Hello everyone, and welcome back to Insider Trading! I’ve just gotten back from Grand Prix: Los Angeles, where 830 players descended on the city of Angels to compete in the first major Extended tournament of 2009. Two months ago? Elves were all the rage. Now? The field is so wide open that nearly a dozen decks could pull in an invite at any given PTQ! Because of this, there are quite a few cards that are being driven up on value. Let’s take a look at some of the big movers and shakers from this past weekend!
The Top Five Hottest Extended Cards
#1: Engineered Explosives
Without a doubt, the most requested card this weekend was Engineered Explosives. Before the tournament began, Explosives were selling for $25-$30 a pop. The price didn’t go down much further after the main event, because so many people needed the card for the PTQ the next day. Mirrodin Block rares are starting to rapidly appreciate in value, and Explosives has doubled in price over the past couple of months. It’s usable in virtually any deck as either a main-deck answer or sideboard card against any number of other decks. In “old” Extended, cards like Vindicate and Meddling Mage were the top-end of the spectrum. Engineered Explosives is spearheading the cream-of-the value for “new” Extended.
#2: Relic of Progenitus
Graveyard hate has always been a big part of Extended, and Relic of Progenitus is now the sideboard hating card of choice, over Tormod’s Crypt. It’s not just the Cantrip ability on Relic – it’s the ability to slowly whittle away a graveyard a-la Scrabbling Claws in addition to the last-minute nuke option that makes Relic attractive over the one-time-use Crypt.
#3: Glen Elendra Archmage
The Archmage is having a breakout performance in both Extended and Standard right now, making it a doubly-fast price-climber. I expect the Archmage to push to the $12.50 mark before February rolls around, at the least. Fits in Faeries, Wizards, and any anti-combo strategy.
#4: Sulfuric Vortex
The cards from the Red Burn deck were very popular last weekend, and none more so than the oft-sideboarded Sulfuric Vortex. Need to nuke your opponent’s ability to gain life, while taking them from 20 to 0 each upkeep? Many Red Mages felt that Sulfuric Vortex was the proper choice to battle White and Green decks, while having the extra benefit of shutting down half of Tendrils of Agony.
#5: Stifle
Stifle will be even more popular now that Mind’s Desire decks are the hot deck in Extended, but even before TEPS took the top slot, Stifle was being bought in droves. I heard multiple players lose to having their first Fetchland Stifled, effectively ending the game then-and-there. Stifle is also going to be a huge card for Grand Prix: Chicago, so it has Eternal applications as well (especially for Phyrexian Dreadnought decks). Stifle is climbing, and I expect it to climb even higher.
Those were the five hottest/most requested/most sold cards this past weekend. Here are the other cards that were particular sought-after at Grand Prix: Los Angeles!
Black
Death Cloud: The only mono-Black card on this list. The central piece of the Death Cloud deck, which supposedly is a good match against Mind’s Desire thanks to Raven’s Crime, Thoughtseize, and Death Cloud itself.
Blue
Flashfreeze: The anti-Red card of choice for many players, able to stop Deus of Calamity and Red burn spells, all-the-while halting Zoo and Sulfuric Vortex. A lot of players audibled to Flashfreeze, and we ended up selling out of these on-site by early Saturday.
Mind’s Desire: Every season, Mind’s Desire goes through a period where it’s the “it” deck, then it fades when facing hate, and then it comes back strong again towards the middle/end of the season. This is its last year in Extended, so I wouldn’t invest too heavily, but I think a lot of hard-core Desire players are going to push this deck for its last hurrah in Extended.
Peer Through Depths: The newest “tutor” for Mind’s Desire decks (though it was introduced heavily last year), but it’s starting to break out now that it can be paired with newest-addition Desperate Ritual (thanks to Splice!)
Ponder: People are finally starting to view this as the second-best Blue one-drop cantrip behind Brainstorm (Ancestral Recall doesn’t count) in formats outside of Vintage/Legacy. Ponder will be one of those commons that maintains a $0.50-$1 value even after it rotates from Standard, due to Extended play.
Spell Snare: Heavily played this weekend, and in high-demand – especially by decks that need to stop Chalice of the Void for one early!
Trinket Mage: Part of the Wizard deck (with Riptide Laboratory), and seen solo as part of a suite of tutoring targets, with Relic of Progenitus and Pithing Needle as the most likely targets.
Vendilion Clique: I don’t understand why Clique is only worth $3-$4, when it seems to see play in Extended, Standard, and (last season) Block. It seems like it should be worth more, but it can’t seem to get over the hump, probably because it is legendary – but how often do you get stuck with a Clique in your hand?
Venser, Shaper Savant: Venser, seen as a one-of in multiple Extended decks, came in a fine showing in Extended thanks to the Wizard deck. I think Venser will maintain value over the years, so picking up a playset now would be fine, as the investment will stay steady for a long time to come.
Green
Choke: Choke edged Boil as the anti-Blue card of choice, though the Elf deck (and Green in general) seemed generally under-represented this weekend at the top tables.
Life from the Loam: Back when Extended first rotated, I predicted that Life from The Loam would become one of the most sought-after, higher-dollar Extended cards. I still believe this, and Life from the Loam seemed to be in more than just one deck this weekend. I’d pick them up now, while they are still $5 cards, if you don’t have them already.
Ravenous Baloth: There was a small interest in Beast cards, and a complete absence of White/Green metagame decks that seem to pop up every season. Ravenous Baloth sold well; Loxodon Hierarch collected dust.
Red
Desperate Ritual: Part of both the Mind’s Desire deck, and the All-in Red deck. Starting to hit Rite of Flame prices.
Flames of the Blood Hand: Another card used to combat life gain, while doming for four. Flames of the Blood Hand might be worth picking up now, as Sulfuric Vortex will rotate after next season, leaving this as the best option to do what you want to do – damage the opponent while preventing life gain.
Lava Spike: Both the mono-Red burn deck, and All-in Red were extremely popular sellers on Friday and Saturday. This was helped by Rob Dougherty X-0 performance in the Swiss (though he failed to make the top 8) with All-In Red. Lava Spike was in the other Red deck (burn), which didn’t have as many high finishes, but is popular due to the large number of commons in the deck (making it cheap to build).
Rite of Flame: Part of two separate combo decks, and possibly the best Red mana accelerant in Extended (in a field of Seething Song/Rites of Flame/Desperate Ritual/Simian Spirit Guide).
Shattering Spree: The anti-Chalice of the Void card of choice, as replicated copies are not countered by a Chalice for one. Also great against Affinity, which is staging a comeback in this anti-combo (both Elves and Mind’s Desire) environment.
Spark Elemental: Part of the Red Burn deck; this deck should get better with the new burn spells and creatures introduced in Conflux (but more about that next week!)
White
Circle of Protection: Red: Lonely COP: Red was the only White card that sold really well, for Extended play. A great choice against Red Burn and All-In Red, but a lot of players had more success with Flashfreeze than with COP: Red, since Flashfreeze can just fizzle mana-acceleration for All-In, or stop a key burn spell-to-a-creature against Burn (plus, Flashfreeze is better against Zoo and other Green decks).
Artifact
Chalice of the Void: Chalice of the Void (and Chrome Mox) would be cards #6 and #7 on the “most wanted” list from above. Chalice is absolutely crushing against any number of decks when set to one, and it has a lot of play in both Legacy and Vintage. I can also see this guy hitting the $10-$12.50 range, since it’s around not just for this year, but one more season.
Chrome Mox: 830 Alternate-art foil Chrome Mox were given out at Grand Prix: Los Angeles. Players still needed extra Chrome Mox out of the ying-yang, as it’s being played in a ridiculous number of decks compared to a year ago. In the same boat as Chalice and Explosives – a multi-usable artifact that has two years of Extended life left, from a block that is getting increasingly more scarce to find singles from.
Serum Powder: Mostly for All-in Red, but this also sees Legacy/Vintage play, and might see more play in Mind’s Desire. A generally undervalued card over the years, because the mechanic (lose 7 cards permanently) turns people off versus the “here’s a free new hand!”
Trinisphere: Should be huge at Chicago, and is a supplement to Chalice of the Void in keeping combo decks (and Zoo) oppressed.
Umezawa’s Jitte: The Jitte was a $20-$25 Standard card, and dropped to half that value once it rotated. Now, Jitte is the creature-deck card of choice for battling other creature decks, or for outracing burn/Tendrils of Agony (Gain 2 life), and is starting to rise in value again. I think Jitte will end up back in the $20 range by the end of this season, so now’s the time to pick up copies for less than that.
Land
Blinkmoth Nexus: Part of the Red burn deck, and Affinity. Therefore, it sold better than any other Red burn land, or any other Affinity piece.
Ghost Quarter: Played in multiple decks, especially those with Life from the Loam. It’s still not-quite Wasteland against everything, but there’s a few decks where it will just outright kill a land without your opponent having anything to fetch.
Riptide Laboratory: The main card that really puts the Wizard deck over the top, but it’s only got one year of Extended shelf-life left. Unless you’ve really got your mind on playing that particular deck, I would avoid this, as it will only go down in value after it rotates.
Shocklands (All Ten): Wizards has been dropping hints that the ten Ravnica Shocklands will be back in 11th Edition – and while I don’t know if this is the case or not (I hope so, though!), Extended players are snapping up these lands at pretty depressed (compared to when they were Standard legal) prices. The Onslaught Fetchlands went through a similar cycle – they were $20 in Standard, dropped to $8-$10 right after rotation, and slowly, over the years, climbed back to the $20 (or more) range. I think the Shocklands will end up following this pattern, reprinted or not, as they will be the center of Extended’s entire manabase once Onslaught rotates.
Gold
Crime/Punishment: Part of the Death Cloud deck, and a potentially more lethal (yet color intensive) answer than Engineered Explosives.
Electrolyze: Played in the Mind’s Desire deck as kill for small creatures.
Kitchen Finks: We sold quite a few of these this weekend, though I’m not sure it was for Extended play, as much as Standard play. If so, this was our best selling Standard card this weekend, coming in about halfway through the list of best-selling Extended cards – which, in my eyes, is worth a mention. Should get even better with the new Exalted mana druid in Conflux.
Vexing Shusher: The anti-Faeries and Anti-Wizards card of choice for aggro decks, moreso than Boil or Choke. Personally, I think Boil might be the best of these three cards (due to instant speed), but that’s just my personal preference.
So those are the Extended cards that are most on the rise right now, coming out of Grand Prix: Los Angeles. This should give you an idea not only of what you want to trade for (or trade away while it’s hot), but what you should expect to see at your local PTQs in the coming weeks (before Conflux).
Speaking of Conflux – join me next Friday when I roll out the most eagerly awaited Insider Trading column – the “Financial Value” article, where I give my early thoughts about the hits, misses and sleepers in Conflux. If you’re going to a prerelease or want to preorder cards, this is a can’t-miss article. See you in seven days!
Ben Bleiweiss
General Manager of Acquisitions and Inventory, StarCityGames.com