By: Jim Marsh

Every week, some cards from Magic the Gathering increase and decease in value based upon a number of factors.

Let’s take a look at some of the cards whose values have changed the most and the factors behind why those changes have occurred.

10 Big Winners of the Week

10. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
$555.27 to $680.00 (22.5%)

Did you pick yours up last week for $550?

Just as I predicted, it went on sale before bouncing right back to nearly $700.

It is a rare from Legends on the reserve list. It is being used in multiple Legacy decks to keep creatures and mana under control.

I would not by them at $680 but if you want to play with them I would still try to see if any copies exist in the $550 range before that omission is corrected.

9. Akroma, Angel of Fury
$4.00 to $4.93 (23.3%)

Can I say how much I love this card? She is powerful, evasive and has protection from pesky cards like Path to Exile, Detention Sphere and Remand.

She is used in Commander, Casual formats and has been showing up recently in Modern decklists.

Play her morphed. For the small price of a Cloudshift, Flickerwisp or Restoration Angel (remember she is not an angel while morphed) you get a 6/6 monster in the air. She can block Archangel of Thune all day long and not trigger any lifegain or counters.

She is being experimented with in Birthing Pod and Death and Taxes variants.

I would trade for her before Modern season gets going. I could easily see her getting to $10 if the decks perform well.

She has only been printed twice: in Planar Chaos and the original Commander decks. For flavor and mechanical reasons I don’t think she will ever be printed again outside of a supplemental product.

8. Teferi’s Puzzle Box
$1.96 to $2.50 (29.6%)

Wizards of the Coast printed the Mind Seize Commander deck with two money cards in it. True-Name Nemesis was worth more than the retail price of the deck and Baleful Strix was just icing on the cake.

This left a lot of financiers with ninety eight cards needing a home. Nekusar, the Mindrazer was an interesting card with a powerful effect that was included.

A little tweaking was needed and Nekusar decks have been causing price increases in Forced Fruition, Winds of Change, and even the innocuous Teferi’s Puzzle Box has become a powerful win condition.

This card is spiking despite five printings and the support of a format where one copy is all a deck needs. Every copy of this card is being sought out to complete Nekusar decks.

Trade for them if you can get them for under $2. Your local game store may even have some in their bulk rare boxes.

7. Apocalypse
$1.99 to $2.58 (29.7%)

This rare from Tempest is on the Reserved List. For five mana it lets a red deck exile the entire board.

Think about what that means in a casual game. Hexproof and Indestructible permanents make you laugh. Undying and Persist creatures mean nothing to you. Even Gods and Planeswalkers must leave at your command.

All it costs is your hand.

This is a sweeper worth having.

I would actively trade for these. I can only see these continuing to grow slowly over time due to casual appeal.

6. Marton Stromgald
$2.42 to $3.16 (30.6%)

Did you remember that this card exists? I had to look it up. It is a budget Commander with an interesting effect.

It is a rare from Ice Age which means there are not a lot of copies lying around. He is on the Reserved List so it will never be reprinted.

Last summer it shot up from $2 to $10. It sat around $8 for over a month before slumping back to $2. It is a pretty cheap spec with some interesting potential.

I would try to trade for these if you see them in binders. They will probably be sitting with the bulk rares.

5. Mimic Vat
$2.05 to $3.00 (46.3%)

This Commander all star card has been inching up recently. It is not hard to see why. It can be played in any deck since it has no color requirement.

It can exile a problematic creature that you don’t want your opponent to reanimate. It can be a steady stream of card advantage. Even something as mundane as exiling an opponent’s evoked Mulldrifter will give you a Divination you can cast over and over again. You can chump block forever and keep reaping the benefits.

The best part is that if something better comes along like Thragtusk or It That Betrays you can upgrade.

If you want to play with it, I would pick mine up sooner rather than later.

The Imprint mechanic makes it difficult to reprint outside of a supplemental product. This will probably be a slow grower a long time to come.

4. Shadowborn Demon
$4.00 to $5.99 (49.8%)

Standard has been experimenting with Reanimator decks in Golgari and Junk configurations. The decks have been playing well and one of the best targets to reanimate in Standard is Shadowborn Demon.

It kills an opposing creature like Master of Waves or Stormbreath Dragon and then swings in for five in the air.

If you used Whip of Erebos to bring it back you do not even need to worry about the upkeep trigger.

If you are playing with them then by all means enjoy them. Otherwise I would try to trade them for some Scrylands or gods. Rotation is just a few short months away. Fall will see Shadowborn Demon as a bulk rare that will clutter your binder for years to come. Get something with a longer shelf life.

3. Sneak Attack
$49.98 to $78.26 (56.6%)

Did you grab your Judge Promo yet? Sneak Attack was briefly $85 for both the regular version and the Judge Promo. This should never happen for a card that is used as a full play set main deck in a Legacy deck.

I honestly have no idea how this happened.

I would not get into Sneak Attack now. I think this price adjustment has been coming but the time to get it for less than $50 has passed.

Through the Breach is $10 and sometimes gets played as additional copies of Sneak Attack. It was under $5 for a long time so price memory can help you when picking up copies.

2. Sigil of the Empty Throne
$3.29 to $6.26 (90.3%)

Sigil of the Empty Throne just keeps picking up steam! Monowhite and Azorius Prison decks like to hide behind Porphyry Nodes and Detention Spheres until they can land a Sigil of the Empty Throne.

Weekly results of MTGO Modern tournaments have not seen these decks place very competitively recently.

Modern season is coming soon and a lot of people are probably brewing with these as a budget deck. They are fun to play with but the price is not supported by results.

I would trade these away. I do like Detention Spheres and Chalice of the Voids from these decklists though. Both are cheap and relatively easy to pick up. They are both used in multiple formats as four ofs in multiple decklists. They are criminally underpriced.

1. Ghave, Guru of Spores
$2.70 to $9.51 (252.2%)

This Junk (Green / Black / White) Commander has only been printed once. It was available as part of the original Commander decks.

There has been a lot of interest recently in obtaining these Commanders. Supply is low and interest in the Commander format is at an all time high.

This cheap pick up was suggested by myself (and much more significantly Jason Alt) last week.

The price shot straight from $2 to $12 in an instant. It is coming down but I think it will settle around $7 to $8.

I would sell or trade your while it is still high.

There are still some cheap Commanders from the set that have room to grow.

Karador, Ghost Chieftain and The Mimeoplasm can both be had for $5 to $6.

Ruhan of the Fomori and Zedruu the Greathearted are both bulk rares at this point! You could probably get both as toss ins on trades.

5 Big Losers of the Week

5. Edric, Spymaster of Trest
$16.00 to $12.99 (-18.8%)

Edric was a surprise inclusion in a successful 4 Color Delver Legacy deck a couple of weeks ago.

The problem is that the deck only wants one copy of him. The deck made a Top 8 appearance in Detroit last week but that alone is not enough to support the card’s sudden jump from $4 to $20.

It is still a strong card with low supply. It has only been printed twice: Commander and Commander’s Arsenal.

I think it will settle around $12.

4. Keranos, God of Storms
$16.41 to $12.97 (-21.0%)

You will notice a trend for the losers of the week.

Pre-order prices for Journey into Nyx gods have all been adjusted.

What happened? Deicide.

It is what happens when you combine Erase and Lobotomy.

Now when someone asks Chameleon Colossus if it is a god it will be afraid to answer “Yes.”

Keep in mind that this does not mean the gods are bad cards. Keranos is fantastic in a Grixis control strategy.

I would still first pick just about any of the gods over a Deicide in a draft.

The Journey into Nyx gods have all will have to settle after they are released and Standard has a chance to play with them. They are third set mythic rares so they should settle higher in price than the gods from Theros or Born of the Gods.

3. Iroas, God of Victory
$16.76 to $13.19 (-21.3%)

See above.

2. Ghostly Prison
$9.00 to $6.98 (-22.4%)

This one surprises me. I am cautiously optimistic. It is not only used in (and names) the White Prison decks mentioned before but it is used in many control variants in Modern.

The thing that keeps this down is the fact that it was printed as an uncommon and it has been printed four times. I would target the FNM Promos. I think that it will recover. The card should be significantly higher in price than Sigil of the Empty Throne.

1. Kruphix, God of Horizons
$12.31 to $8.93 (-27.5%)

This one saddens me but it now makes Kruphix the one god who I think will hold its prerelease price for its duration in Standard. This is sure to be a favorite Commander for a long time to come. I would gladly trade for these at $9 this weekend.

By: Jim Marsh

Every week, some cards from Magic the Gathering increase and decease in value based upon a number of factors.

Let’s take a look at some of the cards whose values have changed the most and the factors behind why those changes have occurred.

10 Big Winners of the Week

10. Sneak Attack
$44.50 to $58.13 (30.6%)

Sneak and Show has had a strong presence lately in Legacy.

Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and Griselbrand are two of the most explosive creatures you can surprise your opponent with. They both generate massive card advantage while throwing a lot of damage through the air.

Typically the deck wants to bring them out with a quick Show and Tell. Sneak Attack gives the deck another method of hurling Demons and Eldrazi at your opponents.

I don’t see the price coming down unless a ban of one of the above mentioned cards occurs.

What surprised me was that the Judge Promo is only $75. There is no way the two should be so close in price. I would try to get my hands on the Promo before it jumps past $100.

9. Price of Glory
$1.49 to $2.00 (34.2%)

I will be honest. I had to look this one up to see what it did. It is an uncommon from Odyssey.

It sends a strong signal to your opponents not to play instants (like Counterspells) or cards with Flash (like Vendilion Clique or Snapcaster Mage) on your turn.

I could see it being useful if your friends have been getting too cute during multiplayer games. I just don’t see any decklists or chatter to justify the sudden spike in price. I smell a buyout.

8. Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
$1.47 to $2.02 (37.4%)

Sometimes it is hard to remember that standard can have an impact in the financial side of Magic.

Jarad has been used alongside Scavenging Ooze, Lifebane Zombie and Herald of Torment to great effect in Goglari Dredge.

The upcoming printing of Temple of Malady will only help the archetype.

Jarad has been printed in a Duel Deck and is set to rotate at the end of the summer, so I would be surprised to even see him get to $4. His price ceiling is just too close to his current price.

7. Silent-Blade Oni
$5.05 to $7.19 (42.4%)

Another week and another spike/plummet for Silent-Blade Oni. This swing was smaller than last time. It is possible that it is stabilizing. I would not buy into this card at this price.

I think right around $7 seems about right.

I would not mind trading into these (especially if you can get them at $5.)

It is nearly impossible to reprint outside of a supplemental product and the effect has dramatic potential.

In the long term I see this as a slow grower if you can stomach all of the turbulence.

6. Phyrexian Tyranny
$1.73 to $2.52 (45.7%)

It seems as though Commander players just cannot get enough of Nekusar, the Mindrazer.

Unlike most of the cards that have been spiking from Nekusar, this does not force others to draw cards. Instead it constrains their mana or amplifies their life loss.

If you have Nekusar out then you do not need to worry about your mana. You are probably already winning. Your opponents will be bleeding to death or have their hands tied.

It was a rare that was only printed in Planeshift so supply is pretty meager. I doubt it will continue at this rate but I don’t think it is coming back down. I would trade for these.

5. Teferi’s Puzzle Box
$1.78 to $2.78 (56.2%)

Like King Midas, everything that Nekusar, the Mindrazer touches turns to gold.

Even a seemingly harmless artifact has nearly tripled in value since his printing. It has had five printings so the supply is ready to soak up the increased demand, but I feel that the price will hold.

It is a free Winds of Change for every player on every turn. Nekusar turns that into a free Storm Seeker or Trouble (from Toil // Trouble.)

With economic power like this, I can’t believe that Otherworld Atlas is still less than fifty cents.

4. Damia, Sage of Stone
$7.43 to $12.88 (73.4%)

Here is the power of casual demand. This is a solid creature who screams card advantage. She is a powerful Commander and has even seen play in Legacy BUG Nic Fit.

She is only available in the original Commander products. The explosion of the format and the number of Magic players has led to her nearly doubling in price. I don’t see her maintaining that in the short term. I think she will come back down to $10 and sit there quietly growing until she is reprinted in another Supplemental Product.

3. Ponder (Textless Magic Player Rewards)
$7.69 to $13.49 (75.4%)

This card is doing surprisingly well considering it is a common that has seen four printings and is currently banned in Modern.

This means that the only interest is from Vintage and Legacy. Fortunately Legacy loves its one mana cantrips. Legacy players also invest enough in their decks to get the premier versions of each card.

It is not only pretty. It is powerful.

It can set up powerful Miracle cards lime Terminus and Entreat the Angels or help you flip your Delver of Secrets.

I like textless Ponder as a long term hold. It would look at other textless cards that see play in eternal formats for potential.

Lightning Helix is still holding at $10. Pyroclasm and Day of Judgment are under $4 and they are both used in numerous Modern and Legacy decks! There may be some opportunities there.

2. Sigil of the Empty Throne
$2.32 to $4.99 (115.1%)

There have been a few attempts at Azorius Control and Mono-White Prison decks in Modern. Hiding behind a bevy of enchantments like Ghostly Prison, Runed Halo and Detention Sphere allows the deck to play defense while building up a flying army.

Every Constellation card and god from Journey into Nyx that gets previewed only heats up the excitement. I would try to trade for these. Once Modern season gets started this could see $8 or even $10 if the rest of the deck lines up.

1. Endless Horizons
$2.67 to $7.80 (192.1%)

What a difference a day makes! It soared from $3 to $13 and is on its back to settling around $5 to $6. You may even have a few in your junk rare binder.

It is used as a one of in Mono White Control and Prison style decks to allow you to hit your land drops while drawing spells each turn.

Once you have the four mana to cast it, you can play almost everything else in the deck. The deck does run Sigil of the Empty Throne and Sphere of Safety, so hopefully you can keep it for at least one turn to get that last Plains you need. After that it is gravy. You are almost guaranteed to draw fuel for the rest of the game.

I think this was pretty much just a quick buyout. The card was a rare from Eventide which was not a widely opened set, but it is not a linchpin for the deck. I would get out while you can.

Bonus: Maelstrom Wanderer
$9.00 to $19.00 (111.0%)

This one seemingly came out of nowhere, but it is interesting.

Maelstrom Wanderer is one of only four RUG Commanders, and it is one of the most powerful.

The double Cascade and Haste it grants means it almost always has an immediate and impressive presence on the board.

It is only available in two printings: Planechase 2012 and Commander’s Arsenal. Copies are not easy to get a hold of due to the limited printing of both products.

Several of the Commanders from the first round of Commander decks and Planechase decks are getting some attention in the market right now. I don’t think Maelstrom Wanderer will be able to retain this price for long. I see it settling around $15.

There are still several other Commanders from these sets with room to grow like Riku of Two Reflections, The Mimeoplasm, Ghave, Guru of Spores and Karador, Ghost Chieftan.

5 Big Losers of the Week

5. Iroas, God of Victory
$16.76 to $14.99 (-10.6%)

Let us all take a second to bask in the irony of the God of Victory being listed among the Losers of the Week.

Not many cards retain their Pre-Order price. This is the cold truth of preview season. There will be a lot of excitement and hype. Some cards will be all-stars. Some will be flops.

I don’t think that Iroas will be either. He is a powerful card and I would not mind opening him up at the Prerelease.

I just think that as further preview cards appear that prices are adjusted accordingly.

I still think he is a little overpriced and will probably settle with some of the other gods in the $7 to $8 range.

Speaking of which, Karametra, God of Harvests is still available for under $3! She may not see a lot of play right now, but as a god and potential Commander she is sure to have long term casual appeal.

4. Animar, Soul of Elements
$14.95 to $12.99 (-13.1%)

Weren’t we just talking about how great the Commander Legends are doing? I still count Animar among their number.

It is possible to do truly degenerate things with it.

The problem is that it tried to jump too high, too quickly for a card whose entire price is propped up by Casual players.

It went from $8 to nearly $20 overnight. It was a classic buyout. It is recovering but I would not hesitate on any copies that you could find for $10 or less.

3. Hurkyl’s Recall
$23.72 to $20.45 (-13.8%)

This card is still a powerful deterrent in Modern and Legacy.

A month ago this was a $15 card. I think that the jump to $24 was a little too aggressive.

It has come down a bit, but I think it will hold steady at $20. Don’t sell in panic.

2. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
$682.47 to $555.27 (-18.6%)

This rare from Legends is used in 12 Post, Lands and Junk Depths. Even when it is used, there is only one copy in the deck.

The big problem is that these decks are not showing up in the Top 8 of any major tournaments. Top 16 is good but not quite the same.

It is on the restricted list so there are only so many copies and there will never be any others.

I still think $700 was a little ambitious. However, if you wanted to get your Tabernacle for under $600 then this is your lucky day.

I don’t see it dropping further and may even possible recover. I would buy now if you are planning on using it in a deck but otherwise $550 is a lot of capital to tie up in a card that is probably going to bounce back $100.

There are better returns for your investing money.

1. Lotus Petal (From the Vault: Exiled)
$50.00 to $40.00 (-20.0%)

This is even more interesting than it looks at first blush. It was hovering around $20 for a while. It dipped to $14 on its way to $50. This week it dipped back down to $30 and has already recovered to $40.

It is looking for a new floor. This card sees a lot of play in Legacy decks like ANT, Sneak and Show, Imperial Painter and Oops! All Spells!

Its power and versatility tell me that this it is going to keep its price. Try to snag them when you see dips.

By: Jim Marsh

Every week, some cards from Magic the Gathering increase and decease in value based upon a number of factors.

Let’s take a look at some of the cards whose values have changed the most and the factors behind why those changes occurred.

10 Big Winners of the Week

10. Exploration
$36.81 to $43.93 (19.3%)

Exploration leads to explosive starts in the Legacy Lands deck. The varied power and abilities of the lands it plays make it unexpectedly powerful.

It can take full advantage of Life from the Loam and Intuition to find exactly what it needs, dump it into its graveyard and play it.

It also has the combination of Dark Depths and Thespian’s Stage for a powerful 20/20 Indestructible Marit Lage token.

What the deck really needs are results.

It made Top 16 this weekend, but a few Top 8s would go a long way to justifying the large strides that Exploration has made in price recently.

9. Leonin Arbiter
$2.99 to $3.57 (19.4%)

It’s good to be the king! Or at least respected. Leonin Arbiter is one of only a couple of creatures in Modern GW Hatebears that use the full playset.

The other are Flickerwisp and Noble Hierarch. That should speak of its power.

It cripples Modern mana bases that rely upon Fetchlands to search out Shocklands. It slows down Birthing Pod.

I expect them to continue to climb to around $6 before Modern season has ended.

8. Disharmony
$5.00 to $6.24 (18.6%)

Disharmony is the purely defensive version of Ray of Command.

It is a rare from Legends and is on the Restricted List.

It is not played in any competitive deck so its value is tied strictly to low supply and casual use.

It is a $5 card that occasionally flirts with being a $6 or $7 card and then goes right back to $5.

Since it is used so little, I would just try to get them as toss ins on trades from people that have them stuck with their budget rares.

7. Karakas
$120.00 to $149.99 (25.0%)

Sneak and Show decks have been doing well in Legacy recently. They made up half of the semifinals on Sunday, April 6^th.

Karakas helps play defense against Griselbrand and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. If you keep bouncing their creatures you can keep your permanents and your life total safe.

It is a land, so it can be used in a wide variety of decks such as Lands, Death and Takes, UWR Miracles, ANT, Junk Depths and anything else that wants it.

It is a rare from Legends which means it is in quite small supply. It is unlikely that Wizards of the Coast will ever reprint it outside of its Judge Promo. I do not see the price coming down.

6. Hurkyl’s Recall
$2.98 to $3.73 (25.2%)

This card keeps picking up steam. It is a powerful sideboard card in both Modern and Legacy.

It is commonly used in Merfolk, Ad Nauseam and BUG Delver decks to keep Affinity decks at bay. Since Affinity is the one of the most aggressive decks in Modern, I don’t see this falling out of favor any time soon.

The one unfortunate thing about hate cards is that if they do their job too well then the decks they are fighting will fall out of favor. This makes the sideboard slot less useful.

It’s a terrible cycle and gives Hurkyl’s Recall a ceiling which I believe it will hit soon. It will then plateau around $5.

5. Sigil of the Empty Throne
$1.79 to $2.32 (29.6%)

Journey into Nyx previews are upon us and that brings us to the new Constellation mechanic.

It is featured on several enchantment creatures that have an enters-the-battlefield effect which triggers every time an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control.

This will hopefully bring an evolution to modern Mono-White Prison and Azorius Control decks.

We have not seen many of these cards yet, but if they have powerful enough effects, we could see the birth of new control decks that take advantage of a cornucopia of free effects that bury your opponent in card advantage.

The card has only been printed twice. The first time was in Conflux and the second time was in the Planechase 2012 decks.

Supply is short and the buy in price is low. I think that this card could easily hit $4 or $5 or more if the right cards line up. I’d grab mine while they are still budget rares.

4. Negate (Textless Magic Players Reward Card)
$8.50 to $11.35 (33.5%)

Negate is used as a sideboard card in several Standard and Modern control decks.

Pimping decks with foil and promo versions of cards is the hallmark of an eternal format, as no one wants to invest the extra money into a deck that has an expiration date.

Last week we looked at Negate’s rise in price, and while it did get to $13 briefly, it has already begun its descent.

The decks that want it only want one or two copies and even those mostly reside in the sideboard.

I still feel this will settle in the $8 to $10 area.

That is great news if you bought in at $4 a couple of weeks ago but not so great news if you want to buy in now.

3. Ichorid
$7.42 to $12.01 (61.9%)

Ichorid has long been a staple of Legacy Dredge decks, both vanilla Dredge and Manaless Dredge.

When graveyard hate begins to become lax it makes a powerful (and relatively inexpensive) metagame choice. This Sunday was just such an occasion, as Manaless Dredge was able to make its way into the Top 8.

I have long thought of Ichorid as a card that is primed for a jump in price, but I think that this was a little too much, too quickly.

I think the card will settle down to the $10 area, but it will hold steady after that.

With the price of dual lands skyrocketing, it is no wonder that people are exploring ways to play Legacy that skirt around the greatest price barrier in the format.

2. Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
$1.10 to $3.27 (197.3%)

The Standard Golgari Dredge deck has been a darling for many after what had been a rather stale Standard environment over the past few months.

I think this deck will gain a lot with the printing of the Green/Black Scryland and a god.

However, the important thing to not is that this price spike is for the printing from Duel Decks: Izzet vs Golgari and not the Return to Ravnica mythic rare.

This smells like someone trying to corner the market on the card.

I would have no problem trading for these at $1 to $2, but with rotation looming and a new set coming out, I would be wary of a card tripling in value on one version but not the other when they came out so close together.

I would sit this one out.

1. Edric, Spymaster of Trest
$4.28 to $23.0 (437.4%)

Eric Rill singlehandedly made this happen! On Sunday, April 6^th he took down the Milwaukee SCG Legacy Open with his Four Color Delver Deck.

In a format as powerful as Legacy every card matters. A few attacks from Insectile Aberration and Haste-y Elemental Tokens can really make a difference.

Young Pyromancer combined with many powerful one mana spells, including Ponder, Brainstorm and “free” spells like Daze and Gitaxian Probe to keep the beats coming.

Edric, Spymaster of Trest was only available in the original Commander decks and Commander Arsenal so supply is hard to come by.

If you have been holding onto these and don’t want to play with them, I would move them quickly. This spike is based off of one week’s results and now this deck will be a known entity.

I would certainly never buy in on a spike like this, but if results continue then $20 could become the new price.

5 Big Losers of the Week

5. Sensei’s Divining Top (FTV)
$48.94 to $45.80 (-6.4%)

This is regarding the printing of Sensei’s Divining Top included in From the Vault: Exiled. It is among the Top 20 Most played cards in Legacy.

Its effect is simple but strikingly powerful with Delver of Secrets, Counterbalance and Entreat the Angels.

Its efficient cost makes it ideal in nearly any deck.

I would look at any momentary lapse in price as a discount. There is no way that these do not continue to increase in value over time.

4. Twilight Mire
$30.45 to $26.99 (-11.4%)

Twilight Mire is still on an upward trajectory. It has just stumbled a little in its rise from $16 to $32.

Jund has been been slipping from the Modern standings, but Green/Black Obliterator is the new flavor of the month and uses the Eventide rare as well.

It helps set up mana for Kitchen Finks into Phyrexian Obliterator which is no easy feat.

I would still consider this as a great card to pick up in trade on its way to $40.

3. Xenagos, God of Revels
$13.81 to $12.00 (-13.1%)

Xenagos, God of Revels may be upsetting the pantheon on Theros, but he is failing to keep steady results in Standard.

The decks that play him, Naya Midrange and Jund Midrange tend to only play one or two copies.

He has been slipping steadily since he was printed. He is from a second set, so he will continue to be opened at the same rate with JOU-BOG-THS drafts as he was before. Supply will continue to increase at a steady pace throughout the summer.

His cost of five mana makes him awkward in quick, aggressive decks and there are usually better cards to play if you are trying to go over the top.

I think as we get more gods in Journey Into Nyx, he may find himself replaced in both Jund and Naya decks.

This will continue to go down. I would keep any eye on it and try to catch a few when it hits $8. Casual appeal of a god will make sure that it never gets too much lower than that.

2. Ancient Tomb
$49.51 to $36.00 (-27.3%)

The release in From the Vaults: Realms got up to almost $50 before coming back.

A month ago this card only $12. The Tempest copy jumped up around the same time and has been staying strong at $24.

Keep in mind that this is the only foil copy of the card. I think it should be more than just 50% more than the vanilla version.

I will not be surprised when it gets back to $50.

I don’t think its ever going back below $35, especially with the strong showings from Sneak and Show.

1. Silent-Blade Oni
$9.75 to $5.05 (-48.2%)

This card actually jumped all the way to $15 before sinking to $5. Sometimes when I think of what the value of this card has been doing (based on almost nothing so far as I can tell) I think someone is just punking the Magic finance community.

However, I think $5 is a terrific price and would gladly snatch it up at that price.

Wait a day and sell it for $9.

Wait for it to go back to $5.

Rinse and repeat.

By: Jim Marsh

Every week cards from Magic the Gathering increase and decease in value based upon a number of factors.

Let’s take a look at some of the cards whose values have changed the most, and the factors behind why those changes occurred.

10 Big Winners of the Week

10. Worn Powerstone

$3.13 to $3.76 (20.1%)

Worn Powerstone is at an interesting place in its life. As an uncommon from Urza’s Saga, it was printed as a “fixed” Sol Ring.

A two mana jump in mana can be huge.

Cast it on turn three (or earlier if you have other ramp cards) and on turn four you are guaranteed to have five or six mana (if you hit your land drop.) 

That means you have enough to cast Nekusar, the Mindrazer or Aurelia, the Warleader. Or a Primeval Titan. You get the idea.

Sol Ring is obviously much more powerful, but market saturation due to the flood of Commander decks is depressing its price.

Worn Powerstone is on the way up. In formats where you can only have one of each card (Commander and Cube) the Powerstone can often be looked at as Sol Ring number 2.

It is also colorless, so you can run it nomatter what colors your commander is (you try to find good ramp in Grixis colors) or what colors you are drafting in the Cube.

Since its increase in price is based solely on Casual demand, I don’t know how much farther it has to go. Six weeks ago it was $2. Now it is climbing surely, but steadily towards $4.

Can it hit $5? $6?

I don’t know, but I suspect the time to get in would have been a couple of months ago when it was $1.

9. No Mercy

$9.50 to $11.63 (22.4%)

Here is another card that is behind held aloft based entirely upon casual formats, and from the looks of it, black control commander decks.

Nothing says “attack someone else” quite like a big sign that may as well read “Trespassers Will Be Shot.”

That’s the actual card text to No Mercy.

Maybe your commander is Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, the omnipresent Nekusar or Sol’kanar, the Swamp King.

Whatever your plan is, this is a fantastic “rattlesnake” card that just makes every player away that you are not a threat unless you are threatened.

It’s a rare from Urza’s Legacy and it has never been reprinted, so supplies are not that great.

It has jumped to almost $13, come down to $9 and jumped again to nearly $12. This is indicative of a card trying to find a new price floor, and sooner rather than later it will stick. This is no longer the $6 or $7 it has been for the past year. I would not be surprised to see it stick around $14 or $15 in the near future.

8. Kaalia of the Vast

$17.63 to $21.99 (24.7%)

Once again, the power of Commander compels us.

Kaalia has been printed twice. She can only be found in the exorbitantly priced Heavenly Inferno Commander deck (the cheapest English copy I can find is $150 on eBay) or the even more pricey Commander’s Arsenal ($250.)

She is one of three possible Commanders for a Newspaper Commander Deck (Black, White and Red all over) and she is by far the most powerful.

She is cheap to cast (only four mana!) which means that even if she falls in battle, she will be back again and again.

She only gets better as more Angels, Demons and Dragons are printed (have you seen her interaction with Master of Cruelties or Rakdos, Lord of Riots?)

That is saying nothing of the sheer soul crushing power of getting a free Angel of Serenity, Iona, Shield of Emeria or Linvala, Keeper of Silence.

I don’t see her coming down any time soon.

7. Tropical Island

$129.23 to $161.49 (25.0%)

Lo, and behold a card played in a competitive deck! The price of real estate in Magic is only going up for right now, at least as far as fetch lands and dual lands is concerned.

After Volcanic Island jumped $100 almost overnight recently, it is almost inevitable that every other dual land that is played in Legacy does the same.

Tropical Island is featured in BUG, BUG Delver, RUG Delver, Esper Stoneblade, ANT and more. Two of which (BUG and BUG Delver featured in the Top 8 in San Diego on 3/30.)

It is right at home helping players cast Brainstorm, Deathrite Shaman, Tarmogoyf, True-Name Nemesis and Vendilion Cliques alike. That is not to mention powerful Planeswalkers like Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

I have a feeling we have more growth to be seen.

6. Grafdigger’s Cage

$2.60 to $3.32 (27.7%)

Grafdigger’s Cage find itself as the sideboard card of choice in both Legacy and Modern.

It is featured in Esper Stoneblade, UWR Miracles, Death and Taxes, Sneak and Show, Imperial Painter’s, Jund, Faeries and more. 

It can easily and efficiently cut off  Narcomoeba, flashback cards like Cabal Therapy or anything that Snapcaster Mage is targeting. It makes reanimation decks look silly.

It makes Birthing Pod and Chord of Calling decks fair.

If you don’t rely on your graveyard (or pulling creatures straight from your library – sorry Dryad Arbor) then you can run this, hopefully play it on turn one and just make some decks scoop.

It’s hard to believe it has more than doubled in value in the past six weeks.

I don’t expect that trend to continue, but I do feel it is going to continue to climb and will probably be at least $5 before it stops.

5. Bayou

$115.00 to $148.41 (29.1%)

Remember everything I said about Tropical Island?

Repeat that, only this card helps enable Turn 1 Thoughtseize, Deathrite Shaman, Cabal Therapy, Green Sun’s Zenith for Dryad Arbor, mana elves and more.

It is featured in Esperstoneblade, UBG, Jund, Elves, Shardless BUG, Nic-Fit, Junk and more.

It is usually featured in multiples in the decks that run it, which is more than Tropical Island can say.

I will be a little surprised if this does not hit $200 in the next month or two.

4. Exploration

$33.45 to $43.76 (30.8%)

Lands! Legacy offers a wide variety of powerful lands and this turn 1 enabler lets you break parity and star slamming down Karakas, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Dark Depths and more.

Thoughtseize probably feels kind of silly when you are starting at a handful of lands.

The card was only printed as a rare in Urza’s Saga, so there are not many to go around.

The deck is not very prevalent in the metagame, but it is a viable option and can catch the opponent off guard by attacking from a different axis than most decks do.

It has been appearing in MTGO Top 8s and the increase in price is indicative of players putting the deck together to try it out.

It has been growing aggressively as of late (it was $27 as recently as Valentine’s Day) and it looks like it continue to grow.

3. Winds of Change

$1.50 to $2.25 (50.0%)

Back to Nekusar, the Mindrazer!

What is remarkable about this is that even with four different printings (and one as an uncommon, no less) every version of this card is being snatched up to play with the Grixis commander of choice. 

What else would you expect from a one mana Storm Seeker that hits every one of your opponents while reloading your hand?

It also makes it difficult for your opponents to stockpile answers in their hand.

Combine it with a few reanimation spells and you can look at all of those freshly stocked graveyards like a kid in a candy store.

I expect Wheel of Fate and Reforge the Soul to be increasing in popularity as well off the back of Nekusar. They both only have one printing.

2. Teferi’s Puzzle Box

$1.50 to $2.49 (66.0%)

What’s better than a Winds of Change?

How about a free Winds of Change every turn, forever?

Even with a staggering five printings, this card has room to grow.

I expect a lot people that even have this card in their binder consider it bulk, so I‘d say now is the time to strike.

Never before has a group hug card felt so mean.

1. Negate (Magic Players Textless Reward Card)

$3.92 to $12.35 (215.1%)

The rise in the popularity of Modern has given way to the inevitable pimping of decks.

As an eternal format, staple cards can be upgraded to their splashiest versions so that they look good on camera and impress your opponents while you stop their Scapeshifts and Splinter Twins. 

Negate is used in a variety of decks, including Splinter Twin, UR Delver, UWR Control, Azorius Midrange and others.

The card had been showing modest growth and had been holding at $4 as recently as a week ago.

I will be honest, I see the appeal, but for a card that usually is only seen as a couple of copies in the sideboard, I would be more excited about textless Lightning Bolt (already a considerable sum) or Lightning Helix.

It has been printed eight times, as a common and foils of each of those versions can be had for $1.50 each if the player is concerned about making their deck look as fancy as possible.

I think Negate just became victim of the latest internet buyout and will probably come crashing down to $6 to $8. I’d move mine if I had any.

5 Big Losers of the Week

5. Hinder (Magic Players Textless Reward Card)

$6.89 to $6.48 (-6.0%)

Ironically, I feel that is better positioned than Negate. It only has two printings. It is not played in Modern, but it used in Commander, as it can “tuck’ a commander or other problem card.

I don’t feel bad at all about the card settling. It was $4 and jumped to $7, and has been trying to find a home between $6 and $7.

I think in the long term this will see growth.

4. Ghostly Prison

$6.71 to $6.00 (-10.6%)

This card may be grouped with the losers, but it is still a big winner in my book. It is especially impressive for an uncommon card. 

It had been a $4 card that jumped to nearly $7 and is settling. Growing 50% in the past month is nothing to scoff at.

Not only is it popular in Commander decks that want their opponents to look the other way (like No Mercy) but it is now used in a variety of white control decks.

It sees play in Soul Sisters (in the sideboard), Death and Taxes, Martyr Proclamation decks, and I could not be surprised to see it in Azorius Control shells in the future.

It would also be interesting to see in Bant or Selesnya Hexproof.

3. Jace, Architect of Thought

$15.00 to $13.11 (-12.6%)

This was inevitable.

For $20 you get a Remand, Jace Architect of Thought and 118 other cards. (Sorry, Vraska, the Unseen.)

It is going to keep dropping too.

Sure, it’s used in Esper and Azorius Control decks in Standard, but there are sure to be shake ups in the metagame with the release of Journey Into Nyx, and then rotation will be upon us.

It is barely used in Modern and with the opening of many Duel Decks to get the Remand inside, supply will be flooding in as demand dwindles.

That is a sure recipe for a downward crash in price.

2. Ancient Tomb

$49.01 to $37.00 (-24.5%)

Let’s make no apologies here. Ancient Tomb is good.

It is used in Sneak and Show, to help race for a turn two Show and Tell into Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Griselbrand.

In Imperial Painter’s it can get you a quick Imperial Recruiter or Painter’s Servant.

It can give you a turn one Phyrexian Revoker, which can Stifle a lot of decks, if played correctly.

So why the drop?

Over the past month it jumped from $12 to $17 to almost $50 one after another.

It’s a powerful card, but is it a $50 card?

I think the market got a little carried away correcting itself and now it is destined to continue to drop down to a respectable $20 to $30 card.

It will still be powerful and valuable, but as an uncommon and a printing in a From the Vault, it cannot just decide to quadruple without tournament results to back it up.

1. Silent-Blade Oni

$8.79 to $6.46 (-26.5%)

Is it a $6 card? Is it a $9 card? It cannot decide and neither can the market.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

This card is only of use in casual formats. It is not a staple anywhere. It is a Johnny/Timmy’s delight, but is that enough?

I don’t expect any answer soon.