. Of course, that isnt what this is all about, as it is likely that one card will never take the place of the 20 it took to achieve the reward. That being said, this game is about completion and collecting, so the award is just gravy on top. Be happy with the satisfaction you get from a completed set. It feels good, doesnt it?

Set collecting isnt easy, that I know. On the other hand, it doesnt have to be impossible, as long as you understand the confines of the marketplace. If you know your enemy – its easier to defeat them.