I guess it would be interesting if someone spends $50 or so and could report on his experience as well as FTP so we could get a better picture of the economy.
I'l report from the $20 purchase camp - I'm about 90% complete for three T1/2 decks. UB midrange missing seven lands, Mono-G missing a couple Steel-Leafs and Jadelight Rangers, and Mono-W missing History of Benalia. All are getting about 50% win rate at Gold 4/3.
I bought gems to draft though, and waited until my pulls started pointing me in a direction before spending any rare or mythic WC. Sitting on 9 rare WC and 5 mythic WC (and 15ish uncommon WC) until we have full Standard so there's a clearer picture of the meta before I dive in. Still at 4050 gems too, can't spend the damn things fast enough in the short time that draft is available. 24/7 drafting is coming just in time for DOM to presumably move back to the end of the draft format rotation.
Yeah draft is the best way to spend gems and where you get the most of them, I guess I would be putting fewer gems into packs after the wipe, but we really should create a couple of threads for every block, I was rather good on Amonkhet and Ixalan but I sucked at Dominaria, I guess is coz the meta is slower or I got
wise and land drafted -I just could not keep passing on them- but every block has its tricks and what works in one doesn't work in the other.
What block is the next one?