Hidden Gems - Phyrexia: All Will Be $1.99 or Less

Welcome to Hidden Gems, the new series from your local mad prophet. I’ll be digging into Magic’s past to unearth cheap cards whose prices are prime for a spike. My focus will be on Commander, because that’s the format I know best.

As for who I am–I’ve been playing Magic for over 20 years. My professional background is in sketch comedy. I’ve published two Young Adult Fantasy novels. In high school, I traded a single mini-donut for a Yawgmoth's Will and I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

Today, I’ll be making wild prophecies about the upcoming set, March of the Machine ("MOM"). Elesh Norn is your mom now and she’s a single mom who works too hard, loves her kids, and never stops trying to take over the multiverse.

 

#1 Stronghold Assassin

Five Commander decks will be released with MOM. While little is known about them, it seems a safe bet that, in a set about Phyrexia versus everyone else, one or more of these decks will focus on the Phyrexians.

Back during the release of Kaldheim, Wizards finally added Phyrexian as a creature type, but we’ve yet to receive any tribal support for it. If MOM is the last we see of the Phyrexians (at least for a while), it would make sense that Wizards saved all the tribal support for that set.

Pick up this little removal engine and other old cards that gained the subtype from errata. Assuming they dodge a reprint, demand for them could shoot up.

Stronghold Assassin
7th Edition	CardKingdom $1.99	TCGPlayer $0.94
Commander 2013	CardKingdom $1.49	TCGPlayer $0.99
Stronghold	CardKingdom $1.79	TCGPlayer $1.41

 

#2 Phyrexian Infiltrator

This tricky little man loves Commander politics. Leave mana open to ward off attacks or disincentivize opponents from casting their best creatures. You can even pull some silly tricks with this (at instant speed) and don’t even have to give up the Infiltrator.

I’ll let Gatherer explain: [I]f you control this card and another creature, you can use this card’s ability and target the creature you control. You can then use this card’s ability again and target a creature your opponent controls. The second usage resolves first and you get your opponent’s creature in exchange for this one. The first usage then resolves and swaps your other creature for the Infiltrator so you get it back. The net effect is that you can swap any creature you have for any of theirs if you can pay this ability twice. Note that your opponent does get the chance to use the Infiltrator if they have the mana in between your two usages and can mess you up.

Unlike Avarice Totem, if you use this trick on an opponent without blue mana, they’ll need removal to disrupt you.

 

Avarice Totem	CardKingdom $0.39	TCGPlayer $0.38
Phyrexian Infiltrator	CardKingdom $0.35	TCGPlayer $0.47

 

#3 Phyrexian Token Generators

Blade Splicer, Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer, Chancellor of the Forge, Ezuri's Predation, Phyrexian Swarmlord

 

If MOM features any cards that care about having a lot of Phyrexian creatures or Phyrexian creatures entering the battlefield, cards that can make multiple will gain more value. There are only a handful and most are pretty cheap - at least for now.

And if Wizards prints a commander to try and unify the Phyrexians of the game’s history, we can try and identify overarching themes. Paying life, sacrificing creatures, and poison counters all stand out. Cards that play into those strategies may see increased demand, but only time will tell.

Blade Splicer	CardKingdom $0.99	TCGPlayer $0.81
Chancellor of the Forge	CardKingdom $2.49	TCGPlayer $2.54
Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $1.70
Ezuri's Predation	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $0.99
Phyrexian Swarmlord	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $3.28

 

Check back next month for more Hidden Gems. And for more Magic market insights and entertainment, don’t forget to check out our Premium membership!