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Introduction
Last week, I asked StarCityGames.com Premium members to contact me and let me know what type of information they wanted to see included in future columns. Many responded, and a sizable number of you requested more information regarding Magic Online. I don't consider myself to be an expert in that area, so instead of giving you anything less than the best, I instead contacted Sonny and Lisa Jones. They are the owners of www.digi-cardz.com, and are amongst the world's largest Magic Online dealers.

Earlier this week, I sat down with Sonny and Lisa to discuss some of the more common tricks used by MTGO sharks and scammers... and how to avoid falling prey to them. Protecting yourself is easier than you think, if you know what to watch out for.

Don't Fall Prey to MTGO Sharks and Scammers!
No matter how experienced you are be at trading "real" Magic cards, trading Magic Online is a completely different experience altogether. When trading Magic Online, one of the most important things to learn is how to avoid being scammed. Here are a few tips that will help you to protect yourself.

When trading Magic Online, one of the most important things to do is make sure that you always check the second confirmation screen. One of the more popular Magic Online scams involves the scammer showing their tradable cards (or tickets) in their binder, agreeing on a trade, and then making certain cards not tradable just before the second confirmation screen appears. Once the second confirmation screen appears, take a few seconds to again verify that you are giving and getting the cards that you thought you were.

You will also probably want to verify current values in the Magic Online message board. When doing so, the card values will be listed as numbers with circles around them. These values are in online event tickets (also called "tix"), not dollars. Online event tickets can be purchased at the Magic Online store for $1.00 each and are used to enter online Magic events such as drafts and other tournaments. However, they have also become the most popular denomination of currency for Magic Online players dealing with one another.

Be aware that there are many "sharks" swimming in the Magic Online waters. These folks search for players who do not know the values of Magic Online cards and do everything they can to take advantage of them. However, you can thwart their efforts by using the message board to understand current card values. If you are trading cards for online event tickets, or vice versa, simply search the message board for the card names in order to find out the values of those cards to other players. By searching the card names, you will actually be able to see the average buy and sell prices for those cards, and know what kind of deal you are, or aren't, getting. However, if you are trading cards for other cards, you may wish to search for the values of the cards you are giving and the cards you are getting. By searching the values of both, you will be able to see if the deal is "fair" based on current card values and make sure that the trade stays as "even" as you want it to be.

The final trade tip of the day would be to avoid trading with anyone who seems in a hurry. Experienced scammers will often use a line like, "I'm in a hurry. I have to log off soon." or "I need this card quickly in order to enter a Premier Event that's about to start". What they are often doing is attempting to rush you in the hope that you won't take the time to verify card values or check your second confirmation screen as closely as you should. Always allow yourself enough time to thoroughly consider the trade you are making, and don't hesitate to walk away from a trade if you are not comfortable with the person you are trading with.

Follow these few simple tips and you'll be on your way to safer Magic Online trading!

Look for Sonny and Lisa's advice on trading Magic Online in each "Insider Trading" column, and check out www.digi-cardz.com for all of your Magic Online needs!

Top 25 Champions & Betrayers of Kamigawa Rares To Date
Every day, StarCityGames.com sells a tremendous volume of Magic: the Gathering singles. As we do, our robust database allows us to track incredible amounts of sales data and spot trends as they are developing. We take advantage of this information to stay one step ahead of our competitors, and StarCityGames.com Premium members can now utilize this same information to give themselves an edge when trading. While there's no guarantee that the demand for these cards will last, these are the Champions of Kamigawa and Betrayers of Kamigawa rares that have been most popular with our customers so far!

Betrayers of Kamigawa - Most Popular Rares To Date!
#1: Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni (NM/M)
#2: Mirror Gallery (NM/M)
#3: Higure, the Still Wind (NM/M)
#4: That Which Was Taken (NM/M)
#5: Disrupting Shoal (NM/M)
#6: Final Judgment (NM/M)
#7: Umezawa's Jitte (NM/M)
#8: Genju of the Realm (NM/M)
#9: Toshiro Umezawa (NM/M)
#10: Shining Shoal (NM/M)
#11: Kira, Great Glass-Spinner (NM/M)
#12: Hokori, Dust Drinker (NM/M)
#13: Neko-Te (NM/M)
#14: Goryo's Vengeance (NM/M)
#15: Heartless Hidetsugu (NM/M)
#16: Enshrined Memories (NM/M)
#17: Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens (NM/M)
#18: Blazing Shoal (NM/M)
#19: Fumiko the Lowblood (NM/M)
#20: Sickening Shoal (NM/M)
#21: Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker (NM/M)
#22: Orb of Dreams (NM/M)
#23: Iwamori of the Open Fist (NM/M)
#24: Patron of the Orochi (NM/M)
#25: Isao, Enlightened Bushi (NM/M)

Champions of Kamigawa - Most Popular Rares To Date!
#1: Forbidden Orchard (NM/M)
#2: Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (NM/M)
#3: Glimpse of Nature (NM/M)
#4: Gifts Ungiven (NM/M)
#5: Cranial Extraction (NM/M)
#6: Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (NM/M)
#7: Isamaru, Hound of Konda (NM/M)
#8: Meloku the Clouded Mirror (NM/M)
#9: Seshiro the Anointed (NM/M)
#10: Zo-Zu the Punisher (NM/M)
#11: Long-Forgotten Gohei (NM/M)
#12: Horobi, Death's Wail (NM/M)
#13: Marrow-Gnawer (NM/M)
#14: Nezumi Shortfang (NM/M)
#15: Kodama of the North Tree (NM/M)
#16: Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers (NM/M)
#17: Yosei, the Morning Star (NM/M)
#18: Konda's Banner (NM/M)
#19: Night of Souls' Betrayal (NM/M)
#20: Jugan, the Rising Star (NM/M)
#21: Jushi Apprentice (NM/M)
#22: Konda, Lord of Eiganjo (NM/M)
#23: Hold the Line (NM/M)
#24: Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang (NM/M)
#25: Kokusho, the Evening Star (NM/M)

• Sales on cards that have multiple versions (such as "Terror") only include those versions which come from Standard-legal sets. Sales of Revised Terror, 4^th Edition Terror, etc. are not included.
• Many people are ordering these cards for casual play or for use in formats other than Standard. For example, the Sundering Titans are often being ordered for Extended or Vintage decks.
• If we were sold out of a particular card during this time, our customers would not have been able to order it. These figures are based on our actual sales.

Top 25 Standard-Legal Singles 02/16/05 - 02/23/05
#1: Rend Flesh (NM/M)
#2: Seat of the Synod (NM/M)
#3: Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni (NM/M)
#4: Higure, the Still Wind (NM/M)
#5: Quash (NM/M)
#6: Frogmite (NM/M)
#7: Hinder (NM/M)
#8: Sakura-Tribe Elder (NM/M)
#9: Barter In Blood (NM/M)
#10: Echoing Decay (NM/M)
#11: Kodama's Reach (NM/M)
#12: Guardian Idol (NM/M)
#13: Terashi's Grasp (NM/M)
#14: Krark-Clan Ironworks (NM/M)
#15: Steelshaper's Gift (NM/M)
#16: Terror (NM/M)
#17: Viashino Sandstalker (NM/M)
#18: Sundering Titan (NM/M)
#19: Mirror Gallery (NM/M)
#20: Serum Visions (NM/M)
#21: Distress (NM/M)
#22: Echoing Truth (NM/M)
#23: Thirst For Knowledge (NM/M)
#24: Cloudpost (NM/M)
#25: Condescend (NM/M)

Buried Treasure?
Did you know that a very small number of English Odyssey Cephalid Looters were misprinted with the card type "Cephalid Wizard" instead of just "Cephalid". It is unknown exactly how many exist, but I have aggressively sought them out for some time and can assure you that they are quite rare!

Speak Up!
Do you have a topic you'd like to see me discuss or a question related to the business side of Magic: the Gathering? If so, please send it to insidertrading@starcitygames.com with the subject line "Insider Trading Question".

This column is shaped by you, our StarCityGames.com Premium members, so let me know what you want to see and I'll do my best to accommodate!

Best wishes,
Pete Hoefling
President, StarCityGames.com
insidertrading@starcitygames.com