Weekly Winners 2020 - 02

2020 is still off to a great start. This week we have two interesting Pioneer-related spikes and one, speculative buyout that is particularly interesting, but not in a good way. And in our cheap pickups you might find some interesting record lows as well!

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!

 

#1 Hermit Druid $18.92 (+107%)

 

Over the past weeks we have seen interesting, demand driven spikes and not many spikes that were the result of a speculative buyout. Sadly, this week is different. Our number 1 winner, Hermit Druid as more than doubled in price because someone bought it out. And more interesting, because of a card that was not spoiled at that time.

Two days ago, Thassa's Oracle was spoiled. Cards with an alternative win condition are always interesting! And in what ways could you possibly empty your library enough so that you can win the game? Well, Hermit Druid is one of the options. And it was a good enough option to spike a card that was already in the $6 range.

But something fishy is going on. Hermit Druid was already trending sigificantly up in the week leading up to the spoiler. SaffronOlive even sent a tweet about it, saying: My first thought when I saw Thassa's Oracle was Hermit Druid. Seems like someone else might have had the same though...a week before Thassa's Oracle was previewed.

This is not the first time that there seems to be a case for speculative buyouts with foreknowledge. This is quite a new thing though and not at all a welcome addition to the magic finance markets. We at MTGStocks love organic demand driven spikes, it gives me a reason to inform you on weekly basis on the biggest shifts in the metagames and to tell you about the newest techs and brews that are impacting card prices. This week gives us fireworks, but in a different way.

Also, if we ever see a Magic: The Gathering Live Action Movie, I'm 100% sure the role of Hermit Druid is going to be played by Jason Momoa.

 

Hermit Druid
Stronghold	CardKingdom $11.99	TCGPlayer $16.50

 

#2 Goblin Rabblemaster $9.83 (+89%)

 

Ah yes, good old Mono-Red Aggro. One of my personal favorite archetypes in any format. And as the Pioneer format develops, so comes the time that Mono-Red gets a chance to prove itself. Just like in any format, there is always a case for fast decks with easy mana bases and skill friendly decks that just race your opponent before they take control over the battlefield.

Currently, Mono-Red Aggro is the #1 deck in the Pioneer meta. And outside of that, our #2 winner, Goblin Rabblemaster sees play in a whopping 10 recent Pioneer archetype brews. Goblin Rabblemaster is having a lot of success in Pioneer and with that the price trends upwards. Since the card was only reprinted once in a Duel Deck, the supply of the card is not huge for a card that is popular in a constructive format. If Goblin Rabblemaster continues to prove itself, the only way for its price is up. Just as long as it is not reprinted of course.

Check out the decklist below to see an example of a Mono-Red Pioneer list:

 

Goblin Rabblemaster
Magic 2015 (M15)	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $9.83

 

#3 Cavalier of Thorns $12 (+102%)

 

What counts for Mono-Red decks, counts for mono-green as well. Modern has Mono Green Tron, Legacy has Elves, Pauper has Mono Green Aggro. And Pioneer's #3 deck in the meta is Mono Green Ramp. These decks play 4 copies of Cavalier of Thorns and it is not hard to see why. It is an accessible creature with strong stats and it helps you ramp. Good on the defense but beefy enough to try to aggro out your opponent. And that mana cost is not a problem in a mono-green shell.

And Cavalier of Thorns is not only popular in Pioneer, it is a piece in two Standard archetypes as well. Check out the two decklists below to get the idea in what decks Cavalier of Thorns plays a role.

 

Tainted Pact
Odyssey	CardKingdom $27.99	TCGPlayer $39.99

 

 

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.

 

Oko, Thief of Crowns $30 - Record low and going down hard

 

Murderous Rider $5.99- Record low and bottomed out

 

Iona, Shield of Emeria $5.66 - Record low and going down

 

Iona, Shield of Emeria	CardKingdom $5.49	TCGPlayer $6.30
Oko, Thief of Crowns	CardKingdom $29.99	TCGPlayer $30.00
Murderous Rider	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $5.99