Weekly Winners 2020 - 50

11 Dec
by Peter

The Magic finance world is currently in a long, calm period of small spikes and slight uptrends. The effect of the coronavirus lockdowns is visible, not because markets are crashing, but because of the absence of influence from the competitive paper scene, the lack of tournament results and big events.

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 Jeska, Warrior Adept $7.57 (+130.09%)

Jeska, Warrior Adept

 

We've seen Jeska, Warrior Adept as the #1 winner this year once before already! In week 20 she spiked from under $2 to over $6. It was a silly, speculative buyout then, and it is a silly speculative buyout now.

Back in May, we could relate Jeska, Warrior Adept's spike to the printing of a new commander that made the 'ping' strategy better in EDH. Months later and what do we see left? Well, next to nothing. Jeska, Warrior Adept sees play in as little as 7 decks on EDHRec.com and sees no play in other formats outside kitchentable.

After the first spike in week 20, the market price of Jeska, Warrior Adept crept up to $2.48 before dwindling back to just over $2. There is no reason whatsoever that the card spikes again this week. No new spoilers, deck tech, or videos; as far as I have been able to find. Do feel to correct me if I'm wrong.

My explanation would be that either the individual(s) responsible for the first buyout chose to double down on their first buyout, by attaining the copies that flooded the market. Or that the available supply of the card was still so low after the first buyout that a kitchentable deck brewer just happened to snag the last few copies of the card, causing a spike.

In any case, there is no real demand behind this card. And once again expect it to dwindle in price.

 

Jeska, Warrior Adept
Judgment CardKingdom $3.49 TCGPlayer $7.57

 

#2 Ankh of Mishra $3.97 (+50.95%)

Ankh of Mishra

 

EDH keeps on being the driving factor behind the Magic Finance markets. Also with our #2 winner this week. Ankh of Mishra sees play in some builds around Yurlok of Scorch Thrash. A commander that we've been able to relate with quite some spikes and uptrends over the past weeks.

How Ankh of Mishra fits into the strategy is quite simple: you punish your opponents for unspent mana, but also try to punish them in every other way for playing land cards or using mana. Ankh of Mishra is one of the ways to do this.

Don't forget the appeal Ankh of Mishra might have for people that don't play EDH but build kitchentable decks to play against each other. With many landfall cards printed recently, Ankh of Mishra is a nice card to sideboard in against friends that rely on lands that keep hitting the battlefield.

 

Ankh of Mishra CardKingdom $4.99 TCGPlayer $3.97
Ankh of Mishra CardKingdom $5.49 TCGPlayer $3.22
Ankh of Mishra CardKingdom $4.49 TCGPlayer $2.47
Ankh of Mishra CardKingdom $4.99 TCGPlayer $3.75
Yurlok of Scorch Thrash CardKingdom $0.59 TCGPlayer $0.65

 

#3 Mindbreak Trap $18.49 (+32.17%)

Mindbreak Trap

 

There are currently several decks in top and lower tiers of the Vintage format that win by playing an ungodly amount of spells. Either from your graveyard or by using Golos. Well, there is an answer for that: Mindbreak Trap.

Why play Mindbreak Trap in a format that has Force of Will and all other counterspells to choose from? And if it is so good, why don't we see Mindbreak Trap more often in Modern?

The answer is actually quite simple: Mindbreak Trap is an option for decks that don't play blue! That's why you see it in the sideboard of Ravager Shops in Vintage and Death and Taxes in Legacy. You'll still need a blue card to exile for Force of Will to help you out. Mindbreak Trap's mana cost fits into any deck that needs it (after sideboarding). The big downside is that Mindbreak Trap is pretty situational. But if you have bad matchups against any combo-like deck, that circumstance occurs quite often.

Mindbreak Trap is a type of card that tends to fluctuate in price based upon being useful in a metagame. If it is, like right now, it'll go up. If combo(like) decks are not the decks to beat, you'll see the price going down. Mindbreak Trap is currently in the third wave. And there will be more to follow.

 

Stitch in Time CardKingdom $5.49 TCGPlayer $9.79
Krark, the Thumbless CardKingdom $1.29 TCGPlayer $0.99

 

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.

 

Jace, the Mind Sculptor $54.75 - Record low, trending down
Jace, the Mind Sculptor

 

Nurturing Peatland $7.14 - Record low, trending down
Nurturing Peatland

 

Rhys the Redeemed $9.08 - Record low, bottoming out
Rhys the Redeemed

 

Nurturing Peatland CardKingdom $7.49 TCGPlayer $7.97
Rhys the Redeemed CardKingdom $4.99 TCGPlayer $9.08
Jace, the Mind Sculptor CardKingdom $49.99 TCGPlayer $54.75

More from Peter:

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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