People, I can’t say it enough: Don’t preorder new cards. 

This may seem counterintuitive to you. After all, new Magic sets are chock full of new interactions, sweet characters, and mechanics begging to be exploited with old cards. 

Please, please, please. I’m begging you. Resist the urge to buy things right away. It’s terrible value and you should only do it if you play enough in person to make it worthwhile. 

Maybe you don’t want to believe my experience. That’s okay. I’ve got the receipts. 

It’s been a long-standing phenomenon in Magic that when a set comes out, it’s at its most expensive. You can get into the economic principles if you’re so inclined, but that’s not my area of expertise. I’ve simply been around enough new sets to know that things are almost never worth buying right away, except in the case of the most format-defining cards, or the biggest cross-format stars. 

Before you buy that new card, understand that for 99% of the cards, you should wait two weeks, at minimum. Let’s take some quick examples from early in Zendikar Rising:

Ancient Greenwarden has some delightful Commander synergies and is probably worth a look at buying, given that supply is at max right now. Preorders were all above $20, some as high as $25. 

Forsaken Monument is a card I like right now, especially in FEA around $13, but the regular versions were going for $17 at the start of the set, a full $10 higher than they are now.

Let’s take a trip back farther, to Throne of Eldraine. How about a low-circulation card, only available in a Commander deck, which might run out? 

Nope, dropped like a rock. How about a regular mythic, The Royal Scions?

Ouch.

Now, on a long enough timeline, some of these can look solid. For instance, from early 2018, here’s the graph for Bramble Sovereign:

It was preordering in the $15-$17 range, so you had a chance to preorder at that price, wait 18 months, sell at $22, and make $2. Nothing to trumpet, but hey, profit is profit.

One thing I want to make clear: I’m talking about the preorder prices for the regular frame, nonfoil versions of cards. Stores generally aren’t preselling the premium versions of cards, because it’s difficult to know what you’ll get in the boxes you open, especially during a pandemic. The presence of special frames and foils will generally drive down the price of the nonfoil regulars, as the collectors with more to spend will go after those versions and leave the more basic ones behind. 

In Kaldheim, we have some pretty bad offenders, and hopefully, you’re not thinking about buying these until the dust settles.

Koma, Cosmos Serpent ($8) – I freely admit that this is a limited bomb, requiring an answer before that first upkeep trigger. It’s got some potential in Commander, but in the best Commander colors, it’s got some big competition. It’s going to drop, by at least half. If you have to have it right away, recognize the extra that you’re paying.

Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge ($10) – I love this card and I can’t wait to add it to my Ur-Dragon deck. The problem is, I’m going to need precisely one copy. Its color identity means that it’s five colors or bust, and that’s a niche market indeed. I can absolutely see a world where the foil showcase of this goes for $25+ and the regular nonfoil is under $4. Please don’t overspend on this when you don’t have to.

The World Tree ($7) – It takes a lot for a land to hold a price above $4 as a rare. It needs to be popular in more than one format, it needs to be useful, and pop up all over the place. Just like Esika, this is five-colors only, and yes, it’s a very sweet land for those decks. It’s not going to see any Standard play, and it’s got a big price drop coming. Please be patient.

Tibalt’s Trickery ($8) – This seems bad to me. Yes, it’s a red counterspell, but they are going to get something after all. Chaos Warp has a 33% chance (or so, most decks are around a third lands) to just whiff and give the controller a land to replace what you shuffled into the deck, but Tibalt’s Trickery guarantees a spell. I imagine this will see more play than it should, but price-wise, this is going to fall like a rock and you definitely don’t want to be an early adopter here. Wait till it’s a $1 card.

Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor ($19) – This seems absurdly high, even for a mythic that switches between being good early or good late. Yes, if you cascade into this card off of something like Shardless Agent you can choose to cast the backside, a decently-powered seven drop of a planeswalker, but that’s a pretty niche application. I think this card has potential, just not $20 a copy potential. More like $10, or $7.

Eradicator Valkyrie ($6) – Is this a decent card? Yes. It’s got good stats and an ability that can be relevant, but isn’t Rankle, Master of Pranks just better in every way? Lifelink is good, but this is destined to be outclassed for a long time. I think this falls a long way, approaching bulk mythic status.

There are some cards in this set that I think are fantastic, and I can’t wait to buy up some cheap stacks of cards in six weeks or so, but please, save yourself the money and don’t preorder anything.

Cliff (@WordOfCommander) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the official substitute teacher of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.

I know, I know, it’s a reductive title, but it’s accurate.

We are at max supply of Zendikar Rising, all the attention is on the Kaldheim previews that we’re getting, and all I want to do is buy lots and lots of ZNR cards. Let’s look at some of the tastiest options, where we’ll get in and where I’m hoping to get out.

Bala Ged Recovery ($2 regular/$4 foil) – There is no alternate frame available here, but in a different era this would be a slam dunk for an FNM promo. Yes, it’s a $2 uncommon when the set is at its maximum, but it’s already in a TON of Commander decks and this is exactly the sort of card you want as a double-faced land. Early on, you just want the land. Later on, it’s a cheap regrowth and you’ll likely play the card you just got back. It’s not super simple to reprint a foil double-faced card, and there hasn’t been a double-faced card in The List yet or a Secret Lair thereof. It’s possible that a Commander deck will have one random double-faced card, but that’s pretty unlikely. These look relatively safe from reprints and should start a steady growth, especially in foils. I won’t be shocked when the foils double up in a year.

Feed the Swarm ($1/$2) – Same principle applies, although this is notable for being targeted enchantment removal in black, which hasn’t really gotten this effect before. It’s not a great removal spell for creatures, but it’s got a lot of power due to the unique nature of the removal for enchantments. It’s already been put into more than 5,000 decks online, which is an amazingly fast adoption rate, just behind Bala Ged Recovery. The buy-in is low here too, as there isn’t a special frame to chase, just plain old foils.

The Pathways – I’m ambivalent on these. I think they are good, but they aren’t really staples the way that the Triomes are. Not fetchable, and not even as good as buddy lands or Temples. The adoption rate has not been low, but this is just going to be slotted in a whole bunch when you have them. The extended arts look good, I just don’t see a huge growth market because while they are flexible when you play them, you’re locked in. 

Scute Swarm ($2/$2/$3 showcase/$4 showcase foil) – It’s already in nearly 5,000 EDH decks online, and while I don’t relish the idea of keeping track of something like this, it does grow at a geometric rate. Heaven knows there’s enough ways to make this go nuts in Commander games, and if you’re really feeling spicy, mutate something onto it first. This card is a challenge, and something that can already break Magic in its online incarnations. Players dearly love saying “How crazy can I go with something like this?” and that tends to lead to profits. 

Felidar Retreat ($1.50/$1.50/$1.25/$3) – This has been added to decks more slowly, as it’s not in the mega-ramp color that green is, but it’s still an amazing card if you can trigger it regularly. I think it’s being added to +1/+1 counter decks more than token decks, but it does straddle those two worlds admirably. 

Ancient Greenwarden ($14/$16/$18/$24) – I do love mythics at their lowest price points, and especially ones that enable all sorts of shenanigans. We’ve got crossover between the ‘play lands from the yard’ decks like Gitrog Monster that can power out value engine after value engine, cross-referenced with the doubling up of anything that triggers off of lands. Best friends for the Greenwarden include Polluted Bonds (already a big spike on that card though), Field of the Dead, and of course, Tatyova, Benthic Druid.

Thieving Skydiver ($1.25/$1.25/$3/$8) – It’s hard for this to go wrong. It’s been added to a lot of decks online and it does something we all love doing: stealing from other players. Your ramp is now my ramp, thanks so much! There are a lot of decks with comes-into-play abilities that are worth copying, but this one needs to be returned to hand to be used again. Erratic Portal should be the first thing you steal, but play it with Crystal Shard as well.

Malakir Rebirth ($0.50/$1.50) – It’s not as immediately popular as some of the other DFCs from this set, but this is a freebie. Most Commander games, you’ve got a creature that you want to keep in play, and this is one mana to save it from 97% of removal spells. No one would add just the spell to their EDH deck, though, but having this as a land when you need it makes it good enough. I especially like a low buy-in here, though it’ll require you to be a bit more patient on growth. An excellent target for buying in larger numbers, and then buylisting the whole stack.

Glasspool Mimic ($2.50/$3/$4/$6) – Clones are often awesome in Commander, but this one does have the drawback of only copying your stuff. Still, it’s a very cheap Clone at three mana, and it’s a land! I’m in the camp of ‘up your land count to 45+ in Commander’ using these rather than using them as an excuse to shave lands, but you do you. This is also used in a lot of Modern, Pioneer, and Standard decks online, and has the bonus of not rotating out of Standard until October of 2022, hopefully meaning that people will get to play with it in person again.

All five mythic MDFCs – I’ve written before about my love for these, and you should, at the very least, get the ones you’ll play in your own Commander decks. I’ve got Agadeem’s Awakening in every black deck of mine, at the least, and I’m equally big on Turntimber Symbiosis. I think you treat these as spells, and treat the land side as a bonus. Regardless of which version you like, they are all at their lowest price and are worth picking up. 

Lithoform Engine ($10/$11/$14/$20) – Finally, a shoutout to a card that does it all. Copying spells is already awesome, but this offers a real ‘I can do it all!’ feeling. It pays for itself pretty quickly, copying the cool things you’re doing. It’s not in a huge number of decks yet, but being colorless it’s able to be put into any deck. Its popularity in Commander is reflected in the price: there’s not paper play going on, all price movement is EDH-based right now. This is the #3 mythic in ZNR based on price, and you should get your copies while they are cheap.

Cliff (@WordOfCommander) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the official substitute teacher of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.

This is going to be very simple: I’ve had a whole year of assorted predictions, and I’m going to give you some of the best and the worst. Enjoy!

One big caveat before we begin: Standard, and paper play in general, has been very negatively impacted by the coronavirus, and the result has been that lots of cards didn’t move that should have. I’m not going to bother repeating ‘pandemic’ for picks that are both good and bad though.

The Best

Embercleave (EA Foil) – If you scroll waaaay back in my archives you’ll see that on 1/3/2020 I picked this as a buy at $45. It’s $90 today. Interesting that the other versions haven’t moved much since then. Embercleave is one of the top five in terms of price from Throne of Eldraine, and that’s unlikely to change. If you like Equipment-themed Commander decks, this is a must-have. I don’t think it’s going to grow too much farther, unless some ridiculous Commander comes along for it.

Shadowspear (all versions) – I picked this at $5.50/$7/$11/$36 and all of those have gained nicely. I fully expect Shadowspear to be one of the top EDH cards from Theros 2 when all is said and done. It’s a colorless staple, giving your creature two extremely relevant abilities and also taking two backbreakers away from your opponents’ creatures. 

Divine Visitation (foil and non) – Picked on 4/24 at $11/$16, it’s up to $13/$20 and climbing as one of the best things to do in a token strategy in Commander. It’s true that on MTG Fast Finance I didn’t think that the foils would ever be below $20 when it came out, and I was pretty wrong about it early on. I still think it’s an amazing card long-term, as a foil mythic from before they goosed the foil drop rates.

Omnath, Locus of the Roil – Picked on 4/24 at $4/$7, you had a chance to get out at $19 on regulars and the foils are currently $22. Nothing like making 3x or 4x your money! Note that this is not the banned Landfall-themed Omnath, but the Elemental-themed one that’s only three colors. It remains a very good card when it comes to that tribe, dealing damage and giving all of your lands a cantrip when you get to eight. 

Sell Breeding Pool at $27 – I gave this advice on 5/1, which was about top of the market. Down more than $10, and still declining. Getting less than you could have gotten doesn’t feel great, but it’s still a solid sell. The power of Uro in assorted formats is why this is still so expensive, even years after rotation. Only two others are above $10, but I’m still a seller, except for personal copies you might want in your Commander deck. 

Sell Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy at $18 – Written on 5/8, is now down to $6, exactly the $5-$7 range I predicted. For most mythics right out of the gate, you want to be a seller, but there was a rush of things that Kinnan caused a spike for. I can understand why, as Kinnan both gives you more mana and gives you something to do with that mana, but this card itself wasn’t going to be pricey. The foil EA at $40 is pretty appealing, though, for a set that wasn’t opened much in paper and this is the second-most popular Commander from Ikoria.

Rhythm of the Wild (foil) – I picked this at $9 on 7/3 and it’s about doubled to this point. It’s a fantastic card, just what assorted creature-based decks want to be doing. It’s both uncounterability and hasty goodness! The range of strategies this enables, and the even wider range of decks that it fits into, is a sign that this is here to stay. It’s in 25,000 decks on EDHREC too, a full quarter of all decks that can run it do run it. I don’t think that it’s going to be hitting $50 or something, but there’s only 8 NM foils on TCG, and eleven more copies that aren’t NM. That’s a pretty tiny supply, and I strongly urge you to get personal copies now.

Finale of Devastation (foil) – Picked the foil at $35 on 7/17 and it’s up to $50+ in just six months. It’s a big green finisher, plus a tutor. Gotta have something to do with all that Nyxbloom Ancient mana. There’s only three NM foils on TCG, and they ramp up to $90. That’s not enough data points for a strong correlation, but there is a real lack of these out there, as a foil mythic.

The Worst

Ashiok, Nightmare Muse (regular) – I said on 1/31 that this was a buy at $12. Currently at $4 and showing no signs of popping up before rotating in the fall. Doomed.

Arclight Phoenix (regular) – I said this was a pickup on 4/17 at $4, and it’s now down to $3. The foil is really what hurts: I traded for one at its peak of $50, and it’s now down to $12. Mega-ouch.

Box Toppers from Double Masters – I freely admit I way underestimated how much VIP product was going to be created and bought. Personally, I bought a set of foil BT Lightning Greaves at $100, and then saw those come down to their current price of around $15. I still believe in the card long term, given the cost of the Invention version, but the higher supply of these cards means I have to be a little more patient.

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Cliff (@WordOfCommander) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the official substitute teacher of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.

This holiday season, I want to express my love and appreciation for everyone who reads the words that we all post weekly. It’s a lot to do, to make weekly content, and I’m happy knowing that so many people enjoy the work we put in around here.

So this week, I have a list of gifts that I hope you get this coming year, and why we’d appreciate such generosity.

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Cliff (@WordOfCommander) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the official substitute teacher of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.