We did it. We survived another year of Magic the Gathering. 2016 had its highs and lows both in the financial aspect, and the competitive aspect. We have a Modern format that is as popular as it has ever been, a Standard format that is currently being ‘rated' at a 3 out of 10, new Commander decks that destroyed our expectations and a possible new format filling the Standard/Modern gap. As we stare into the Lich's Mirror, Bound-Determined to make 2017 better, let us not forget to Reflector Mage on 2016.
Alliance of Arms is not my favorite join forces card, but it's still fun. Very clearly a Commander card, it more than doubled this week. Granted your opponents get creatures too, but couple this with something like Cathars' Crusade the advantage is definitely on your side. Mix it with Pandemonium and just try and resolve all the damage triggers. Hilarious! There are many ways to play Alliances of Arms, just don't do it with Purphoros, God of the Forge. No one likes the god of commander...except well, everyone.
Ydwen Efreet has one of the strangest names and even stranger art. What is strangest of all is the fact that it had a massive buyout spike, but is NOT on the reserved list. I had to double check the list to make sure. I mean, maybe someone is brewing a Vintage deck with him. Turn 1 Black Lotus into Ydwen Efreet seems like the best turn 1 play in the history of Magic! Jokes aside, I'm not really surprised by reserved list buyout spikes. It's like global warming: some people accept it and some don't, but it's still going to happen regardless of your stance. This card, however, is a mystery to me.
Ok, now we get to the really interesting part. As I stated two weeks ago, Frontier is a new format created by two game stores in Japan. There is some controversy surrounding the creation of the format. Some feel it's the attempt by game stores to cause a demand in freshly rotated cards. Others feel that it's a flash in the pan format and will die soon. Regardless of if the format gains popularity, the fact that it exists at all is enough to cause speculation and it is definitely showing in prices. A number of would be staples have climbed: Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Soulfire Grand Master, Hangarback Walker, Anafenza, the Foremost and other former super stars are seeing activity in the positive. Here's my stance on the whole issue; I think it's perfectly healthy for Magic. Take Hangarback Walker for example. It went from under $2, skyrocketed to near $20 when it saw heavy Standard play, and then settled back around $2. There is no doubt that Hangarback Walker is an amazing card, and $2 is a slap in its...cockpit? Just because a card rotates shouldn't resign it to a fate of the dollar rare box. I like seeing cards fairly priced for their power level, not necessarily the demand only. Time will tell if Frontier will actually be popular, but it's already done what it came here to do, and that is giving new ‘life' to some amazingly powerful cards.
Foils of the Week!
Since we have a jam packed article, I will only talk about one massive, massive spike. Foil Braids, Conjurer Adept went into the stratosphere, gaining over $100 (1000%.) The price will probably settle around $45-50, but it was an $11 foil last week. Clearly the target of a buyout, but honestly blue Braids has a very strong, almost Show and Tell like ability that was underpriced, especially at the foil level.
2016 Product and formats
2016 provided a ton of product. We had Oath of the Gatewatch, Shadows over Innistrad, Eldritch Moon and Kaladesh for main sets. We got two duel decks in Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed and Duel Decks: Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis. There was a healthy supply of cards for casual/edh players in Planechase Anthology, Commander 2016 and Conspiracy: Take the Crown. Our foil lust was sated by From the Vault: Lore, and one of the best reprint sets of all time came with Eternal Masters. The Eternal Masters printing provided potential Legacy players with many staples required to get into the format, but it also provided many Commander players with highly sought after, expensive cards in a cheaper and/or alternate art way. Legacy and Vintage are usually in a vacuum, rarely affected en masse by the Magic market, but Eternal Masters plus Eldrazi definitely impacted the format. In my opinion, as it sits now, Eternal Masters is in a perfect place. The singles are a healthy purchase for players and investors, as they are sitting lower than release, but the bottom did not fall out of the value for those hording it. Modern prices have been very, very strong in 2016. With players moving to Modern, the meta is ever changing and evolving. I wouldn't call Modern a budget format by any means, but that doesn't mean you can't compete on a budget. Additionally, with Modern doing well, people have felt more confident investing in staples and/or decks. Modern Masters 2017 should be a massive hit! Some people feel Standard is unhealthy as far as a few problematic cards, but you can't disagree that as a format, Standard is as affordable as it has ever been. Lastly, with Commander 2016, we saw a huge ripple effect across the financial world. Atraxa alone has single handedly propelled anything planeswalker or counter related straight up. Breya has also influenced the Artifact market to the extent that some weekly winners can be attributed to her printing.
Inventions
What can I say about Wizard's latest promotional cards? They are thematic, gorgeous and spread out in regards to power level. They also announced that it would be a recurring thing. We are going to get inventions in Aether Revolt, and that list is posted here. Some investors feel that the inclusion of a ‘lottery card' in a set is the wrong direction, as the overall expected value of non invention cards has to be lowered to adjust total expected value, but I think most players would rather enjoy the fruits of Wizard's labor. Is Ornithopter going to break the bank when you open it as an invention? You might be surprised. They are pre ordering for $70, and I expect that price to hold. Think about that for a moment. This will be the 12th printing of a $0.25 uncommon that ONLY sees play in a highly specific archetype, yet people are willing to shell out $70 each for them. I call that a win in my book. Hopefully we don't get spoiled too much, because we can easily get diluted with so many awesome cards.
The best card you're not playing in Commander!
Since it's the end of the year, I figured I would list one card for each color, an artifact and a multicolored card and land. I present the best cards you're not playing in Commander this year!
White
Ever been blown out by a mono white deck? Well you're about to. Lapse of Certainty will get you every. Single. Time. I had a friend who swore up and down that it was a terrible card, until I blew him out in front of several of our friends. He knows who he is. He actually goes by a different name now because he was so humiliated. That power is now yours. Make sure you crack them for lethal when you cast this, or when it's your turn, and I promise that your friends will not ever doubt your game prowess. They will forever respect the possibility of Lapse in your hand, and they should. I mean, who can be certain if you have it or not?
Blue
Psionic Blast is another blow out that your opponents will never see coming. 3 mana for 4 damage is definitely not great. However, if you're mono blue, no one will suspect it! Being able to kill creatures in a blue deck is fairly difficult, as the burn or kill options are limited. Additionally, you can just randomly exactsies someone at 4, as I have done it before. It is about as draw dropping of an ending one could see, and you may have to purchase that person a mask to cover their now deformed face. Having no board and killing someone in a mono blue deck with burn feels like summiting Mount Everest...when it's on fire.
Black
Skeletal Scrying from Odyssey largely flew under the radar for Commander players. It was reprinted in Conspiracy and Commander 2014, yet still remained off of most player's radar. It is 100% value town, USA. When you end step this bad boy for 4 (why yes, it does say Instant on the card,) it feels great. If you do it for more, it's just downright dirty. The usual reaction is “wait, that's a card?!” Yes, yes that is a card. It's like Sphinx's Revelation, but for people who like to get stuff done and end games. You know why we don't need to gain life, Mr. Sphinx's Rev player? Because we take lives, not gain them.
Red
As a lifetime red player, I have pages, upon pages of cards I would suggest to a red player. That being said, I can only choose one at a time, and this one happens to mean everything to me. It's the reason we play red. It's the reason we snicker just a little when we resolve hate cards. You know it, I love it, it's...Manabarbs. Sometimes I just want to watch the world burn, and there is no better way to stick it to that control player than this beautiful thing. Cast it on turn 2 and watch everyone groan. You might die much, much sooner than expected, but your opponents will have a new found respect for you. You know that kid in school that did something so crazy, everyone talked about him? That's you now. And you play Manabarbs.
Green
My second favorite color on the pie chart is green. It goes together with red like hot sauce and hand grenades. The best green card you are NOT playing is actually your new Commander. Baru, Fist of Krosa. Mono green decks do not usually come with many Commanders at the helm. Baru never gets any love, but Baru is like the hulk, he WILL smash. Tech tip: Have Baru out with a few tokens. Heck, they can be 0/1 plants. Cast New Frontiers for 6, and casually watch your opponents tutor up a few forests as you collect your 6. Count how many EACH player put on the battlefield, so let's say your 6 forests and 6 forests between 3 other players. Your 0/1 plants are now 12/13...trample, and your new plant god, Baru, is a 16/16 trample. That's not even counting if you have an Avenger of Zendikar out. You see, Baru turns landfall into gas, and it can be any player. Set some forests on fire my friends!
Artifact
For the record, I do not play with Sol Ring. I think it's a crutch for players who like to win on turn 3. There is no time for style when you win on turn 3. People that win on turn 3 are the type of people who tie their shoes standing up. Yeah, it makes no sense, I know. Cool kids play cool cards like Sandstone Oracle. Sure, it's 7 mana, but you have so much mana, you're paying for your friend's Sandstone Oracle too. Heck, buy a round for everyone, because this card will draw you as many cool points as it will cards. I think. The point is, it's a flying 4/4 that can draw you a ton of cards and no one will even know how you did it, because they have never even thought to use this card.
Multicolor
If red as a color is my best friend, then multicolor cards are the video games we play. Yeah, sure, we're bonding over video games, but we both know the real star here. As I referenced at the top, Bound // Determined is my go to “what the heck” multicolor card. I've used this to sacrifice Child of Alara, then bring it back along with 4 other cards. Even if you're not playing 5 color, you can still get value as either a sac outlet or a regrowth effect. The other half is perfect against control players. You can respond to them countering your spell, or better yet, cast Determined during your upkeep and stare straight at the control player. Maybe you're bluffing, maybe you're not, but either way they will be frightened. Hopefully they will be so startled that they will just scoop. I know I would...
Land
Ever need a random utility land in your 99? Look no further because Contested War Zone is a fantastic land! It's not played by many players and can fill any slot for a deck. It creates some fun political play, elicits conversation and facilitates plenty of beat down. Allow the player to your right to gain control of this so he can kill the control player across from him, then end him so you can get your land back, and gain the admiration of all. You will be the new commander of the war that is multiplayer with this land!
Final thoughts of 2016
I will try to not get too philosophical, but I promise it will relate to Magic. For a majority of my Magic playing life, I have been a casual player. I built my own ante decks as a kid, and fell in love with multicolor cards after a small article in Inquest (I think) that talked about a new format, Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH, Commander.) Fast forward to Lorwyn. I had just got back stateside after living in Japan for 4 years. I had been out of touch in the Magic world for a long time, and was eager to get back in. I started playing Standard by building my own deck. I was unaware that homebrew decks couldn't compete with Fairies, Jund, Swans combo, etc. I quit Standard and picked back up with Commander upon the release of Child of Alara in Conflux. I hated everything to do with competitive Magic because it seemed to deter creativity. I strictly played Commander, but still enjoyed watching Standard and soon, Modern. Eventually, I decided to homebrew a Modern deck since I enjoyed watching the format. Battle for Zendikar was being spoiled, and I absolutely loved Eldrazi, so I bought what I needed, including Eye of Ugin, Eldrazi Temple, etc. It turned out that I was on the cusp of building what was loosely the base for the incoming Eldrazi Winter deck(s) that destroyed Modern and led to the banning of Eye. I bounced back and forth between Modern and Commander, then decided to build a Standard and Legacy deck. The result today is that I have the finest appreciation for the game I've ever had. I enjoy the financial aspect, the investment opportunity, the collectability, the competitive scene and most of all, the casual scene. People get into a Magic ‘rut' and don't experience anything outside of that bubble. Mono black Commander players will swap out the Commander and a few cards, but we all know it's mostly the same deck. The same goes for people who play mono green or Gruul (R/G) or any kind of control/combo deck. We also all have that friend that only plays one format like Modern or Legacy and looks incredibly awkward trying to play a game of Commander. Heck, some people only play sealed and/or draft. In 2017, I encourage everyone to do something outside their bubble. Play Standard, build a completely new commander deck, to include the philosophy of the deck, play Modern or just start watching coverage. The point is to explore a new aspect of Magic. My goal for 2017 is to get into Pauper, draft more and top 8 a large Modern/Standard event with my own brew. Thank you for your support in 2016 and I hope to you are all here in 2017!
