A competitive player of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ringler, made a public challenge on February 2, 2025: to buy a Steam Deck using only the money earned from selling Steam trading cards. And he succeeded, selling a huge number of cards – 200,000 to be exact.
For those unfamiliar with the system, many games on Steam reward players with cards for their playtime, which can be collected, fused into gems, or sold for real money. The cards can also be gifted or sold through direct trades.
When Ringler posted on X (thanks Dexerto) saying, “My goal is to buy a steam deck entirely with trading cards,” thousands of people began sending him their cards to help him with the challenge.
A Collective Effort
Steam cards usually don’t have much value (between 2 to 5 cents each), so to reach his goal, Ringler had to sell a large number of cards. At one point, he automated the process, selling 5 cards per second.
The massive number of transactions triggered Steam’s security system, and Ringler had to use a VPN to avoid getting blocked. In the end, though, he succeeded and raised over $650, enough to buy the OLED 1TB edition of the Steam Deck.
After buying, he also humorously pointed out that he earned more money in 4 days selling Steam cards than he had won in almost 10 years of competing in Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments.
