Article:
Mangaging Your Budget and Still Being Competitive

Let’s all face it, the economy isn’t doing so well right now, and with that everyone is having to cut back in order to save for more important things. One of the things that usually is the first to be minimized is the money put towards the TCG/CCGs you play. That doesn’t mean that you should cut them out entirely though, it only means that you can’t buy a full box of cards each week now. Being a “budget player” doesn’t automatically rule you out as a competitive player, it only means there aren’t as many options at your disposal than the person who has sold his social life to have a play-set of every chase card.

Whether or not you have been playing from the beginning, or have just started out, odds are you are on some kind of gaming budget. If your funds for cards happen to be very minimal, take a quick look at these steps so you know what to do when starting a game with limited cash:

1.) Choose Your Game(s) Wisely

Do some research on the game you are thinking about getting into and ask yourself:

- Does this game have a huge following?
- Is the company openly active in the game’s activities?
- Is there an Organized Play support system?
- Is the game itself fun?

If you answered “no” to any of those then you might want to reconsider the game you are about to throw your hard-earned money into. If a game has a lack of player base, then it's going to be hard to actually find someone to compete against. If there is a lack of advertisement then people aren’t going to know about it and you were lucky to find it. An Organized Play system allows for you to compete on a large scale against numerous players making the game even more fun, but if it wasn’t fun to begin with, then why would you play it in the first place?

As you can see, just one of those questions answered wrongly can lead a game to its eventual “death”. If you’ve just spent a good chunk of time investing money into this game and the company goes under or just gives it up then you’ve just metaphorically lit those Dollars (Euros) on fire. Also, one more thing to consider is the basic price of the game. TCGs are always more expensive because of the need to keep up with newer sets through booster packs. Games that require a single purchase (and Board Game or Table-Top RPG), and just a few expansions every now and then, are always a good idea. These games usually don’t require an OP system because they’re the kind of games you can sit around with your friends on a Friday night and enjoy. Remember, research on your purchase is always a good thing no matter what you are doing in life.