By: Jared Yost

This week I’m going to give my card-by-card review article template a rest and go for a more holistic approach to how Khans has impacted Magic across various formats. I want to take a look at Standard, sure, but also analyze how Modern, Legacy, and even Vintage could be affected by new additions from Khans of Tarkir.

Standard

We’ll start with Standard, since it has seen the biggest shakeup from Khans releasing due to Khans being added to the card pool and Return to Ravnica block being taken away. From the big events, lets check out decks by the numbers (information generously provided by MTG Top 8 as of 10/3/2014):

“Other – Aggro” is a decent percentage of the format at 7%. I’m interested the most in these decks since I don’t think they’ve been talked about much and could provide some insight into the direction Standard might go if they put up results at the Pro Tour. The four decks so far in this category include a deck called Robots (which won something called “Garden City Convention 174th The Last Sun Trial ” in Japan), Temur Aggro, Sultai, and Mardu Aggro.

Wow, OK – what is this Robots deck? Let’s take a look:

20 LANDS
12 Island
4 Darksteel Citadel
3 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

23 CREATURES
4 Ornithopter
4 Daring Thief
4 Chief Engineer
4 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Scuttling Doom Engine
3 Hypnotic Siren
1 Soul of New Phyrexia

17 OTHER SPELLS
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Ghostfire Blade
4 Ensoul Artifact
3 Singing Bell Strike
2 Bident of Thassa

SIDEBOARD
1 Singing Bell Strike
3 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Staff of the Mind Magus
1 Dissolve
2 Negate
2 Triton Tactics
2 Gainsay
1 Ætherspouts

Woah, now this is something that I wasn’t quite expecting to come out of Khans rotation – simply not something I would expect to win a tournament. Keep in mind that the tournament was only 35 people and in Japan, which is most likely why this rogue deck took down the tournament. Still, based on all the weirdness there might be opportunity.

The first cards that pop out to me are Chief Engineer and Ghostfire Blade as playsets in the deck. Chief Engineer is about $1.50, so if this deck takes off I think it could see a bump to $3 or more. Ghostfire Blade at $0.50 is OK but I don’t really expect it to break $1. Only pick them up if you like them, since for now its utility is limited outside of this particular deck. Hypnotic Siren at bulk prices is also a good pickup if you like this deck.

Tomb of the Spirit Dragon as a three-of is hilariously awesome since everyone initially dismissed it as hot garbage, only thinking about the limited capabilities of the card. If you can, pick these up for bulk because they also shine in colorless EDH builds. I think foils of this are a good pickup if you can get them for $1 or less. On the other hand, how much utility does Daring Thief add to this deck? OK, I can exchange my Ornithopter or Springleaf Drum for one of your creatures or artifacts during my upkeep… doesn’t seem that great. I guess it being a 2/3 is cool yet I’m pretty sure this could be replaced by something else.

Overall, the deck is pretty neat but I’m afraid if it catches on more artifact hate will pop up to handle it. Reclamation Sage is a card, as is Sultai Charm, which I’m sure are going to see play in main decks regardless of how this deck plays out. Still though, there could be opportunity here if the deck takes off at the Pro Tour for some reason. It has gotta be an awesome feeling to kill someone with a 5/5 indestructible land!

For the rest of the “Other” decks we have Temur Aggro, Sultai, and Mardu Aggro from a SCG Qualifier in Tallahassee, TN (USA). Notables from these decks include:

• Temur
  • 3 Prophet of Kruphix
  • 3 Temur Charm
  • 2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
  • 4 Anger of the Gods (out the SB)
• Sultai
  • 4 Rakshasa Deathdealer
  • 4 Herald of Torment
  • 4 Nighthowler
  • 3 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
• Mardu
  • 4 Grim Haruspex
  • 4 Bloodsoaked Champion
  • 3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Temur didn’t really show us anything new or what we didn’t expect. 4x Anger of the Gods out of the sideboard is a sign that this card can do work against the right matchups.

For Sultai, I’ve heard many players talking about the potential of Sidisi and how good it might be in the upcoming Standard. $7 is not a cheap buy in for a mythic and right now the jury is out as to exactly how good she is. I would advise against picking her up for now, since Sultai would have to become very popular in order for her to sustain $15 or more. There are four other clans competing for popularity in this Standard and Soltai only represents 20% of the possibilities. The risk is too high for me personally.

Rakshasa Deathdealer is pretty cheap, as is Herald of Torment and Nighthowler. Pick up your copies if you like Sultai though I’m not sure how big the gains here might be for Deathdealer or Nighthowler. Herald can at least fit across more than just this archetype so that would be the safest pick up if you are expecting to gain value from one of these three cards.

Moving on to Mardu, four Grim Haruspex and four Bloodsoaked Champion could be a sign of things to come. I would favor picking up Haruspex over Champion right now, since the $5 for Champion is definitely going to go down while Haruspex could go up in value if it sees more play. Three Sorin is something to note however unless he puts up results at the Pro Tour I can only see his price going down from here.

Modern

So Jeskai Ascendency, eh? I can’t believe this thing can get Turn 2 kills, can you? Last week the deck took down a 136 player event so Ascendency appears to be the real deal – at least until people learn how to deal with it.

So here is how to win with this deck. Cast two or three mana dorks. Play Jeskai Ascendency (or Glittering Wish and for Jeskai Ascendency then cast it). Cast a ton of cheap cantrips, all while drawing and discarding cards off the Ascendency triggers. Each noncreature spell you cast pumps your mana dorks and untaps them, so you keep getting more and more mana and casting more and more spells. After casting 20+ spells attack for lethal. Your backup plan is to Grapeshot them to death or Glittering Wish for Aurelia’s Fury out of the board to kill them.

Glittering Wish has already spiked from these results – going from $2 to $16 in a week’s time. I would say that a good target based on the decklist (that used to be hilariously bad) is foil Cerulean Wisps, however it has already been bought out on TCGPlayer and the only copy left is $15… so no opportunity there either. Really, the only option left is Jeskai Ascendancy itself but unfortunately this has already spiked to $5 TCGmid too! It might go higher, however it is only a rare and as more product is opened the price will stabilize or continue to drop, especially if Wizards decides to ban this card if it becomes too oppressive when the next banned list changes are announced at the end of January. Odds are it probably won’t get banned but stranger things have happened.

Outside of the Jeskai Ascendency hype, Dig Through Time seems to be testing well in Scapeshift and other Modern lists like Blue Moon. Foils here are outrageous right now, so avoid them and wait for more product to be opened. Normal copies at $4 aren’t going up in price for a while, and could trend downwards as more product is opened.

Also, we can’t discount the effect that the allied fetchlands will have on Modern. They will greatly reduce the price of manabases and help more players enter the format. This means that the end of absurdly expensive manabases is in sight yet the pendulum could easily swing in the other direction and drive up the price of non-land staples in Modern.

Legacy

Treasure Cruise and Monastery Swiftspear have quickly entered Legacy as new staples. As part of a U/R Delver list that won a SCG Legacy Open they both offer something to Legacy that can’t be ignored. Swiftspear easily becomes a 2/3 or a 3/4 in a single turn with all of the easy to cast blue cantrips and card draw spells, in addition to the cheap burn. Treasure Cruise is like an upgraded Standstill that synergizes extremely well with the objective of U/R Delver, which plays nothing but cheap burn spells and fetchlands to quickly fill up the graveyard. Regular copies of both aren’t moving in quite some time, so pick them up for bulk and when you draft / play sealed and hold onto them. Foils will drop in price over the next several months – right now their prices are maintained primarily by hype.

Some other cards from Khans that have shown up in legacy are Dig Through Time and Sultai Charm. Nothing that is going to warp the format though something to note is that Dig Through Time has both Modern and Legacy appeal.

Vintage

Nothing from Khans has appeared in Vintage yet, though Brian Demars wrote a detailed first impressions review of Khans in terms of Vintage over at SCG. Some of the highlights include:

A Top 5 List

• Anafenza, the Foremost – noted as “pick for best Vintage card in the set” due to being an efficient beater, Lightning Bolt dodger, and insanely good graveyard hater
• Sultai Charm, the best charm in Vintage due to utility in the format
• Ugin’s Nexus, since it could go into Stax for Kuldotha Forgemaster synergy
• Mantis Rider, as an addition to URW Delver lists
• Grim Haruspex in Rock or Dredge builds as a potential card advantage engine

I would keep an eye on Anafenza, Sultai Charm, and Ugin’s Nexus foils over the next two to three months based on the review. Anafenza foils are currently $15, while Sultai Charm and Ugin’s Nexus are around $8 for foils. They might drop as more product is released and the release hype dies down.

Avoid Mantis Rider for now. If you want to speculate, picking up Grim Haruspex foils for $2 each could yield sizable rewards in the future.

Other Notables

• Clever Impersonator, to be used as one-of in a control deck to answer various threats
  • Foils of this are around $40 right now, so I would avoid them and wait for the release hype to die down before trying to pick up a foil copy.
• Treasure Cruise and Murderous Cut, as fringe Dredge role players
  • Again, foil prices are driven by hype so wait for the hype to die down.

Just want to mention that you should read Brian’s article because it gives a great overview of how Khans could affect Vintage.

Summary

Khans cards seem to have found a home everywhere except for Vintage, and even though we haven’t seen any results in Vintage there could be a few that are included in future lists based on Brian’s analysis.

For the most part, if you are picking up cards for financial value you are going to want to wait for the hype to die down unless the card is from Theros block or is currently a Khans bulk rare. These are the types of cards that are going to gain over the next few weeks, especially after the Pro Tour weekend depending on which cards are featured in the Top 8 decks.

By: Jared Yost

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Travis’ full set review for mythic rares and rares of Kahns of Tarkir, go check that out right now. Travis did an excellent job covering the potential financial future of mythics and rares from Khans. There is a ton of information in his article to digest that will be useful for the Standard rotation and beyond.

Since covering just the mythics and rares was such a massive undertaking, Travis tasked me with covering the remaining uncommons and commons in the set that seem powerful enough to see Standard, Modern, Legacy, and even Cube or Vintage play. I’ll stick to Travis’ original article format for this and list out the uncommons and commons I like in the following order:

• White
• Blue
• Black
• Red
• Green
• Multicolored
• Artifact
• Land

I will not list the uncommons/commons that are bulk, since most uncommons/commons will be bulk and only a select few will wind up seeing tournament play. Also keep in mind that it is really hard for an uncommon to break a $2. Banishing Light is around $2.50 retail due to its ubiquitous utility as a fixed Oblivion Ring that can answer any nonland threat for three mana. In other words, unless the uncommon is as insane as Banishing Light then it will be hard for it to break $2 so don’t pick up tons of uncommons expecting them to spike in price. If an uncommon is really good also expect it to be in an event deck or other supplementary product, furthering the chance none of us will profit from it financially.

I think the best mind set to be in while reviewing uncommons and commons from a financial perspective is to think about the best way to pick them up cheaper than retail, which usually is to set them aside when you crack them or draft them so that you don’t later have to buy these cards at retail prices when you need them for a deck. Foils are nice pick ups for eternal playable uncommons and commons if they are powerful to be included in Modern, Legacy, or even Vintage decks. Many times I will prefer to pick up foil copies as they will retain more value in the long term.

Alright, let’s dive into the uncommons and commons of Khans of Tarkir.

White

Seeker of the Way

Seeker of the Way is one of the strongest white bears (two mana 2/2’s) at uncommon or common that we’ve seen in a while. I think this card is better than Ajani’s Sunstriker and Ajani’s Pridemate in the right decks since it doesn’t cost WW to cast or require life gain in order to get bigger. It is definitely better than cards like Boros Mastiff or Sunspear Shikari because you also don’t have to fulfill harder requirements to get a bonus – all you have to do is cast noncreature spells for him to become a 3/3 (or potentially bigger) lifelinker. I think Seeker could see a decent amount of Standard play in a B/W lifelink shell alongside Sorin, Solemn Visitor.

Suspension Field

Suspension Field would have been amazing if not for Banishing Light. I’ll give you that the difference between two and three mana is pretty significant, especially in aggro decks, but I don’t see this card being played much in the main deck. This feels like something you bring out of the board against midrange decks without a good way of getting rid of enchantments. After all, it is a worse Journey to Nowhere.

Suspension Field is decent yet don’t go deep on this one since it has to compete with Banishing Light for slots.

Watcher of the Roost

I like Watcher of the Roost because you can play it without having white mana available and it can also confuse your opponents game one by making them think you have another more powerful morph card in play. I’m not sure how much play this will see though I think it provides good value for three mana. Pick up some copies if you plan on playing white.

Blue

Disdainful Stroke

I like Disdainful Stroke because it is powerful against midrange and control decks. I think tempo decks and aggro decks will play at a few copies, at the least in their sideboards. Focus on foils here, as it could potentially see eternal play in Modern since the casting cost is efficient for a hard counterspell (that is, a counterspell that doesn’t also say “unless it’s controller pays {x mana}”).

Jeskai Elder

I like Jeskai Elder for cubes but I’m not sure if she is powerful enough to see play in Standard or other formats. If you like her for cube pick up a foil copy for less than $1.

Quiet Contemplation

I like that this enchantment provides value to control decks, as it turns all their noncreature spells into pseudo-removal for a turn while they wait to set up their end game. It works well with instants, tapping down creatures at instant speed at the beginning of an opponent’s attack phase.

This reminds me of Lightning Rift, which had its own deck based around it back in Onslaught Standard. Though QC is no Lightning Rift, since you can’t deal damage to players nor activate QC when your opponent plays a noncreature spell. Pick up some copies for decks yet don’t go out of your way to get these as we don’t quite know how powerful (or weak) the Jeskai Prowess / noncreature theme are.

Stubborn Denial

Foils of this card are already $20 retail which is huge for an uncommon. You know what other spell is around $20 foil retail? Empty the Pits. I think it is pretty crazy that a foil uncommon is worth just as much as a foil mythic rare.

The foil price is derived from the expected eternal play that players are predicting Stubborn Denial will see in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage. However, I feel that Spell Pierce seems so much better than this card for a large majority of eternal decks. Many times, I feel like SD is just a bad Force Spike in eternal formats because at least with Spell Pierce you don’t need a creature to improve your counterspell.

However, I have not had a chance to see Stubborn Denial in action so it could be really good in combination with Tarmogoyf or other cheap creatures that can reach four power or greater quickly in Vintage, Legacy, or Modern. In Vintage, I’m thinking this could be a great protection spell once you get out your win condition.

In the end, only time will tell. Avoid foil copies for now and wait for the results to come. I think the foil price right now is mainly driven by hype. Only pick up foils if Stubborn Denial starts seeing heavy play in one or more of the eternal formats and the foil price doesn’t budge.

Treasure Cruise

I believe that this common is the most exciting card from Khans for eternal formats. The foil price certainly reflects this since it is commanding anywhere from $15 to $50 per copy! In eternal formats, the Delve mechanic has been around since it was introduced in Future Sight and Tombstalker started seeing Legacy play.

However, Treasure Cruise is not Tombstalker. Tombstalker was never played in playsets, maybe as a two-of or three-of, and was eventually outclassed by other strategies. In many ways Treasure Cruise is better than Tombstalker. Treasure Cruise is most likely to be seen in playsets in the decks it is featured in and I have a hard time seeing how draw three cards in blue, with only one blue mana as the color commitment, being outclassed.

If you are familiar with Standstill strategies in Legacy then you know that being able to draw three cards for two mana is pretty awesome. People have made Standstill work for years, because even though it is really clunky getting that card advantage is so awesome in a format like Legacy. Treasure Cruise does not require the awkward situation that Standstill introduces, and could definitely be cast for U and become Ancestral Recall at sorcery speed. So don’t think of this card as Tombstalker, instead think of it as a better Standstill. Even playing it for three mana and exiling five cards is quite a deal.

Also, we can’t forget that it passes the Force of Will test (it is blue, and therefore can be pitched to FoW, and therefore can be played in the blue decks that utilize Force) and only requires a single blue mana color commitment. I think we’re going to be seeing many Treasure Cruises being cast in Legacy, and maybe even Modern or possibly Vintage, in the future.

For more fun things you can do with Treasure Cruise see this Star City Games article by Carsten Kotter.

What is the correct foil price for Treasure Cruise? Honestly, I’m not sure yet. I think we’re going to need to revisit this back in two to three months in order to let the dust settle. For now, I wouldn’t pay more than $5 in cash for this or $10 in trade based on Delver of Secrets foil history.

Black

Dead Drop

This is a really expensive card but again Delve makes me look at it again since being able to cast this for four or less is pretty awesome. I would pick up a few copies for decks if you plan on playing control (the best deck type to include this card since you would have to delve a ton of cards to get the mana cost down to an efficient range) or for a cube if you like it. $1.50 is pretty cheap for foils.

Murderous Cut

This is probably the best non-blue Delve card in the set. It is really easy to get four cards into your graveyard, even in Standard since we have the fetchlands now, and it can take out any creature without a drawback at instant speed. I think this is solid removal that will be played alongside of Hero’s Downfall in black Standard decks. Like other Delve cards it also has playability in eternal formats since it is even easier to get four cards into your graveyard in Modern and Legacy.

Pick up extra copies in trades since I think this will be played across several formats. Foils are also nice targets even at $10.

Sultai Scavenger

Many people are equating this guy with Delver of Secrets for eternal formats though I don’t he quite gets there. Since this guy is black he doesn’t pass the Force of Will test and needs to be given extra consideration before being included in Legacy lists because I think flipping Delver is much easier than getting five cards in the ‘yard for Sultai Scavenger. Foils are less than $1 right now so it could be a good pickup if you plan on playing them in Legacy or think it will see play in Modern.

Red

Goblinslide

Similar to Quiet Contemplation, this card rewards control players for having a large amount of non-creature spells and gives them more reach in the late game when they have extra mana and can create goblin tokens off every spell.

This could also see play in midrange or aggro decks too, since hasty goblins improve Goblin Rabblemaster attacks. Foils are pretty good for less than $1.

Horde Ambusher

Similar to Watcher of the Roost, I like that this card morphs for free and provides a nice bonus upon morphing. Similar to Seeker of the Way, this red bear is quite strong and pushing the curve for what you can get for two mana in a red creature. Make sure to hold on to these because they will be played in Standard when Theros rotates if not before.

Hordeling Outburst

I get the feeling that casuals are going to love this card. It is a nice addition to cubes on top of being Standard playable in the right deck. Stay away from foils for now since they are quite high at $3.50. Being uncommon will mean that nonfoils of this card will always be around at least $0.25 retail.

Monastery Swiftspear

She provides a ton of value to Burn decks, especially eternal ones. Swiftspear will be a nice upgrade to red one drops in many players’ cubes. Foils are a bit high right now at $7.50, so if you want foil copies wait.

Tormenting Voice

A strict upgrade to Wild Guess, I like this card for eternal formats in combo decks. It is much easier to cast than Wild Guess and so getting it to work in combo decks is easier than a RR casting cost. Foils will be nice targets once the release hype dies down.

War-Name Aspirant

I like this card for Standard. I think she will appear in red aggro decks since the Raid is really easy to get and her ability is nice. Don’t focus on foils, instead set aside copies you get in sealed pools and drafts in for future decks or trades.

Green

Become Immense

I like this card in Infect decks, especially Modern Infect builds. I don’t think it will be played as more than a one-of or two-of in the Infect decks but it can’t hurt to stash these way. It will make more of an impact in Modern than Legacy since pump options are more limited in Modern, though Legacy play is a real possibility for the card since +6/+6 is quite a bonus.

Savage Punch

I only mention this card for the art and flavor. If Gift of Orzhova can maintain a $5 foil price on art alone I’m thinking this card just might do that too. Foils are currently $1 – quick, buy them all out!

Multicolored

Overall Charm Cycle Thoughts

The charms probably won’t be played in playsets however picking up foil copies of them will be great for long term gains. Cubes and Commander decks alike will be utilizing these charms. Don’t focus on nonfoils here as they could easily be reprinted in supplementary products and lose value, plus this is going to be a heavily opened set due to fetchlands.

Each charm has its pros and cons but generally there are “better” charms than others. It is hard to determine yet which charm is going to come out on top, so I think the strategy for now is to focus on foils and wait for results to come in if you decide you want to pick up popular charms for trade value.

Icefeather Aven

I really like foils of this guy for cubes since he is a strict upgrade to Gaea’s Skyfolk. He could also see Standard play because I hear Man-o’-War effects are good.

Warden of the Eye

Not exactly a strict upgrade to Izzet Chronarch since this guy introduces white mana into the casting cost but he will definitely be played in Jeskai Commander decks. Foils will be good targets once the release hype dies down. $1 for foils of this card seems good to me.

Being a 3/3 helps too, which could help the card see Standard play though the jury is out for now on Standard. Don’t buy these guys at retail price yet keep any copies you find lying around.

Artifacts

Uncommon and common artifacts in this set are pretty underwhelming from a financial perspective. I’m not interested in them, though let me know if you think any are worthy of consideration in the comments.

Lands

Wedge Tri Lands

Out of all the uncommons and commons of this set I believe the wedge tri lands are going to be the best pickups from a financial perspective. Wedge lands were already hard to come by before we got these, and now that we have them players are going to want playsets for their clan themed decks. Even though there are going to be a ton of them out there, in the future they will go up in value due to casual and Commander demand. I’m basing this on the Shards tri lands history. Shards tri lands are all currently about $1-$1.50 retail even after being reprinted in Commander decks.

Foils will also be nice of these lands however $5 seems a bit high for now. Wait two to three months and if the price hasn’t budged on foils then get them at $5, otherwise get them once they dip if that’s what the market decides.

Khans Refuges (Nickname based on the Zendikar Refuge cycle of five lands)

Hold onto any copies of these you get, both foil and nonfoil. I think nonfoils will always be more than bulk on buylists. Foils will be wanted for cubes and Commander decks, and if you can snag foils for $0.50 or less go for it.

Summary

Here are the top five uncommons and commons (by cycle, if applicable) in list format so that you know which uncommons and commons I think will hold the most financial value in Khans moving forward.

HONORABLE MENTION: Become Immense

1. Wedge Tri Lands
2. FOIL Treasure Cruise (pick up nonfoils at bulk)
3. FOIL Charms
4. Murderous Cut
5. Monastery Swiftspear

I think there are many playable uncommons and commons in Khans across Standard, Modern, Legacy, Commander, and Cube. Foils of uncommons and commons will hold more value long term than nonfoils, since any popular ones are bound to be reprinted in supplementary products.

Again, let me reiterate that I am not recommending that players buy thousands of these uncommons or commons en masse trying to make a profit by expecting them to spike. Uncommons and commons are notoriously slow to increase in price, if at all. It takes something like Delver of Secrets level of play to make that happen – and non-foils of that card are barely $0.25 retail with only one printing and all the play that card sees. What I hope this article does show is that the hype around new sets also affects uncommons and commons, sometimes to a huge degree. Once the hype dies down prices will be much more reasonable.

I also hope this article will enable players to identify the more powerful uncommons and commons in the set so that they can pick them up for decks if they want to play them and that it helps players building cubes to identify which foil uncommons and commons are best to pick up and when.

By: Jared Yost

Welcome back to my rotation review everyone! Last week I covered cards from Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash that I think have long term appeal, either through casual demand or eternal playability. This is the second part to my rotation review that will cover Dragon’s Maze and M14. The best time to start looking for these deals is about two to three months after the latest set has been released in order for the prices from the old rotating sets to really dive.

The organization of the review is as follows:

Sets

• Return to Ravnica (previous article)
• Gatecrash (previous article)
• Dragon’s Maze
• M14

Order of Rarity for Sets

• Mythic
• Rare
• Uncommon (if applicable)
• Common (if applicable)

Foil vs Nonfoil – Mentioned per card if applicable. I will mention foil prices if the card has ubiquitous Commander or Eternal appeal.

Today I will finish the review, covering Dragon’s Maze and M14.

Dragon’s Maze

MYTHIC

Voice of Resurgence

FORMAT – Modern

Voice of Resurgence is the most expensive mythic from Dragon’s Maze, currently sitting around $18 retail. However, this price is misleading since you can find many for sale for around $13-$15 on TCGPlayer.

Voice is clearly the most powerful card from the set for eternal formats but he suffers from the same problem as Sphinx’s Revelation. That is, at best he is played as a two-of in Pod. Kibler managed to get a Top 8 playing four Voices in his Junk deck back in May of 2013 which is cool. Unfortunately, Voice hasn’t made a showing in that deck since then and the demand from Voice is coming only from Pod variants at this point.

Definitely wait before you pick up this card. His current price is heavily driven by Standard so there will be plenty of deals after rotation on Voice. I think if you can pick these up close to $12 or less that will be a great deal for the long term. I don’t see him ever going below $10 for long and he only stands to gain in the future as long as Pod isn’t banned in Modern.

Foils will be especially good in the long term. It is a huge buy in at $60 yet I don’t see the foil price budging too much upon set rotation. $50 for foils seems like a good deal if you can swing it after rotation.

Ral Zarek

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

Up next is Ral, currently sitting around $7 retail. I don’t think he can drop much further after rotation. If you can snag copies from $4-$5 a few months after rotation I think that will be a great deal. Planeswalkers are always a good long term investment because they will trade / sell well from casual demand alone.

Progenitor Mimic

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

Progenitor Mimic is one of the better clone variants out there. It provides a ton of value if left unchecked which makes it good for the Commander format. Being mythic will also help buoy the price going forward. It is pretty cheap already at $2.50 retail. I don’t think the floor is much lower than this so if you can snag copies for $2 go for it.

Foils will be an especially good long term investment. The $13 current retail for foils is low for a third set mythic that has lots of Commander appeal. Focusing on foils is also a good strategy with this card.

Savageborn Hydra

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

Wizards seems to be pushing green’s creature identify toward Hydras these days since I’ve seen so many pop up, both in and out of Greek themed sets. Let’s take a look at some other Hydra prices from the past:

Khalni Hydra – $13 TCGmid
Apocalypse Hydra – $9 TCGmid
Primordial Hydra – $6.50 TCGmid (despite two printings Primoridal Hydra still above $6!)

Looks like mythic rare hydras do quite well in the long run even with more than one printing. Pick up Savageborn Hydras because they will follow in the same vein.

Master of Cruelties

FORMAT – Commander

The only reason I mention Master of Cruelties is the popularity of Kaalia as a general in the Commander format. Connecting Master of Cruelties with someone in Commander is the definition of “the nuts”. $2 for nonfoil versions seem like the bottom for this card. I don’t think it is going to experience giant spikes in price for quite some time however the mythic rare status will ensure it maintains value going into the future.

Foils are also a good pickup for Kaalia or other Commander players looking to foil out decks.

RARE

Breaking // Entering

FORMAT – Casual

Mill cards are in the realm of casual and I am greatly familiar with how well these cards trade and sell to casual players. Right now, this card is a solid $1 retail without seeing a lick of tournament play (except maybe in a rogue Modern mill deck or something). Pick up copies and stash ‘em away for the future when they’re worth $2 or more.

Guild Champions (Not in Intro Decks)

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

OK, so first lets get the foils in the Dragon’s Maze intro decks out the way so you know not to target them – Lavinia, Teysa, Exava, Ruric Thar, and Vorel. There are an overabundance of these foils on the market so you shouldn’t target them since the intro packs will stabilize the pack foil price for quite some time. I think I might make an exception for Vorel though since his ability involves doubling counters which is a popular casual mechanic. $1.50 is pretty cheap for his foil, I don’t think it can get lower than that. However, his long term gains are going to be stifled by the intro deck foil so avoid picking up too many copies.

Forget about Emmara Tandris, too. Her ability is awful and reputation as a card tarnished beyond repair. I doubt she will ever be even close to $1.

Alright, so of the four remaining maze champions I believe that foils of Melek, Tajic, and Varolz will do the best in the long term and that nonfoils of Mirko Vosk are great targets. Varolz is currently the highest foil at $3.50 retail, with foils of Tajic at $3 and Melek at $1.50. These are all great buy in points that won’t budge much after rotation.

Mirko Vosk’s ability is all about mill, which we know the casual players salivate over. Foils of this will also gain nicely but non-foils will move much easier and will still gain value.

Plasm Capture

FORMAT – Commander

The closest we’ve come to Mana Drain, Plasm Capture is a great card for Commander and is included in many blue/green commander lists. Foils will be especially good pickups for the future.

Notion Thief & Beck // Call

FORMAT – Modern?, Legacy?

Notion Thief and Beck // Call are the penny stocks of Dragon’s Maze. They have some appeal in Commander but could potentially derive their future price from play in Modern or Legacy lists because they are powerful depending on the metagame.

Beck // Call doesn’t really have a deck right now. However, as more cards are added to Modern, Elves may eventually come together and Modern Elves could be a thing again. Notion Thief is played in decks already though generally just as a one-of in the sideboard.

If you plan on playing Beck // Call or Notion Thief in Modern or Legacy rotation will be a good time to pick them up. However, these are pretty risky calls so I won’t pick up too many copies of either card.

UNCOMMON

Unflinching Courage

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

Sadly, this slightly worse version of Armadillo Cloak is worth more than most rares in the set. I am still going to tell you to get your hands on some, including foils. Uril Commander decks will want to include this card and it is an uncommon from a third set that wasn’t opened much. You won’t be making a killing off Unflinching Courage though it will still be a solid pickup upon rotation.

Wear // Tear

FORMAT – Modern, Legacy, Commander

Wear // Tear is a widely played card in UWx lists in Modern, is played in UWR Delver Legacy sideboards, and is a great inclusion for any red/white Commander decks. This is the most versatile artifact/enchantment destruction spell we’ve seen in a while at a very efficient mana cost. I don’t think we’ll be seeing the fuse mechanic for quite a while so pick up copies here and there when you can as throw-ins for trades. Foils are also good targets at $9.50 since I believe they only stand to gain more value in the future from eternal and Commander play.

M14

MYTHIC

Archangel of Thune

FORMAT – Modern, Commander, Casual

Archangel is the most expensive mythic from M14. Standard does drive some of her demand however a lot of it comes from casual appeal. Casuals love angels, and due to this her price has never dropped below $15 even though she sometimes never saw any Standard play.

In the future, she will pop up from time to time in certain Pod lists that make use of her infinite combo along with Spike Feeder yet much of the demand will always be casual. I’m not sure if she will ever drop below $12 so if you can pick her up from $12-$15 I think she will trade well after rotation. Foils are a pricy $35 but will also do well.

Planeswalkers (All)

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

All the Planeswalkers from M14 are $5.50 to $8 at this point. Pick up Planeswalkers closer to the bottom of that range and you will do fine after rotation. All the Planeswalkers are powerful or popular and will maintain value from the casual crowds.

Kalonian Hydra

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

See my review for Savageborn Hydra from Dragon’s Maze in this article. Another mythic rare hydra, another great casual target for the long term. Kalonian has a higher buy in point than Savageborn at $7 but if you can pick them up for $5 or less they should do well in the long run.

Rise of the Dark Realms

FORMAT – Commander

This is a great Commander card that will have a ton of appeal in the future. Foils are also a good target for these going forward.

Darksteel Forge

FORMAT – Commander

Darksteel Forge was getting close to $20 before the M14 reprint. Now it is little more than $2.50 for an M14 version. This seems criminally cheap to me. Pick up copies of this and wait for it to break $5 or more in a year’s time.

RARE

Mutavault

FORMAT – Modern, Legacy, Commander

Mutavault is an incredible card, there’s no denying that. It hit highs of $40 earlier this year and has dropped significantly down to $18. Yet still, it is the most valuable card from M14. I don’t believe Mutavault is going below $12 due to Modern demand so if you can pick up copies close to $12 after rotation this is a good buy in point.

Scavenging Ooze

FORMAT – Modern, Commander

Scavenging Ooze made quite the appearance at GP Kobe. It seemed to fly under the radar due to Burn and Affinity taking down the tournament but Junk did quite well playing four copies of the Ooze main deck. Looks like there will demand from the Ooze for quite a while in Modern, since it is also played in Rock and Pod decks in addition to sometimes appearing in Tribal/Naya Zoo.

Ooze is a decent Commander card however it will derive most of its value from tournament play. $5.50 is the cheapest it has been in quite some time so pick up any copies you find around $5. Interestingly enough, media promo Oozes are also around $5 – I think it is a great time to pick up those foil versions if you want foils of Scavenging Ooze. Regular foils unfortunately will be stabilized for quite a while since there are a ton of media promo Oozes out there.

Door of Destinies

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

Door of Destinies was a $15 card before its reprint. This card has huge casual appeal, and once M14 rotates they will start to become hard to find again. It is around $2.50 right now. Expect it to be $4+ within the next year.

Tidebinder Mage

FORMAT – Modern

As long as Modern Merfolk is a deck I believe that Tidebinder will be played, at least in sideboards. She provides solid utility for Merfolk and extra distruption against red and green aggro decks. If you can pick up copies around $1 I think that’s pretty good.

Strionic Resonator

FORMAT – Commander

I like foils of Strionic Resonator for Commander because there are some wacky things you can do in the format, and Resonator amplifies those silly things. For example, if you stack the trigger right with Sands of Time I believe that you can have infinite untaps during your untap step if you have it and Resonator in play. Pretty neat huh? I’m sure more abilities will be printed in the future for Resonator, so if you can get them for bulk or foils for $1 or less I think that’s a good deal.

UNCOMMON

Young Pyromancer

FORMAT – Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Casual

Players have argued that Young Pyromancer is finally the completion of the broken two drop cycle for each color. The tournament results certainly back it up, as it has seen play in Top 8 decks across Modern, Legacy, and Vintage. I feel like it doesn’t complete the cycle because it isn’t a rare but to each their own. It is clearly a powerful card if not a member of the broken two drop cycle.

Nonfoils were included in event decks so $1.50 retail for this guy is going to stick for quite a while. I imagine there will be a reprint eventually in a Commander or supplementary product so focus on foils of Pyromancer. Foils are already around $20, yet based on all the play he is seeing in eternal formats that price could easily go higher.

COMMON

Shadowborn Apostle

FORMAT – Casual

People will collect Shadowborn Apostle like nobody’s business, since the card breaks one of the fundamental rules of Magic by allowing you to run as many copies as you want in a deck. If people try to build Commander with this card the estimated demand can only go higher. I don’t think you can ever lose with this common even at $0.50. People will want to collect them for decks so always having a few for those folks won’t hurt. Get them as trade throw ins and this guy’s price in the future might surprise you.

SLIVERS

FORMAT – Commander, Casual

I created a section just for slivers because many of my points for the slivers will apply at any rarity.

A favorite creature from Magic’s history, slivers made a comeback in M14 by having a face-lift and changing the wording around to “slivers you control” rather than “all slivers” for their abilities. I think all M14 slivers have potential due to collectors, especially the foil ones.

Galerider Sliver has recently seen a price spike in August, probably due to FNM players trying to make slivers work in Standard with Mana Confluence. I’m not sure if it will drop much after rotation since the deck is mainly driven by casuals and the new price could stick. Wait two to three months, and buy in then once the price dips if it decides to. Foils are also good at $10 for Commander.

Other good foils to target are Manaweft, Syphon, Thorncaster, and Bonescythe. Megantic, Predatory, Striking, and Blur Sliver also seem good to me but I don’t think they will see the gains that the first four will see.

Try to pick up common and uncommon slivers as trade throw ins like Predatory and Striking Sliver. They will hold value from casual Sliver appeal going forward.

Summary

Based on feedback from the first part of this set review, I will provide a Top 5 list from each set of top picks that I think will be the best performing cards once they hit their bottoms after rotation.This is the TL:DR of the article you can refer back to if you want to quickly know which cards I’m thinking will do the best in the future. I think all the cards I’ve mentioned will do well though I have the most faith in the ones listed below.

Dragon’s Maze Top 5

5. Savageborn Hydra

4. Progenitor Mimic

3. FOIL Wear // Tea

2. Ral Zarek

1. Voice of Resurgence

M14 Top 5

5. Archangel of Thune

4. Galerider Sliver

3. FOIL Young Pyromancer

2. Scavenging Ooze (especially Media Promos)

1. Mutavault

There are plenty of great options for cards in Dragon’s Maze and M14. Lots of people regarded Dragon’s Maze as a bad set but I believe in the grand scheme of Magic people will look back on it fondly like Kamigawa block. M14 was an awesome core set and provided many great cards to the Magic card pool, so there will be value in cards from that set moving forward as well. This wraps up my RTR Block and M14 rotation review. As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments.