Customizing your bot

Last time I discussed what one would need if they wanted to run a bot part time in order to stock up on the latest set(s); a dedicated computer, an initial investment, planning a schedule and customizing the bot. Today I'm going to discuss the various options that the bot provides.

First off, you need to decide if you want the bot to run on your account or create a bot account, or a mule account, which will actually run the bot. While it doesn't really matter which one you choose, if you might have long term plans to run a bot full time, then choose a secondary account.

Secondly, you will need to register the account on Magic Library. You'll need to register a bot_name and a password. (This password should be different than your MTGO password.) This will grant you access to the web-enabled features of bot.

Thirdly, you need to download and install the bot software. The installation is simple and using the default settings are fine.

Fourthly, you need to customize your bot. This is the part that may give you the most problems. For the purposes of this discussion, let's assume that a new core set has been released and it has 250 cards, broken down into 150 commons, 50 uncommons and 50 rares. We are also going under the assumption that you are seeking four (4) of each common and two (2) of each uncommon. (You intend to take a wait and see attitude on the rates.)

One of the first decisions you will make is whether to select LITE mode or PRO mode. For the purposes of the example, select LITE mode. Why? It will make the math a lot easier for you and more importantly, your customers. Since you are running a bot part time, you will need to select prices that will NOT leave fractional accounts. While the bot certainly can handle fractional pricing, since the bot is new and part time, there isn't going to be a lot of initial trust given to it.

In one tab you can select which set(s) you want and how much of each rarity. In this case, four (4) of each common and two (2) of each uncommon. In the simplified pricing tab, you choose how much to pay for each card. While you can choose how much to spend on each card, make certain that each trade will be a clean trade, a straight up trade. For instance, you can choose to pay one ticket for 20 or 25 uncommons but I would not recommend 23. A perspective trader will trade with a new bot knowing after the trade, they have a ticket. While it is not that crucial for the uncommon market, it makes a great difference in the common market, especially as the gets close to being “full”.

I can not stress that point enough, choose a price model that ensures easy clean trades. This will give your new bot some traction during the very difficult initial period and more importantly, this will give you the cards that you are seeking in the first place.