Dominaria Remastered was a set with two goals: drive the price of regular copies of some iconic cards downwards and create a tier of premium versions worth a pretty penny. This would justify the additional cost that was put in place for these packs. The first part has succeeded, and it’s time for us to look at what’s gotten cheap from DMR. Perhaps we’re ready to buy in for future gains, perhaps not.
A caveat: Wizards has double-printed some casual staples this year, and so I view none of these as perfectly safe. Secret Lairs are always a potential source for reprints, even more than once. Modern Horizons 3 is coming up next summer, and we get Commander decks with every new set. Lots of cards are coming, and we’ll see reprints on all of these eventually. Question is, can we get our copies and make a profit before then?
For each card, I’ve looked up its graph, current price for a basic version (none of the premiums today) and I’ll give you its EDHREC rank as well. I’m focusing on the basic versions but depending on the card, there may be premiums to chase. There may well be more than one premium version to chase, and that’s a risk on its own.
Also remember that EDHREC is not perfect data. The database is extremely useful, but only reflects the folks who have bothered to upload the entirety of a deck. Casual users are left out, something we have to detect from other price patterns. I use the data, but we have to be aware of its limitations.
Urza’s Incubator (74,000 decks, $21)
Typal decks are eternally popular. The support given to each different creature type is getting better and better every year, and this card goes into every single one of them. It’s avoided significant reprints until now, and we were given a borderless and a retro foil with new art. There’s a lot going on, and we even got a new round of copies in the Angels Secret Lair deck that was done recently.
For the people who haven’t tried it, this is better than any mana rock that costs less than five mana. And you get to use it more than once per turn! Incubator should be in a lot more decks, and every new creature-type-lord means you should see an uptick. Faeries, Elves, Dragons, it doesn’t matter. Play it.
We’ve seen this card reach incredible heights, and now that it’s been in print for a while, with some additional copies from the Secret Lair, this is a wonderful price for getting your personal copies. The two different premiums will tick upwards, people will choose their favorite, but as long as this dodges a reprint, it’ll be great.
Sylvan Library ($19, 212,000 decks)
One of the cards that has enormously benefited from Commander, this is so very, very busted when you start with 40 life. It’s great with fetchlands, lifegain, or any deck who wants to do more early or late. We’ve seen this in Commander Collections, Fourth Edition, and more than one reprint set. It would be an excellent anchor for a Secret Lair or any other set.
The arc for this card is impressive, because we hadn’t had any real number of copies added since Eternal Masters. Its price has been pushed to the lowest in ten years, and it’s a good time to get in for your copies. We’ve been given some special printings over the years, but DMR added a borderless and a retro frame to a card that goes all the way back to Legends.
The price is right for you to get what you need now, and the reprint risk is relatively low compared to some other cards. This won’t be in Modern Horizons 3, for instance.
Enlightened Tutor ($13, 254,000 decks)
Enlightened Tutor, all the way back to Mirage, has been a card crying out for use and abuse. We’ve gotten no end of awesome enchantment Commanders, or artifact ones, and the most recent, Anikthea, deserves to have this card in her list.
The EMA printing didn’t do much to slow the card’s growth financially, but this printing in DMR has really torpedoed the price. I’m confident it’ll recover if it can go another year without a reprint, which is not a given. Again, this is a fantastic price if you want to get a personal copy or two, especially the sweet Richard Kane Ferguson art on the borderless, but picking up a brick of regular copies feels like it will pay off well.
Vampiric Tutor ($27, 313,000 decks)
The simplicity of the card is matched only by the killer art, which dates back to Eternal Masters. I’m very fond of the retro foil FNM version, but Raymond Swaland just nails this skull and all its accessories. Find what you need, pay two life. Add any card-draw effect and you’re off to the races.
Most black decks should be playing this, and when this is most popular tends to track with when Demonic Tutor is extra expensive. DT is down to around $30 right now thanks to being in Commander Masters, so I’d be patient on buying Vampiric until that price is trending upwards.
Mystic Remora ($4, 273,000 decks)
The last two cards I want to talk about have a really interesting combination of Commander use and low price. These feel like they should be more expensive, but they haven’t yet regained value after their printing.
Remora barely made it to $10, even on its best day. That was before a gorgeous Kelogsloops version came out last year, and then we got the DMR printing. Four bucks feels too low for a card that is arguably better than Rhystic Study. Rhystic is a tax on everything which gives your opponents the choice. Remora costs you mana, yes, but puts an overly heavy tax on their noncreature spells. Paying four, except in the latest of late games, just isn’t realistic.
Even with the number of copies out there, the price is slowly trending upwards since the summer and this might be your last chance to get in cheap.
Mystical Tutor ($6, 248,000 decks)
Mystical Tutor has had a lot more printings than Remora, but is also a more popular and flexible card. Spellbooks, Secret Lair, FTV, Eternal Masters and even a time on The List has given us a LOT of copies, so the low price is more understandable here.
That said, the EMA version was $17 before Dominaria Remastered, and even with the influx of copies, plus two premium versions, will not keep this card down forever. It’s up a dollar since early August, so if you’re looking for the floor, we might be there right now. Even as a rare, this sells around 10-12 copies a day on TCG, so walls don’t last long. Be prepared for this to break $10 by New Year’s.
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.