Weekly Winners 2024 - 03

The first spike caused by Murders at Karlov Manor has reached the Interests, especially some foil cards, but there are also other cards to talk about.

Like every week, just in time for FNM, I'll tell you about the Magic: the Gathering cards that'll be the talk of the town tonight! Come discuss this week's price movements with us on Discord.

Articles

• Edward's article No AI Art Here - Artist-Themed Decks in Premodern takes a nostalgic journey through the evolution of Magic's art, focusing on decks themed around specific artists. It's a fascinating read for those who appreciate the blend of artistic creativity and strategic deck-building in the game, offering a unique perspective on card collecting and deck design.
• In Hidden Gems for The Ur-Dragon Adam explores under-the-radar cards for enhancing The Ur-Dragon decks in Commander. It's a treasure trove of strategic insights for those looking to elevate their gameplay with unique choices, offering a fresh perspective on deck optimization for one of the game's most iconic commanders.
• Matt's article Magic: The Gathering Trends in 2023 in the New Horizons series offers a comprehensive analysis of the year's trends in the game, highlighting key market shifts and standout cards. It's an essential read for enthusiasts eager to understand the evolving dynamics of card values and their impact on gameplay and collection strategies.
• Max's Which Version of Lightning Bolt Should You Buy? in the Variant Vault series is a collector's guide, offering a comprehensive breakdown of the iconic card's variants by price and collectibility. This article is a must-read for enthusiasts aiming to make informed decisions about which versions to add to their collections, balancing budget and rarity.

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Onto the Weekly Winners!

#1 Animation Module $4.99 (+399%)

Starting this week off with Animation Module. This rare artifact from Kaladesh was about a dollar last week and was mainly around that price because it does see some play in Commander, mainly in decks around Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate and Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender. As you probably would have guessed, and also could have seen from the Commanders I just mentioned, Animation Module wants to be in decks that care about counters, and preferably +1/+1 counters since it then can be used to churn out 1/1 artifact Servos.

The card spiked this week when a preview came out from Murders at Karlov Manor that goes infinite with the Module. Crime Novelist is a new uncommon in the upcoming set, and makes a three-card combo along with Animation Module and any sacrifice outlet as long as it can sacrifice artifacts. Meaning that if you have artifact creatures (Servos, maybe?) then Ashnod's Altar, for example, will do.

Whenever you sacrifice an artifact through the outlet, you get to put a +1/+1 counter on Crime Novelist and you get a . But since you put a +1/+1 counter on a creature, Animation Module will trigger, and you get to pay to make a Servo. Since you received , you can use that to pay for the trigger. This new Servo can, in turn, be sacced again to your outlet. Rinse and repeat.

Animation Module	CardKingdom $2.49	TCGPlayer $4.99
Crime Novelist	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $4.00

#2 Muxus, Goblin Grandee $11.70 (+16%)

"Only 16%? Why is this a winner?" you might ask. Well, I put the cheapest version in the header which is from the first Jumpstart set. But the version from Jumpstart 2022 jumped a whole lot more and is high up on the weekly Interests. And to be fair, I'm not sure there is an actual reason at this moment for the card to jump that high. That being said, Muxus absolutely still is a beast.

Originally pivotal in Historic Goblins decks, Muxus transformed the archetype into a potent combo deck, where casting it for six mana unleashed a lethal swarm of hasty Goblins. And while this strategy at first mainly took place in Magic Arena, it has been influencing the physical card market for some time as well. Lately the card is mainly popular in Legacy.

The combo of these Legacy Goblins decks is pretty simple: make sure you have six mana, play Muxus, and win. Since the deck is (obviously) packed with Goblins of mana value five or less, there's a pretty good chance you get to put an army into play. And while this deck has existed in Legacy for some time now, not too long ago it received Broadside Bombardiers that once again drove the deck over the top and renewed interest in it.

Of course this deck plays cards like Chrome Mox, Skirk Prospector, and Simian Spirit Guide to help to churn out Muxus early in the game. And Chrome Mox in turn can be used later again to be sacrificed by Broadside Bombardiers to fling some damage.

Muxus, Goblin Grandee	CardKingdom $10.99	TCGPlayer $11.70
Muxus, Goblin Grandee	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $19.20
Muxus, Goblin Grandee	CardKingdom $11.99	TCGPlayer $14.84
Broadside Bombardiers	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $9.05

#3 Chrome Host Seedshark $4.10 (+41%)

Wizards sure likes to combine Sharks and tornados. I'm pretty sure we all remember Shark Typhoon. This week we see Chrome Host Seedshark moving up quickly, and seems like it has to do with it being played in both Standard and Pioneer. Just like the previous weeks, it's good to mention that we are in the Standard Regional Championship Qualifying (RCQ) season, and thus we see a lot of Standard staples move up since people need the cards in a rather short timeframe to be able to play them.

For three mana we have a 2/4 flying Shark that Incubates whenever you play a noncreature spell. Not very much unlike Shark Typhoon which straight up makes flying Shark tokens.

It sees play in Standard in Bant Domain decks, where usually included as a singleton in the mainboard. You often also find additional copies in the sideboard. These decks need a few turns to get started, and often want to win with a Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Herd Migration. So having a cheap blocker that can make additional blockers a bit more early on in the game can keep you alive long enough to get to your win conditions. But the deck also plays a lot of board wipes, and your Incubation tokens don't get hit by them. They just sit there, waiting for the perfect moment to be brought to life and do their thing.

Chrome Host Seedshark	CardKingdom $3.49	TCGPlayer $3.89
Chrome Host Seedshark (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $4.99	TCGPlayer $3.49

#4 Foil Updates

As a little extra bonus, because of the preview season going on from Murders at Karlov Manor, I figured you may want to see the following two cards that are moving up. At the moment it's mostly the foil copies, but regular versions may also start moving.

Both Ixidor, Reality Sculptor and Dream Chisel's foil prices have spiked. It's not really hard to see the pattern between them. Both of them interact with face-down creatures, and if you've been following the preview season from Murders at Karlov Manor, you'll have noticed that this set, amongst others, also revolves around these creatures. The new ability Disguise has popped up on some of the previewed cards. It allows players to pay to cast a card with the ability face down as a 2/2 colorless, typeless creature with Ward . Disguise is a better version of Morph, which was considered a bit too weak for the current Standard environment.

$24.72

$0.50

At this time it feels like these foil versions are just being bought out purely out of speculation. If you really want to play these cards, the regular versions are still available for reasonable prices. It also remains to be seen whether the cards from Murders at Karlov Manor are interesting enough to really revitalize an interest in face-down decks.

Ixidor, Reality Sculptor	CardKingdom $2.79	TCGPlayer $2.43
Dream Chisel	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $1.40

Cheap Pickups

Please note: for our 'record low' we consider the price of the card over the past seven years. Many cards were even cheaper (a) decade(s) ago. Also note: some cards are still going down, and might be even cheaper pickups next week.

Sonic Screwdriver (0185) $1.93 - Moving up!

Sonic Screwdriver (0185) has been identified by the MTGStocks Premium Penny Stocks feature as a card that has reached its bottom and is starting a consistent uptrend.

The Chain Veil $4.70 - Stable

Glimpse of Nature $7.67 - Moving down

Sonic Screwdriver (0185)	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $1.94
The Chain Veil	CardKingdom $7.49	TCGPlayer $4.62
Glimpse of Nature	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $7.57