All posts by Cliff Daigle

I am a father, teacher, cuber and EDH fanatic. My joy is in Casual and Limited formats, though I dip a toe into Constructed when I find something fun to play. I play less than I want to and more than my schedule should really allow. I can easily be reached on Twitter @WordOfCommander. Try out my Busted Uncommons cube at http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/76330
Casual Fridays

What I’m buying pre-Christmas

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Oh do I love this time of year. It’s a lull, mostly, but I’m a big believer in buying yourself at least one present each year. Doesn’t have to be big. Just needs to be something you want…and probably something that someone else isn’t going to get you.

In other words…oh, have a meme.

I bought myself a card I’ve been craving for a couple of years now, a Liliana of the Dark Realms, SDCC version. Why? Because I’m silly and eBay has been good to me. I am awesome and I deserve it.

But you’re here to hear about other things you should be buying, and I’m here to oblige you.

Inventions and Expeditions!

I’ve promised myself that I am not going to get in on the speculation train when it comes to the other 23 cards that are going to get the Invention treatment. I’ve completely given up on that stuff (aside from the other Swords. That’s just a given.) and I won’t do it.

What I will do is get in on anyone who is letting Inventions and Expeditions go right now. Supply just got the smallest boost thanks to the Standard Showdowns, and people are overreacting for some of the most chase versions of cards. It’s a buyer’s market, and act accordingly. Ebay has some good deals, as do some of the bigger sites, and if you see them pop up on Twitter or Facebook, move in.

Cryptbreaker

The little one-drop that could, I love this card for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that it’s around for six months longer than they planned for. That means untested interactions, overlooked combos, and a price that could hop nicely. I’m eyeing Standard here, as he doesn’t seem good enough for Modern.

The foils are terribly intriguing at sub-$4, because it’s a really great member of an iconic tribe. Being able to draw with him in a Commander deck is sweet, so I’m with you if you snag some shiny copies.

Eldritch Evolution

It hasn’t been broken yet. But that doesn’t mean it won’t. It’s harder to break, as it’s one-shot and then exiled, but the potential is there. We know how good this effect is, so we are just waiting for the deck to arrive. When it does, we want to have some copies ready for others who are following the leader.

Deploy the Gatewatch (foil)

Are you kidding me that this is down to $5-$6? It’s just too easy. Grab these. All of these. Don’t leave any behind. And then sit on them. You’re incubating value when you put these in the time capsule and don’t open it up for two years. It’ll get reprinted along the way, but almost certainly not in foil and that’s where we want to be. Lots of Commander players have the magpie’s eye for things that are shiny–including myself–and we want to feed that need.

Eldrazi Displacer

It’s worth repeating: This is a busted Magic card. Unfair. Powerful. Warping decks and minds around it. I love picking up foils and nonfoils. Get crazy.

Oath of Nissa

Heck yes do I love this at under $2. No one plays this in small amounts, it’s almost always the full set. It’s fallen out of favor because it doesn’t help out delirium the way Vessel of Nascency does, but this remains analogous to a green Ponder. It’s not as good, true, but it’s still quite strong. There’s also a case to be made for turn one this, turn two Oath of Ajani, turn three profit.

Linvala, the Preserver

If nothing else, she should see a spike soon if Panharmonicon decks take off. There’s a lot of powerful interactions in that deck, but nothing catches you up like she does. I’m surprised that Eldritch Evolution isn’t seeing play in those decks yet, but I keep trying to find ways to make it work.

She’s a small-set mythic, at $2, part of one of the best and most-loved tribes in Magic. If nothing else, she carries very little risk. Enjoy!

ProTrader

PROTRADER: PucaPicks for 12/22/16

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Before we get to some picks this week, I want to talk about Freytag’s article, Promoting Trades, because it’s so directly relevant to what many of us do. I’m already offering a 30% bonus on foils I want, and lots of other members are offering bonuses too.

That’s the key word: bonus. This isn’t necessary. It’s not a requirement. I am aware that some people like getting a bonus, so I offer it. I want these foils and giving a sweetener is just fine by me. But it is not a requirement. It’s extra. Most trades on the site don’t have a bonus.

Pucatrade is working hard to take points out of the system, and a fee for promoting trades that can be paid in points is going to further that goal. I cannot overstate how awesome it is that the fee for getting your needed Invention can be paid by sending some other member a pair of Saheeli Rai, or some such.

I also want to link a page I was sent via Twitter where some guys talk about their experiences, good and bad, on Pucatrade. I’ve certainly had ups and downs, and the short version is that as long as you are participating, trying to do things better, they will get better.

I would also really like to hear from you if you’ve been working Pucatrade over by sending out booster packs. It would seem to me that the postage is prohibitive, but considering that you can get boxes for about $90, that’s 250 points a pack and you can move them for 394 points. Arbitrage for the win!

Now, on to my picks! It being winter break, and with Aether Revolt spoilers due soon, we are at some delightfully low spots. Almost everything is a buy for me this week, in contrast to a couple weeks’ worth of sends.

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expensive cards

ProTrader: Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.

ProTrader

PROTRADER: PucaPicks for 12/15/16

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It’s the surprises that keep me coming back. As we travel further back in Magic’s history, raiding old draft boxes, we are at five and six and seven years ago. If you’ve been playing all this time, maybe you remember these formats. Maybe this is your first exposure to some of these cards. Remember, these are all commons and uncommons.

Our goal here is to mine for the cards of not just value, but demand. It doesn’t do as much good to have one $10 card that moves in a year, as compared to ten $1 cards that I can move right now.

I also want to note that I’ve seen some of the cards I highlight move in price. Last week, Galvanic Blast was nearly 100 points, now it’s under 80. I’m not blaming anyone, but it does seem that the faster you move, the better off you will be.

This week, we are covering the newer standard of core sets, as well as Zendikar block, widely given credit as leading a renaissance for Magic.

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expensive cards

ProTrader: Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.

Casual Fridays

Lessons Learned

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One of the things that I like to do when I’m reviewing how the year went is to look for patterns in the spikes throughout the year. This can clue me in about what might be coming next, or the things I want to pick up in anticipation of future growth.

I’m going to look at the last three months, and see what stands out to me. First, some of the spikes that I or others mentioned ahead of time, some spikes I don’t think people predicted at some point, and then what I want to have going forward.

December:

The Chain Veil – The theme this month is going to be counters and proliferate, thanks to Atraxa. The Chain Veil is a card that many picked to eventually be awesome when it was spoiled, and a lovely target at $1. A new spike, especially in foils, is reminiscent of how Nekusar, the Mindrazer caused many cards to spike.

Contagion Engine – If activating planeswalkers twice is good, tapping six mana to +2 all of them is pretty great too. This dodged being in Atraxa’s deck, and should have been on your radar immediately as a result.

Bloodspore Thrinax – If you called this one, then you really do play a lot of counters with your creatures. I’ve got this in my Experiment Kraj deck, and frankly, I feel silly that I didn’t see this spike coming. It’s a fantastic way to power up everything you’re bringing into play, and now Atraxa can grow it! The synergy of Atraxa proliferating this, which will make everything else better,

Doubling Season – I felt silly when I saw this starting to climb. Sure, it’s had two printings plus a Judge edition, but this card defines the casual player’s experience. It’s ready to be printed again, and don’t overlook how hard it is to take this card out of a deck. The supply is low on this because the copies are seeing play, not waiting in storage.

Next up: Asceticism

Sure, it’s $10 right now, but if we are spiking creatures that have to stay in play to get better and better, we need protection for them, and this is a totally unfair card. As a bonus, the foils are not that much more than the nonfoils, and I always prefer speculating on casual foils.

November

Angus Mackenzie – This year, we’ve seen a huge part of the Reserved List go through spikes, and while some of those are pure speculation from individuals or groups, Angus is a group hug commander who can’t be replaced. Throwing a Fog every turn requires a lot more setup, and all he needs is three mana.

Koth of the Hammer – Skred Red strikes! This was a cheap planeswalker, especially with a Duel Deck printing, but it’s reflective of the relatively small supply, since that was four years ago.

Pact of the Titan – Maybe we should have seen this. The other Pacts, aside from the white one, have all seen some tournament play. Free spells are good!

Silas Renn, Seeker Adept – I love that this was less than fifty cents and then was up to $3 at one point. Cheap, powerful, and recursive. How did we not see that this would always be good?

Next up: Mind’s Dilation – Cheap mythic with a game-breaking effect, from a small set, and demands an immediate answer. This is a lot like Lurking Predators, and that’s one of the cards that really jumped me into the MTGFinance game.

October

Selfless Spirit – I played back in the day when Dauntless Escort was a thing. Picking this to be an expensive card wasn’t too tricky.

Foil Leyline of the Void – The rise of Dredge decks should have clued us in about picking up good sideboard options. This has always been a good sideboard option for graveyard decks, but this is powerful from the opening turn.

Torrential Gearhulk – We didn’t say that this would be a $30 card, which is what it spiked to. Six mana is a lot, but I dismissed it for only copying instants. The Pro Tour taught us different.

Next up: Metallurgic Summonings – It’s a fringe deck right now but it’s such an engine that I want to have lots of these. I’m trading for them in foil and not foil, because I don’t want to miss out on the next deck that will make it big.