Weekly Winners 2023 - 12

We have a fun mix this week between Legacy and Commander. Legacy's metagame was shaken up not too long ago, and we can see that it's creating room for new decks to emerge. In Commander there is definitely some anticipation for upcoming sets.

Like every week, just in time for FNM, I'll tell you about the cards that will be the talk of the town tonight! Come discuss this week's price movements with us on Discord.

Articles

We had four articles this week. First off we had a new iteration of Over and Under written by Harvey where he discusses one overvalued and one undervalued card.

Adam wrote about the Hidden Gems in Commander. What cards are severely undervalued? Read on to know Adam's thoughts about this.

Corey wrote two articles the past week. One in his regular series Modern Times, where he looked at Modern Planeswalkers. His second article is an interesting one for anyone who wants to know more about how to interpret spikes, in prices in his On Small Sample Anomalies article.

If you want to receive an e-mail in your inbox when a new article is published you can enable it in your e-mail preferences and/or join the Discord.

Onto the Weekly Winners!

#1 Staff of the Storyteller $3.47 (+244%)

 

In the world of Magic, there are always cards that suddenly increase in value and popularity seemingly out of nowhere. One such card is Staff of the Storyteller. Over the past week, the card has gone up in price by 244%, from $1.01 to $3.47. This recent increase in popularity is due to a number of factors. One of the main reasons for is its use in a new Legacy deck called "Cat Staff". This deck uses four copies of Staff of the Storyteller, along with a number of other powerful cards. The deck is designed to take advantage of the Staff's ability to draw cards.

Another factor contributing to the rise in popularity of Staff of the Storyteller is the recent banning of Expressive Iteration and White Plume Adventurer in the Legacy format. This has caused a significant shift in the format, with players experimenting with new deck archetypes and card combinations. The "Cat Staff" deck is just one of the new decks that have emerged as a result of this shift.

In addition to its use in the "Cat Staff" deck, Staff of the Storyteller has also seen play in Commander. The card's ability to create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying when it enters the battlefield can be useful in Commander games, but the ability to draw cards by removing story counters is mainly a powerful tool in longer games. The card sees play in decks featuring Mondrak, Glory Dominus, Otharri, Sun's Glory, and Neyali, Suns' Vanguard, among others.

Overall, Staff of the Storyteller has become a popular choice among Magic players in recent weeks, thanks to its usefulness in both Legacy and Commander formats, as well as its recent exposure in various Magic-related media. Whether you are a seasoned Magic player or just starting out, the Staff is definitely a card worth considering for your decks.

Expressive Iteration	CardKingdom $3.99	TCGPlayer $2.75
White Plume Adventurer	CardKingdom $5.99	TCGPlayer $4.20
Mondrak, Glory Dominus	CardKingdom $34.99	TCGPlayer $30.00
Otharri, Sun's Glory	CardKingdom $2.29	TCGPlayer $0.59
Staff of the Storyteller	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $3.47

 

#2 Nylea's Colossus $14.29 (+129%)

 

Nylea's Colossus has seen a significant price increase in recent weeks, and there are several reasons for this. The card is a solid choice in Commander decks, which has contributed to its popularity among Magic players. In particular, the card's ability to double the power and toughness of a creature when it or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control makes it an attractive option for those looking to build an enchantment-focused deck. This ability can be particularly useful when combined with other cards, such as Thrun, Breaker of Silence, which cannot be countered and has trample, making it a formidable creature to have on your side.

Another factor contributing to Nylea's Colossus's rise in popularity is its recent appearance in The Professor's "Build-Your-Own-Precon" series, where he showcases different Commander decks that can be built using the singles you may already have. In last week's episode, he built a deck around Thrun, Breaker of Silence, which includes Nylea's Colossus as a key component. This exposure has helped to raise awareness of the card among Magic players, many of whom may not have been aware of its potential before. Only a few days later he played the Thrun deck with Nylea's Colossus in his Shuffle Up & Play video.

In addition to The Professor's videos, Nylea's Colossus has also been featured in Star City Games' recent article "Five Commander Cards You Need To Pair With Tom Bombadil". This article highlights the potential for Nylea's Colossus to win games in Tom Bombadil-themed decks, thanks to its ability to double the power and toughness of creatures. This can be particularly effective when combined with Tom Bombadil's own ability to become hexproof and indestructible when there are four or more lore counters among Sagas you control. With the ability to reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a Saga card and put that onto the battlefield, the potential for lethal, unblockable commander damage is high.

Overall, Nylea's Colossus has become a popular choice among Magic players in recent weeks, thanks to its usefulness in Commander decks and its recent exposure in various Magic-related media. With the upcoming release of the The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, which features the new card Tom Bombadil, there is even more potential for Nylea's Colossus to become a more popular staple card in Commander decks.

Thrun, Breaker of Silence	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.70
Tom Bombadil		TCGPlayer $29.97
Nylea's Colossus	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $14.29

 

#3 And They Shall Know No Fear $10.95 (+106%)

 

And They Shall Know No Fear is a popular card from the Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 set that has seen a surge in demand recently, with its price rising by 106% from $5.31 to $10.95. It can be found in the Forces of the Imperium commander deck. In our Weekly Winners from February we tipped And They Shall Know No Fear as a Cheap Pickup that was identified by the MTGStocks Premium Penny Stocks feature.

The card is a tribal card that has proven to be both powerful and flexible, making it an attractive option for many players. It is also relatively cheap, which has contributed to its increasing popularity. It obviously is already popular in Commander decks around a creature type that can support , including the new and popular Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch.

The demand for And They Shall Know No Fear is expected to rise even further with the release of two precon decks in the upcoming March of the Machine and Commander Masters sets. In March of the Machine an Esper Knights deck has been announced, and we know that in Commander Masters there will be a Sliver deck. As a result, many players are buying up large quantities of the card now while it is still relatively inexpensive, with the hope of being able to play it when these sets hit. Or, you know, sell it.

Given the popularity of tribal decks in Magic, it is not surprising that And They Shall Know No Fear has become such a sought-after card. These decks focus on a particular creature type, such as Humans, Elves, or Slivers, and typically include cards that synergize well with that creature type. And They Shall Know No Fear is a natural fit for many of these decks, which is part of what has made it so popular. Overall, And They Shall Know No Fear is a strong card that is likely to continue to be in high demand for the foreseeable future.

And They Shall Know No Fear (Surge Foil)
Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000: Extras		TCGPlayer $30.00
Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000	CardKingdom $12.99	TCGPlayer $10.95

 

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.

 

Unwinding Clock $4.30 - Moving up!

 

Unwinding Clock has been identified by the MTGStocks Premium Penny Stocks feature as a card that has reached its bottom and is starting a consistent uptrend.

 

Monastery Mentor $7.31 - Slowly moving down

 

Erayo, Soratami Ascendant $5.92 - Slowly moving down

Unwinding Clock		TCGPlayer $4.30
Monastery Mentor	CardKingdom $9.49	TCGPlayer $7.31
Erayo, Soratami Ascendant	CardKingdom $5.49	TCGPlayer $5.92

 

That's it for this week. Make sure to check back next week for more Weekly Winners!