Jump to content

Masao's Grandmaster Scaling Guide


Recommended Posts

The Grandmaster Scaling Guide
 
On a near daily basis, I see people asking various things about scaling. Most of the information others provide to them is inaccurate, incomplete or patently false, so I hope this can set the record straight as well as provide some insight that many are lacking regarding the practice of scaling.

Any flaming or moral/ethical arguments will not be tolerated. This is an informative post, and I will not be entertaining such arguments.
 
As for a little background on myself, I've been scaling this game and others for over a decade. I was one of the most prolific scalers back in the day on Pojo, and I've picked up the habit again recently, mostly just for fun but also for some minor profit so I don't have to put any new money into this game.

EDIT: This is a work in progress. I'll be updating with images (possibly video) in the near future.
 
What is scaling?
 
Scaling is the use of a well-calibrated pocket-size gram scale to weigh packs for the purpose of finding foils. But you knew that already.
 
 
What is a blister pack?
 
Blister packs are sold at most retail stores and consist of a single pack inside of an outer "blister" package made of a cardboard back and a plastic front. Alternatively, packs that are not in a blister are commonly referred to as "naked" packs.
 
 
Where do I buy a scale?

You can typically find the best deals for a scale online. OldWillKnott is the go-to site for most experienced scalers, but you can find them from other sellers on eBay and Amazon as well for comparable prices.

Scales can also be found in stores, specifically hardware stores and head/smoke shops. I do not recommend the latter as head shops sell their drug paraphernalia at a significant mark-up (see: $20 scale for $30-50) and do not provide any warranties.
 
Harbor Freight Tools typically stocks scales behind the registers, just ask an employee to show you one. Their brands usually cost around $8-15 and are decent starting scales, but they're normally 0.1g scales. I highly recommend buying a 0.01g scale online instead
 
 
What's the difference between a 0.1g scale and a 0.01g scale?
 
The difference is accuracy. You can get a more accurate read on a pack that may or may not be a foil with a 0.01g scale. This can save you a fair chunk of change in the long run, so it's worth the $5-10 more you'll pay for a 0.01g scale over a 0.1g scale.
 
0.1g scales are perfectly adequate, but not the best you can get. No arguing, kids.
 
 
Calibration: How do I calibrate my scale?
 
When you open up your scale, you'll usually see an insert that tells you to calibrate it. The vast majority of the time, your scale comes factory calibrated with perfect weights. This is the case if you buy a scale off OldWillKnott. If not, you'll have to calibrate it yourself.
 
The easiest way to do this is to buy fishing weights, which can be found at any sporting goods store. If that fails, head to your local bank and buy rolls of freshly minted nickels. Freshly minted nickels weigh 5g, so you can reach your calibration weight with those.
 
Most scales calibrate with weights of 100g, 200g or in some cases 500g. The insert with your scale will tell you what weight to use, if the scale doesn't tell you itself while in calibration mode.
 
 
Weights: How much do packs with foils weigh?
 
This is the most frequently asked question, and unfortunately the only answer is "it varies". Pack weights can be different even within the same set. Ink differences between print runs, plastic weight variance and many other minor factors combine to alter weights of every shipment.
 
To put it very bluntly:
 
NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHAT FOIL PACKS WEIGH. MY WEIGHTS HAVE NO BEARING ON YOUR WEIGHTS. YOUR WEIGHTS AT ONE STORE MEAN NOTHING AT THE NEXT STORE.
 
That said, you WILL see that blister weights stay between 20g and 23g. Outliers can occur, but anyone stating that their pack weighed some ridiculous amount like 29g+ is lying.
 
The rule of thumb is that every blister of a particular set at a specific store should be roughly the same, allowing you to do a scaling "run" for that set's blisters at that store. Normally, when you scale out a set you'll get five, sometimes six, piles of packs with about a 0.1g weight difference. The highest weight packs will typically be the foils.
 
Foil cards themselves weigh approximately 0.1g to 0.3g more than a common.

There are two things in particular to watch out for, though. The first is foil ratios and the second is security measures.
 
 
Foil Ratios: How many foils should I be finding?
 
Foil ratios are approximately 1:24 for Secret Rares, 1:12 for Ultra Rares and 1:5 for Super Rares. Ultimate Rares are hit or miss while scaling. Post-DUEA, it seems that Ultimates now weigh more than a common rather than less than a common, as they have in the past, but this hasn't been uniformly true in my experience.
 
This means that if you scale 24 packs, your two heaviest piles should have 7-8 packs in them total. Keep in mind that this is an estimate, heavily subject to variance, but it's a good way to gauge whether or not you're on the right track.
 
 
Security Measures: What are they, how do they affect my weights, and how do I defeat them?
 
Security measures come in many forms, but the two most common that you will see that can materially affect your scaling are metal security tabs and loss prevention bar codes.
 
Metal Security Tabs
 
Metal security tabs are typically seen at Target. On the back of every blister pack, you will find a square white sticker. The majority of these stickers do not have anything under them. Some of them will have a diamond-shaped metal security tab pointed toward one corner of the sticker. You can feel them very easily through the sticker, and even see them in most cases.
 
These will increase the weight of your packs by a substantial amount, anywhere from 0.1g to 0.3g. The way to avoid this security measure affecting your weights is to eliminate it entirely. Separate the packs with metal security tabs and only weigh the packs without them.
 
If there are enough packs with metal security tabs after you're done sorting them (I typically only do it if there are 15+) you can go ahead and scale those, but only compare their weights against one another. Normally all of the security tabs at a particular store will weigh the same.
 
Loss Prevention Bar Codes
 
Loss prevention bar codes are typically seen at Walmart. I use the word "seen" very loosely here, as these bar codes are actually INSIDE of the blister and you cannot even see them since they're typically under the flap on the back of the booster pack itself. Personally, I avoid scaling at Walmart because these are a pain to deal with.
 
They will increase the weight of your packs by a substantial amount just like the metal security tabs at Target. The only way to avoid this security measure is, similar to the security tabs, to eliminate them from the equation entirely. Obviously this is much more difficult as they are inside of the blister.

However, there is a solution... which I will provide at a later time after a little more testing.
 
 
Confrontation: What do I do 
 
Ideally, you'll finish your scaling run without even talking to anyone. Sometimes, you won't be so lucky. From store security guards to store managers, and curious employees to irate consumers, I've run into it all.

There are certain methods to approaching each type of individual that you may find yourself at odds with, but always keep in mind that your emergency option is to simply stop what you're doing, pick up your scale and walk away.
 
A curious employee asked what I'm doing. What do I say?
 
Store security stopped me! How do I explain myself?
 
A store manager got involved. How do I talk my way out of this?
 
Another customer is confronting me or making a scene. What do I do?
 
 
Profit: How do I know when a set is worth scaling?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

uhm, and how exactly do you get to scale 24 sets?

you tell the card seller "wait a sec", pull out a scale and start a 15 minute process of putting each pack on a scale, doing your math etc till you figure which set has most foils? I can't imagine that the card seller would ever agree to any of this.

either that or I am completely off and didn't get the point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

uhm, and how exactly do you get to scale 24 sets?
you tell the card seller "wait a sec", pull out a scale and start a 15 minute process of putting each pack on a scale, doing your math etc till you figure which set has most foils? I can't imagine that the card seller would ever agree to any of this.
either that or I am completely off and didn't get the point.


You scale blisters at retail stores, not naked packs at hobby/card shops. Also, the process takes maybe 5 minutes for a rack of 30 packs.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually was going to message you awhile back about scaling. Nice to see you made a thread.

 

Couple questions, do you need to account for the variance in blister packs (cardboard+plastic)?

And I assume Ghost Rares aren't screwy like Ultis? Have you ever gotten one from scaling?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually was going to message you awhile back about scaling. Nice to see you made a thread.

Couple questions, do you need to account for the variance in blister packs (cardboard+plastic)?
And I assume Ghost Rares aren't screwy like Ultis? Have you ever gotten one from scaling?


Thank you, I forgot to mention Ghosts. They're the same as other foils.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In all seriousness, I'd love to discuss ethics on the matter of scaling in general.

 

Depends on your area.

 

If you live in this huge populated city with a lot of ygo players, you really shouldn't.

 

But if you live in places where ygo players aren't really all that prevalent, it shouldn't really matter.

 

Also, Ethics don't matter anyway. If its legal, do it, and pretty sure scaling is legal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...