Weekly Winners 2022 - 22

Wow! A week that isn't purely dominated by Commander spikes! This week we are going to talk Pioneer and Modern, since they are the main reason for card fluctuations this week. It is however a bit of a slow week, but there are sufficient cards to talk about fortunately.

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 Reckless Rage $4.94 (+559%)

 

Here is something you were probably already aware of: Pioneer is hot! Pioneer seems to be more and more important for dictating prices of Magic cards. If a card draws attention in this format the price is bound to go up quickly, and Reckless Rage here is no exception. It is being played in a deck that is becoming more popular in Pioneer, which is Boros Aggro, but also sees play in Izzet decks.

For you can, on instant speed, deal 2 damage to a creature of your own and 4 damage to a creature you don't control. Being able to deal 4 damage on instant speed is pretty good, but in the right deck those 2 damage to your own creature won't really matter most of the time. It can even be an advantage! For example, if we target our own Favored Hoplite it will get a +1/+1 counter and the damage will even be prevented. Or when you target your own Monastery Swiftspear it will get +1/+1 until end of turn because of Prowess. The damage won't kill it and you get to swing for an extra point of damage.

This interaction is not new and already saw play in Feather, the Redeemed decks back when it was legal in Standard. It won't surprise you that we also find Reckless Rage in commander decks around Feather, but it also often shows up in Zalto, Fire Giant Duke decks.

Pioneer is more popular than ever, and with the addition of Explorer on Arena we know that Pioneer will come to that platform as well at some point. Keep in mind that if you want to qualify for the Pro Tour you can do so by winning a Pioneer regional championship and the first Pro Tour itself will also revolve around this format.

 

#2 Rending Volley $2.29 (+129%)

 

And another red damage spell that has gone up because of Pioneer. However, this card sees more play in Pioneer sideboards than mainboards. However when we look at recent Pioneer Leagues on MTGO it is one of the most played cards. This card is an uncommon from Dragons of Tarkir that hasn't been reprinted since. When we look at the Most Played page and scroll to "Pioneer" we see Rending Volley at spot #14.

For you can deal 4 damage at instant speed to a white or blue creature. The spell cannot be countered. So you can immediately see why this is a sideboard card, since it is situational and depending on the match up. Decks like Izzet Ledger Shredder are really popular and decks often need the extra firepower to get rid of the creatures these decks pack. These decks even sideboard the card in themselves for the mirror.

The card is competing with Fry for the slot which is a mana extra, but can also hit planeswalkers, but it seems like Rending Volley is the card of choice.

 

#3 Crime // Punishment $36.92 (+32%)

 

I was really surprised to see this is a $36 card already. Crime // Punishment is a split spell from Dissension. When you cast it, you may choose which side you want to cast. We see this card show up to three times in sideboards of decks that can reliably cast it. Because of its flexibility it can really be a powerhouse against certain decks. When you cast the Punishment side you can also clear up Urza's Saga tokens, but also the rest of the board which are usually a bunch of artifacts and even Urza's Saga itself. With Crime you can grab a creature or enchantment from your opponent's graveyard.

Because of this versatility and its power against the current Modern meta, you see more people trying to get their hands on copies. We see this card show up in, for instance, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and Calibrated Blast Modern decks

 

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.

 

Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance $2.36 - Moving up!

 

Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance 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.

 

Vedalken Shackles $7.90 - Trending down

 

Noble Hierarch $14.00 - Slowly trending down

 

Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance	CardKingdom $3.49	TCGPlayer $2.36
Noble Hierarch	CardKingdom $14.99	TCGPlayer $14.00
Vedalken Shackles	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $7.90