Last week I talked about the incoming price declines we can expect from the release of Eternal Masters. Reprints of Legacy, Vintage, and Commander staples are sure to drop prices to varying degrees simply because the demand for more staples will not likely outpace supply. This is especially the case for 1-ofs like Mana Crypt, Karakas, and Vampiric Tutor. Prices are about to fluctuate significantly.
We could pause and celebrate a successful set release for Wizards of the Coast at this point. They’re going to generate more profits for Hasbro and the player base will have easier access to numerous eternal staples. A true win-win right?
Well, not exactly. You see, some cards didn’t get reprinted in Eternal Masters. Obviously everything can’t get a reprint – there are far more cards worth reprinting than there were slots in the set. Some cards will inevitably have to wait their turn for next time. The problem is, those cards which dodged reprint are now very likely to jump higher in price! Players may open up a few valuable Legacy staples and wish to trade for other parts of the deck which weren’t in Eternal Masters. Speculators are definitely going to pounce on opportunities where supply did not increase. And overall we’ll see copies dry up over time, leading to higher pricing.
Thus, some card prices in key archetypes will jump higher, counteracting much of the relief delivered by Eternal Masters. The world is an ironic place, isn’t it?
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Great article! Go go CFB! Just snagged 2 NM Beta Black Knights off of TCG for $16 apiece (which at the worst is arbitrage since CFB will pay you $30 buylist), so hopefully they’re truly in NM condition because then I’ll be able to sell a whole NM playset. 🙂 Hoping I still have my Ernham at home somewhere…
Thanks! And nice find on those Black Knights! Isn’t it incredible how aggressive CFB is moving in on old school staples? I hope they are gaining traction with this format because it’s pretty sweet to play!
Karakas is a 3 or 4 of mainboard copy in Death and Taxes which seems to generate the most interest of build able archetypes from this set. Just saying.
Tom,
Thanks for the data point! I hadn’t considered Death and Taxes. If they’re running so many copies, that’s definitely a source of demand. Given the Mother of Runes reprint, perhaps this triggers increases in other cards in the deck? I’m not intimately familiar with the list, though.
Sig