MTG Fast Finance is our weekly podcast covering the flurry of weekly financial activity in the world of Magic: The Gathering. MFF provides a fast, fun and useful sixty minute format. Follow along with our seasoned hosts as they walk you through this week’s big price movements, their picks of the week, metagame analysis and a rotating weekly topic.

Show Notes: Sep 29th, 2016

Segment 1: Top Movers of the Week

Note: Price movements reflect posted NM prices, and may not represent prices players have paid.

Intervention Pact (Future Sight)
Start: $1.00
Finish: $9.00
Gain: +$8.00 (+800%)

New Frontiers (Odyssey, Foil)
Start: $5.00
Finish: $8.00
Gain: +$3.00 (+60%)

Verdurous Gearhulk (Kaladesh)
Start: $11.00
Finish: $17.00
Gain: +$6.00 (+55%)

Torrential Gearhulk (Kaladesh)
Start: $5.50
Finish: $8.00
Gain: +$2.50 (+45%)

Soldevi Excavations (Alliances)
Start: $4.25
Finish: $6.00
Gain: +$1.75 (+42%)

Doubling Cube (10th Edition, Foil)
Start: $11.00
Finish: $16.00
Gain: +$5.50 (+45%)

Aetherworks Marvel (Kaladesh)
Start: $6.00
Finish: $8.00
Gain: +$2.00 (+33%)

Smuggler’s Coptor (Kaladesh)
Start: $7.00
Finish: $9.00
Gain: +$2.00 (+29%)

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James Picks:

1. Verdurous Gearhulk (Kaladesh) Confidence Level 7: $15 to $30 (+100%, 0-12+ months)
2. Reality Smasher (OGW) Confidence Level 8: $3.50 to $10 (+185%, 12+ months)
3. Aetherworks Marvel (Kaladesh, Foil) Confidence Level 7: $8 to $15 (+88%, 6-12+ months)
4. Grim Flayer (Eldritch Moon) Confidence Level 9: $30 to $60 (+100%, 6-12+ months)

Travis Picks:

1. Emrakul, The Promised End, (Eldritch Moon), Confidence Level 7: $15 to $30 (+100%, 0-6+ months)
2. Spell Queller, (Eldritch Moon), Confidence Level 6: $6 to $10 (+67%, 0-6+ months)

Disclosure: Travis and James may own speculative copies of the above cards.

Segment 3: Metagame Week in Review

This week the guys talked over some cool decks that came out of the Top8 of WMCQ tournaments in Scotland and Hong Kong.

Notables included a U/W Death & Taxes brew, a RG Ponza style land destruction deck, UR Thing Ascension and Mardu Nahiri lists. James’s top pick of the week, Grim Flayer (foils), showed up in Abzan lists in both tournaments.

Segment 4: Topic of the Week

There were two weekly topics this week: the Frontier format coming out of Japan and the massive changes to the MTGO economy announced today.

In Japan, the well-known shop Hareruya has announced support for a new M15 forward version of Modern called Frontier and is offering significant prize support for some early tournaments. It is unclear whether this has any reason to catch up in Japan, let alone globally, but it’s something to keep an eye on for potential cross border arbitrage opportunities.

On MTGO, big things are afoot. Prize support for constructed tournaments looks to be suffering, with pack prizes being replaced with treasure chests that boast a very strange array of potential prizes, including Modern legal cards and play points. Redemption periods are being drastically reduced from 18 months to 3-6 months for Standard legal sets, which is predicted to result in faster spikes on foils leading into the end of the redemption period, and then a possible general collapse on card prices for sets no longer available for redemption. On the positive side both drafts and sealed leagues are having their entry costs reduced by about 20%.

MTG Fast Finance is our weekly podcast covering the flurry of weekly financial activity in the world of Magic: The Gathering. MFF provides a fast, fun and useful sixty minute format. Follow along with our seasoned hosts as they walk you through this week’s big price movements, their picks of the week, metagame analysis and a rotating weekly topic.

Show Notes: Sep 23rd, 2016

Segment 1: Top Movers of the Week

Note: Price movements reflect posted NM prices, and may not represent prices players have paid.

Seeds of Innocence (Mirage)
Start: $0.55
Finish: $2.50
Gain: +$1.95 (+355%)

Fleetwheel Cruiser (Kaladesh)
Start: $0.75
Finish: $2.00
Gain: +$1.25 (+167%)

Smuggler’s Copter (Kaladesh)
Start: $3.00
Finish: $7.00
Gain: +$4.00 (+133%)

Grafdiffer’s Cage (DKA, Foil)
Start: $35.00
Finish: $65.00
Gain: +$30.00 (+85%)

Platinum Emperion (SOM)
Start: $8.00
Finish: $14.00
Gain: +$6.00 (+75%)

Panharmonicon (Kaladesh, Foil)
Start: $11.00
Finish: $19.00
Gain: +$8.00 (+72%)

Obstinate Baloth (M11, Foil)
Start: $25.00
Finish: $40.00
Gain: +$15.00 (+60%)

Brushland (Fifth Edition)
Start: $13.00
Finish: $21.00
Gain: +$8.00 (+62%)

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James Picks:

1. Nahiri’s Wrath (Eldritch Moon) Confidence Level 6: $2 to $6 (+200%, 0-12+ months) Outside chance that this is the red sweeper folks will need this fall. Potential for high damage output and ability to handle PWs, but weak against vehicles so meta shake out will dictate success here.
2. Retreat to Corelhelm (BFZ, Foil) Confidence Level 8: $2 to $8 (+300%, 6-12+ months) Knight/Corelhelm deck continues to put up Top 8s, and this foil uncommon will end up underpriced vs. future demand. Open ended synergy with future combos helps here.
3. Selfless Spirit (Foil, Eldritch Moon) Confidence Level 7: $8 to $15 (+88%, 6-12+ months) Spirit decks in Modern are a possibility, but this card is useful in aggressive and tempo decks across Modern with or without it’s tribal compatriots.
4. Dubious Challenge (Kaladesh) Confidence Level 5: $.25 to $5 (+1900%, 24+ months) This card has the potential to be broken one day. Emrakul + Flickerwisp is a starting point, and I see this turning into a janky deck one day down the road. Low risk here, with high upside in 3-5 years. Will be buying 200 copies or so.

Travis Picks:

1. Eldritch Evolution, (Eldritch Moon), Confidence Level 6: $4 to $8 (+100%, 0-12+ months) Card has potential in the new Standard and a future home in Modern. Not much more of this set going to be opened due to Conspiracy 2 and Kaladesh following so close on it’s heels.
2. Mind’s Dilation, (Eldritch Moon), Confidence Level 8: $1 to $5 (+400%, 12+ months) Great long term mythic hold for EDH.

Sell Watch:

1. Might of Old Krosa, (Time Spiral), Confidence Level 7: $9 to $2 (-80%%, 12+ months) If Infect ever goes off the radar or gets hampered by bannings, this card goes to bulk almost instantly. A $10 uncommon that can be reprinted easily isn’t something you want to be holding onto.
2. Noble Hierarch, (MM15), Confidence Level 9: $65 to $30 (+400%, 12+ months) Recently reprinted and still climbing, this card is needed by multiple modern decks as a 4-of, but it could easily be reprinted again in MM17 next summer. Trading out in the $65-$80 range is unlikely to be a bad move regardless as the card has to be near it’s likely peak.

Disclosure: Travis and James may own speculative copies of the above cards.

Segment 3: Metagame Week in Review

This week Travis and James went over SCG Orlando, a 600+ person Modern tournament.

The Top 8 included a Reanimator deck using 2x Collective Brutality, a 5th place Knight/Corelhelm deck, 6th place Eldrazi Aggro and a Valakut deck with three copies of Anger of the Gods between the main and the board.

Segment 4: Topic of the Week

The guys talked over the likely changes to the B&R list, placing the odds of no changes at 50/50. Indeed, there were no changes, so moving on.

MTG Fast Finance is our weekly podcast covering the flurry of weekly financial activity in the world of Magic: The Gathering. MFF provides a fast, fun and useful sixty minute format. Follow along with our seasoned hosts as they walk you through this week’s big price movements, their picks of the week, metagame analysis and a rotating weekly topic.

Show Notes: Sep 16th, 2016

Segment 1: Top Movers of the Week

Note: Price movements reflect posted NM prices, and may not represent prices players have paid.

Dwarven Recruiter (Odyssey)
Start: $0.40
Finish: $3.00
Gain: +$2.60 (+650%)

Amulet of Vigor (Worldwake, Foil)
Start: $13.00
Finish: $24.00
Gain: +$11.00 (+85%)

Life from the Loam (Ravnica, Foil)
Start: $50.00
Finish: $85.00
Gain: +$30.00 (+70%)

Brushland (7th)
Start: $11.00
Finish: $18.00
Gain: +$7.00 (+63%)

Treachery (Urza’s Destiny)
Start: $16.00
Finish: $24.00
Gain: +$8.00 (+50%)

Engineered Explosives (Modern Masters, Foil)
Start: $60.00
Finish: $89.00
Gain: +$37.00 (+48%)

Segment 2: Cards to Watch

James Picks:

1. Treachery (Urza’s Destiny) Confidence Level 8: $20 to $30 (+50%, 0-12+ months) Card has already plateaued a few times this year, but we aren’t ever getting a more powerful control magic effect than this, the card is on the reserved list and further gains are inevitable.
2. Aether Vial (Masterpiece Foil, Kaladesh) Confidence Level 7: $90 to $150 (+67%, 12+ months) One of the more popular cards in the series, a constant 4-of in both Modern and Legacy, and one that features open ended synergy with future creature decks. This pick is dependent on the card finding a low at this price in Oct/Nov, but James likes anything under $100 for them.
3. Thought-Knot Seer (Foil, Oath of the Gatewatch) Confidence Level 8: $20 to $30 (+50%, 6-12+ months) This is a repeat of a call James made in Episode 29, when the card was at $15. As a 4-of foil rare played in both Modern and Legacy in Tier 1.5+ decks, this has more to give.

Travis Picks:

1. Rest in Peace, Return to Ravnica, Confidence Level 8: $4 to $10 (+150%, 0-6+ months)

Disclosure: Travis and James may own speculative copies of the above cards.

Segment 3: Metagame Week in Review

This week the guys broke down some of the very interesting decks that showed up in Paris at the Bazaar of Moxen Legacy tournament (195 players).

The Top 8 included updated versions of Dredge, Death & Taxes and a very innovative RUG Opposition brew. Notable

Segment 4: Topic of the Week

The impact of the Masterpiece Series and the greatly exaggerated death of MTGFinance.

The guys break down the financial impact of the Masterpiece Series on the Expected Value of cards in Kaladesh, the expected methodology for investing in Standard cards and examine the possibility that hype driven features like Expeditions and Masterpiece actually increase the cost of Magic: The Gathering by design.