Is Standard Relevant to Magic Card Prices Again?

Before we get into this month’s Safe Bets, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the response to last month’s article where we discussed Jeweled Lotus, and to share a quick story.

Every month I write these articles and will usually buy some number of the cards I’m recommending; I don’t want to advise any risks I wouldn’t take myself. After the release of last month’s article, I tried to purchase a borderless Jeweled Lotus for myself. Twice I had sellers cancel the order. Each time, the price had gone up about $10. From the time of the article, all printings of Jeweled Lotus have increased in price with the borderless version increasing nearly $30. In case you still haven't, I still recommend buying Jeweled Lotus for the same reasons discussed last month. 

Standard Real Estate

For the first time in what feels like a decade, Standard is relevant. A decade might be an exaggeration, depending on the part of the country you live in, but in New England I think the last time Standard was relevant was Battle for Zendikar. The resurgence of Standard RCQs has caused Standard cards to go up in value - we’ve discussed some as our Weekly Winners recently. In preparation for local RCQs, I’ve been playing some standard on MTGO and, to my shock, I’m having a great time. I believe that the increase in Standard card prices is not only due to the coming RCQ season, but also because for the first time in years Standard is enjoyable. 

If Standard remains enjoyable after this RCQ season, I think we’ll see a world where Standard drives card prices again. 

In the current Standard, Triomes are the backbone of five-color mana bases. When these lands rotate, or as new sets shift the mana needs, new lands will increase in value, as we recently saw in the Standard Triomes. The two cycles I suggest investing in while they’re cheap are the “fast lands” from Scars of Mirrodin and March of the Machine. These lands have the failsafe of being playable in Pioneer if the Standard metagame doesn’t shift in their favor. The other cycle worth investing in is the new Man Lands (lands with the ability to turn into a creature). Some, like Restless Anchorage and Restless Reef, are already starting to see play in Standard. These lands feel comparable to the Worldwake Man Lands, and I expect that they’ll see play throughout their run in Standard.

Aboleth Spawn

Commander is an arms race. If one person in your playgroup pulls or buys a Dockside Extortionist, suddenly the rest of your playgroup has to find a way to keep up. This Safe Bet is a great way to make sure you’re prepared to stay on pace with your playgroup’s power creep. Aboleth Spawn is a creature that keeps pace with all of your opponents enter-the-battlefield triggers while protecting itself. 

About a month ago, I was playing CEDH. I cast Dockside Extortionist, one of my opponents flashed in Aboleth Spawn and proceeded to win the game. I immediately added Aboleth Spawn to my TCGPlayer cart and proceeded to forget about it. Since then, the card has risen from $1 to $6-7. It rose slowly, so it flew under our Weekly Winners radar. Despite the recent increase, I still think Aboleth Spawn is a good investment at $7. The fact that the price has risen steadily and is not due to a recent card printing, but rather for its usefulness and flexibility lead me to believe that this trend will continue.

Aboleth Spawn	CardKingdom $4.99	TCGPlayer $7.30
Aboleth Spawn (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $5.99	TCGPlayer $6.61

Mox Diamond

Reserve List season will soon be upon us. As we get our tax money back, many people will use it as a justification to buy Reserve List cards. If you file early, and are one of those people, I would recommend analyzing what has already gone up by the time you receive your refund. If I received my refund today, I would invest in a Mox Diamond. 

Reserve List as a whole has been down recently. With the shifts in the economy, and resuming student loan repayments, people have had less disposable income to spend on pieces of cardboard. Despite that, this tax season, as with most before it, Reserve List cards are starting to creep up again.

Of the Reserve List cards, Mox Diamond is playable in EVERY CEDH deck. Over the past year it’s fallen in price, by about $75, and has not yet begun the Tax Season climb as other cards, such as Lion's Eye Diamond and the Dual Lands, already have. Based on when you’re reading this, I would recommend taking a look at current pricing, and buying Mox Diamond until it hits about $600. After that, the window has been missed and you should wait until the Christmas Reserve List drop.

Mox Diamond

CardKingdom $679.99

TCGPlayer $649.99

Thank you for joining me for another month of Safe Bets. Be sure to check out our other articles, and if you’re going to SCG Hartford and you see me, come say hi! 

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