This Week in Magic - Week 9

Well, I guess there's no ignoring the amazing and insane spoilers from Modern Masters 2017. I don't think anyone (other than insiders) could have seen all the awesomeness coming. This will be a slightly different article this week. The market has been absolutely crazy, so let's not waste any more time and try to make some sense of what to expect in the coming weeks.

Modern Masters 2017 talk!

 

I'll start with what I think is the most impactful reprints. The Zendikar fetchlands (Arid Mesa, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Scalding Tarn, Verdant Catacombs) have been reprinted, and I think they will do the most for the market. Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander players are rejoicing, but that last group is the most important part to the equation. Scalding Tarn, for example, has started to dip slightly with the initial panic selling, but I believe all the fetches will hold strong. With an influx of fetches, commander players, myself included, will be looking to obtain their copies on the cheap. Demand has always been high, and I think even a market flooded with new fetches will still absorb them. I don't think there's much profit to be had selling your fetches now.

 

Cavern of Souls got a reprint AND a gorgeous new art. It has been on a slow downward trend, but still is an expensive card. Reprints with new art are tricky to nail down sometimes, as new art is subjective. It also got a bump in rarity to mythic. This means the new art might surpass the old art price wise. Personally, I'd trade my OG playset straight up of for the new ones. Cavern doesn't see a ton of play, but it is an unreplaceable card. It's a good time to get older ones that get dumped cheaply and pick up new ones that people devalue.

 

Snapcaster Mage also got the reprint and new art treatment, but the new art hasn't been sitting well with people. Like Cavern of Souls, it has been bumped up to mythic. This could cause original snaps to go up in the long run and the new one to “tank” as people make up their mind on how much they dislike the new art. For those that don't care about the art and just want the functionality of the card, take advantage of people trying to dump the new ones. Let's not forget, ugly art or not, this is still one of, if not the most powerful 2 drop in Magic!

 

The big, somewhat expected reprint came with Liliana of the Veil. With G/B/x decks gaining popularity over the last few weeks in Modern, many players have been trying to score their playset of Lili's and now they have an opportunity. I wouldn't expect her value to drop too much long term, but the market will probably see an influx of people trying to get value while they can. Many Commander players have a strong loyalty to the queen of black decks, so I would think these will move fairly quickly. Not many people have the money to drop on Liliana of the Veil, but many people will be opening packs hoping to become new owners.

 

Well, I guess we can get to the Lhurgoyf in the room. Tarmogoyf is seeing yet another reprint, and this will help push the expected value of MM17 packs into the room. I think that this reprint will push it below the $100 mark for good. Tarmogoyf is the card that defied reprint expectations. Some people are tired of seeing the green beast, so could get to the lowest point it's seen in 5+ years. This reprint confirmed that Wizards has officially lost their mind and gave us one of the best stand-alone sets of all time!

 

Big daddy Griselbrand came to party, and he may not be the best limited card, it's an amazing constructed card in Modern, Legacy and Vintage. Too bad he's banned in Commander. His price will see a hit as demand isn't incredibly high. It's definitely a great time to get your Griseldaddy over the next few weeks.

 

Blood Moon was a highly unexpected addition to the reprint train. Although it's been printed 5 times, it has held strong. It's hard to know exactly how this will affect the price, as the best card in Modern is also one of the hardest card to build with. Not to mention such a variety in borders adding to the complexities. That being said, Blood Moon will always be a sought after card for nearly every format. Like it or not, it keeps greedy mana bases in check.

 

Damnation. It's about Damnation time. This reprint will most certainly cause the price to drop hard. Damnation is expensive only because of supply and doesn't really see steady play. If you've ever wanted your own copy, now is the time to move. The market will flood with original and new copies, so take advantage of the low price.

 

Lastly for this segment, Goblin Guide. A reprint and an odd new art. The best 1 drop creature in Magic needed a reprint for quite some time. I'm not sure how the community will receive this art, but it should still stick pretty close to the original. I don't think the reprint will cause that much of a dip in price as no one can have too many Goblin Guides. This could cause a ripple effect making burn cards go up in price as more players move in to the deck.

 

In other news, Rite of Passage spiked this week and I haven't found a reason yet. Hardened Scales spiked with a Modern counters deck, and this could do shenanigans with Walking Ballista. Remove a counter, shoot your Ballista, and gain 2 counters. Go infinite then kill your opponent. Seems cute. I fully expect this to settle around $1.50.

 

Carpet of Flowers used to be in my budget Commander deck, now it's just insanely expensive. It has seen some consistent corner case play in Legacy and random Commander decks. Unfortunately, I don't think will be getting any cheaper anytime soon. It has only one printing and actually sees some play. I don't think this would ever see a reprint in a Masters set, so the quantity will steadily decline.

 

Eidolon of the Great Revel is a highly punishing card, and I'm surprised it took this long to go up significantly. Maybe attached to the reprint of Goblin Guide, Eidolon won't look back anytime soon. You should try to get any cheap copies if you can still find them. This card will continue to see play in Modern and Legacy.

Mystery card of the Week

Last week's mystery chart was Sphinx's Revelation. It's no secret that some of you found this much too easy. Let's give you a little more of a challenge this week.

 

Conversation of the Week!

With the realization that Modern Masters 2017 is going to be epic, some people feel this is Wizard's parting gift to a format they intend to drop entirely. TCG and SCG will continue to hold Modern events, so even if Wizard's completely drops Modern from their schedule, it will continue to be played heavily. I think a few changes can be made to make Modern a little less goldfishy, but all in all, I think the format is healthy. Obviously this is coming from someone who is a fan of Modern, and some pros have talked about how unhealthy they think Modern is on the pro tour. Regardless of the future, we have to enjoy and appreciate Modern Masters 2017. I can't wait to draft it!!

The best Commander card you're not playing!

I'm surprised I'm saying this, but Oblivion Sower is the best Commander card you're not playing. Many people talked about it when it was spoiled, but since it's been mia. There is so much value to be had and you don't have to be playing a colorless or Eldrazi themed deck to take advantage of the cast trigger.