Hello, Magic world. We have a fun filled week for you filled with hilarious characters, taxing enchantments, and more reserved list shenanigans. (I'll only say that word once!) Just in time for FNM, I bring you this week in Magic!
Angus Mackenzie, the lovable $90 commander. Wait, what? Much like most of the legendary creatures from Legends, Angus Mackenzie is flavorful, unique and downright awesome! For those fortunate enough to own such “legends” as Hazezon Tamar, Gwendlyn Di Corci and Dakkon Blackblade, please show them off so that others may appreciate them. There is nothing cooler than sitting across the table and someone whips out their Legends commander. Speaking of which, you might want to pick up some of the cheaper commanders from Legends if you're at all interested. They won't stay cheap forever.
Well, I mentioned Koth of the Hammer last week as part of the Skred Modern deck, and it looks like he followed Scrying Sheets lead. He saw a small uptick last week, but this week he went nuts! I don't expect Skred to maintain its popularity in the long run, but it is a unique deck in a bundle of regulars at Club Modern. As much as I love my girl Chandra, I think Koth is a better aggressive walker. He may not protect himself, but who needs protection when you can minus for tons of red. It's also noteworthy that his ultimate is theoretically better. I had a game in Standard for PPTQ where I ulted my Chandra, Torch of Defiance, but didn't have any cards in hand. My opponent was at 5 and it took me 3 turns to draw a spell. I nearly lost with a Chandra ult out! There is no needed pesky spells to win with Koth, because your mountains do it for you.
Planechase version of Ancient Den went up this week, and this brings me to a peculiar part of Magic card prices. There are a number of reprints in Planechase that are the most expensive versions of said printing. With nothing but a set symbol differentiating a card, I find it odd that people are essentially paying more for a set symbol. Yes, Planechase was a small printing, but without alternate art or anything being different, is a set symbol really worth more to you? For the record, artifact lands should never have been printed.
I won't get too heavy into foils this week, but it is notable that the original foil printing for Pithing Needle (Saviors of Kamigawa) is $100. Also, 7th Edition Teferi's Puzzle Box saw a huge gain, and personally, I love this card. Well, I don't love it when it's paired with Nekusar, the Mindrazer, but hey, sometimes you have to deal with problems as they come up. Serum Powder went up, and if you've never seen it used on camera, you're missing out. Some decks have found it a home in Legacy and Modern. Leylines comes to mind as one deck that really maximizes the value of a Serum Powder.
There has been some rumblings in the Magic community regarding Wizards choice to reprint Eternal Masters. The prices have been slowly trickling down and it's mostly due to the demand of these older cards. Some commander players were overjoyed at the chance to get some staples reprinted, but there just isn't the same demand for a Karakas or Mana Crypt as there is for a Tarmogoyf or Liliana of the Veil. Some have speculated that Wizards is either greedy or desperate. Some view them as heroes printing another run of product while others fear they might start reprinting other things when they feel like it. Whatever the reason, another wave of Eternal Masters is hitting the shelves and we don't know if it's a true reprint, or an additional wave of product that was already printed. What's important is that how it affects the price of Eternal Masters cards. We'll have to wait and see how “modest” their reprint cycle is.