Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
	Starting Price: $25 Current Price: $25 Future Price (Short Term): $30 Future Price (Medium Term): $20 Future Price (Long Term): $20

I think we’re finally getting past the time when Planeswalkers automatically go bonkers in price during/immediately after the presale period. I took a look at the different Planeswalkers in Standard:

3CC:

Ajani, Caller of the Pride: $10
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver: $8
Domri Rade: $35

4CC:

Chandra, Pyromaster: $20
Gideon, Champion of Justice: $4
Jace, Architect of Thought: $12
Kiora, the Crashing Wave: $20
Liliana of the Dark Realms: $7
Ral Zarek: $10
Xenagos, the Reveler: $10

5CC:

Jace, Memory Adept: $10
Vraska the Unseen: $6

6CC:

Elspeth, Sun’s Champion: $20
Garruk, Caller of Beasts: $18

From looking at that price list, I’d draw the following conclusions:

• Mana cost no longer dictates the price of the planeswalker. Of the ones that have maintained a $15 or higher value, one is 3CC (Domri), two are 4CC (Chandra and Kiora) and two are 6CC (Elspeth and Garruk) – and Jace, Architect of Thought would have also been on this list if his Duel Deck version didn’t drive down the value of the Return to Ravnica version.
• The floor for a Planeswalker is around $8-$10 (Gideon is an aberration, and Vraska was $10 before the Duel Deck versions hit the market). The ceiling for a Planeswalker that is playable in Standard only is $15-$20. If the Planeswalker is also Modern playable, we’re looking at $30-$40 (Domri). If it’s Legacy playable as well, sky’s the limit (none right now, but see Liliana of the Veil and Jace, the Mind Sculptor for past examples).

So if I’m to evaluate Ajani, the questions I need to ask are:

• Is it playable in Legacy?
• Is it playable in Modern?
• Is it playable in Standard?

The answer to #1 is no – this is not a Planeswalker that will see Legacy play.

The answer to #2 is probably not. In Modern, five mana is a lot to pay for a Planeswalker. While it’s conceivable that Ajani could find a niche deck in Modern, chances are good that it’s too expensive for too small of an effect (five mana to Impulse, or to give creatures +3/+3) to make an impact in Modern.

The answer to #3 is yes! I’d say Ajani, Mentor of Heroes is most comparable to Jace, Memory Adept.

• Both have a converted mana cost of five.
• Both start with four loyalty
• Both have +1: Draw a card. (Jace is universal. You’re unlikely to miss with Ajani, and dig deeper.)
• Ajani’s other +1 ability (the +1/+1 counters) is more relevant to a creature-based metagame than Jace’s “mill for 10.”
• You’re not likely going to ultimate off with either of these Planeswalkers – but if you do, Jace is probably better (draw 20) because likely you’re using it to deck your opponent, or to fill your hand with a guaranteed win worth of card selection.

Now you might see Jace, Memory Adept at $10 and say “Well, why are you putting Ajani at $25?” and the answer is because Jace, Memory Adept has been reprinted three times now – in M12, M13 and M14. The M12 Jace opened presales at $35, spent the next six months at $25-$30, and then pretty much stayed in the $18-$20 range until it was reprinted in M13. I see Ajani taking a similar trajectory, and so I’m putting it at $20 for the long term, and at $25-$30 during the initial rush of people trying to get copies for the upcoming SCG State Championships.

	Sage of Hours
	Starting Price: $5 Current Price: $5 Future Price (Short Term): $3 Future Price (Medium Term): $3 Future Price (Long Term): $3

Commander All-star. There’s a category of failed blue Mythic creatures that replicate huge blue effects, such as Time Walk or Control Magic. The list includes Beguiler of Wills, Lighthouse Chronologist, and Medomai the Ageless. My gut is telling me that Sage of Hours is firmly in this category (especially since blue isn’t the color most likely to trigger Heroic), but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the interaction with Sage of Hours and Varolz, or the interaction in Legacy/Modern between Sage of Hours and Necrotic Ooze (and one day, there will be a critical mass of cards that break Necrotic Ooze).

	Temple of Epiphany
	Starting Price: $5 Current Price: $5 Future Price (Short Term): $6 Future Price (Medium Term): $6 Future Price (Long Term): $6

With eight other Temples spoiled, the math on the last two Temples are pretty much elementary.

Temple of Enlightenment: $12
Temple of Malice: $6
Temple of Plenty: $7
Temple of Abandon: $4
Temple of Deceit: $6
Temple of Mystery: $4
Temple of Silence: $6
Temple of Triumph: $6

Throwing out Temple of Enlightenment as an outlier, I’m starting the two new Temples at $5 each.

	Temple of Malady
	Starting Price: $5 Current Price: $5 Future Price (Short Term): $6 Future Price (Medium Term): $7 Future Price (Long Term): $7

Same reasoning as with Temple of Epiphany, above.

Pack Value

To determine the value of a booster pack, I’m going to start with the following formula:

(2R + 1M) / 80

That isn’t enough of a picture though. In fairness, $0.50-$1 bulk rares don’t really amount to “real” value if you’re looking to trade with other players. So I’m omitting the value of any rare that is below $2 (rounded from $1.99) and any mythic that is below $4 (rounded from $3.99).

Twelve out of the 35 rares have been spoiled. Here are the ones that are $2 and up!

Dictate of Kruphix: $3
Dictate of the Twin Gods: $2
Eidolon of Blossoms: $3
Hall of Triumph: $2
Temple of Epiphany: $6
Temple of Malady: $6

Total Rare Value: $22

Five mythics have been spoiled. All five are over the $4 mythic threshold!

Ajani, Mentor of Heroes: $25
Godsend: $15
Iroas, God of Victory: $20
Keranos, God of Storms: $20
Sage of Hours: $5

Total Mythic Value: $85

So plugging this into the formula, we get the following:

(2R ($22) + 1M ($85) = $129

$75 / 80 = $1.6125 value per pack or $58.05 per box

There are still five Mythics left to spoil (including three Gods) and 23 more Rares, so there is a lot of value yet to be revealed in this set. Journey Into Nyx will almost assuredly outperform Born of the Gods on value, just based on what’s already been spoiled.

See you all on Thursday for the continuation of this series!

Previous Daily Financial Value Of Journey Into Nyx Articles

4/8 – Dawnbringer Charioteers; Dictate of Kruphix; Dictate of the Twin Gods; Doomwake Giant; Godsend; Keranos, God of Storms; Scourge of Fleets; Spawn of Thraxes

4/7 – Eidolon of Blossoms; Extinguish All Hope; Hall of Triumph; Heroes’ Bane; Iroas, God of Victory