The question has come up many times whether it’s better to mill Cataclysm herbs and trade down for glyphs inks, or to keep buying Classic/Outland/Northrend herbs to get the needed inks. Calculating the true cost of Cataclysm herbs is complicated by their Burning Embers, used to make Inferno Ink, so the true price of our inks may take a bit more work to determine.
A quick comparison of the likely suspects:
Classic Herbs: 1g50s each, 30g per stack, or 6g per ink
Cinderbloom: 2g50s each, 50g per stack, or 10g per ink
Whiptail: 4g each, 80g per stack, or 13g per ink
With Cinderbloom, we’re paying an extra 4g for each ink, or 20g extra for each group of 5 bottles. However, each stack of Cinderbloom also produces a half-bottle of Inferno Ink. Looking at it from another direction, we could claim that we’re still paying just 6g for each Blackfallow Ink, and the extra 20g is paying for the half-bottle of Inferno Ink (40g for a full bottle from 2 stacks of herbs).
With Whiptail, the higher price means we’re paying 7g extra for each ink over the cost of the classic herbs, but gaining a full bottle of Inferno Ink in the process. If we apply the same 6g price to each Blackfallow Ink, this leaves 42g left over for the Inferno Ink.
Now, once we’ve built up our stockpile of 40g Inferno Inks, we have to find something to do with them (besides simply selling them).
If we use the Inferno Ink for making Darkmoon Cards, then each card will cost us 400g to make (10 bottle of Inferno Ink), along with another 450g in Volatile Lifes (at 15g each). Since we’re paying 850g for each card, each completed deck will cost us 6800g to make (although conveniently ignoring the dozens of unmatched cards hidden in the bank). If decks and trinkets are selling for more than that, then the extra price we paid for using Cataclysm herbs for our glyphs is covered.
Darkmoon Card Prices
(quick and dirty spreadsheet attached for playing with your own numbers)