Well, you have to pay for boosters there, so in the long-term you end up paying more money.
The best way to play is to find a friend with a bunch of cards and Cube Draft. Basically your friend assembles a set of cards that players make boosters from by taking 15 random cards, then you do a draft with those booster packs like competitive play works. It's a lot of fun, but assembling a good Cube can be really expensive... which is why you find a friend with really good cards to begin with. =P
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No amount of planning will ever replace dumb luck.