GP Charlotte Coverage: Day 1

June 13, 2015 James Chillcott 8 Comments

Nearly 4 months after Pro Tour: Fate Reforged and a lively Modern metagame, here we are at the doorstep of another epic battle between top Magic: The Gathering pros from across the continent as GPCharlotte puts the focus back on Modern cards just a week after the SCG Invitational and Open did the same.

Coming out of last week, the top decks included 2 copies of Amulet Bloom, a resurgent Jund build, a fairly stock Merfolk deck, Grixis Twin and two copies of R/G Tron, with the latter taking down the tournament.

For the MTG Finance community, a plethora of spikes this week on cards that weren’t included in Modern Masters 2015 may have exhausted a lot of the spike potential for the weekend. And yet, some of the reprints from MM2 have strong potential for a rebound on the back of a fresh Top 8.

First off, here’s a couple of Buylist boards from the vendors, as reported by our readers:

Channel Fireball

Aether Games

Derek from Aether Games reports:

Now, here are some early stories worth paying attention to:

Dark Confidant

Sitting at a 5-year low of $40-45, Bob is in position for a strong rebound if it can find a Top 8 in the company of a Jund build or something fresh that demonstrates the power of drawing extra cards every turn. Just a year ago it would have been unthinkable that Dark Confidant would swap price points with Snapcaster Mage but here we are with this former staple struggling to find a consistent home. While it’s true that the card has been reprinted twice in the last three years, those printings were more more uber-mythic than true mythic given the short run nature of the sets, and I have the card on my radar to regain ground to $60 if it manages a strong finish at this tournament.

Snapcaster Mage

From $20 to $80+ in a little over a year makes for some very nice returns for those of us that have been hoarding copies waiting for this day. As a flexible spell l retrieval unit, complete with a low and splash-able casting cost, Tiago Chan’s invitational card may still have room to grow if it can find a Top 8 via the success of a Jeskai Tempo, Grixis Twin or Grixis Control. A reprint is unlikely prior to 2017 as this card bears a strong mark as an MM3 target, so there is definitely room to run.

Amulet of Vigor

With a 2nd place finish at Pro Tour: Fate Reforged in February and two copies in the Top 8 last week at the SCG Invi, scrutiny is now squarely on the deck that allows for some of the fastest kills in the format. Another win at this tournament could easily trigger a tactical banning, which should have owners of the deck feeling fairly nervous.

Splinter Twin

Whether it’s being on display in UR Twin, RUG Twin with Tarmogoyf or the more recently debuted Grixis Twin, this format defining combo card may be safe from a banning due to it’s recent reprinting in MM 2015. As an auto 3-of or 4-of in all variants of the deck, this card has fallen 50% or so since the reprinting, but could stand to gain ground before end of summer on the back of another strong finish at this tournament. Absent a ban, I can easily see this card topping $30 before end of the year so I’ve been picking up copies.

Kolaghan’s Command

Overlooked when first spoiled, this Command may well end up being the best of the five for Modern play. With the ability to handle small creatures, key artifacts in Merfolk, Tron and Affinity, return relevant creatures or force a discard at a key moment, the versatility of modal spells is being proven out yet again. Foils have already doubled up but I suspect they have further to run should they take a trophy home.

Deceiver Exarch

Despite a reprinting in Commander 2013, this banner uncommon often found as a 3 or 4-of in Twin variants has spiked hard this week, with a buyout driving the price from $1.50 up to $4. A good showing from one of the Twin decks could cement the new price.

Round to Round Coverage

Round 1

Ali Aintrazi (R/G Tron) vs. Robert Rankin (Infect)

Aintrazi steals a surprise Game 1 victory on the back of two copies of Pyroclasm.

Round 3

LSV (Grixis Twin) vs. Christian Calcano (Grixis Twin)

This match puts the focus clearly on the key cards from the latest incarnation of Splinter Twin decks, including: Kolaghan’s Command, Splinter Twin, Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Thoughtseize, Snapcaster Mage and Cryptic Command.

Collins Mulen (Burn) vs. Justin Cohen (Amulet Bloom)

Former Top 8 Bloom player, Justin Cohen is back on camera at 3-0 with the deck he helped bring into the spotlight. Destructive Revelry in the hands of Mulen takes out the Amulet of Vigor that Cohen needed to go off, and Burn steals the match.

Round 6

Patrick Dickmann (Temur Twin) vs. John Runyon (Grixis Twin)

Dickmann takes Game 1 relatively easily. A flurry of remands in Game 2 underscores the importance of this card in Modern and serves as a reminder that the recently reprinted uncommon will likely regain lost ground within the year. A pair of Deceiver Exarchs put away Game 2 for Runyon to even things up and reinforce the price spike on Exarch this week. Dickmann snags a last turn win off of a top decked Cryptic Command to steal the 3rd game in extra turns!

Dragonlord Ojutai has been called out as a key card in a deck tech with Matt Sperling to air shortly. A couple of Jund decks are 7-0 in the hands of players like Owen Turtenwald and Andrew Boswell.

Round 8

Huang Hao-Shan (Burn) vs. Aaron Barich (Infect)

Infect takes game 1 and beats a great hand from Hao-Shan to take the match.

Patrick Chapin (Grixis Twin) vs. Grant Knierim (U/R Twin)

Gurmag Angler and Jace, Architect of Thought getting some camera time in Game 2. A rare appearance by Countersquall in Game 3 as Chapin picks up the pace in a plodding control mirror in danger of hitting extra turns. Kolaghan’s Command on display again as a key new staple in Modern. Chapin plays tight and gets the win he needs to make Day 2.

Deck Tech: Adrian Sullivan (Esper Control)

Dragonlord Ojutai being put to use as a 4-of as a central pillar of the deck. Running two copies of Nameless Inversion to turn on Silumgar’s Scorn. Also running Careful Consideration, Tolaria West, Minamo, School at Water’s Edge, and Calciform Pools.

Round 9

Ben Stark (Abzan Company) vs. Patrick Dickmann (Temur Twin)

Hall of Famer Ben Stark is putting a strong spotlight on Collected Company’s future in Modern, take on one of the best decks and players in the format on camera. Scavenging Ooze and Voice of Resurgance both looked great, but Dickmann goes to 8-1 moving into Day 2.

James Chillcott is the CEO of ShelfLife.net, The Future of Collecting, Senior Partner at Advoca, a designer, adventurer, toy fanatic and an avid Magic player and collector since 1994.

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Finding Value, ProTrader, Unlocked ProTrader

UNLOCKED PROTRADER: Two More Modern Cards

June 13, 2015 Guo Heng Chin 4 Comments

By Guo Heng

Now that Modern season is in full swing, we are starting to see Modern cards spiking all over. Some like Olivia Voldaren was probably due for a spike due to their set’s age. Some, like Huntmaster of the Fells started becoming popular in the Jund builds that emerged after the banning of Treasure Cruise and Birthing Pod in February, but as there were not a single major Modern event until last weekend’s StarCityGames Invitational, his price stayed low for months and only spiked this week when the wolf is out of the bag.

There are two cards that I have been watching and holding for a while. Those two cards surprised me when they both dodged the reprint bullet in Modern Masters 2015. Those were two cards I’ve discussed in an article a while back as well.

And I think those two cards are positioned to spike again soon.

Those two cards fell under the radar and resurfaced when I saw Joe Lossett playing in feature match during the Invitationals with this deck:

By now you would probably have guessed the two cards I am referring to. Before I explain why I think those two cards are undervalued right now, let’s have a quick look at the deck and the reasons why I think the deck has a future in Modern.

Back with a Vengeance

Goryo’s Reanimator is an all-in combo deck that aims to cheat into play an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or a Griselbrand as early as turn two (turn one for some builds, but lets not get there) using its namesake card, Goryo’s Vengeance. For those unfamiliar with the deck’s interactions, Goryo’s Vengeance instant card type allows you to reanimate Emrakul from your graveyard while Emrakul’s shuffle trigger is on the stack, giving you a hasty 15/15 flying attacker with annihilate 6. You could also reanimate a hasty Griselbrand and use his Necropotence activation to chain multiple Fury of the Horde and attack phases to win that very turn.

Through the Breach provides you with an alternative way to cheat your win conditions into play that works around graveyard hate, imbuing the deck with another angle of attack and added resilience.

While Goryo’s Reanimator is a glass cannon combo deck, it has a few characteristics that make it more reliable than your typical Belcher-style decks:

Multiple angles of attack means the deck is less likely to fold to hate cards.
Multiple builds are possible. A year ago, streamer Jan van der Vegt tore through day one of Grand Prix Prague with a Goryo’s build running primarily Fist of Suns instead of Through the Breach. While he went unscathed on day one, he ultimately fell short of top 8 on day two, ending up at 44th place.

Financially, cheaper Griselbrand and Emrakul made the deck more accessible. After nearly a year of being handed out as Grand Prix promo, Griselbrand’s price is half where he was a year ago. Emrakul’s reprint in Modern Masters 2015 made $30ish Emrakuls available in the market.

While I do not think that Goryo Reanimator’s time to shine is right now, it is worth talking a look at the key cards that make the deck work.

Goryo’s Vengeance

Goryo’s Vengeance spiked above $10 when the Goryo’s Reanimator archetype came out in mid-2013. It has been hovering between $12 to $15 since.

Now why am I talking about a $15 card? Surely Goryo’s ship has long sailed?

I think that Goryo’s current price is still quite far off its ceiling. First off, An entire Modern archetype was made possible by Goryo’s Vengeance, a rare from Betrayers of Kamigawa, a small set that was released ten years ago and has not seen a single instance of reprint. I was fairly surprised that Goryo’s Vengeance was skipped over for reprint in Modern Masters 2015, as big reanimation targets and the arcane subtype were in the set.

Take a look at another card, Oblivion Stone, that is played in exactly one archetype in Modern. The Stone recently shot up to $40 on the back of Red-Green Tron’s stellar performance last weekend, after hovering at $13 for ages. Granted, Tron is now a tier one archetype while Goryo’s Reanimator is tier two. On the other hand, Oblivion Stone is from a large set, and has two printings. I don’t think Goryo’s Vengeance would shoot up to $40 if the archetype becomes popular, but it is not a far shot to imagine it hitting $30. After all, being an arcane card with a plane-specific name, the odds of Goryo’s Vengeance seeing a reprint is much lower than that of Oblivion Stone.

The buylist price for Goryo’s Vengeance spiked after the Invitationals weekend and Goryo’s Vengeance now has a spread of just 26%. It does not take much for an old card in low supply to move.

Through the Breach

Like Goryo’s Vengeance, Through the Breach broke the $10 ceiling ages ago. I was even more surprised that Through the Breach was skimped over for reprint in Modern Masters 2015 than I was with Goryo’s Vengeance. Goryo’s Vengeance requires a discard outlet to work with the Eldrazi, but Through the Breach is a two-card combo with any of the Eldrazi.

Through the Breach’s only printing is from Champions of Kamigawa, which is eleven years old as of writing, though Champions is a large set. Though the Breach has two upsides over Goryo’s Vengeance. First off, it sees play in the sideboard of Legacy Omnitell decks, albeit as a one-of. More importantly Through the Breach is not restricted to just one archetype.

At Grand Prix Madrid last November, Through the Breach was featured as a four-of in a Through the Breach – Summoning Trap hybrid ramp deck designed and piloted by Ricardo van den Bogaard which plowed through day one with a perfect record and made top 8 of the Grand Prix (sadly losing in the semis to variance).

And that deck was no fluke. While the archetype did not take off in popularity, the deck took down a PPTQ in Switzerland and was runner-up in a 214-player Modern tournament in Tokyo.

Through the Breach’s spread of 39% is not as low as that of Goryo’s Vengeance, probably due to its larger supply, but as with Goryo’s Vengeance, I am confident that Through the Breach is undervalued right now, more so for the fact that Through the Breach is ran in other archetypes beyond Goryo Reanimator.

With only a single printing from eleven years back, Through the Breach really shouldn’t be as low as $13, seeing that decks that runs Through the Breach wants three to four copies of the card.

Closing Thoughts

Both Goryo’s Vengeance and Through the Breach are already relatively expensive to buy-in at $15 and $13 respectively. Buying in at such prices entails higher risk than buying in $6 Disrupting Shoals or $6 Huntmaster of the Fells. I featured those two cards today as I am confident that they are undervalued at their current price, and I suspect they are only so because the archetype(s) that run them has yet to take off in popularity.

All it takes is a Grand Prix top 8 with either of those cards during Modern season. Ricardo’s top 8 unfortunately occurred outside Modern season, which could be a reason why Through the Breach did not spiked hard in response to his top 8. Do share your thoughts in the comments below or catch me on Twitter at @thguoheng.

PS: A wild speculation. What could Red-Green Tron do to survive all the expected hate cards directed at it in the upcoming metagame? Chuck in a few mainboard Through the Breach to next level that smug opponent who mainboards Blood Moon.

Casual Fridays

Wait, What?

June 12, 2015 Cliff Daigle 13 Comments

By: Cliff Daigle

I like unusual things in Magic. I will sign up for most any tournament with an uncut foil sheet or an oversized card, or some other kooky thing.

I admit, I’m a collector. I like having unusual and/or rare cards. Today I want to go over a few of the cards that have a lot more value than you might expect, for no other reason aside from people who want them.

Let’s start with a big category.

Foreign Languages With Humorous English Meanings

This is more than some random person who has a playset of German Lightning Bolt and likes to scream out, “Blitzschlag!” every time he casts one. It’s funny the first time, but not the twentieth. This is not a comprehensive list of all the cards that have amusing translations, but these are some of the more widely known. Taste varies widely on these, and prices can too.

There are specific cards that when translated into other languages make Magic players giggle. As you can imagine, foil versions of these can command quite a premium.

Sarkhan el loco

The normal English version is $9, but unusually for Spanish, this one is more just because he’s fun to say, probably with an offensive and overstated accent.

He’s also a great fit in any Dragon deck, as he can come down and just nuke a player.

Justification

Vindicate is a card with an excellent history. It solves a very wide variety of problems, and for only three mana. This French version allows you to be more righteous at your table. Like Sarkhan, this is only a couple of bucks more.

Retard

The French version of Delay, this is something to truly test the maturity level of the player who takes a look at the card and starts short laughing. Some people think that this is too offensive to be allowed around, but there are lots of others who think this is just fine and dandy.

Crimps

This refers to cards that have been caught in the process of sealing a booster pack, process, on the top or the bottom edge. This is sort of rare, and it’s very unusual to find more than the black border that has been crimped.

Some people love these cards, others think they are insane. Totally up to the tastes of the buyer. Most stores regard these as damaged and worth less, but there are some folks who live for these mistakes. Also, keep in mind that some people are crimping their own cards in an attempt to add value. Everyone has something they like more.

Miscuts

Again, this is a huge category and what people want can vary widely. There’s a whole spectrum on these, from slightly off-center cards to some that show parts of four different cards.

A word of warning: There’s a surprising number of people who are willing to take an uncut sheet to a print shop and have the cards deliberately miscut. This leads to newer miscuts being a lot more prevalent than older ones. I don’t agree with this policy at all, as I’d rather have the sheet of cards from any set, but I’ll respect anyone willing to try and extract what value they can.

Foil Gift of Orzhova

Why am I mentioning a card worth a quarter? Because the foil version is about $6. Johannes Voss does some gorgeous work on such a tiny space, especially the original Restoration Angel, and this stained-glass masterpiece looks exquisite in the shiny form. It’s not powerful, it’s not rare, it’s just wonderful to behold.

Foil Little Girl

You may not know this, but the list of foil Unhinged cards has some jaw-dropping prices. I bet you thought the lands were the top five, but the frame-defying cards of Richard Garfield, Ph.D. and Who/What/Where/When/Why make the top three. I admit, I thought Super Secret Tech would be much more expensive, and I certainly wasn’t expecting Blast from the Past to be $32 in foil.

Little Girl, though…a foil common whose flavor text references incontinence, has climbed to $37. I admit it, I traded for one of these two years ago for about $25 in value, when my first daughter was born.

That is the reason for this relatively kooky price. It’s literally a hundred times more expensive in foil than in nonfoil, because parents are suckers in all sorts of ways.

Ginger Ale

Competitive Keeps: Theros Block

June 12, 2015 Houston Whitehead 14 Comments

By: Houston Whitehead

I hate to be first drop before the waterfall, but I can’t help but think ahead. We might know October 2, 2015 as the first day to spend our paychecks on Battle for Zendikar, but it’s also the day most of your Theros Block and Magic 2015 magically turn from dollars to pennies. Just the word ‘rotation’ makes Standard players cringe worse than the last time I cursed in Sunday school. I know you’re thinking, “Dude! It’s June! Why the hell are you writing about rotation?” In my experience, it’s a lot easier to complete trades with rotating cards when players don’t have rotation on the mind. You’ll start noticing that ‘keep staples’ mindset right when Origins releases. Everyone will start hoarding what rares they feel will hold value and start going out of their way to unload the rest before it completely tanks. This makes Pre-Origins the best time to pick up rares that will keep or gain value after rotation. Also, if Standard is the only format you play, the rest of this article is not for you.

Keep in mind these are cards worth keeping for competitive play, not casual or EDH. Otherwise, I’d just say trade for all the gods.

Theros

Thoughtseize – Let’s start off with an easy one. Before it’s reprint Thoughtseize (Lorwyn) fetched a ~$75 price tag. It’s been in the $15-20 range (Theros) throughout most of its time in Standard despite the massive amount of Theros product opened. This is one of your last chances to pick them up before they start to climb again. It’s simple the best discard spell. Pick up as many as you can. Currently $24 Fair Trade Price

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx – Though Nykthos has only seen fringe Modern play in Mono-Green devotion decks, the cards power is real. WotC uses restrictive mana costs to keep powerful cards away from other colors. No one wants play in a Boros Reckoner + Phyrexian Obliterator fight deck. Ok, that does sound pretty sweet, but minimizing the amount of decks powerful cards can be in keeps the formats diverse. Nykthos rewards you for playing all the restrictive CMC cards of a chosen color while also helping you accelerate them out earlier than opponents are comfortable with. My point is, WotC isn’t going to stop printing restrictive mana costed cards. Nykthos can only get better with each new set printed. It’s one card away from Tier one Modern play. At worst, casual players will keep its market demand up. Currently $5 Fair Trade Price

Theros honorable mentions: Anger of the Gods, Swan Song

Born of the Gods

Courser of Kruphix – I know has only been a two-of in a few successful Modern lists. It falls to Abrupt Decay but survives Lightning Bolt. It’s dead weight against combo but great for creating card advantage and hitting your lands for the late game. You know it’s power if you’ve only playing a few matches of Standard. Speculating on a Bant control deck utilizing Courser might be a stretch, but labeling it as unplayable doesn’t seem correct either. The current $6 price might still be a bit high, but picking up a playset for $12 at rotation shouldn’t be a bad investment. This might be the only card on this list that’s worth waiting for a lower price. Currently $6 Fair Trade Price.

Spirit of the Labyrinth (FOIL) – Why foil? Cause, Legacy. Legacy players love foils and Legacy foils love having oddly high prices. Foil Spirit has been a steady $10 while only seeing 1-3 copies in successful Death & Taxes lists. In May, it dropped to $6. D&T hasn’t put up many high places finishes in a while. But, if you play Legacy, you know the meta is always changing. It’s only a matter of time before it falls back into favor. With zero play in any other format, Spirit’s price has been solely dependent on the Legacy environment. This is a good time to pick up while you can still find them. Currently $6 Fair Trade Price.

Journey into Nyx

Mana Confluence – This upgraded City of Brass will continue to take its place in Modern and Legacy decks. It’s been as high as $20 but has mostly stayed around $10-12 during its lifetime. I don’t predict them going that much lower but wouldn’t be surprised to see them follow a slightly slower price trajectory as Cavern of Souls. Plus, it’s a powerful non basic land. Always a worthy investment. Currently $12 Fair Trade Price.

Eidolon of the Great Revel – Probably the best eternal playable card printed in this block. It sees four copies in both Modern and Legacy Mono-Red lists and will continue to do so. Picking up these should be just as obvious as picking up Thoughseizes. To be honest, you probably should have picked them up when they were $5. Currently $11 Fair Trade Price.

Magic 2015

Chord of Calling – Chord fell from $40 to $20 after its M15 reprint and has steadily decreased slowly over the past year. Previously played alongside the villainous Birthing Pod, Chord fell when Pod was banned and never found a home in Modern Collected Company decks. Its lack of recent play doesn’t reflect the power of this convoking tutor. Though Pod won’t be unbanned anytime soon, I think Chord will learn to stand on its own again in a future Modern meta. Zero chance this card falls to bulk after rotation. Currently $5 Fair Trade Price.

Final Thoughts

Investing in rotating rares isn’t the quickest way to gain financial value, but it is a perfect way to acquire future format staples with a long term investment bonus. I might only have a few rotations under my belt, but I’ve made a lot of profit being patient with rotating cards like these. I hope now you can do the same before the ‘rotation plague’ sweeps over your LGS.

As always thanks for reading

@TNSGingerAle

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