I don’t think the best-of model as-is will be sustainable or healthy at any level of Riftbound OP The hard part is figuring out what to replace it with and handling player sentiment.

Here’s the hard truth: Now may be the SAFEST time to submit your cards to PSA. Think about security at a bank after it gets robbed. Everyone’s paying attention. Every weak spot is under a microscope. I bet PSA and FedEx have never been more focused on getting cards delivered safely. Fear is highest after something goes wrong. Risk is the opposite.

Bored Ape / Yuga getting into TCGs is likely the top signal we have been looking for unfortunately

I was thinking about why I felt this way when making the quoted post and I narrowed it down. This is my final critique post on Radiance. Want to clarify btw that this set can still do well and it’s very early into set release, but anyway: 1. A lot of people are annoyed that Alt Art Seraphine ON is CN exclusive. It is indisputably the biggest chase of Radiance. The Jay Chou Master Yi is also CN exclusive. But removing the biggest chase was a big fumble for English Radiance IMO. The JC Master Yi I can live without, but it does look cool, and it would have been sick for English Radiance buyers to have a raffle opportunity as well. Some people have said these decisions make them feel like English consumers do not matter as much compared to China consumers which I don’t think was the intended messaging from Riot for doing this but that is how some are seeing it. 2. Packed Amphitheater 🤪 not gonna go into this too much, I have talked about it a lot already, it just doesn’t compare to UR Baron Nashor, PA doesn’t feel “ultimate” per se. 3. Not directly related but it’s adjacent, I do not understand why the Nexus Night Lulu was not full art. While NN Lulu is not a part of Radiance boosters, no NN Lulu full art makes me moody towards Radiance 🤪 — Then there’s the other popular grievances I’ve seen which are: — 4. KDA SPs are not as high quality as the Crystal Rose SPs. But also, a lot of people felt that the KDAs should’ve been the ONs for this set, not Heartsteel. I guess Heartsteel is not as popular as a boy band which doesn’t have as much wide scale appeal (specifically it doesn’t appeal as much to a straight male audience which is probably the biggest demographic of most games). I personally think the Heartsteel ONs are fun but I recognize I am just one guy with an opinion. 😂 5. A lot of the playables this set seem to have not been slotted correctly with some exceptions (Riven signature gear was slotted correctly one could argue because of how good it is while the other playables of the set such as green Riven are commons which means people don’t have to rip a ton of packs to get them). This is great for player UX which I think is important but it does come at the expense of how many boxes players are willing to rip to get what they need. — I think that sums it up but other than that, my only other qualm is not understanding why the Jarvan ON has blue hair 😭 what is the lore reasoning behind this?! Anyway, we’ll see how the market adjusts based on tournament performances as well as how willing collectors are to buy the showcases.

I’m feeling bad because a lot of folks are in the comments and in my DMs asking how I was able to get the chance to pick up my order. or get a resolution and to be honest it seems to be because my original post got some traction and it was enough that PSA noticed. I think the best thing that @PSAcard could do is allow anyone pick up from the Santa Anna location and set up pick up days so they can staff and crowd control properly like they do with the in person drop offs. I think there is some trust that needs to be restored and now it feels a tad bittersweet that I’m getting to get my order back but a lot of folks are hitting me up feeling stressed. Anyway would be great if they set something like this up. Even if it’s just once a month like they do with the drop off. I think that would go along way for folks to even offer this. Or have it on the same day and make it an option if people ask for it. Please engage for visibility.

Lmao

I’m not an expert by any means when it comes to grading, but I am aware of +EV What is EV? EV = (probability of winning × amount you win) − (probability of losing × amount you lose) Here even if I get a 9, even after grading fees I still come out a winner, but a 10? That just made my $4200 + grading cost investment 25x into a $100,000 card (potentially) Look for +EV plays. Safest “gambles” you can make.

I need someone who knows about grading to tell me how this happens? Doesn’t make sense

Mail day part 2! Way more carddass

This Magikarp was opened straight out of the cellophane wrapping into a sleeve wearing gloves to PSA. No finger has ever touched this card. Did it deserve a 6?