Weekly Winners 2020 - 39

We see some interesting spikes because of Zendikar Rising, the landfall ability, modern, and EDH. Really fun to see these fluctuations because of real demand and play. 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!

 

MTGStocks update

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#1 Scute Swarm $6.48 (+369.57%)

 

I usually enjoy it when a card from a new set spikes. It means that the card was underestimated during spoiler season and seems more playable and viable than initially thought. Scute Swarm is a 1/1 for with a Landfall trigger. When a land enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 insect token. Unless you have 6 or more lands, in that case create a copy of Scute Swarm.

It doesn't take a mathematician to see that this can get exponentially out of hand. Every time you put a land onto the battlefield, if you have 6 or more lands, you'll double the amount of Scute Swarms you have. When played in a ramping strategy this could lead to lots and lots of triggers and insects in a single turn. Well, turns out ramp is still good in Standard.

Decks with Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, Lotus Cobra and Omnath, Locus of Creation are quite popular, and can net you insane amounts of mana and landdrops in a single turn. When combined with Scute Swarm this can quickly overpower the board and only a sweeper can (potentially) save your opponent. Also because of this we have seen a spike last week from Omnath, Locus of Creation making it $31.64 (+111%).

It becomes even more funny in Mutate strategies. People have been mutating stuff onto Scute Swarm like Auspicious Starrix. Now, every time you play a land, you'll get a copy of a 6/6. Not bad, eh? Also it is a great way to crash your Magic Arena client!

 

 

Auspicious Starrix	CardKingdom $0.25	TCGPlayer $0.25
Scute Swarm	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $6.48
Lotus Cobra	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $8.30
Omnath, Locus of Creation	CardKingdom $29.99	TCGPlayer $31.64
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath	CardKingdom $49.99	TCGPlayer $44.99

 

#2 Flagstones of Trokair $14.99 (+163%)

 

Good old Flagstones of Trokair spiked because, you guessed it, landfall. When you have one on the battlefield, and you play a second one you get one landfall trigger because you played a land. Then you have to sacrifice one of the two because of the Legendary rule and you get to find a plains and put it onto the battlefield. Of course this will net you another landfall trigger.

But there's more! It sees play in Modern Titan Field decks. Together with Elvish Reclaimer it can fill up your graveyard with land cards pretty quickly and enables you to ramp. You can sacrifice your Flagstones, find a new land with the ability and get a plains back with the Flagstones trigger.

 

 

#3 Archfiend of Despair $20.82 (+31%)

 

Maybe not one of the biggest risers, but I think a combo interesting enough to point out. Together with Scourge of the Skyclaves ($13.53 +24%) you can kill all your opponents at once. Archfiend of Despair makes sure that whenever your opponents have lost life, they will lose that same sound again at the end of your turn.

When you cast Scourge of the Skyclaves with kicker, all your opponents will lose half their life rounded up, meaning that when cast with Archfiend of Despair on the battlefield, everyone will lose that amount of life again at the end of turn.

Because of this little interaction, which we'll only see in EDH, both cards went up this week.

 

Scourge of the Skyclaves	CardKingdom $10.99	TCGPlayer $13.53
Archfiend of Despair	CardKingdom $16.99	TCGPlayer $20.82

 

Reserved list cards update

In the three winners discussed I have left all reserved list cards out on purpose, because it seems like most of these movements are only because the cards are on the reserved list rather than organic demand. So here are the top three reserved list spikes. It seems like people have now aimed their crosshairs at the cheaper reserved list cards in the hope the prices will go up. So we see some cards going up over 200%, which nets to about a $3 difference.

Crovax the Cursed $4.57 (+241%)

 

Rashida Scalebane $4.72 (+205%)

 

Diamond Valley $847.49 (+183%)

 

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.

 

Lightning Greaves $3.62 - Record low bottomed out

 

Academy Ruins $8.00 - Record low and trending down slowly

 

The Locust God $3.99 - Record low and trending down slowly

 

The Locust God	CardKingdom $3.99	TCGPlayer $3.99
Academy Ruins	CardKingdom $7.49	TCGPlayer $8.00