Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $1
Current Price: $1
Future Price – Low: $0.50
Future Price – High: $1
Thoughts: Generic bulk rare Angel. I could see a situation where the foils might be worth more than bulk, but I don’t think this card will ever do much other than be a Limited bomb.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $1
Current Price: $1
Future Price – Low: $0.50
Future Price – High: $1.50
Thoughts: This card is far too much mana to ever see play outside of Limited or Commander. It does gain life and make tokens, which is usually good enough to make something a Commander all-star, but at seven mana it’s just a bit out of reach to become a staple.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $1
Current Price: $1
Future Price – Low: $0.50
Future Price – High: $1.50
Thoughts: Aside from being an extremely mediocre Angel, her outfit is horrible. Bulk rare.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $1
Current Price: $1
Future Price – Low: $0.50
Future Price – High: $1.50
Thoughts: This card can easily fit in any Vampire Commander deck. It’s an outlet for madness and works well with Giant Fan. All that considered, bulk rare.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $1
Current Price: $1
Future Price – Low: $0.50
Future Price – High: $1
Thoughts: Recurring theme for this group: bulk rares.
Now that those are out of the way…
I’m very excited about some of the cards spoiled recently! I’ve always been a huge fan of aggressive decks and Shadows over Innistrad did not disappoint today!
Rarity: Mythic
Starting Price: $30
Current Price: $35
Future Price – Low: $20
Future Price – High: $40
Thoughts: Before I get into my thoughts about this card, I have a confession: I’m a pretty big hater when it comes to new Magic cards. I’ve been around long enough to see tons of over-hyped Magic cards fall on their faces and plummet from their original prices.
That being said, I’m very excited about Arlinn Kord. I think this card will see heavy play in Standard and a decent amount of Modern play. In addition, I think this is a great Commander / Casual card. Both of her daytime abilities help protect her and threaten your opponent, while her night abilities can also protect her by killing creatures. She can also make your team extremely deadly. If all of these weren’t enough, her ultimate is absurd and nonrestrictive. This is everything I want in an R/G planeswalker.
If we compare this card to Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, Gideon started preselling for $20 and post-release he passed the $40 mark for a short period of time. He’s now settled back down at around $20. I think Arlinn Kord is infinitely more playable than Gideon is, and that’s why I’m assigning the future prices I’ve picked.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $2
Current Price: $2
Future Price – Low: $1
Future Price – High: $1.50
Thoughts: Odric, Lunarch Marshal will be an awesome Commander card. His biggest issue is that he requires your other creatures to already be good and he just makes them better; he doesn’t do anything on his own. I don’t think it will ever be a card that will command a premium, but I believe he’ll settle at the top end of bulk rares.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $2
Current Price: $2
Future Price – Low: $1
Future Price – High: $2
Thoughts: Sage of Ancient Lore isn’t going to be breaking the bank anytime soon; however, I do think it is an awesome Commander card. It draws a card and becomes a giant monster. What more can you ask for in green? I don’t see Sage of Ancient Lore being played in Standard or Modern, which is sure to keep its price under $2.
Rarity: Rare
Starting Price: $3
Current Price: $3
Future Price – Low: $2
Future Price – High: $6
Thoughts: In my opinion, this is the most underrated card that has been spoiled so far. I absolutely love this card. It’s relatively cheap, efficient removal that can two-for-one your opponent. It also gets around cards with hexproof and shroud. I’m confident this card will see lots of play in Modern and Standard. I would recommend picking up To the Slaughter now or shortly after Shadows over Innistrad is released.
Today’s spoilers were great! As more cards get spoiled, I start to feel like Standard is going to shift to become a very aggressive format. With cards like Arlinn Kord being printed, I think now is a good time to start picking up other aggressive cards that aren’t rotating.
Whether you’re looking to speculate during spoiler season or just save money on your future Standard deck, the best place to start is with the cards that are already out. The vast majority of cards fall from their presale price shortly after release; this is mainly attributed to the market being flooded with people wanting to draft and crack the newest product.
For lower-dollar risks, I would recommend starting with the sets currently being opened for Limited, in this case Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch. Things like Cinder Glade, Sylvan Advocate, and Oath of Nissa all complement Arlinn Kord very well with a relatively low risk associated with their acquisition. If you’re in a position to invest a bit more money, I would think Abbot of Keral Keep, Atarka’s Command, Deathmist Raptor, and Den Protector are all good buys right now. Deathmist Raptor is currently $12 and has a price history of over $20, so we know there is a lot of room for Deathmist Raptor to increase in value.
Most of the cards in Magic Origins and Dragons of Tarkir have the ability to go up, since they’re the oldest sets currently Standard-legal once Shadows over Innistrad comes out; they were also not drafted very much compared to larger sets like Battle for Zendikar, so the supply is significantly lower. Just remember that nothing is a sure bet! Never risk money unless you’re willing to lose it.
I’ll see you all tomorrow!