A tour of SpellBook, end to end
Getting back into MTG? Here's where to start
The flow at a glance
If you played Magic years ago and you are picking it back up, the modern sealed market is a different animal. There are hundreds of products, prices swing weekly, and the math on whether a box is worth it is non-obvious. SpellBook exists to make that math explicit. Here's the full lifecycle: find a box where the EV beats the price, buy it through the marketplace giving you the best landed cost, log it in your portfolio before you crack it, track what you keep, and, if and when you ever want to sell some of those cards, the toolkit is ready for that too.
- Step 1
Pick a box where the math works
Start at EV Rankings. Sort by EV ratio descending. The number means: total expected pull value divided by the box's market price. Above 1.0, the average open beats the price before fees. Above 1.3, the math comfortably favors opening it. Click into the top boxes to see which singles drive the EV. You want diversified value, not all-eggs-in-one-mythic.
View EV Rankings → - Step 2
Buy it through SpellBook
Use the Buy button on the box page. We compare TCGplayer, Manapool, and eBay so you see the actual landed cost, not just the listing price. Toggle the +shipping option on EV Rankings to see the price you actually pay, not the sticker. Small-dollar product is especially sensitive to shipping; the math changes meaningfully when you include it.
- Step 3
Log the box in your portfolio before you open it
Add it as a sealed entry with what you paid, including shipping and tax. This lets you compare what you paid against what you actually pulled later. SpellBook tracks the cost basis at rip time, so the eventual realized P&L is accurate.
Open Portfolio → - Step 4
Open it, track what you kept
Most pulls you will keep: the cards you actually want for your collection. Log them in your portfolio so you know what they are worth now and how their prices move. If you already log your cards in Manabox, export the file and upload it via Bulk Import, or paste a decklist if that is faster. Set price alerts on the chase pulls so you know if anything spikes.
Set price alerts → - Step 5
When you are ready to sell, here's how
Some pulls you will keep forever. Others you might want to liquidate down the line to fund the next box, or because the card does not fit anything you would actually play. SpellBook has the seller toolkit for that day, available under TCGplayer Seller in the nav. No pressure, no rush. It is there when you want it.
Deep dive
Long-form reading on the topics above
Each guide unpacks one mechanic from the walkthrough in more depth.
How to Track Magic: The Gathering Card Values
Why most MTG trackers use broken price averages, what real sale data looks like, and how to benchmark your collection with cleaner market context.
Read the guideThe Best MTG Portfolio Tracker in 2026: Free Tools Compared
Side-by-side comparison of SpellBook Finance, MTGStocks, Echo MTG, and the spreadsheet approach. Criteria-first, not vendor-first.
Read the guideHow to Get Notified Before the Next Spike
Anatomy of a buyout, the three alert types that catch them early, and why most tools miss buyouts because they watch listings instead of sales velocity.
Read the guide