Hard to believe we are now 20 plus weeks into the launch of the app, and with the beginning of the 21st week comes a new chase for all the Marathon cards. Not only does this mean a new opportunity to get into the run for one of the sets, but it also means closure for the second leg. For reference, all legs are 10 weeks long. Leg 1 was weeks 1-10, leg two was weeks 11-20, and leg 3 will be 21-30. There is no indication yet of what happens after week 30. Here is what to expect coming up.

Closing Out Leg 2

Everyone probably saw that the Vintage award should be hitting around 2pm ET today, at least that is what the payout reminder said. I would guess the award will be around 1000-1250, depending on how many of the Vintage hoarders want to take the time to send complete sets to alt accounts. Connections and Widevision will also be highly coveted, and those awards should be a little higher – maybe close to 2000.

I would expect a VERY nice card for Vintage today, especially if the Death Star card from wave one is any indication. I know a lot of people have been oddly obsessed with a Slave Leia card, which I find a bit odd, but I would much rather have an action focused moment from the trilogy. The XWing Vintage is still my favorite, and Boba Fett Attacks isnt far behind. We need something awesome, and I think we will get it.

Starting Leg 3 – Week 1 Card Value Speculation

As we have all seen, Vintage Boba Fett has settled in as one of the more valuable cards in the game. There are a few contributing factors, in my opinion, and I am EAGER to see if they are replicated today with the new Week 21 vintage release. First, all the week 1 cards carry more value due to a groupthink approach applied to the last two legs. More individuals are in the chases during week 1, so the print run tends to be a bit more spread out. When that happens, supply diminishes for the normal group of collectors for that set.

Its also worth mentioning that the value of the true week 1 cards also contributed to the value of week 11, as people werent as understanding of the dead account situation, and thought they could reclaim total value the missed for Vintage Han and Obi WV. The true situation is that supply for those cards was greatly diminished because of user attrition and ease to pull them, leading to what we see today for the big three.

The Android launch also contributed highly to the value of Boba Fett, as it was the first time all the new Android users had access to a week 1 card. This time around, the attrition has already taken place, so the value will likely not be as high.

Lastly, character selection was also a big part of the value, as Boba Fett is a cult favorite that had yet to be featured on a Vintage card. Doing a short printed week 1 card with a new user base led to a relative perfect storm. Im not sure that will happen again, but its possible.

As for the other sets, Funeral Pyre WV and Han/Leia connections also had increased value, but no where near what we saw with Vintage. We know that Vintage took its spot atop the marathon set chase during leg 2, and leg 3 will likely continue to be the same situation.

How to Approach the New Leg

Each new leg should have a strategy – one that fits what you are looking to get out of the marathon. For example, I stopped collecting every set, focusing my energy in amassing a new collection of Vintage and WV only. I completed both leg 2 sets to match my leg 1, and I will likely employ the same strategy this time around.

Here are some other tips:

• Collect as many of the week one cards as you can. If you are going to spend money, week one is your chance to get a bunch of trade bait for the later weeks. If you are lucky, you can set yourself up nicely.
• Pick your sets wisely. Vintage is running at around 1 in every 75 packs, so it will be the most expensive set to chase. WV and Connections will be next, followed by Bounty and GM. Fan’s choice is the easiest to complete.
• DO NOT TRADE YOUR PREVIOUS LEG SINGLES FOR NEW SINGLES – there is an award for a complete marathon, so if you have sets, this is not the time to break them up unless they are easily replaced.
• Offering your week 11 dupes for new week 21 cards this week likely wont get any bites. The new cards will be hotter than you can imagine, and though the value will eventually even out, its not going to happen for a few days minimum. Dont ruin your reputation by being that guy.

Most importantly, just have fun. This is your chance to start over and get back on the horse. Its going to be a fun close to the first “Episode” of SWCT, and you will not want to miss out on all the surprises that are likely to come.