Weekly Winners 2020 - 05

This has proven to be a particularly interesting week in Magic card prices! Some weeks I need to really scavenge the interest lists, forums and socials to find the 3 weekly winners. In other weeks -like this one- there is so much going on that it's really hard to choose!

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 Inverter of Truth $8.99 (+1,114.86%)

 

Well hello! Inverter of Truth spiked over 1000% this week, and that's something we don't see every day. Or month even. And it has everything to do with Thassa's Oracle from the just released set Theros: Beyond Death.

In Magic finance, there are some types of cards that you should always be on the lookout for. Number one being cards that have an alternative cost to playing them, like Force of Will or Dig Through Time. The cheaper to cast, the better. Another category are cards with alternative wins. Many of those are disappointing because they are underpowered, but almost all of them inspire brewers to build combo decks around. Always pay extra attention for any new card that reads ...you win the game.

Thassa's Oracle is a prime example of this. With cheap to play. It is not legendary, a merfolk (so it could possibly fit in a tribal deck) and best of all, it has an alternative win. The only thing one needs when casting Thassa's Oracle is very few cards left in your library.

Legacy and Vintage players might be tempted to use Hermit Druid (spiked a few weeks ago) or Paradigm Shift (up this week $8.82). But what could be the options for Pioneer? Well: Inverter of Truth. For just you get a 6/6 flying (which is decent at any rate) and, your deck size shrinks to minimal proportions. And Thassa's Oracle loves that!

It seems like an easy and powerful instant-win combo. And that is more than enough fuel for a huge spike in price. 1000% is a lot, but remember that Inverter of Truth was just a bulk $0.60 mythic this monday.

Part of this spike is organic demand: people that want to play the new combo. But speculation is a big part of it as well. Speculators had their eyes on the combo as early as last weekend, buying into the card just after the first pro players started brewing with Thassa's Oracle.

Inverter of Truth	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $9.85
Thassa's Oracle	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $5.50

 

#2 Brain Freeze $6.99 (+362.91%)

 

As a Legacy player, my spirit lifted when I saw Brain Freeze near the top of the interest page this week. The card features the storm keyword: the biggest thing that has ever happened for combo decks in the history of Magic. By playing as many cards as possible in the right sequence you can take your opponent from 20(+) life to 0 in just one turn. Even on your first turn (when the combo overlord blesses you with the ultimate hand). Playing card after card, you could finish your opponent with Tendrils of Agony for instance.

Wizards has banned some key cards in Legacy over the past years that makes playing these types of combo decks harder and harder. But the fanatic and extremely well documented combo-community never ceases to brew, plot and goldfish until they find yet another fantastic new list that steamrolls their opponents.

Just because Wizards is promoting "fair" decks, interaction and wants to cut down on time spent on shuffling and thinking, the release of Underworld Breach was baffling. If they don't like storm combo, why would they print this?

Well, we did not have to wait long for the first brews to pop up. First lists were shared as early as december 30th 2019. With Underworld Breach you have a permanent way to recycle your cards, permanent for 1 turn that is, since you need to sac it at end of turn. And you don't need to exile those cards after you have played them. You do need to exile three other cards though. Well, no problem with 0 mana artifacts and Brain Freeze. By targeting yourself with it, you fill your graveyard, fueling Underworld Breach. You can combo around in this, or following turns until you can Brain Freeze your opponent for the win.

Check out this extensive The Source thread on everything surrounding this deck.

 

Brain Freeze	CardKingdom $4.99	TCGPlayer $7.19
Underworld Breach	CardKingdom $4.49	TCGPlayer $3.99

 

#3 Ajani, Strength of the Pride $13.49 (+111.11%)

 

Planeswalkers are another example of cards you should always keep an eye on. This rule of thumb changed a bit since we now have uncommon planeswalkers as well. Planeswalkers (the mythic kind) are always potentially powerful because you will never know when certain abilities printed on them might become relevant in combination with cards from future sets. Ajani, Strength of the Pride is a good example of that.

Mono-white aggro is back. And Ajani, Strength of the Pride supports that. Best way to describe the power or strategy of aggro decks is by simply showing you how the deck performs in a matchup. Jeff Hoogland did just that:

#4 Mutavault $22.24 (+5.96%)

 

Just because there were so many interesting things to cover this week I'm throwing in an extra card. And with good reason. Last October, Mutavault was a $8 card. It dwindled in price and I featured it in the cheap pickups three times! And if you picked it up then, you are in luck.

Cards like Mutavault are typical for their changes in price. The land is extremely good in one meta, but bad or unusable in another. It will most probably go back down to the $10 mark again in the coming years. But it will go up after that.

Mutavault
Magic 2014 (M14)	CardKingdom $27.99	TCGPlayer $24.69

 

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.

 

K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth $7.20 - Record low and going down

 

Arena Rector $10.05 - Record low and stable

 

Chandra, Awakened Inferno $13.96 - Record low and stable

 

Condescend $5000.12 - Record low and seems a pretty fair price for a pauper staple ;-)

Arena Rector	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $10.18
Chandra, Awakened Inferno	CardKingdom $18.99	TCGPlayer $13.35
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth	CardKingdom $9.49	TCGPlayer $8.46