By: Cliff Daigle
@wordofcommander

So a new set is here, and while our eyes are immediately drawn to the new shiny things, this is the exact time that we want to be thinking ahead.

Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged are going to rotate in April, when Shadows over Innistrad arrives. This is the beginning of the new rotational schedule, 18 months in Standard instead of 24. What I want to look at today are the cards that are currently underpriced, since they are in Battle for Zendikar and the supply is just about at maximum.

My philosophy for years has been to trade for these types of cards now and then trade them away in six months or so, when demand is high and yet it’s no longer being opened. An example of this in action is Hero’s Downfall.

That low point, during Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx? That’s where we are with Battle for Zendikar. See that spike during the beginning of Khans of Tarkir? That’s my exit point.

I’m not skilled enough at deckbuilding to say with certainty what decks will be good and what won’t after rotation. What I do know is this: losing the fetch lands is going to hurt these four-and-five-color monstrosities, running twelve fetches and six or seven battle lands. If Shadows over Innistrad contains the enemy fetches (Scalding Tarn and the like) then I’m probably going to be super wrong and that’s going to be a mea culpa moment.

But let’s get to my current wants:

The Battle Lands (all $3 – $4 each)

This is the easiest call of all. Supply is at maximum, and everyone has all they need for their decks. The dirty little secret of the battle lands and the manabases right now is that you don’t need the full playset of each land. You need one or two, since fetches get you exactly what you need.

When there is no Windswept Heath, decks are going to need to draw their lands. Even if you want to run more pain lands (for the colorless) then you still have holes to fill and that means you’re going to increase the numbers of battle lands you’re playing.

Take a Jeskai Black deck or an Abzan Blue deck. Depending on the flavor, it’s running between five and eight battle lands of three or four types. No four-of on these duals, because fetches obviate that need. Take away the fetches and I think deckbuilders go back to three-of and four-of, which means the prices on these will conservatively double.

That’s right — I think even Cinder Glade will be in the $6-$8 range before we get the second set of Shadows Over Innistrad block.

 

Radiant Flames ($1)

It’s true that this is being overshadowed by Kozilek’s Return, and for the most part that’s merited. This is a sorcery, and colorless mana doesn’t help with converge at all. I think that Radiant Flames is super cheap for what it does, though, and it doesn’t seem unlikely for there to be a rise in decks that want to wipe the board of small things for three mana. Plus, the price to get in is so low that your risk is super low as well.

Stay away from the promo, though. Pick up one if you have to have the full collection of promo foils but this one doesn’t have much appeal to Cube or Commander. I can’t wait to trade these away at $3.

 

Planar Outburst ($0.75)

Speaking of cheap sweepers! This is a total flier. It’s almost bulk in price and while it’s five mana, there aren’t many cards ever that offer the same level of “kill everything but the one thing I want to live” around. Martial Coup did it, Phyrexian Rebirth did it. I’m picking up about ten of these and crossing my fingers.

 

Painful Truths ($2.80)

There’s a little more risk on the buy-in here but the card already has pedigree. It’s too much life to be played as a four-of, and that is going to count against it.

However, this card is starting to pop up in Modern lists and that makes it an appealing target indeed. I really like trading for cards that have a wide appeal, even they aren’t used in full playsets. I think that this will climb to about $5, if not higher.

 

Ruinous Path ($1.31)

Holy Hero’s Downfall! It’s the same spell! A little worse, but a little better. What sent Downfall high was the rise of Mono-Black Devotion, but there’s a lot of reasons to go heavy black at rotation. The mana will be easier, and you’ll get this plus Grasp of Darkness. If you’re looking to kill creatures early and late, that seems like an awesome starting point. Path, Grasp, a couple of Flaying Tendrils…yeah, I like that plan.

This is another card that won’t have to try very hard to get up to $5, or even more, depending on the decks being built.

 

Ob Nixilis Reignited ($6.50)

So if killing things is good, let’s stay on that path. This is a very powerful planeswalker who is seeing very little play. He’s amazing when ahead and great when behind, and I’m in for this climbing to at least $10.

 

 

Shrine of the Forsaken Gods ($1.25)

In the decks that want colorless, this is phenomenal. In the decks that want to get a lot of lands and land successive haymakers, it’s really good.

In other decks, it’s pretty lame. But most importantly, it’s cheap and it won’t take much for this to be $3 in trade. This is one of my PucaTrade positions, getting them at 100 points and hoping to send them back out for 250-300 points in a few months.

 

Sanctum of Ugin ($1.50)

If Shrine gets good, so does this. Shrine is actually best friends here, as the loss of a land needs to be made up. The same principles apply.

 

From Beyond ($1)

This isn’t a flier for three months from now. This is pure, unfettered, delicious speculation. Awakening Zone is up to $6 or so, though its last printing was five years ago. This is a better card, even for costing a mana more. I love picking these up and just putting them away, and the foils are sweet at $3-$4 too. Free tokens every turn are great, and using them to cast big things is amazing.

I don’t intend this to be a comprehensive list, just the things that have caught my eye. Are there others I’ve missed out on? Comment away!

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By: Cliff Daigle

With everyone looking their eyes full of the new set (with glee, I’m doing the same) I want to think about the things that are about to rotate when Shadows over Innistrad arrives in April.

Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged are going to be gone in three months, so it’s time to get out of some things and prepare to get into others.

Khans of Tarkir

Fetchlands ($14-$22): These have already seen a spike thanks to the battle lands and it’s possible that they won’t go down at all. Modern has already soaked up a lot of the supply, and casual players got great lands at a good price.

I’m getting rid of mine now, and after rotation, I do not expect them to go up or down significantly. I am going to pursue a strategy of seeking them out in trade, though, because turning several smaller cards into a fetch land will give me good trade fodder.

Sorin, Solemn Visitor (currently $8): I would expect him to take a minor dip in price but not very far. Get rid of extras now, but keep the ones you’ve already put into Cubes and EDH decks.

Everything else in Khans is quite low in price, as befits a set that is about to rotate. So let’s see where the deals are:

See the Unwritten ($1): Guo wrote an article a while back that detailed a philosophy about cards that can only get better. With every big creature printed in the future, See the Unwritten gets better. It’s not going to be huge, but the foil multiplier indicates that this has had big casual demand. I love picking this up at $1 and just being patient. It’s certainly not going to go lower.

Clever Impersonator ($2.25): Another card that has a 4x foil multiplier, instead of 2-3x, I like having a few of these to spare. It’s just amazing in any casual format, copying anything at all. The better your opponents are, the better this will be. I would expect slow but steady growth from this card.

Foil Feed the Clan ($5): I mentioned this card as a sideboard option, and the 10x multiplier on the foil says that this is worth having. Ten life is worth three to four cards against a Burn deck and while it’s almost exclusively a Modern sideboard option right now, It might get a huge bump in price if it shows up in a Legacy event.

Empty the Pits ($0.75): There is such low risk in picking this card up. Yes, it’s more expensive than Secure the Wastes, and they are tapped, but the tribal appeal cannot be overstated. Get a few, sock them away, and move on. It’s also worth noting that there are only two Delve spells with X in the cost, though this one cannot be used in a combo turn. The other is a counterspell, so not really relevant.

Foil Become Immense ($6.50): It’s a mainstay now in Infect decks, though not quite good enough for Legacy builds that get to abuse Invigorate. Nowhere to go but up, and the Temur Battle Rage combo might get popular again.

Foil Stubborn Denial ($4): I’m very surprised that this hasn’t seen more play in Modern and Legacy yet. When I can Tasigur on turn two and have this up (off fetches and Thought Scours) the world would seem to be my oyster.

Fate Reforged

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon ($48): This is a very high price, but he’s the chase mythic of a small set. Thankfully, there’s a promo version out there taking some of the pressure off the high end, giving Commander and Cube players a special card to go after. I think that his price goes down some but not a lot, and certainly not enough to make it worth the play of ‘sell now, buy again in three months’. Ugin sees a fair amount of Modern play, so I won’t be surprised when he dips down to $35-$40 and then climbs back upwards.

Tasigur, The Golden Fang ($4/$37): One mana for a 4/5 on turn two after a Delver turn one (presuming fetches and Thought Scour) is really good, even before the ability puts your worst spell back in hand. I know several of my cohorts here have trumpeted the foil as well, and the multiplier of nearly 10x is a very strong indicator of demand post-Standard.

Monastery Mentor ($16): A first-class finisher, one that demands a sweeper or an immediate answer. Given the relatively small number in circulation, I would imagine this goes down to maybe $12 at rotation before starting to creep upwards.

Temporal Trespass ($1.75): Extra-turns cards are always going to have a certain group that they appeal to. The foil has a normal ultiplier up to $5.50, so this is a stable price to get in at. The $1.75 price is despite seeing no play anywhere, so it’s unlikely to go down.

Whisperwood Elemental ($1.25/$7): Foil alert! I can tell you that this card is a house in Commander games, where you can flip up whatever you manifested each turn and just stockpile cards in hand, all while having a free insurance policy against having your board wiped. Six times the regular price means that it is being picked up by those who like shiny things, and I think the foil could be $15 in a year.

Foil Gurmag Angler ($10!!): Yup, the Delve decks love this guy and some of them play this and Tasigur. I’ll leave it to the brewers to decide who is right, because the price of self-mill to make this good is a price that was already being paid. I’d also like to point out its cousin Hooting Mandrills at $3.50 for a foil, though being a 4/4 is not quite big enough.

By: Cliff Daigle

The spoiler has landed, and before I dive into what I want to buy (lots of foils, I suspect) I want to look at the other pretty toys Oath of the Gatewatch is giving us: twenty more Expeditions.

I’m going to rank them based on casual appeal, as the financial value has a lot of variation. Trade appeal is also a consideration.

Ancient tomb: For people who build cubes, there’s already a special foil version out there. It’s not hard to find, but putting one of these in your commander deck is a powerful thing to do.

It’s also going to sting, so be aware.

Desirability: six out of 10.

 

Mana Confluence: There is no shortage of lands that will enable you to be five colors. City of Brass, Rupture Spire, Unknown Shores, Shimmering Grotto, and lots lots more. This is from a very recent sent, before oil is not hard to find, but the art is more appealing as these things go.

Desirability: five out of 10.

 

Wasteland: Financially, this is likely to be among the pricier Expeditions. Even the Tempest uncommon is up to $70 and there’s a couple of special foils. This will be a card lots of people want to have, and you should treat it as such.

I think every Commander deck should have a plan to deal with problem nonbasics (Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Diamond Valley, Maze of Ith) and Wasteland is a great answer.

Desirability: 9 out of 10

 

Dust Bowl: Speaking of great answers in Commander! I confess I didn’t know this had gotten up to almost $10, and its only foiling was the set, so that means it’s pretty hard to find.

I’m not sure the demand is there, though. The Bowl is a nice trick to have in EDH games but it’s hard to abuse like Strip Mine or Wasteland is. Fair cards tend to have fair prices, and I’d expect this to keep a fair price.

Desirability: 4 out of 10

 

Forbidden Orchard: Another five-color land, and one that gets used in tricky scenarios where you want to give your opponent creatures. Something like Defense of the Heart, perhaps?

It sees a marginal amount of Legacy play, and a small amount of Commander use. Yawn.

Desirability: 3 out of 10

 

Tectonic Edge: The existence of this as a promo makes me want to play a variation of “Flip it or Rip it” called “Rip it to pieces and set them aflame.”

Desirability: negative a billion out of ten

 

Strip Mine: I was surprised to learn that there is only one foil version of this card, and that’s the From The Vault printing of 2009.

It is notable that Wasteland is legal for Legacy but this isn’t. Would making it legal in that format to degenerate decks? Aren’t the decks already degenerate? Looking at deck lists, the case could be made that this is much worse than wasteland. Most Legacy decks are only playing one or two basics, unless the deck plays almost all basics.

Does this mean we are about to see an unbanning? Logically, maybe, but as I’ve noted, I’m done trying to figure out what Wizards has decided to do.

Desirability: 6 out of 10

 

Horizon Canopy: A third-set rate from forever ago, two colors of mana immediately and can be cashed in for a card. Value all over the place!

Canopy sees play in a lot of decks in a range of formats. As such, this will be fighting for the title of “most valuable” among the Expeditions and one of the main ones you want to open.

Desirability: 9.5 out of 10

 

Kor Haven: People assume this is Maze of Ith all the time. It’s not. It’s more expensive and more one-sided, and produces mana! The effect it generates prevents only the damage that would be dealt BY the creature, not to the creature. So you can block with lots of creatures and lose none.

Don’t overlook how good tapping for a colorless is about to become, either.

Desirability: 7 out of 10

 

Eye of Ugin: This just went through a spike and it’s going to make a big splash in Modern. This one is perfectly timed and might be something people chase really hard, in addition to the Tron players already making it popular.

Desirability: 7 out of 10

 

Ten Filter Lands: I’m lumping these together even though there’s going to be a very wide spread on them.

These are due to bump a little because the use of colorless activation and spells is going to go up in all the formats. Other writers have said this but I’ll repeat it: your best choices are now filter lands and pain lands, because shocks, duals, fetches, etc., can’t make colorless mana. Filter lands have been due for a reprint, and this is perfect.

If you open one and you don’t want to put it in a Commander deck, just tuck it in your binder. It won’t take long for you to find a trade partner.

Desirability: between 5 and 10 out of ten, depending on what colors you play in Commander.

By: Cliff Daigle

Almost a year ago, I made a set of resolutions, which can be found here.

Today, 51 weeks later, I want to go over how I’ve done and make some new ones. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m big on self-reflection.

2015

#1: Play More Magic

I have played more and I’m on track to do even better this year. My kids are a year older and a GP is coming to my area this month!

It’s also been a lot of fun to try out a lot of different card shops. Different events, different people, but the same great goal.

#2: Don’t Cash Out

I did not live up to this, as I sold off my Kaalia deck and a few other pieces to get a security deposit. It happens, but I’ll try not to have it happen again. Plus, it gave me an excuse to build Surrak Dragonclaw.

Some of the prices are just wow. As I’ve noted, Cavern of Souls is a ridiculous card and you should move your spare copies before the inevitable reprint.

#3: Reorg Binders

I failed at this too, and I have a fifth binder now: PucaTrade. Argh. I definitely need to stop carrying them all with me, too.

#4: Introduce a New Player to Magic

I’ve gotten several of my students interested. Big hit this year. Maybe a Magic club next year.

It’s easiest when they already play Hearthstone or other CCGs but Magic is the best of them all.

#5: Watch More Magic!

I would say I have been successful at this, especially if you ask my wife. The replays and archives on YouTube are easy and accessible and my only beef is that it’s hard to see all the cards in a MTGO pack.

Perhaps that’s why I find I enjoy watching the real life drafts more than I do the online ones, but there’s just not as many.

And like many others, I’m going to miss Patrick Sullivan on coverage.

#6: Continue not Playing Online

I have to admit, the various incarnations of Cube have been tempting. The legendary cube especially, that is something designed to get me out of my usual space. Powered cubes aren’t as interesting to me, especially when I’m paying for the privilege of losing on turn three.

It has not yet been worth the actual money and the investment of time.

#7: Get That Foil Foreign Akroma, and Foreign White Border Scrublands & Badlands

I ended up selling this deck not long after the year started so this became moot. Alas.

#8: Use eBay More

I have done this more but not as much as I likely should. I did more selling on eBay than buying, that always feels nice.

The simple truth remains that I don’t have the high levels of disposable income to be an eBay wizard, and I’m okay with that.

With that review in mind, let me make a few new ones for this year:

2016

#1: Use PucaTrade to Acquire a Gaea’s Cradle.

I wrote about my misgivings for Puca a few weeks ago and I’ve had more than a few good conversations about it. I’m still wary of the purchasing power but I’m going to give it a shot. Getting the points won’t be hard (Cavern of Souls is 4000!) and Cradle is a card that I desperately want.

I haven’t yet signed up for the paid tiers of Puca, but I want foils badly and so I just might start that soon.

#2: Have a Regular Magic scene

I’ve moved four times in the past five years. It’s been hard to have a regular thing but this is a goal, a very attainable one.

My goal this year is to be part of a regular Commander group. I’ve been sporadically attending and I want to build that community again. I don’t think I want to have to tune all my decks for a local meta, but I would love to have a regular group without a lot of infinite combos or resource denial decks.

#3: Trust my reads more

Sometimes when I write an article and highlight a card, I pick up a few copies. Kolaghan’s Command is the first time I had the impulse to go super deep and I ended up being shallow.

Granted, I have big stacks of other cards that haven’t panned out at all (Aurelia the Warleader, Thespian’s Stage, Prophet of Kruphix, etc.) but I KNEW it was underpriced and I didn’t move very much.

#4: Get and stay organized

I have multiple binders still. I have rows of I sorted cards. I have a paper box marked Puca. I have packed away my old decks filled with random treasure, like TurboThallid holding a set of Earthcraft.

I need to get everything sorted and accessible.

That’s my breakdown for this year. What are some of your goals?

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