Weekly Winners 2024 - 15

This week our spikes are all Commander related. Interesting to see how much of an impact Obeka has on several card prices.

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

In Will Outlaws of Thunder Junction Affect Modern?, Corey delves into whether the newly introduced elements of this set will shuffle into the Modern format or merely fold into the background. He provides an in-depth look at how the dynamics and mechanics could potentially resonate or clash with the current competitive environment. Dive into Corey's comprehensive analysis to gauge the potential upheaval or stability brought by these cards.

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Author's Note

As I mentioned last week, I'm currently on holiday touring around in the US. Seeing as this puts me in a completely different timezone, and my time with internet is limited, I have to write my articles on a little different schedule. This means that I have to write one day in advance. So if I miss a card to discuss, it could have spiked overnight and I simply hadn't seen that yet. But don't worry, if necessary I'll try to cover that card in the following week.

Onto the Weekly Winners!

#1 Ugin's Nexus $5.00 (+139%)

This legendary artifact from Khans of Tarkir is almost ten years old and hasn't had a reprint since. It's been a card that you would occassionally find in Commander decks because it does two things: prevent your opponents from taking extra turns, which is always good; and it also has some sort of protection against mass-removal. When someone decides to destroy all artifacts, for example, they will grant you an extra turn. This can make people hesitant to play these kinds of cards that get rid of a bunch of permanents, such as Vandalblast.

The card has been bulk for a long time and could have been had for less than a dollar a little over four years ago. In March 2020 Ugin's Nexus spiked for the first time when it showed up in Pioneer sideboards. Peter back then talked about cards you should always keep an eye on: cards with alternative mana costs, cards with alternative wins, cards with unique effects, and cards that grant extra turns. And as you can see Ugin's Nexus falls into two of them, and it turned out that indeed it was just a matter of time before this card got broken.

$42.82$39.99

This time the reason for the spike is a new card from Outlaws of Thunder Junction: The Big Score. Esoteric Duplicator can make copies of artifacts that got sacrificed for a mere . Now all that we need is a way to sacrifice artifacts. The easiest card of choice for that would be Krark-Clan Ironworks. Not only does it sacrifice your artifact, but it also gives you mana... Now where could we use that mana for? When stacked correctly, these three cards together will give you infinite turns.

Ugin's Nexus	CardKingdom $1.49	TCGPlayer $5.13
Esoteric Duplicator	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $8.59
Krark-Clan Ironworks	CardKingdom $39.99	TCGPlayer $42.82

#2 Court of Vantress $14.28 (+208%)

Now that all cards from Outlaws of Thunder Junction are known and the dust settling, it's time to make up the score on what cards will be good and what cards aren't. When we look at the legendary creatures, it feels like Obeka, Splitter of Seconds will be one of the top popular commanders people will want to build around. Obeka does something unique: it gives you additional upkeep steps. Yes, you read that correctly: steps. That's plural. So when Obeka connects, it gives you two additional upkeep steps. Or more if you've pumped her.

Now when we look at cards that work well with additional upkeep steps, we will immediately look at the Court cycle from Commander: Wilds of Eldraine. These Courts all make you the Monarch when they enter the battlefield, but then also have a triggered ability in your upkeep phase that become more powerful if you're the Monarch. But this cycle isn't new, and there has already been a similar cycle in Commander Legends.

$8.90$7.99

$5.70$5.49

Since Obeka has three colors, three of these Courts are eligible to find their way into the deck potentially. And Court of Vantress seems to be the most popular choice. Being able to make copies of enchantments on the battlefield seems pretty good. We've also seen Court of Embereth and Court of Ambition move up this past week. However, the Court of Embereth could also very well be attributed to upgrades for the Hail, Caesar precon with Caesar, Legion's Emperor as the commander. 

Other upkeep-related cards are moving up as well. One of the more prominent ones, which needs very little expanation, is Darksteel Reactor. With multiple upkeeps, you get to your alternative win condition much more quickly.

And when we talk about extra upkeeps, there is another card that we certainly can't leave undiscussed. We're of course talking about the uncommon from Time Spiral: Paradox Haze. It grants extra upkeeps and fits the color identity of Obeka, making it a must-include when you want to play her.

And last, but not least, we also see Descent into Avernus moving up quickly. Seeing the upkeep trigger, it seems very linked to Obeka, but there may be a different reason for the card to move up as well. That card is Vihaan, Goldwaker, from Commander: Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

Court of Vantress	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $15.40
Court of Vantress (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $19.98
Obeka, Splitter of Seconds	CardKingdom $3.99	TCGPlayer $4.99
Paradox Haze	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $10.27
Darksteel Reactor	CardKingdom $14.99	TCGPlayer $27.50

#3 Rot Hulk $44.09 (+45%)

This Zombie is from the Game Night box set, and seeing as this is a rather niche product, only a fairly limited number has been sold. This obviously means that supply is rather low, and when there comes demand, the price will spike rather quickly. The synergy from Rot Hulk with other cards is rather straightforward: it wants to be played alongside different Zombies. This means that whenever new Zombie support is printed, there's a good chance that this card will spike through the renewed popularity.

And this week that's no different. Gisa, the Hellraiser was printed in Outlaws of Thunder Junction that is sparking renewed interest in Zombies. Gisa is a commander that's a little bit harder to get rid of because of ward. She also is a Zombie lord, meaning she gives them (and Skeletons) +1/+1, but will also grant them menace. And in the right build the "commit a crime" trigger will also provide you with a nice undead army.

In October 2021 we also talked about a surge in Zombie cards. If you're interested in other Zombie cards that may go up, or maybe already have gone up, because of this renewed love for the creature type, you can refer to Weekly Winners 2021 - 39.

Rot Hulk	CardKingdom $39.99	TCGPlayer $44.07
Gisa, the Hellraiser	CardKingdom $12.99	TCGPlayer $11.97

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.

Cruel Celebrant $0.47 - Moving up!

Cruel Celebrant has been identified by the MTGStocks Premium Penny Stocks feature as a card that has reached its bottom and is starting a consistent uptrend.

Infernal Tutor $0.66 - Slowly moving down

Blackcleave Cliffs $6.59 - Moving down slowly

Cruel Celebrant	CardKingdom $0.99	TCGPlayer $0.48
Infernal Tutor	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.70
Blackcleave Cliffs	CardKingdom $8.49	TCGPlayer $6.56