The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set hasn't even dropped yet, but the Secrets of Strixhaven set is already having an impact on a very old card.
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.
Onto the Weekly Winners!
Premodern recently saw a banlist update with Parallax Tide getting the axe. The ban targeted one of the format's most oppressive effects which is a one-sided Armageddon that was showing up in multiple top-tier archetypes. With Tide Control, Replenish, and Stiflenought all losing access to this powerful sideboard card, the metagame is wide open for other strategies to emerge. Anurid Brushhopper from Judgment is one of the beneficiaries, seeing increased play as Terrageddon decks adapt to the new landscape.
Terrageddon has always been one of Premodern's premier land destruction decks, using Terravore as a clock while denying opponents resources with Wasteland, Vindicate, and the namesake Armageddon. The deck thrives in environments where opponents are trying to durdle with expensive spells, and with Parallax Tide decks potentially declining in popularity, there's more room for Terrageddon to prey on slower strategies.
Anurid Brushhopper fits well into this game plan as a new threat that also has the ability to protect itself at instant speed by discarding two cards to exile it and bring it back at end of turn. Plus you can potentially use it to grow your Terravore by discarding some lands you may still have in your hand. As Premodern players test the post-ban format, Terrageddon lists are getting another look, and Anurid Brushhopper is being tested as an addition.
Anurid Brushhopper is an almost 24-year old card that has not been reprinted. The supply is very low compared to newer cards and only a little attention can make the price go up. It seems likely that players saw that the Terrageddon deck was sometimes including this card, and they flocked to get their copies in. When the card doesn't prove to be valuable enough to the archetype, the price will quickly come down again. If it gets reprinted at some point, the price will also drop quickly, although the old frame may always carry a premium, especially to the Premodern crowd.
We see another card that's picking up steam in the Terrageddon decks. Cataclysm is a sorcery that not only gets rid of lands, it removes plenty of other permanents as well. However, when you're left with a huge Terravore, that seems like quite a good deal.
| Anurid Brushhopper | | |
| Cataclysm | | |
| Terravore | | |
| Wasteland | | |
Here's a card that's been around since the early days of Magic getting a fresh look. Library of Leng has been shooting up as players dig through older sets for synergies with the newly previewed Lorehold, the Historian from Secrets of Strixhaven. The artifact does two things that used to seem fairly niche. It removes your maximum hand size and lets you put discarded cards on top of your library instead of the graveyard. The combo seems straightforward: discard with Lorehold, use Library to put it back on top, draw it, and cast it for the miracle cost.
There has been some back-and-forth over the internet whether this interaction actually works. The rules get murky here because of how Lorehold's ability is templated. When it says "you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card," that discard is technically a cost according to the comprehensive rules, not an effect. Library of Leng specifically has an Oracle ruling stating you can't use it when discarding as a cost. Some judges argue the discard is both a cost and an effect since it happens during resolution, but others point to that Oracle ruling as definitive.
You can't use the Library of Leng ability to place a discarded card on top of your library when you discard a card as a cost, because costs aren't effects. (2004-10-04)
But fortunately, Matt Tabak from Wizards has given a definitive answer on Bluesky, stating that discard is a cost, but it's also part of the effect of Lorehold's triggered ability, so Library of Leng does apply to it. Despite the controversy, Library of Leng has been moving up. Even if the interaction wouldn't work with Lorehold specifically, the card would still enable other red discard outlets that genuinely are effects rather than costs. Rummaging effects and cards like Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion that force discard would still let you set up miracle triggers. Players are grabbing copies now while they're still affordable, betting that even without the perfect Lorehold synergy, there's enough upside in Boros Spellslinger builds to make it worthwhile.
| Library of Leng | | |
| Library of Leng | | |
| Library of Leng | | |
| Lorehold, the Historian | | |
As expected, Elves got notable support from Lorwyn Eclipsed, and Elvish Warmaster has been shooting up, and frankly, a little later than expected. This two-drop serves as both a token generator and a late-game overrun. The token creation only triggers once per turn, but in decks that naturally play multiple Elves, that limitation doesn't hurt much.
The card works well with the two popular Elf commanders from the new set. High Perfect Morcant wants Elves to enter to distribute -1/-1 counters and be able to proliferate, while Maralen, Fae Ascendant benefits from having lots of Elves to steal larger spells. Elvish Warmaster supports both strategies. It builds your board early, and the seven-mana activated ability can close out games by pumping your team and granting deathtouch. Since Elf decks typically run plenty of mana dorks, the activation cost is not that hard to use.
Looking at the price history, Elvish Warmaster has spiked several times since 2021, reaching around four dollars before settling back down. This pattern suggests the current movement might follow a similar trajectory. That said, each spike removes some supply from the market as cards stay in decks.
| Elvish Warmaster | | |
| Elvish Warmaster | | |
| Elvish Warmaster (Extended Art) | | |
| Elvish Warmaster | | |
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.
Neriv, Heart of the Storm has been identified by the MTGStocks Premium Penny Stocks feature as a card that has reached its bottom and is starting a consistent uptrend.
| Neriv, Heart of the Storm | | |
| Summon: Bahamut | | |
| Venom, Eddie Brock | | |
