Standard is the most accessible competitive format in Magic and the one where financial mistakes are most expensive. Buying Fable of the Mirror-Breaker at $25 and watching it fall to $3 after rotation is a rite of passage that most Standard players go through at least once. The difference between players who break even on their Standard collection and those who take a serious loss is almost entirely about timing. Prices spike after tournament results on Thursday nights, peak on Friday before FNM, and often correct downward by Sunday. Rotation drops prices by 50 to 90 percent on cards that were expensive the week before. Set releases disrupt the meta and create buying opportunities. Lotus Scan gives Standard players the price awareness to navigate all of these cycles without getting caught holding depreciating assets.

Why Standard Players Needs a Specialized Scanner

Standard is a format that punishes financial ignorance more than any other. A card that costs $30 during its peak Standard season might be worth $2 the day after rotation. Players who check prices once a week are flying blind during the cycles that matter most. Weekly price swings of 50 percent or more are common during spoiler season, tournament weekends, and ban announcement periods. Standard players who track prices actively consistently spend less money to stay competitive than those who buy when cards are at peak hype. The goal is not to become a finance expert, it is simply to avoid the most common and costly mistakes: buying at the top, holding through rotation, and selling too late. Lotus Scan makes the information needed to avoid these mistakes available in seconds.

Key Features to Look For

Tips for Standard Players

1. 1Check prices on Standard staples every Thursday evening after major tournament results are published, as this is when most price movements start
2. 2Start selling Standard cards you are not planning to keep 2 to 3 months before rotation rather than waiting until the last minute when everyone else is selling too
3. 3When a card spikes from a tournament result, give it 48 to 72 hours before buying since most spikes partially correct after the initial hype
4. 4Track your total Standard deck value monthly so you have a realistic picture of how rotation is going to affect your collection before it actually happens
5. 5Buy Standard staples during the first week of a new set release when speculation is still uncertain and prices have not fully settled to their floor