GP Minneapolis is in the books and congratulations to Steve Locke for absolutely crushing everyone. 2017 Commander spoilers are making their way to us daily and the Standard meta is going through a bit of an adjustment as it tries to compensate for all the agro decks. There is quite a bit to digest this week, so let’s get started!
Apparently the best way to tell the date is a Stone Calendar, as they have been all bought out. This is yet another unplayable reserved list card buyout. Still, you can’t deny how unique looking this card is. I’ve played this at one time in a Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Commander deck (yes, I am ashamed of myself, but we all make mistakes.) If you have no interest in older cards, spikes like these may just roll off your back, but it is definitely a sign of the times for those who collect reserved list cards…
I swear someone went through a time machine and bought out obscure cards that I loved to play. Jalum Tome may not be the best use of 2 mana, but everyone loves to loot! This card is not on the reserved list and has even seen a reprint as recent as Commander 2014. I used to take advantage of the literal wording on with Rukh Egg [Version 2] and Jalum Tome. It didn’t specify from where when it hit the graveyard, so you could actually discard your egg to get a 4/4 “red flying token.” Oh Magic, how you’ve changed.
This weekend there was a very interesting Modern deck featuring Vengevine crafted and piloted by Julian Grace-Martin. He came out of the gates swinging hard, crushing any opponent who stood in his way day 1. He earned a deck tech feature and took the internet by storm. Unfortunately his day 2 didn’t go so well and he finished 10-5. Although this deck seems to be a flash in the pan strategy, that doesn’t change the fact that Vengevine is a great card and can be broken at will. The full decklist and feature is here.
In the Eye of Chaos is a great example of how mini buyouts affect reserved list cards in the long term. Back in June of 2013, this card was basically $20. There was a small buyout and it stabilized at $30. Then in March of 2014, there was a substantially larger buyout which caused it to spike hard. It eventually settled and hovered around $45-50. Now it’s up again and I would guess another $10 or so will be added to the average value. Finances aside, this card is absolutely everything I want in a hateful enchantment, except that it’s blue. When it was printed, instants weren’t terribly common, so this was pretty dull. This doesn’t see any play, unfortunately, but at 1 cmc less, I would wager it would be a great sideboard card in Legacy.
While this may not be in complete spike mode, it is on its way up and through the roof. In fact, I think Runed Halo is one good result away from becoming a $40 card. It sees play in many T2 type Modern decks and occasionally can be found in Legacy. The fact of the matter is there aren’t many cards like it, and at WW it is very reasonably costed. While the current trend may be attributed to Modern U/W combating Shadow, it really doesn’t need a reason to spike. It is a fantastic card!
I’ve love Training Grounds since it came out. I played it in a level up Commander deck and mostly used it in a fair way. It hasn’t necessarily been broken yet, but at a single U casting cost, it is a very efficient enchantment that doesn’t have a replacement. These are quietly on the rise right now, so if you can score some copies before the hype hits, definitely do it!
I think, out of spite, someone went and bought out every bauble type card. Lodestone Bauble has seen very, very minor Legacy play, but not nearly enough to warrant a spike. While this card actually is playable and does something, I don't think it's seeing a significant increase in play. I guess that means it's time to go buy some copies of Conjurer's Bauble now?
Lastly, one of the most annoying, yet important cards in Commander…Aura Shards. Not many people are happy to see this hit the battlefield and it prevents you from playing any meaningful artifacts or enchantments. It only has two printings, and while it is an uncommon, one of those two printings was the very limited Commander. Without a reprint in Commander 2017, this is set to be an expensive card. Hopefully you have all the copies you need, because this little baby is going to run out of stock quickly!
Foils of the Week!
In a "holy smokes, it's how much?" moment, foil Conjurer's Bauble showed us that foils really do matter. Probably due to another Scarab God spike, foil Tolarian Winds spiked this week, and luckily I already got my copy for my 1x foil 7th Edition set. Pirates ye say? Pirates is we! Foil Rishadan Footpad is a strong signal that players are dedicated to their tribes. Trinisphere had a significant bump in price and right now is the best time to acquire special cards like invocations or masterpieces. Foil Riptide Laboratory went up thanks to Wizards and Wizards (see what I did there?) Unified Will.
Cheap pickups of the Week!
There was a lot of hype around Paradox Engine when it was spoiled, but so far it hasn’t made any waves. This may be a bit cheaper when it rotates out of Standard, but it also might get broken before that. Now is a fine time to scoop up a few copies. Even though G/B decks have made a comeback in Standard, Verdurous Gearhulk has been steadily dropping and is at the lowest it’s been. If you’ve ever been in the market to build Legacy mono red sneak, or sneak and show, now’s a good time to pick up your Sneak Attack. The EMA version of Sneak Attack is also fairly stable to buy.
MTGStocks Mystery Chart of the Week!
Last week’s mystery chart was of my beloved Will-o'-the-Wisp. This week, another one of my beloved cards. It sees play off and on in competitive Magic, but not enough people play it.
Conversation of the Week!
Last weekend I went to GP Minneapolis and played in my first GP. It was Standard and I had been testing my mono red eldrazi deck on mtgo and at local events. I was confident and I was prepared. During the GP I learned a handful of things. Firstly, water is expensive if you don’t have a water bottle with and you WILL get thirsty. Secondly, nine rounds of Magic in a single day makes for a long, long day. No matter how prepared you think you are, you won’t be at your best during some or many parts of the day. In the middle of the day I hit a wall and became exhausted and drained. I had been eating and drinking, but I didn’t get up and walk around or go outside for fresh air often enough. Lastly, and most importantly, I learned to take each and every opening hand very seriously. While it may seem like a given, it was not for me. I had a bit of a win streak going and was feeling very confident right around the same time I was starting to hit the midday wall. I ended up losing back to back games because my opening 7 cards were decent, but not great. I definitely should have mulliganed more aggressively as if I were in the finals. Still, all in all I had a good trip. I ended up making day two, and while I day two went poorly for me (I was 9-3 at one point,) I finished with a 10-5 record.
On a related note, I’ve heard people complain about the entry fee to play in a GP. I preregistered, so I paid $70. The GP playmat is actually very sweet and if considering that people will pay $30+ for these, the entry fee is reasonable. I’d like to say that I think GP entry fees are perfectly fair. Wizards has to pay for the event, staffing, prizes, etc. I didn’t sign up for GP Minneapolis with hopes of making my money back, but to top 8 it and earn an invite to the Pro Tour, as well as experience a GP. I mean look at it this way: I paid $70 and was entertained by playing 15 rounds of Magic at a high level event. That has to account for something, right?
The best Commander card you’re not playing!
While fragile and a tad slow, the best Commander card you’re not playing is Harvest Mage. It plays very well in a The Gitrog Monster deck with things like Ramunap Excavator and Life from the Loam. While this may not be a Mana Reflection, in some ways, it’s better. Everyone knows to kill powerful enchantments and artifacts that double your mana, but most people will look the other way when you play Harvest Mage, which will allow you to get the same effect, earlier, and usually safer.
