Weekly Winners 2020 - 27

This week has proven to be an interesting mixed bag of cards spiking due to video's; brewing and controversy.

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!

 

See something interesting in the world of card prices? Be sure to pitch me a tweet: @MTGPeter

 

#1 Ezuri's Predation $13.99 (+200.21%)

 

Yesterday, Ezuri's Predation spiked hard. And if a card that has been out for quite some time spikes this much, it must be caused by some new brew. And as it turns out, it's the Game Knights that are the big inspiration for people buying the card!

In their last episode, the Game Knights were exploring the new commanders in Core 2021, built decks around the new commanders and went head-to-head on camera. And the biggest bomb of the night was played by Craig, in the form of Ezuri's Predation; killing all his opponents' creatures and gaining 7 beast tokens in the process. Check out the video below. If you like to skip ahead to the bomb-drop; go to 18:10.

At first glance, seems a steep cost, even for a very profitable boardwipe. But as you can see in the video, that eight mana is not hard to produce in a deck that ramps hard enough. Ezuri's Predation will put you ahead especially when your playgroup lacks fast and aggressive decks, and the meta allows you to slowly build and plot.

 

#2 Auntie's Hovel $47.49 (+89.96%)

 

Auntie's Hovel has spiked this week. We already covered its uptrend in Week 24, but the card itself did not make it into the Weekly Winners then. But this week is different as the card is now on its all-time high at $47.49.

As it sees play in Modern and EDH, Auntie's Hovel's price is founded in solid demand. In Modern, Goblins is currently the #5 deck in the meta, with a solid 4 slots for Auntie's Hovel.

Auntie's Hovel is on the move ever since Conspicuous Snoop was spoiled. In just 3 hours, the first battlefield-breaking combo's with that new goblin popped up; with the biggest spotlight for Boggart Harbinger. Check out our Week 24 installment for more on the combo.

But do note that there's something fishy going on with Auntie's Hovel's spike this week. Its market price has not shot up as hard, which is usually an indicator that organic demand is lower than expected. To put it more simply: there might be some speculation going on here, driving up the price. But this most probably does go hand in hand with organic demand.

Currently, the card is out of stock on all major sites. Also note that we don't know for sure how lockdowns are influencing the price of cards. As it is harder for people to sell their cards, this could cause a lower supply of cards for LGS's. Less people buylist at their local stores, or sell their cards at Magicfests or large tournaments. Cards sell out more quickly and therefore could spike in price easier than before COVID-restrictions were in place.

 

#3 Force of Will $149.99 (+7.47%)

 

Force of Will $120.98 (+12.69%)

 

Both printings of Force of Will have broken their previous all time high records this week. And not because blue Legacy and Vintage decks have suddenly become even more popular. A decision by Wizards is the cause of this spike in price.

Last week, Wizards announced that they have stopped commissioning work from Terese Nielsen, and will stop with reprinting cards with her art on it. Any reprints will feature new art. Their decision was made in response to public outcry about the opinions and behaviors of Terese Nielsen, and the conflicts it creates with Wizard's ambition for an inclusive and friendly play environment.

This decision is a big deal, not only in sending a message about the play environment, but also for the financial part of the game. No more reprints with Nielsen's art means that both versions of Force of Will that she illustrated will never be reprinted. The de facto means that Force of Will has become rarer and more collectible. Look at it this way: all of Nielsen's cards are now on a darker equivalent of the reserved list. That knowledge attracts collectors and speculators to the cards, causing them to trend up.

 

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.

 

Forest (full art) $7.16 - Record low and trending down

• Please note: this card is actually black bordered!

 

Arcane Signet $5.60 - Record low and trending down

 

Tarmogoyf $64.59 - Record low and trending down

 

Tarmogoyf	CardKingdom $59.99	TCGPlayer $64.97
Forest (full art)	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $7.16
Arcane Signet	CardKingdom $5.99	TCGPlayer $5.62