Hey everyone!  This will be the second installment of my Rags to Riches series where I outline how I am turning a passable tradebook into a force to be reckoned with via profit, and, show you how to do it!

Firstly, here is the tradebook I possessed at the end of my article last week:

Secrets
Vennominaga the Diety of Poisonous Snakes x2
Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
Dark End Dragon
Vision Hero Adoration x3
Elemental Hero the Shining
Number 10: Illumiknight
Scrap Orthos
Locomotion R-Genex

Gold
Herald of Perfection (Gold)
D. D. Warrior Lady
Grapha, Dragon lord of Darkworld

Ultimate
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity

Ultra Rare
Dimensional Prison x2
Mask of Restrict
Inzektor Giga-Mantis
Master Hyperion x3
Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor
Number C39: Utopia Ray
Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja

Super Rare
Jurrac Guaiba x3
Secret Village of the Spellcasters
Preperation of Rites x3
Blackwing Armed Wing
Archlord Krystia x4
The Agent of Mystery - Earth x2
Elemental Hero Gaia
Elemental Hero Absolute Zero
Temtempo the Percussion Djinn x2
Dark World Dealings x2
Gishki Aquamirror x4
Gishki Shadow x4
Genex Ally Birdman x2
Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor x2
Eclipse Wyvern
Colossal Fighter
Masked HERO Vapor
Kuraz the Light Monarch
Evo-Force x3
Charge of the Lgith Brigade
Magical Exemplar
Dark Diviner
Debunk x2
Beast King Barbaros x3
Cyber End Dragon
Limiter Removal
Malefic Stardust Dragon x3
Black Ray Lancer x6
Submersible Carrier Aero Shark x2
Power Bond

Normal Rares
Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki x2
Shien's Smoke Signal x2
Wind-Up Magician x2
Torrential Tribute (Black Rare)
Bottomless Trap Hole
Herald of Orange Light x3
Photon Papilloperative
Blackwing Armed Wing x6
Super Polymerization
Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner
Chain Disappearance x3
King Tiger Wanghu
Hero Blast
Hieratic Seal of Convocation
Helemental Hero Bubbleman
Photon Thrasher
Raiza the Storm Monarch (Black Rare)
Evo-Diversity

Commons
Thunder King Rai-Oh (I took one out for my playable commons)
Mystical Shine Ball x3 (altered to look like various Pokeballs)
Instant Fusion (Duel Terminal)
Doomcaliber Knight x2
Greenkappa (Starfoil)
Call of the Haunted (Starfoil)
Trade-In x2
Double Edged Sword Technique x2
Gateway of the Six
Torrential Tribute
Cyber Dragon x3
Dark Armed Dragon
Tragoedia
Koa'ki Meiru Drago
Luster Dragon #2 x2
Trance Archfiend x3
Giltia the D. Knight
 
 
The first thing added to my book this week was at the beginning of my local tournament on Thursday.  With every tournament entry, everybody gets a pack, so, my round 1 opponent and myself decided that whoever won our match got both packs.  I ended up winning and opened them to receive
Tardy Orc ($5)
Flelf ($2)
Total +$7
 
 
Next up came the actual trades at locals that night

My:
Archlord Krystia super $3 ($2)

Their:
Alligator's Sword Dragon $3 ($8)

Net Gain $0 (+$6)

This trade was with someone who had their trade stuff in a giant box of random holos, and asked if I would take an Alligator's Sword Dragon for the Krystia they needed for their deck, I can't take any credit here.
 

My
Colossal Fighter $4 ($4)
Debunk $5 ($5) x2
Darkworld Dealings Super $5 ($4) x2
Grapha, Dragon Lord of Darkworld $3 ($3)
Total: $27 ($25)
 
Their
Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo Super $2 ($2.50) x3
Wulf, Lightsworn Beast Ultra $2 ($3)
Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB $1 ($6)
Elemental Hero Neos-Alius Secret $2 ($3.50) x3
Number 96: Dark Mist Ultimate Rare $3 ($4)
Lightpulsar Dragon $2 ($3.50)*
Armory Arm Rare $3 ($4)*
Total: $23 ($38.50)

Net: -$4 (+$13.50)

Part of the secret of being a great trader is make the other person think they're ripping you off and you don't care, that way they'll want to trade with you more in the future.
 

My
Tragoedia Common $2 ($2)
Mask of Restrict Ultra $8 ($7)
Gishki Shadow $4 ($2)
Gishki Aquamirror $4 ($3)
Total: $18 ($14)

Their
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon common $2 ($4) x2 (1*)
Lightpulsar Dragon $2 ($3.50) x2*
Darkflare Dragon $1 ($2.50) x2*
Total: $10 ($20)

Net: -$8 (+$6)
 
See the above trade's comment.  In some ways I lost value because most of this trade went into a Not-For-Trade binder, but, hopefully Dragons won't get completely nerf'd by the banlist.
 
 
My
Black Ray Lancer $4 ($3) x2
 
Their
Wind-Up Rat $4 ($5)

Net: +$0 (+$4)
 
This is one of the bigger points of the way I trade right now.  Speculation.  If you want to know what will be worth something that is low in value right now, try looking at cardst hat are in Japan that are set to be released ina few months.  It is not really a secret anymore than a water deck is coming out, so people are starting to want water cards that won't be in the deck.  I picked up all 6 of my Black Ray Lancers within a couple of weeks of the deck getting released in Japan.  I traded for every single one of them at 2$ or less.  I got 4 of them in the same trade for 5 bucks total (trade value).
 
My:
Doomcalibur Knight common $3 ($2) x2
Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo $2.50 ($2.50) x2
Thunder King Rai-Oh $4 ($4)
Total: $15 ($13)

Their:
#17: Leviathan Dragon Ultimate $5 ($6)
Debunk $5 ($5)
Wolfir Silverheart $5 ($5)**
Total: $15 ($16)

Net: +$0 (+$3)

This is someone who just wanted to build a stun deck that I'm pretty good friends with.  He generally knows his values too but likes trading a lot, so I'll generally at least try to work out something.  Generally I jsut trade him small stuff ofr bigger stuff
 

My
Liliana of Dark Reams $25 ($25)**
 
Their
Hieratic Dragon of Atum $22 ($22)*
Angel of Glory's Rise $2 ($2)**
Total: $24 ($24)

Net: -$1 (-$1)
 
Truthfully I very much wanted Atum and think that Liliana is going to tank, so, as soon as I found a bite I figured I'd dump her ASAP.
 
 
Now, I present, the Crown Jewel of the evening

My
Alternate Art Mystical Shineball playset $10 ($10)
Secret Village of the Spellcasters $9 ($8)
Herald of Orange Light rare $2 ($2) x3
The Agent of Mystery Earth $2 ($1)
Total: $27 ($25)
 
Their
Genex Ally Birdman $3 ($4.50) x7
Hieratic Tefnuit $0.50 ($1)*
Blackwing Armed Wing Gold Rare $0.50 ($2)
Wulf, Lightsworn Beast super $1 ($2)
Nimble Sunfish $2 ($3) x2
Elemental Hero Neos Alius Secret $2 ($3.50)
Magical Exemplar $0.50 ($1.50)
Lavalval Dragon $1 ($2) x2
Total: $30.50 ($51.50)

Net: +3.50 (+$26.50)
 
I honestly think that I had something else small in the trade to make it ~$30 on both sides, but I guess I forgot to write it down or something.  Regardless, Most of the things that I traded for are cards that will eventually get good for speculation purposes.  I may start doing articles on speculation, but, truthfully, I would rather those who take the intiative to look into the OCG get rewarded for their digging rather than just spoil everything for everyone. 
 
 
I ended up placing first in the tournament with my build of Dino-Rabbits, and credited all but two packs of my winnings to my account at the store.  The other two packs weren't too good, one was trash, and the other contained
 
#32: Shark Drake $7 ($6.50)
 
I guess I can't complain too much
 
 
My:
Number 96: Dark Mist ?? ($4)

Their
Inzektor Exa-Beetle $10 ($8)

Net: ?? (+$4)

I put ?? in this trade because I offered to trade up to $10 on the Beetle, and he just asked for Dark Mist and was pretty adament about doing it straight up, not really sure why.
 

My
Dimensional Prison Ultra Rare $7 ($6)

Their
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity Ultra $8 ($10)

Net $+1 (+$4)
 
This goes back to last article, when I pointed out how much people will give for shiny staples.

My
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity Ultimate Rare $12 ($12)
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity Ultra Rare $10 ($10)
Temtempo, the Percussion Djinn $4 ($3)
Total: $26 ($25)

Their
Tour Guide from the Underworld Black Rare $25 ($25)
Elemental Hero Absolute Zero $1 ($2)
Total: $26 ($27)

Net +$0 (+$2)

One thing to take note of is that even though this trade was only a couple buck in my favor, I believe that I still came out greatly ahead because there are few cards that are as tradable as Tour Guide from the Underworld right now.
 
My
Master Hyperion $2 ($2) x2
Archlord Krystia $2 ($2) x2
The Agent of Mystery Earth $2 ($1)
Total: $10 ($9)

Their
XYZ Reborn $6 ($8)
Queen Dragun Djinn $4 ($6)
Total: $10 ($14)

Net: +$0 (+$5)

Not a lot to say about this, generally, if you can trade starter deck cards for not-starter deck cards, do your best to get the deal.
 

My
Beast King Barbaros super $3 ($3)
Black Ray Lancer $4 ($2)
Total: $7 ($5)

Their
Blackwing Armor Master Ultra $3 ($5)
Blue Eyes White Dragon (Dark Legends) super $2 ($4)
Gem Knight Pearl Starfoil $2 ($3)
Total: $7 ($12)
 
Net: +$0 (+$7)
 
I was willing to break my set of Barbaros in a trade like this.  Most of the cards are niche, but, the Pearl might end up trading well if people decide they like it more than the secret rare version coming out in a few days.
 

My
Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki Normal Rare $2 ($1)
Shien's Smoke Signal $2 ($1)
Number 32: Shark Drake $8 ($8)
Total: $12 ($10)

Their
Solar Recharge Super $6 ($10)
Tempest Magician Secret $2 ($2)*
Inzektor Sword Zektkalibur Ultimate $4 ($7)
Total: $12 ($19)

Net: +$0 (+$9)
 
You have to trust me when I tell you that the Tempest Magician is too beat to trade or sell.  I only picked it up to play it.
 

My:
Venomminaga The Diety of Poisonous Snakes x2 $15 ($20) x2

Their:
Naturia Barkion Ghost Gold $10 ($13)
Tragoedia Ultra Rare $4 ($6)
Gold Sarcophagus $3 ($5) x2
Nimble Sunfish $2 ($2)
Doomcaliber Knight Common $2 ($2) x2
Doomcaliber Knight Starfoil $3 ($3)
Total: $29 ($38)

Net: $-1 ($-2)

Knowing I only had $2.50 apiece in these made losing out on this trade not very hard for me.  In general, you'll sometimes have to take a loss when trading cards as hard to get rid of as Venomminaga.  Generally you can find them on the super cheap, but, getting rid of them for higher than super cheap is a chore, and, generally, you should take what you can get for them.
 

My
Number 12: Crimson Armor Shadow Ninja $7 ($6)
Number 10: Illumiknight Secret $2 ($1)
Total: $9 ($7)

Their
Pot of Duality super $6 ($8)
Forbidden Chalice Starfoil $2 ($3)
Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon $1 ($4)
Total: $9 ($15)

Net: +$0 (+$8)
 
Gish is an example of a niche card that people think is worthless and it isn't.
 
My
Pot of Duality super $8 ($8)

Their:
Gagaga Girl $6 ($11)
The Agent of Mystery Earth $2 ($1)
Total: $8 ($12)

Net: +$0 (+$4)

People at my locals are starting to hate Gagaga Girl because everyone has them and everyone knows what they are worth.  This forces everyone to go down if they want to be able to trade them at all.  The difference here is that I travel so I can go to other metas and try to trade them off.
 
My
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon Common $4 ($4)

Their
Cyber Jar black rare $1 ($1) x2
Cyber Jar Starfoil $1 ($1)
Harpie's Feather Duster Starfoil $1 ($1)
Total: $4 ($4)

Net: +$0 (+$0)

See, the thing is, I have an addiction.....
 
My
XYZ Reborn $8 ($8)
Number C39: Utopia Ray $5 ($5)
Total: $13 ($13)

Their:
Dark Flare Knight $1 ($1) x2
Ryu Senshi $1 ($1)
Dark Armed Dragon common $1 ($2)
Snowman Eater $1 ($3)
Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter common $1 ($2)
Eclipse Wyvern $1 ($2)
Darkflare Dragon $1 ($2)
Lightpulsar Dragon $2 ($4)
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon $2 ($4)
Nimble Manta x13 $1 (??)
Total: $13 ($22)

Net: +$0 (+$9)
 
I traded for the Nimble Mantas as part of a joke, but, the rest of it was just randomness that I kindof wanted.  My shop is talking about doing traditional tournaments in the future, and Dark Flare knight goes in the Scientist OTK deck.
 
My
Tourguide from the Underworld Starfoil $33 ($25)

Their
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity Ultra $6 ($10)
Reborn Tengu Super $3 ($5) x2
Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo super $2 ($3)
Treacherous Trap Hole Secret $10 ($10)
Raiza, the Storm Monarch super $2 ($4)
Dark Armed Dragon $2 ($3)
Thunder King Rai-oh Common $4 ($4)
Total: $32 ($44)

Net: $-1 (+$19)

I felt kind kind of ripped off after this trade, to be 100% truthful, but, I figured that I could get the value I waned, and I already have 3 Tour Guides, so I wasn't hurting for the card that bad.
 
My
Thunder King Rai-Oh Common $4 ($4)
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity Ultra $10 ($10)
Total: $14 ($14)

Their
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity Ultimate $12 ($12)
Vexing Devil $4 ($6)**
Total: $16 ($18)

Net: +$2 (+$4)
 

Cross trading happens, people need to stop whining to me about my playing two cards games.  Please get over it.
 
Total net for the week: +$5.50 (+$144.50)

The biggest thing to take away from this article in upping your tradebook is learning to speculate.  Look at sets that aren't english yet, try to determine what the metagame is going to do based on cards that are unreleased thus far.  Obviously this isn't completely possible, because there are always TCG exclusives, but, if a deck is tier 1 in Japan, we can assume it will at least be tier 2 in the USA.
 
I hope that this has helped you, if you love this style of article, let me know!  If you don't like it at all and think it's immoral?  Tell me!  I love the feedback you all give me for my articles, and here's where to give it to me:
 

email: andro_sphinx@yahoo.com
facebook: facebook.com/shakezilluh
twitter: Paper_gangsta_
dueling network: shakezilluh
pojo forums: Themcshakealcehmis (no T)
youtube: Themcshakealchemist (with a T)
 
Thanks a bunch for reading!  Never stop testing
Sean Handy
The McShake Alchemist
 
 
 *This ended up going into Not For Trade stuff that I want to keep to play with
**Magic: The Gathering card, because crosstrading, that's why.