This Week in Magic - Week 37

Another exciting week of new Kaladesh spoilers along with, quite possibly, the most beautifully bordered / alternate art cards ever printed: the Masterpiece Series: Kaladesh Inventions series. Let’s get started!

Wizards announced that they would be printing "expeditions" for Kaladesh, but in the form of Inventions. I think these will be even more successful than the full art lands. These reprinted artifacts with new art also play in to each set, in regards to lore. I haven't seen them in person yet, but from what I can tell, they just might be the prettiest Magic cards ever made. You can pre-order any of them on a few major websites, but we’ll have to wait and see if they are priced correctly. I know the demand is there for a handful of cards that see competitive play (i.e. Aether Vial) and casual players will most definitely want them to beautify their decks. 

 

Another one of the surprises of Kaladesh was learning that Dwarves would be returning as a race, but returning in white instead of red. As an old school Magic player, it’s exciting to see Dwarves back in print and I hope we get to see at least one really busted Dwarf (I know, just saying busted and Dwarf in the same sentence seems silly.) Dwarven Recruiter, a card that was literally 5 for $1 was targeted for a buyout on the chance that Dwarves become a Legacy thing. That or someone really wants to sell recruiters to commander players that love tribal. Compared to Goblins, Dwarves really have gotten the short straw (get it?) Let’s hope this set helps bring them back on the map!

 

When it comes to the recent spike of Treachery, it’s pretty tough to figure out exactly why.  It is on the reserved list and sees some competitive commander play. I don’t think there are any plans for it in non-commander competitive magic, so I can only assume it’s a combination of commander and continued reserved list buyouts. On the surface, a free control magic is good, but I don’t ever see this card cast as simply as that. It usually involves lands that produce more than 1 mana. The Timmy in me doesn’t like my creatures taken, so I’m glad cards as strong as this aren’t being produced anymore.

I’d like to take a moment to discuss the reserved list. Realistically, cards on the reserved list will never truly reduce in price, other than when someone who has a bunch puts them on the market. No matter what side of the reserved list debate you reside, the facts are the facts. I’m really not sure what type of event would see Wizards reprinting reserved list cards, but I know that people would be both furious and excited. I will say that it’s interesting in a card game, where price is generally determined by playability, that we have a list of cards that are expensive solely because they will not be reprinted. 

 

Selvala, Heart of the Wilds is a good example of a Conspiracy: Take the Crown card that was being dumped in the panic a few weeks ago for dirt cheap. I saw a few Ebay listings selling her for $2.50! She’s steadily been rising and commanding a respectable price now. I mean, she’s a mythic, an elf, a draw engine and a mana dork that can flood your pool with ANY combination of colors. Why this card was so cheap boggles my mind, but that just goes to show just how bonkers the up and down of Conspiracy: Take the Crown has been. I epect to write about other cards from that set in the weeks and/or months to follow.

 

Well, Bant Eldrazi is still a thing in Modern, so that means the cards in the list will continue to climb. While 7th Edition Brushland was the big winner this week, all printings found an increase in price. The neat thing is that there are quite a few different arts to choose from, so there isn’t just one art that is significantly more expensive than the rest. That being said, the deck is quickly becoming one of the most played decks in Modern, and is showing no signs of losing its crown any time soon.

I’ve received a few requests to talk about cards that are cheap, or have fallen from a higher price, which I will do, but at the moment I would like to talk about Kaladesh. Spoiler season for new sets tends to see the most price swings in the shortest period of time. When a new card is spoiled, several sites scramble to quickly assess it and set a price. It’s hardly a flawless process and cards fall through the cracks (see Jace, Vryn's Prodigy.) Now is the perfect time to pre-order cards before they truly take off. It does require some research, but can pay off when you get it right. Check out Kaladesh Kaledesh pre-order prices and how much they have changed since spoiler season started. The cycle of gearhulks is another example of cards that can swing in price between now and the first competitive tournaments. Create an MTGstocks account so you can track cards and get notified when the price changes. It's a fantastic way to be the first to know when to buy, and when to sell!