EDH is the main driving factor behind spikes this week. Both M21 and Jumpstart are affecting the markets. And also a new MTG controversy is the cause of cards to spike. Like every week, just in time for (digital) FNM, I'll now tell you about the cards that will be the talk of the (digital) town tonight!
Just like 2019, the year 2020 has not been short on controversy. Both in society in general and in the MTG Community. In the past week, we've learned that two well-known and (at least previously) popular MTG artists have been cut loose by Wizards of the Cost. On June 22nd, Wizards cut ties with Noah Bradley. Wizards also pointed out that Terese Nielsen has not gotten recent commissions and won't get any in the future. Both decisions were made in response to a public outcry against the artists and their behaviors/beliefs and the conflict those create with Wizards' ambition to create an open, respectful and inclusive environment for everyone that wants to play and have fun with Magic.
And this week Hanna, Ship's Navigator; a card with art where Terese Nielsen used her own hair as a model is our #1 winner. The card spiked because Wizards communicated that it not only stopped commissioning new art from Nielsen, after Jumpstart they will stop reprinting cards with Nielsen's art on it altogether. And this information means something in valuing the price of a card: there will be no new supply of cards with Nielsen's art, so all cards featuring her art will potentially become rarer.
And that's why speculators jumped on foil copies of Hanna, Ship's Navigator first, and regular copies later, to drive up the price to make a buck. There is no increase in demand, or a new deck in town. Just a speculative buyout by people that try to ride the wave of controversy.
There is one other magic card that is relevant to mention: Force of Will is one of the most classic and evergreen magic cards ever printed. And we know for sure now that there will never be a reprint set, judge foil or any other type of printing with the original art from Terese Nielsen. Or with the Eternal Masters art, also illustrated by Nielsen. Both cards are trending up this week as well.
#2 Didgeridoo $11.87 (+185.34%)
After spikes in '13 and '17, Didgeridoo saw its biggest spike yet this week. It more than doubled in price, making it the most expensive card in Homelands, leaving Wall of Kelp and Merchant Scroll far behind.
Didgeridoo is a lovely, obscure card that works well with Minotaur-rich environments. And EDH could become one of those environments with the printing of Sethron, Hurloon General. It is good enough to build a commander deck around and whenever someone mentions minotaurs, the sound of the Didgeridoo follows quickly. Both EDH-fans and speculators jumped on Didgeridoo, causing it to spike.
"Mill" is now an actual keyword, with M21 featuring the first cards with that keyword printed. But it is not only in M21, but in Jumpstart too. EDH players started rubbing their hands when Bruvac the Grandiloquent was spoiled. The Doubling Season of milling. And with that as a possible Commander, the mill-strategy has suddenly become much, much stronger in EDH!
Also note that Bruvac the Grandiloquent is currently priced at $49.99! Pre-release prices are known to be way too high, but it is a good indicator of popularity and interest in cards before release.
Persistent Petitioners is one of the few commons from the past years that is anywhere above the $2 mark. And there is reason for that: your deck can contain any number of Persistent Petitioners. That means that the volume of demand is much higher, compared to commons that you can run the traditional playset of. A playset of Persistent Petitioners is around 20 - 30 in EDH, depending on the commander you play it with. That number could go up in decks with Bruvac the Grandiloquent.
So the reason for the spike is simple supply-demand. The demand has gone up, and might go up substantially if Bruvac the Grandiloquent proves to become a competitive commander.
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.
Fiend Artisan $15.66 - Record low and trending down
The Locust God $5.61 - Record low and trending down
