Cards Heating Up in Modern Right Now
With the recent release of
Today we’re talking about some spicy cards that showed up in fighting form at the SCG Con Portland Regional Championship, and some new spice from Aetherdrift almost guaranteed to make a splash in Modern!
Let’s dig in.
Kozilek's Return
First on our list of sweet singles today is the classic Kozilek’s Return: an instant-speed, devoid mass removal spell. Eldrazi Ramp decks are mainboarding it at four copies to maximize its effectiveness in this new creature-dense meta that Modern is enjoying in its slow rebirth. Beyond its utility against the broader creature base, Eldrazi Ramp decks don’t run creatures that would typically die to the damage Kozilek’s Return would deal, making it almost entirely a one-sided removal spell from a practical standpoint.
Prior to Eldrazi Ramp finding a home in the format after the most recent banned list update, Return was sitting comfortably at bulk status insofar as mythics can be considered bulk: $3.50. Today, however, it’s commanding between $7 and $10 a card, which now makes it the most expensive single by the market average from
The price increase coming solely from its pickup in play in one deck is startling, but consider the fact that it’s played as a four-of in the mainboard of the deck, and that it only has one printing outside its original in Oath:
Do I expect its price to keep climbing? Perhaps. The awkward timing of the recent Regional Championship coinciding with Aetherdrift’s release makes it somewhat unclear as to which decks will remain at the top and bottom of the meta. At the very least, there’s one Aetherdrift single that’s bound to shake up the meta at least a little bit - which we’ll discuss in a bit!
| Kozilek's Return | ||
| Kozilek's Return |
Collector Ouphe
Spoiler: Amulet Titan won Regional Championship Portland in a relatively commanding fashion. The relatively small, yet extremely talented community of Titan players, coupled with the top-end of the meta landscape (Temur Breach, Energy) being relatively immune to
With no Blood Moons running around, Amulet Titan could lean more heavily into its weapons against Temur Breach and other well-represented decks at the top of the meta. One particular sideboard option put in an extreme amount of work: Collector Ouphe.
This two-mana green creature almost single-handedly shuts down Temur Breach decks if it lands and sticks. Given that Breach was the deck to beat going into the RC, Ouphe became one the best options out of the sideboard to secure wins for games two, and potentially three, in Amulet Titan.
In a deck that runs four
| Collector Ouphe | ||
| Collector Ouphe | ||
| Collector Ouphe (White Border) |
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
While this card wasn’t played in the RC-winning list, and isn’t moving mountains from a price standpoint by any means, it is one of the most fun, and interesting legends that has had an equal splash in both Modern and Commander - largely in the same way.
With
Simply put, Lumra represents a synergistic value engine that doubles as a functional win condition under the right circumstances. Versatility like this in a deck that already ramps incredibly aggressively makes it a premium piece for speculation should Titan continue to put up results like it has been.
Outside of its place in Modern, Lumra is seeing some play in cEDH as a Commander - one that put up a terrific Top 4 appearance at SCG Con Columbus (snagging second place overall). The cross-format space that Lumra traverses and the ceiling for its overall utility being one tied to the quality of non-basic lands available in both formats make it a relatively safe card to spec on and perhaps pick up to best suit your needs.
| Lumra, Bellow of the Woods | ||
| Lumra, Bellow of the Woods (Borderless) (0293) | ||
| Lumra, Bellow of the Woods (Borderless) (0342) |
Ketramose, the New Dawn
Arguably the most impactful single out of
Given that Orzhov/Esper Blink decks love to exile cards from play to “blink” them, or from their graveyard with
On top of this, the amount of exiling one does with one's own permanents thanks to pieces like
The potency of this card in some shells or brews out of the gate have it sitting at a pricey $50 market price with no sign of slowing down. Will this price stick? Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does. With
It’s not going out on a limb to imagine Blink decks skyrocketing to the top of the meta and usurping Temur Breach as the deck to beat. If the format pans out this way, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this card encroach the $80 or $90 territory much like The One Ring did, and
| Ketramose, the New Dawn | ||
| Ketramose, the New Dawn (Borderless) | ||
| Ketramose, the New Dawn (First-Place Foil) |
Final Comments
Overall, Modern seems to be finding its steady-state. The meta seems to be solidifying itself, and despite Energy still occupying a large percentage of the meta, the format certainly has much more breathing room, lending itself to a wider array of deck archetypes, play patterns, and matchup intricacy than it has seen in some time.
Keep your eye on Ketramose, and speculate safely!
Further Reading:
Corey Williams
Corey Williams is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. He considers himself a macroeconometrician with his research body reflecting work in applied macroeconomics and econometrics. Corey is an L1 Judge who started playing Magic around Eighth Edition. He enjoys Modern, Commander, cEDH, and cube drafting. Outside of Magic, he loves running, teaching, and the occasional cult movie.