A closer look
The real war in competitive trading card games isn't fought on the playmat; it is fought in the secondary market economy. When a specific deck archetype becomes too dominant, savvy players know the publisher will inevitably ban its best cards. Instead of complaining, elite duelists preemptively buy up obscure, seemingly useless counter-cards before the banlist drops. They aren't playing the current game—they are actively shorting the future stock market of cardboard dragons.






