MTG Anime Cards, and Poison in the Upcoming Fallout Set

Thanks for stopping by to check out another edition of Inconspicuous Scoops, where we highlight unconventional, but solid cards to pick up that you may have forgotten or overlooked while the spotlight is shining elsewhere. 

We focus on cards for both collectors and players here, and this time I have some interesting picks for both parties trying to either get ahead of the next big thing, or simply round out their collection/decks for a reasonable price.

Anime Cards of All Varieties

One of the more exciting features for some collectors in the upcoming Ravnica Remastered set lies in the alternate art anime cards. So far we’ve seen Krenko, Mob Boss and a few others previewed, but with the relatively high power level of the Ravnica sets, I’m sure there’ll be even stronger and more enticing cards revealed soon. 

Wizards has been doing these bonus, anime-style cards on and off since War of the Spark, and have been implementing them in all sorts of sets, from Jumpstart 2022 all the way to the recently released Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales. And the more sets come out with cards in this style, the more people will want to snag them to complete their collections. 

There's nothing about Ravnica that seems inherently “anime,” so if they're going to print anime cards there, what's to stop them from keeping the train rolling? As they do, and more and more collectors try to complete their “anime sets,” some cards that see EDH play - like the modest $7 Nissa, Who Shakes the World (JP Alternate Art) - are likely to go up. And I don't see these specific arts as ripe for reprints. 

$4.37$4.49

$5.09

Another good example is Coldsteel Heart from Jumpstart 2022, currently sitting around $4 and unlikely to go down much due to its ubiquitousness in Commander in colors that lack traditional fixing or ramp. When Jumpstart 2022 packs have all dried up and even more extravagant anime collections come out, I doubt this will still be the same price. 

So before Ravnica Remastered comes out and redirects focus this way, if you have any interest in starting an anime collection and want to get those Wilds of Eldraine Aggravated Assault (Anime Borderless)s or Jumpstart 2022 Preordains for less than $6, now is the time. 

Nissa, Who Shakes the World (JP Alternate Art)	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer
Aggravated Assault (Anime Borderless)	CardKingdom $4.49	TCGPlayer $4.37
Preordain	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $5.09
Coldsteel Heart	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $3.69

Disrupt Decorum

Next up, we have a recent reprint from Commander Masters that has hit an all-time low of under $1 after reaching a $20 high all the way back in 2021. While I don’t think it will ever reach those heights again, grabbing Disrupt Decorum at this price feels like a steal, especially the Launch Party & Release Event Promos.

$0.58$1.29

This particular printing of this card has absolutely beautiful art by Ron Spencer depicting a food fight, and is currently the only printing of Disrupt Decorum that doesn't have the standard art established in Commander 2017. The Launch & Release Event promo printing of this card is vibrant and eye-catching, and while supply is high at the moment due to the relatively recent printing of Commander Masters, this makes for a solid long-term hold for any red player. Though all the reprints of this card absolutely drove the price down, I doubt we’ll see this particular art again any time soon. And since you can get it for basically the same price of any other printing, there’s no reason not to snatch one of these up if you’re in the market. 

With the way the Commander format has been shifting away from strategies that reward you for slowly killing your opponents through combat in lieu of winning games outright via combos or Overrun effects, we’re seeing more utility creatures hit the board that want to stay out of harm’s way to achieve these goals. So why not get around all that and throw that Displacer Kitten or Esper Sentinel out of their comfort zones and into combat at a reasonable price, while looking great as well.

Disrupt Decorum	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer
Disrupt Decorum	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $0.58
Disrupt Decorum (Foil Etched)	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $1.65

Phyresis Outbreak and Radstorm

Has enough time passed since Phyrexia: All Will Be One, or are people still scared of Poison? Arguably the win condition with the saltiest reputation, Poison mechanics are unpopular for basically bringing whatever life total your opponents start with down to ten. While there are solid arguments on both sides to whether or not this number should be raised in Commander, the current ruling works in favor of those doing the infecting. Interestingly though, with the introduction of Prologue to Phyresis, Infectious Bite, and other cards, this playstyle has morphed from exclusively a combat-centric strategy into one that can take advantage of various other approaches - even spell slinging.

I have a soft spot for Poison, so I can tell you from experience with various different decks I’ve tried over the years, the absolute hardest part about running it is getting those first initial counters on each opponent. Normally you’d have to deal damage with an Inkmoth Nexus or Glistener Elf before they know what hit them, but now all you have to do is pay into one of these spells, and boom, everyone has a poison counter and you’ve either drawn a card with Prologue to Phyresis, or destroyed some creature with Infectious Bite.

$0.25$0.79

$0.33$0.35

This has been the case since ONE though. Why I'm bringing this up now actually lies in the upcoming Universes Beyond: Fallout set, for two reasons. The first is the return of energy counters, which I believe Wizards will utilize to the point that some high-power Proliferate cards will be printed here. We already know about Radstorm, which leans into the spell slinging mechanics as mentioned earlier, and is perfect for decks that run the above mentioned cards and want to get those poison counters up to ten with as little combat as possible. The second reason is a bit more superficial, but Poison, specifically Toxic, feels like it fits thematically with the nuclear fallout setting, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable that we’ll see a creature or two with this mechanic in this set.

So while Prologue to Phyresis and Infectious Bite are going to be good grabs for anyone wanting to take advantage of this possible upcoming resurgence of Proliferate/Toxic synergy, the real card to pick up now is going to be Phyresis Outbreak, which is sitting at a low-and-stabilized $2. It’s a must-include for any Poison deck in black, as it removes opponents’ creatures on top of doling out Poison counters - all for a meager three mana. It’s a rare and is not in the main ONE set, so if this strategy does make a viable appearance again, you'd rather already have one waiting to sleeve instead of buying it later at an inflated price.

Phyresis Outbreak	CardKingdom $3.99	TCGPlayer $2.02
Prologue to Phyresis	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.25
Infectious Bite	CardKingdom $0.35	TCGPlayer $0.33

In Conclusion

With the crazy pace Wizards is pumping out new sets, it’s easy to forget about certain cards and constantly focus on the next new thing, but doing that doesn’t do justice to all the cool cards with unique art and mechanics that fill the game. So don’t forget to not just look forward, but back, behind, over, and under everything else to find those special diamonds in the rough to spice up either your deck, or your binder. 

Until next time, thanks for reading!

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