Weekly Winners (13-2016)

Last week it seemed that the reserved list hype was ending, but this week another batch of seemingly random reserved list cards spiked hard. Besides that, there are several interesting changes this week to report about. So, once again, I present you the cards that will be the talk of the town tonight.

See something interesting, or do you have a question? Send me a tweet: @MTGPeter

 

#1 Birds of Paradise +32.3% ($9.02)

It is always nice to write about the absolute classics of Magic: The Gathering. Birds of Paradise is one of those classic, evergreen cards in Magic. Birds of Paradise  is one of the few cards that is reprinted so many times, and still hold a substantial value. Around $8 for a card that has been printed in thirteen sets is quite an accomplishment. 

The price increase in the 5th edition printing of Birds of Paradise fits into a larger trend concerning the card. To put it into perspective, check out the combined graph below:

All printings show the same trend: around $3-4 a year ago, now ranging from $6+ to $9. Birds of Paradise is a classic, it is a fit in many green decks outside competitive play. There are plenty alternatives, but hey, Birds of Paradise has a certain ring to it, a style. Sure, Orochi Leafcaller does the job, it doesn't have flying, and does not tap for mana itself. And compared to Birds of Paradise, Orochi Leafcaller is an underwhelming $0.15 card.

Besides being a classic, Birds of Paradise sees play in Modern and fringe play in Legacy. And it will see serious play in both formats if birds ever become a thing in competitive magic. Birds of Paradise is in casual demand, Modern demand and even in Legacy demand, and a classic card with great flavor.

On top of that, chances are small Birds of Paradise will be reprinted a fourteenth time soon. Since Wizards announced that there will be no new core sets printed, this has greatly reduced the chances of Birds of Paradise reappearing in a regular set. Even when Wizards announces The Dawn of Ravnica, or Ravnica Resurrected, or even Ravnica's Dawn, it will probably not be reprinted since it was in Ravnica, but not in Return to Ravnica block. It may however stand a chance when the set Ravnica: Cloud City is announced (and there better be falcons in it too then.. and betrayal). 

 

#2 Reserved list Speculations: Squandered Resources +971.4% ($7.50) and Pendrell Mists +380.9% ($10.05)

Last week, I had good hopes that the reserved list hype was ending. I was wrong. This week, another batch of reserved list cards spiked for no apparent reason, without any real demand behind it. I present you both cards at the same time, because these buyouts are getting less relevant with every passing day. Still worth reporting though, because you might have a stray copy in your binder or shoebox that you could turn into something you do want to play in a deck.

Squandered Resources could be relevant because it could grant you extra mana in decks that need to generate huge amounts of mana in a short time. Storm decks for instance, that use all kinds of rituals to get enough mana (and storm count) to knock you down from 20 life to 0 in a single turn. Sometimes even in their turn 1. If you play ANT, TES or Doomsday (storm decks), you probably just raised an eyebrow, because Squandered Resources simply is not good enough to even consider playing. Just run Rain of Filth and that is all you should need. 
The reason I even try to connect Squandered Resources to a deck, is because Legacy (and Vintage) are the only competitive formats the card could be played in. Sure, there are EDH decks that run the card, but that does not make it $7+. What I mean to say is that there is no reason (channeling Walter Sobchak here) that Squandered Resources spikes, outside being on the reserved list and having a mildly interesting ability printed on it.

Pendrell Mists is the same thing. Sure, it kinda looks like The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, but is nowhere as useful or powerful. And even more, decks that tend to play The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale are not blue decks. And if a blue deck needs to play anything, it would not be a 4 mana enchantment, but rather a Jace, the Mind Sculptor or Show and Tell (with 1 blue floating for a counterspell). 

 

#3 Westvale Abbey +396.2% ($18.46)

First, let me explain why Westvale Abbey is not #1 or #2 this week. The reasoning behind this is the fact that the card is not even released yet. That means that at this time, I have 10 data (days a price is tracked) points to work with and these are all prerelease prices, since the release of Shadows over Innistrad is at april 6th. Always be aware of cards that have big price tags in the days leading to the release of a set. Most cards drop in price directly after release. Many mythics are overvalued, and many rares as well. 

Chances are that Westvale Abbey will be a staple in the new standard. But not everybody agrees on the power level and usefulness of the card. Check out this Reddit thread. And be aware, before the release of a set, card prices tend not to be trustworthy!

 

See something interesting, or do you have a question? Send me a tweet: @MTGPeter