Magic’s third expansion, Legends, was released 21 years ago. It sold out fast. These cards were so rare, even by 1994 standards, that the earliest
days of Magic’s secondary market revolved around their scarcity. That’s why Wizards of the Coast decided to release Chronicles in the summer of
1995.
These days, it seems like a half-dozen cards from Legends spike in price every year. Some of them jump because of tournament demand, but the
majority don’t actually see play in Legacy or Vintage. Invoke Prejudice is $130, but it hasn’t really ever seen competitive play. Same with Angus
Mackenzie, an $80 Commander card. It doesn’t take much because Legends cards are so rare.
Legends
cards don’t always maintain their post-spike price, but they rarely drop all the way down to their pre-spike low. The latest two risers-Storm World and
Field of Dreams-are a good example of this. Storm World was $5-$8 in early September. It spiked briefly to $85 before settling down at $35. Field of Dreams
went from $6 to $70 earlier this month. It’s still $60, but it’ll probably stabilize around $35 as well.
While it’s usually not a great idea to throw money at cards that don’t have much real-world demand, Legends cards are so scarce that you almost
can’t go wrong. The reserved list acts as protection for many of Legends’ rares, as does support by the Old School community and a growing number
of collectors who are drawn to Magic’s earliest years. This is why so many speculators try to force spikes (pun intended) with cards from this era.
An ethical digression before we continue: I realize that by writing this article, I could inadvertently perpetuate a number of Legends price
spikes that might not happen otherwise. This is an unfortunate side effect of writing a Magic finance column that has a wide readership. I can’t really
control what anyone does with this information, but I don’t think that’s a good reason to avoid writing about a topic that I find both important and
interesting.
What I can tell you is that, outside of my one personal complete set of Legends, I own zero copies of any of the cards I am going to talk about in
this article. I will also not be buying any of these cards in the immediate future. If any of these cards rise or fall, they will do so without bringing me
any personal profit.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating every so often: I very rarely engage in short-term speculation because I am aware of my place in the
community and the personal code of ethics that I hold myself to. When I do speculate, which is usually to make sure that I can write confidently and
correctly about the topic, I do my best to avoid any conflict with my weekly article.
Back to the topic at hand, though. Are there any interesting cards in Legends that haven’t been uncovered in two decades of deckbuilding and
analysis? If so, I doubt I’m going to be the one to find them. I am pretty good at finding a little bit of surplus value in odd places, though, so I wanted
to take a deep dive in Legends and see if we can get one step ahead of the big money speculators.
Here’s the criteria I’ll be using:
Nothing over $100.
No one’s making money buying Nether Void at $225 in hopes of spiking the price to $500, and if you have the resources to buy several copies of a card like
this in the hopes that the price might go up one day, you don’t need to read my articles.
Nothing that has been reprinted.
Sorry, Sylvan Library and Nicol Bolas. There will always be cheaper copies of you out there, so your price ceiling is capped in a different place.
Nothing that has spiked in the past two years.
Could Storm World spike again? Sure, if the card actually shows up on the Legacy circuit. You’d be buying in at post-spike prices, though, and that’s not
the sort of spec we’re looking for here. These cards all have to be pre-hype sleepers.
These criteria rule out most of the interesting cards in Legends. After all, it’s no secret how scarce these cards are, so anything even slightly
playable has probably been bought out once or twice by now. That leaves us with…well, a lot of really, really bad cards and a couple of interesting long
shots. After all, if a single-printing card from Legends is still under $10 after so many years, there’s probably a reason why.
Let’s don our most optimistic attitude and forge ahead, then, shall we?
Hammerheim – $1.99
With WotC more or less abandoning landwalk, it’s hard to imagine Hammerheim ever being a major part of a tournament deck. It taps for red mana without a
drawback, though, and it’s possible that some pesky landwalk creature will make this worth running in some weird, new casual variant. Lands with this much
versatility are always worth considering, even if their power level is low.
Kobolds of Kher Keep – $2.49
0/1 Kobolds are pretty useless, but that zero in the mana cost box always gives me pause. What if there’s ever a red deck that just wants to churn through
permanents as fast as possible? It hasn’t happened yet, but we can dream.
The best use for Kobolds of Kher Keep currently, of course, is as tokens in your Prossh, Skyraider of Kher deck. The Kobold tokens that came with Prossh
might be more accurate (in that they are actually tokens), but the Legends versions are far cooler.
Typhoon – $2.99
What color pie? Welcome to the party, green burn spell!
Typhoon is a reserved list rare that punishes you for playing Magic’s best color, so the fact that it doesn’t see any play probably speaks more to the
current state of green than anything else. Legacy Burn decks don’t have many sideboard options, though, and this might be an intriguing option off the
fetchland splash you’re already making.
Forethought Amulet – $3.99
Forethought Amulet would be a bulk rare if it were ever printed today, but I’m trying to think outside the box. So, um, maybe there’s a combo deck out
there that doesn’t run any artifact hate or countermagic, lets you wait around until turn 5 to play this, and tries to kill you with an unreasonably large
burn spell? And it’s really good for some reason? Yeah, okay, maybe not.
Arboria – $3.99
Vintage and Legacy Magic aren’t generally hospitable to four-mana green enchantments, but this unique Moat variant that has always intrigued me. Arboria is
at least worth considering in Commander, where it’s easy enough to build a U/G flash deck that can play out its hand without being attacked very often.
Regardless, I doubt green will ever get a card like this again.
Urborg – $3.99
Nope, not the Tomb of Yawgmoth-the original Urborg. This is like Hammerheim but better (or like Karakas but worse?) and first strike is certainly an
ability that WotC will keep supporting. I doubt this will be a tournament staple anytime soon, but it’s a very reasonable casual card with an outside shot
at seeing Legacy play.
Jovial Evil – $3.99
Much like with Typhoon, the current Legacy environment isn’t really right for this card. I could imagine a future where this is at least a moderately
powerful sideboard option, though. The fact that it’s a reserved list rare helps as well.
Reverberation – $3.99
Hey, look, it’s a spike in progress! Someone bought the majority of the internet out of these, but I’m not quite sure why. Cards like this tend to be
corner cases that end up as low picks in Cube at best. I couldn’t find a tournament list running this card either, though it is on the reserved list. I’m
monitoring this one, as it looks like the price is readjusting toward $10, but I’m not convinced it’ll stay there.
North Star – $5.99
North Star costs eight mana (and a card) before you can start avoiding color requirements.
Really? This card is on your list, Chas? Are you that out of it today?
I can’t imagine a single card WotC could print that would make North Star playable, but that doesn’t mean that this card should be completely ignored. The
cost is steep, but very few cards in Magic allow you to break fundamental rules like this. If the Commander color identity rules were slightly different,
for example, North Star could be used to cheat the system. At some point, this might break a nascent casual format wide open.
Caverns of Despair – $5.99
Silent Arbiter is powerful in Voltron-style Commander decks, and reserved list rare Caverns of Despair is another great way to hose those ‘go wide’ tokens
strategies that are becoming more powerful by the day in many casual circles. The price charts look pretty good on this one too, so there’s at least a
little bit of real-world demand out there.
Disharmony – $5.99
Another spike in progress. Disharmony is sold out at $5.99, and I can’t find a copy cheaper than $14 anywhere. While Disharmony isn’t good enough for
Legacy play, it’s a pretty sick two-for-one in Commander. It’s a reserved list rare, so I don’t expect it to drop back toward $6 anytime soon. If you can
find one of these at the old retail price, pick it up.
Al-abara’s Carpet – $7.99
Have you ever seen Al-abrara’s Carpet before? Is it even real? I own a set of Legends and I swear this card was printed earlier today and someone
snuck it into my binder when I wasn’t looking.
Assuming Al-abara’s Carpet is actually real, it’s worth considering. Moat is going to be better 99 times out of 100, but Moat is four hundred dollars.
Again, this is probably not a card that will ever see completive play, but it’s kind of great in Tron or ramp-style Commander decks.
Mana Matrix & Planar Gate – $9.99
I can think of a few cases where Mana Matrix might come in handy. Most Commander decks are too creature-heavy to take advantage of this, but there are
certainly some spell-based combo decks that might be able to use this in order to assemble some weird storm chains. And while I doubt any Legacy decks are
going to be able to support a six-mana artifact that doesn’t affect the board, anything that reduces the cost of spells like this is bursting with combo
potential. And yes, this is a reserved list rare.
Planar Gate is the same card but for creature spells. In Commander decks that want to cast multiple creatures a turn, this is a pretty serious mana rock. I
can’t imagine this finds a home in Legacy before Heartless Summoning does, but casual value should be enough to keep it at or over $10.
Telekinesis – $9.99
The blue Doom Blade? Telekinesis isn’t quite that powerful, but it’s certainly an interesting answer to a big creature of the non-Emrakul, non-Griselbrand
variety. It’s possible that Telekinesis’ day has come and gone, but it has a nice price chart (a few small increases of $2-$3 each) and its color identity,
cmc, and rarity are all spot on for a future breakout card.
Spinal Villain – $11.99
This is another card with a backwards price chart-it’s been losing value since early 2013. Power creep will do that to older creatures, I suppose. Still,
this is an underrated card in Commander, and I can’t imagine your local blue mage will be very happy the first time he or she loses to this thing. It even
has butts for eyes!
Gravity Sphere – $11.99
Gravity Sphere is worth bringing up because of how unique it is, especially for the price, but your Commander deck probably doesn’t have room for this and
your Legacy deck certainly doesn’t. I’ll pass, but I could see a certain kind of R/G Commander deck really wanting something like this to keep from losing
in the air.
Willow Satyr – $12.99
There was a time when Willow Satyr was a $20+ Commander card, but the format has moved on a bit over the past few years. It’s hard to keep a card like this
in play, and spending four mana on a 1/1 is an iffy proposition at best. That said, this is a pretty good answer to some of the more aggressive or
combo-heavy (and disruption light) commanders out there. It’s worth thinking about, at any rate.
Sword of the Ages – $14.99
Sometimes, your Commander deck has 40 power worth of creatures in a board stall and you just can’t force them through. Other times, you’re forced to bin
dozens of useful monsters after one of your opponents has cast a well-timed sweeper. Sword of the Ages is a pretty great answer to both problems, and I
suspect it’d be a well-known Commander card if it were printed in a later set – or, y’know, had way less rules text. As is, it seems like a pretty solid
card in the format and a prime candidate for increased demand. Along with Arboria and perhaps Typhoon, this is the card on the list that I’m most excited
about.
Divine Intervention – $14.99
Have you played the new Mario Maker game for WiiU? For the first time ever, users can make their own Super Mario Bros. levels and upload them for others to
play. Some users have made fantastic, whimsical, clever, interesting, challenging courses, but a large subset of Mario Maker users are only interested in
trolling their audience as hard as possible. Divine Intervention is a Magic card for them, and it should continue to gain value based on its uniqueness and
regardless of its playability.
Acid Rain – $19.99
If Forests ever get good enough in Legacy, this card might start to see some play. It’s the best of the rare hoser cycle, but it’s also the most expensive
and it hurts the weakest color. (It is worth noting that Tropical Island, Bayou, Taiga, and Savannah are all destroyed as well as basic Forests.) I’m not
convinced this will ever become a significant part of any tournament metagame, and land destruction isn’t exactly beloved in casual circles, but the raw
power level here is too significant to ignore.
That’s it. Every Legends card higher than $20 is too expensive, has been reprinted, is kind of useless, or (most commonly) has seen a spike in the
past year or two. I may devote a future article to Legends’ more expensive cards, but for now let’s move on to a slightly more timely
subject–Standard.
This Week’s Trends
– A new contender has appeared! Check out Jake Mondello’s G/R Eldrazi Ramp deck from Grand Prix Quebec City:
Creatures (13)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (18)
This deck has been doing reasonably well on MTGO, so I’m pretty sure it’ll be a part of the format going forward. Even if Eldrazi Ramp is only a tier two
strategy, a large number of people are going to want to play it at FNM so these cards should trade reasonably well. Ulamog has already stabilized and has
begun to pick back up again, and Sanctum of Ugin and Shrine of the Forgotten Gods have both seen increased demand as well.
– The big winner here is Ugin, the Sprit Dragon, which is also seeing significant play in the popular Esper Control deck. Couple that with the card’s
Modern and casual demand and you’ve got the recipe for a really nice spec target. Ugin is sold out at $28.65 right now, and it could be $35-$40 by next
weekend.
– Otherwise, the post Pro Tour metagame is proceeding about as expected. Jeskai Black is still the top dog, alongside Atarka Red, Abzan Aggro, and G/W
Megamorph. Nissa, Vastwood Seer, Kolaghan’s Command, Anafenza, the Foremost, and Dromoka’s Command are all big risers this week alongside the ‘lesser’
fetchlands-Windswept Heath and Bloodstained Mire-which are finally catching up with their more expensive siblings. Drana, Liberator of Malakir, Ob Nixilis
Reignited, Undergrowth Champion, Kiora, Master of the Depths, and the Battle lands are among the biggest fallers.
– On day one at Grand Prix Indianapolis, Jeskai Black and Esper Control were heavily featured on camera. Not only did Ugin look good, but Knight of the
White Orchid (which can fix mana in conjunction with the Battle lands) performed well on camera. Narset Transcendent looked good out of some Esper
variants, and Shambling Vents is proving to be an important part of the format’s control decks. I’ve also heard rumblings about Void Winnower showing up
here and there, but as of Saturday afternoon, I had yet to see it make a significant impact anywhere.
– I wanted to write about Legends this week in part because of how popular Old School Magic is becoming. I talked about the format at length back in May, and many of you were very
skeptical that it would ever catch on. While it still isn’t a format that the vast majority of players will ever participate in-and it probably never will
be-Old School is starting to move pre-Revised prices in a major way. According to sources at the Grand Prix last weekend, a few zealous buyers
bought most of the Old School cards on the floor. If you deal with old cards at all, ignore the format at your peril.
– Last week, a commenter asked me an interesting question: which booster packs have the best value right now? My LGS gives booster packs as prizes for
winning at FNM, and they allow you to choose from any set that is currently Standard legal. Do the expeditions still make Battle for Zendikar the
right choice, or is it better to go with one of the other sets? After all, Khans of Tarkir has the fetchlands, Magic Origins has Jace,
and Dragons of Tarkir has a couple-dozen staples.
I was interested enough to run the numbers. It’s easy enough to do-first, you take the retail price of every rare and mythic in a given set. Put them in a
spreadsheet. Then double up the rare column-they appear twice as often as mythics on the print sheet, so they’ll show up twice as frequently. After that,
adjust the prices as you see fit. I decided to lower all the bulk mythics to fifty cents and all the bulk rares to ten cents, because that’s more in line
with their real-world value.
Here’s what I came up with. Remember: this is based on the rare/mythic slot only. I’m not counting commons, uncommons, foils, or expeditions here.
- Khans of Tarkir: $2.94/pack
- Fate Reforged: $1.40/pack
- Dragons of Tarkir: $2.77/pack
- Magic Origins: $2.52/pack
- Battle for Zendikar: $2.92/pack.
Khans of Tarkir
emerges as the winner, but it’s not by much. Battle for Zendikar is nipping at its heels, clocking in at just two cents per pack less thanKhans. Dragons of Tarkir finishes third, mostly on the back of some strong mythics and the better entrees in the Command cycle. Magic Origins is fourth, with a large chunk of its per-pack value tied up in the $80 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy. Fate Reforged is a very, very
distant fifth.
But what about the expeditions? There are 25 of them, and their current average retail value is $114.99. They appear at an average of one per 130 packs,
which gives them a per-pack average of $0.88. That puts Battle for Zendikar at a crazy $3.80 per pack once the expeditions are factored in.
The question, then, is how much you think Battle for Zendikar cards are going to fall? Considering how disappointing the set is compared to its
pack value, my guess is a lot. The better Battle lands are not going to be $10 for long, and Drana is going to have to start seeing play if she wants to
stay at $15.
From a purely mathematical perspective, Battle for Zendikar is your best bet for pack value by a wide margin. If you don’t feel like playing the
expedition lottery, though, Khans of Tarkir is your best choice. Because the fetchlands are rares instead of mythics (or super mythics), your
chances of ending up with a valuable card at the end of the night is much greater.