Weekly Winners 2022 - 12

This week we have seen some interesting movement, but nothing too major. However, our first winner is because of Legacy, and I love Legacy! Older cards seem to be popular the past weeks and not just the ones on the reserved list.

Like every week, just in time for FNM, I'll now tell you about the cards that will be the talk of the town tonight!

Come discuss this week's price movements with us on Reddit.

 

#1 Manabond $26.41 (+276%)

 

This is one of these older cards that is not on the reserved list, but yet has to be reprinted. With Manabond you can reveal your hand in your endstep, put all lands in your hand unto the battlefield and discard the rest of your hand. Can you guess in what kind of decks that would be good? Decks that mostly play lands. For only you can potentially get 6 or 7 lands, depends on whether you are on the play or on the draw, onto the battlefield on turn 1.

Manabond is not new to the competitive scene and has already seen quite some Legacy play in the past in Lands decks. So if it is not new and the power was already known, what drove the price up? The reason is a new variation on Lands decks that has been putting in several 5-0s on MTGO lately. The new archetype is usually referred to as "8 Mulch". The name of this deck comes from the fact that the deck plays two different copies of the effect that the card Mulch in Mulch itself and Winding Way.

You can imagine that in a deck that plays these two cards to find you a bunch of lands you can use Manabond as your primary engine to get them onto the battlefield fast. The main payoffs to win the game in this deck are Field of the Dead and (of course) Urza's Saga. Both of these cards can be recurred with Life from the Loam and thus are very hard to permanently get rid of. In these decks we also see a newer card from Neon Dynasty, Roadside Reliquary, included that can easily get you some card draw and is easily enabled with Urza's Saga.

Manabond	CardKingdom $10.99	TCGPlayer $26.41
Winding Way	CardKingdom $0.25	TCGPlayer $0.25
Field of the Dead	CardKingdom $24.99	TCGPlayer $23.09
Urza's Saga	CardKingdom $44.99	TCGPlayer $39.99
Mulch	CardKingdom $0.25	TCGPlayer $0.15

 

#2 Humility $99.99 (+83%)

 

Finance-wise Humility may not be the most interesting card. It's a powerful enchantment that is on the reserved list, and thus its price is quite easily manipulated. I feel like this is the main reason for it going up: buy out that we have seen more the past few months for these types of cards. However, Humility is one of those cards that is very interesting ability-wise and can even give Judges quite a hard time.

With Humility it becomes more important when it is or was in play and the creatures it may affect. One of the more researched interactions is between Humility and Opalescence. It even is discussed in the Rulings of Opalescence on its Gatherer page.

The type-changing effect applies at layer 4, but the rest happens in the applicable layers. The rest of it will apply even if the permanent loses its ability before it's finished applying. So if Opalescence, Humility, and Worship are on the battlefield and Opalescence entered the battlefield before Humility, the following is true: Layer 4: Humility and Worship each become creatures that are still enchantments. (Opalescence). Layer 6: Humility and Worship each lose their abilities. (Humility) Layer 7b: Humility becomes 4/4 and Worship becomes 4/4. (Opalescence). Humility becomes 1/1 and Worship becomes 1/1 (Humility). But if Humility entered the battlefield before Opalescence, the following is true: Layer 4: Humility and Worship each become creatures that are still enchantments (Opalescence). Layer 6: Humility and Worship each lose their abilities (Humility). Layer 7b: Humility becomes 1/1 and Worship becomes 1/1 (Humility). Humility becomes 4/4 and Worship becomes 4/4 (Opalescence).

You can imagine this gives quite the headache. Nevertheless, Humility, is a powerful effect and sees some play in Commander as well. Personally I don't think you will make a lot of friends when you play this card. Recently it has found its way in some Shorikai, Genesis Engine decks because those creatures it creates already are 1/1s anyway.

 

#3 Reconnaissance $17.99 (+38%)

 

And another older card that does see some play and is yet to be reprinted. When you first read this card you may ask yourself "why would I want to remove my own attacking creatures from combat?". It doesn't take long to realise why this may be a powerful effect.

This enchantment has found its way in Isshin, Two Heavens as One commander decks for example. Now imagine you have a bunch of creatures that have a triggered ability when becoming tapped or when it is attacking. Isshin can let these abilities trigger an additional time, but sometimes you simply don't have any good attacks. With Reconnaissance you can let these abilities of creatures trigger and then removing them from combat before blockers. Also you can potentially attack with a creature and removing it from combat when it becomes blocked.

But Reconnaissance can also be used to remove your creature from combat after it has dealt damage, basically giving it pseudo-vigilance.

Reconnaissance	CardKingdom $14.99	TCGPlayer $17.99
Isshin, Two Heavens as One	CardKingdom $0.49	TCGPlayer $0.75

 

Cheap Pickups

Please note: for our 'record low' we consider the price of the card over the past 7 years. Many cards have been even cheaper (a) decade(s) ago. Also note: some cards are still going down, and might be even cheaper pickups next week.

 

Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr $1.83 - Slowly trending up!

 

Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr has been identified by the MTGStocks Premium Penny Stocks feature as a card that has bottomed for a bit but is now starting an uptrend.

 

Cryptic Command $16.61 - Trending down

 

Bruvac the Grandiloquent $17.99 - Slowly trending down

 

Bruvac the Grandiloquent	CardKingdom $16.99	TCGPlayer $17.99
Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $1.83
Cryptic Command	CardKingdom $14.99	TCGPlayer $16.61