Welcome to the article about my thoughts on the Financial Value of Mirrodin Besieged! If you’ve read one of my reviews before — welcome
back! If this is your first time here, welcome aboard! In just a few short paragraphs, I’ll be giving insight into the Mirrodin Besieged set from
a financial perspective. I’ll tell you which cards I think will go up in price, which will go down in price, and which will stay just where they
are right now!
But first, a brief explanation of how this article works!
I’ve separated out the cards by color, for ease of viewing. Each color is subdivided into three sections:
Rares and Mythics
Bulk Rares
Commons and Uncommons
Rares and Mythics:
An in-depth look at cards that I think will be above bulk pricing. Each listing has the following fields:
Starting Price:
Current Price:
Short-Term Price:
Long-Term Price:
Thoughts:
Starting Price: The first price we had on the card when it went up for sale on the website.
Current Price: The price as of the posting of this article on Friday, January 28, at midnight.
Short-Term Price: Card prices tend to peak about a month after set release and then undergo a big fluctuation as the set becomes redeemable on Magic
Online (which causes a large, second wave of singles to flood the market — the first wave is dealers opening the product as the set is initially
released). This is the price I see the card peeking at before the Magic Online redemptions drive the price of (most) singles down overall.
Long-Term Price: This is where I see the card ending up months down the road, after the set generally isn’t being opened/redeemed in great
numbers. Figure this to be the price that I think the card will hit anytime from the release of the third set of this block, up until the release of
the big fall set in October.
Bulk Rares:
Rares that I believe will generally fall into the $0.49 – $1.49 range and don’t really have a lot of potential for upward mobility past this
point (though they may fluctuate in this $1 range over time).
Commons and Uncommons: Only Commons/Uncommons that I believe will hold a premium value will be listed here. These tend to be the cards that have a significant foil value as
well.
White Rares and Mythics
Hero of Bladehold
Starting Price: $10
Current Price: $10
Short-Term Price: $10
Long-Term Price: $12.50
Thoughts: I personally am not a fan of this sort of effect in general (conditional creature generation), and I wasn’t that big on Grave Titan
either. Even then, Hero of Bladehold pushes the boundaries of fair — seven power of attacking creatures for four mana — so it absolutely
will be given a shot in Standard. I’m not sure that a Knight deck is necessarily the direction of White Weenie as much as the now-neglected Ajani
Goldmane / token creature route — so if anything, I’d say that if you believe in Hero of Bladehold, the card to invest in right now is
Ajani Goldmane (while he’s low) and not Knight Exemplar (which is already peaking in price).
Mirran Crusader
Starting Price: $2.50
Current Price: $4
Short-Term Price: $4
Long-Term Price: $2-$2.50
Thoughts: Protection from black and green isn’t the best ability right now. Green is Primeval Titan (which tramples) and Elves (which combo), and black
is back to having untargeted kill effects (Black Sun’s Zenith, Consuming Vapors, Consume the Meek) in their main arsenal of kill spells (aided by
Go for the Throat and Doom Blade). I expect this to drop in value as this ends up relegated more to the sideboard than the main deck.
White Sun’s Zenith
Starting Price:$2
Current Price: $2
Short-Term Price: $1.50-$2
Long-Term Price: $2.50-$3
Thoughts: Let’s say you’re a white-based control deck, and you want to run more than four copies of Wrath of God (sorry, been two years,
and I’m still not used to calling it a Day of Judgment effect!). Even though White Sun’s Zenith isn’t a “kill” spell per
se, it performs that duty against non-evasion creatures. It seems to me that White Sun’s Zenith is going to have more utility as Wraths five and
six than Phyrexian Rebirth. The tradeoff for not absolutely killing everything is that you can play a bunch of dudes at end of turn. For the mana, I
think you’ll also end up with more power in creatures on average with a six-mana White Sun’s Zenith than with a single Phyrexian Rebirth.
This rare is in one of the theme decks, which will suppress the value initially — but I think in the end, this will see enough tournament play to
have a rising demand in price.
White Bulk Rares
Phyrexian Rebirth
Victory’s Herald
White Commons and Uncommons
Accorder Paladin (U): If a white token deck picks up, this’ll be one of those $0.50 – $1 non-foil/$2 foil White Weenie cards.
Ardent Recruit (C): Wild Nacatl for metalcraft. This and, I believe, the new Tezzeret will make the Tempered Steel deck viable in Extended again. I
don’t think this deck works in Standard yet — but it’s two steps closer, and the third set of this block may push this card over the
top in Standard.
Leonin Relic-Warder (U): A fine hate-bear for Legacy, so the foil will have some value ($1.50-$2).
Master’s Call (C): I’ll talk about this card when I get to Blightsteel Colossus.
Blue Rares and Mythics
Blue Sun’s Zenith
Starting Price: $3
Current Price: $3
Short-Term Price: $2.50
Long-Term Price: $1.50-$2
Thoughts: Blue Sun’s Zenith is pretty close to a functional reprint of Stroke of Genius — three mana and X to draw X cards, at instant
speed. I don’t think Stroke of Genius would’ve been worth nearly what it ended up being worth though, if there weren’t a broken deck that
needed a draw engine (High Tide/Tolarian Academy decks) at the time. In addition, is this card that much better than Jace’s Ingenuity? To draw
three cards, you need six mana — so it’s only at four mana (to cycle) or seven mana (for four cards) when Blue Sun’s Zenith shines.
At five (two cards) and six (three cards) mana, it’s worse than Ingenuity — and I think that that five/six-mana spot is where you want to
be drawing these cards, most of the time.
Consecrated Sphinx
Starting Price: $8
Current Price: $8
Short-Term Price: $6
Long-Term Price: $5
Thoughts: With the improvement that Wizards has made to creatures in recent sets, there comes a certain time when previously insane-looking monsters
now become niche creatures in a metagame. To wit — this guy would’ve been a fantastic finisher two years ago, but how does it stack up against
Frost Titan, Sphinx of Jwar Isle, or Wurmcoil Engine? That’s before we even get to a splash — Baneslayer Angel, Primeval Titan, and Grave
Titan are large, finisher-type creatures that often pair with blue decks. I think the foil version of Consecrated Sphinx will be a great value-holder
for Commander — but I think Consecrated Sphinx will not end up being the finisher of choice for blue decks in Standard, and its value will fall
accordingly.
Cryptoplasm
Starting Price: $2.50
Current Price: $2.50
Short-Term Price: $2
Long-Term Price: $1.50-$2
Thoughts: Appropriately costed Clone effects usually end up settling in the $1.50-$2 price range, see Renegade Doppelganger, Vesuvan Shapeshifter, and
others. Should have casual appeal at $1.50 – $2 but not really one to trade to Constructed players.
Blue Bulk Rares
Distant Memories
Mitotic Manipulation
Blue Commons and Uncommons
Fuel for the Cause (C): I love the opening play of turn 2 Everflowing Chalice, turn 3 Fuel for the Cause. I don’t know how relevant that will be
in reality though.
Steel Sabotage (C): A $1 foil, just like Annul was. Potentially half an Annul for potentially twice the upside.
Treasure Mage (U): Won’t see as wide play as Trinket Mage, but it will see play as part of a silver-bullet toolbox in multiple formats
(casual and competitive). I can see the foil version sticking at $5 easily.
Vedalken Infuser (U): See also Energy Chamber. This is a huge casual-friendly ability, so I see it staying above bulk price for that reason.
Black Rares and Mythics
Black Sun’s Zenith
Starting Price: $4
Current Price: $4
Short-Term Price: $5
Long-Term Price: $5-$6
Thoughts: Quick question about the Zeniths — how often do you want to draw a Zenith off of another Zenith? How often do you want to draw the
Zenith you just cast the turn after you cast it? The black one is in the middle of the pack — against a creature deck, you’ll likely be
happy to keep drawing this card every turn, until there isn’t a need to cast it anymore. I think Black Sun’s Zenith falls on the right side
of Damnation and Mutilate — and it will be a part of the Standard metagame.
Massacre Wurm
Starting Price: $10
Current Price: $10
Short-Term Price: $7-$8
Long-Term Price: $5-$6
Thoughts: I’m torn on Massacre Wurm because it’s either going to be really good, or it’s not. Let’s have Massacre Wurm fight
with Grave Titan. The result? The Grave Titan player has two 2/2 Zombies left but has lost six life (the first two Zombies, plus Grave Titan fighting
Massacre Wurm). The problem is that unlike Grave Titan, the control player isn’t left with extra chump blockers on the first cast — either
you’ve killed a bunch of 1- or 2-toughness creatures, or you’re basically still facing down everything you were already facing down.
With that said, this is another card that will be in high demand by the Commander players. It’s just a house in any sort of multiplayer
environment where there are likely to be multiple players running around with token creatures.
Phyrexian Crusader
Starting Price: $2.50
Current Price: $5
Short-Term Price: $5
Long-Term Price: $5-$6
Thoughts: Protection from red keeps this guy on the board against the burn player, which has traditionally been a huge problem for black weenie against
red. White — not so much with the number of pro-red creatures in their arsenal in the 2- or 3-drop slot. In addition, I think that Wizards is
pushing the infect/poison mechanic to at least Tier 2 and potentially Tier 1 as a Constructed strategy in this set — so I see Phyrexian Crusader
ending up as a main-deck staple in Standard for that reason, whereas the white Crusader I see as more of a sideboard card.
Phyrexian Vatmother
Starting Price: $2
Current Price: $2
Short-Term Price: $2
Long-Term Price: $4
Thoughts: There were two major strategies that were introduced in Scars of Mirrodin that didn’t have enough tools to work in Standard — poison
(infect) and metalcraft. I still don’t think metalcraft works yet — but poison is there. There are now creatures that are on the upper-end
of the power curve that have infect thrown in — such as Phyrexian Crusader, and Phyrexian Hydra, and Phyrexian Vatmother. 4/5 for four mana is
already a decent deal in Standard — but when you throw in the ability to both kill in 2-3 hits (if you’ve gotten a couple of hits in early
with another poison creature, I’m assuming only two hits) and withers away blockers, you have a creature that can make an entire strategy work. I
see all of the playable infect creatures going up in value, thanks to this set (Hello, Hand of the Praetors!).
Black Bulk Rares
Black Commons and Uncommons
Go for the Throat (U): This is one of those uncommons that’s going to be $1.50-$3, will see a ton of play, and the foils will end up at $6-$10 each. It
takes a while for the supply to dry up on uncommons, but this is the route that was taken by Vampire Hexmage, Vampire Nighthawk, Gatekeeper of Malakir,
Tectonic Edge, and Everflowing Chalice. Pick these up now because they will be a necessary four-of for Standard, Extended, and possibly even Legacy.
Red Rares and Mythics
Hero of Oxid Ridge
Starting Price: $5
Current Price: $8
Short-Term Price: $6
Long-Term Price: $10
Thoughts: I see Hero of Oxid Ridge dropping a little in the short term, but the “can’t block” ability will matter a lot against decks
that want to run Wall of Omens, Bitterblossom, Sea Gate Oracle, or other two-for-one defensive cards. I also see the battle cry being very relevant in
Kuldotha Red, which got a few tools in this set. I think this’ll take a dip before it goes back up in value (Sligh-type decks usually take a
little while to become established in a new metagame), so I might advise trading these off now and picking them back up shortly after the Magic Online
redemption wave of singles hits.
Slagstorm
Starting Price: $2
Current Price: $2
Short-Term Price: $2.50
Long-Term Price: $3
Thoughts: Slagstorm does exactly what you want it to do, when you want it to do it — either three to the dome or Firespout to the board. I think
that people are so conditioned to this sort of card being an “opponent chooses” type effect (Browbeat) at uncommon/rare that when something
like this shows up (essentially, a rare red charm), it gets undervalued. I think this will see play and should maintain a solid value.
Red Bulk Rares
Galvanoth
Hellkite Igniter
Red Sun’s Zenith
Red Commons and Uncommons
Goblin Wardriver (U): I’m not personally sold on Goblin Wardriver, but I’ve spoken to enough people whose opinion I respect about red decks
to recommend him as a solid $1 uncommon with a high-upside on the foil price.
Green Rares and Mythics
Green Sun’s Zenith
Starting Price: $4
Current Price: $8
Short-Term Price: $10
Long-Term Price: $10-$15
Thoughts: Ever since mythics were introduced, rares have been hard-pressed to break the $10 barrier. Among these (when in Standard) were Knight of the
Reliquary, Noble Hierarch, and Maelstrom Pulse. All of these cards saw play either in multiple tournament-winning decks across multiple formats, or in
the one predominant deck (Jund) in Standard.
I feel comfortable calling Green Sun’s Zenith the hands-down best card in this set. This is a card that will make Elves a Tier One strategy in
Legacy (get the one-mana Elf you need to combo off and win, or get Dryad Arbor to Rampant Growth at one mana). This will see extensive play in Extended
(again, Elves, and then green midrange rock decks), and this will see extensive play in Standard (Elves, toolbox Green, U/G Ramp, etc.). Green
Sun’s Zenith lets you get what you want, when you want, and lets you run a diverse cast of creatures and answers in one deck.
Green Sun’s Zenith is only going to keep rising in price. Wizards doesn’t often print tutor effects that are this powerful, much less ones
that put things straight into play. Don’t let these trade off cheaply if you’re inclined to play a green-based deck — people will be
quickly treating them like the untradeable staple card they are — because as long as this card is in Standard, no matter the metagame,
you’re always going to need to look at Green Sun’s Zenith and say “is it the Tier 1 deck right now, or just Tier 2?”
Phyrexian Hydra
Starting Price: $1.25
Current Price: $1.25
Short-Term Price: $1.50
Long-Term Price: $2
Thoughts: Yes, it gets smaller when it goes into combat — but it’s also a 7/7 for five. This guy kills in one/two hits (again, hopefully
you’ve gotten three poison counters out there by turn 5!) and fights Titans and lives (barely). At their current price, I’d pick them up
and bank on poison being viable.
Praetor’s Counsel
Starting Price: $4
Current Price: $4
Short-Term Price: $3
Long-Term Price: $5
Thoughts: Yawgmoth’s Will is so powerful that many times Vintage players have argued that it needs to be outright banned in that format. While
this hasn’t been the case for the past couple of years, it speaks to how powerful this effect can be — because make no mistake, this is
Yawgmoth’s Will with an upside but with a huge mana cost. Five mana nets you an unlimited hand size and the ability to recast all of the spells
that (at the time of casting) are in your graveyard.
While I don’t think Praetor’s Counsel will be played in Constructed (at least, not unless there’s an unfair way to cast it, like
Mind’s Desire), this is probably the most important/powerful Commander card printed in Mirrodin Besieged. I think that this will take a short dip
in value because the tournament players will ignore it at first, but once the casual players bleed out the supply, it will end up being in high demand.
I also think the foil value of this card will climb and keep climbing, and good luck getting your hands on a Japanese foil version of Praetor’s
Counsel for anything on this side of $50.
Thrun, the Last Troll
Starting Price: $15
Current Price: $20
Short-Term Price: $15
Long-Term Price: $10
Thoughts: My vote for the most overvalued card in the set. Thrun is self-regulating in that if he’s too good, more people will play Thrun, and
frankly Thrun is a perfectly great answer to killing Thrun. So is Black Sun’s Zenith, Consuming Vapors, and honestly Day of Judgment (since the
opponent will need six mana to both drop Thrun and have regeneration mana up).
I do think Thrun is a great Commander, and I think that Thrun is a fantastic one-of to run as a Green Sun’s Zenith target. I also think Thrun has
great stats and two good abilities. This is a case where being legendary can be a major drawback to a card — and regeneration and troll shroud
are two semi-overlapping abilities (keep the opponent from killing the creature).
Green Bulk Rares
Green Commons and Uncommons
Lead the Stampede (U): One of the best cards in the set. In many decks, this will outperform Harmonize. In a select few decks, this will be a draw 4-5
for three mana. Should be a staple.
Viridian Corrupter (U): Green Sun’s Zenith one-of target and a definite sideboard card for the Poison and Elf decks.
Viridian Emissary (C): While this isn’t Sakura-Tribe Elder (it generally gets the land when your opponent decides you’ll get that land),
it’s still a great early-game blocker and an Elf, so it’ll be playable.
Artifact Rares and Mythics
Blightsteel Colossus
Starting Price: $11.11
Current Price: $15
Short-Term Price: $15
Long-Term Price: $20
Thoughts: Forget for a second whether you think Blightsteel Colossus is lazy design or not — is it any good? Yes. Is it better than Emrakul?
That’s a tricky question — in most cases I would say it is better, but in some cases (Swords to Plowshares in Legacy), it is not. Still
— Blightsteel Colossus is an amazing Tinker target, great in Sneak Attack, fine for Show and Tell, and cheatable in both Extended (Polymorph) and
Standard (Shape Anew). Pair with Master’s Call and Inkmoth Nexus, and you’ve got the skeleton of a deck that can cheat out an 11/11
indestructible one-hit killer on turn 4. Others have suggested running four Trinket Mages and one Everflowing Chalice in that deck as well. Either way
— this guy is going to be huge with the casual players, be the tutor target of choice for many tournament players, and be the ‘most
playable’ one-hit killer in Magic’s history.
Bonehoard
Starting Price: $1
Current Price: $1.25
Short-Term Price: $2
Long-Term Price: $4-$5
Thoughts: In my opinion, one of the sleeper hits of the set. Lhurgoyf and Mortivore have both been playable in the right metagames, though neither has
been a superstar standout. Bonehoard has the advantage of being colorless (any deck can play it) but also being tutorable by Stoneforge Mystic. I think
it will be a devastating one-two punch for a white mage to use Stoneforge Mystic to get a 4/4 or 5/5 Bonehoard mid-game, and then, if the Germ token is
dealt with, equip (for only two mana) Bonehoard to their Mystic to make a 5/6 or 6/7 creature.
Even barring Stoneforge Mystic, Bonehoard serves two important purposes for any creature-based strategy. It comes out as a top-of-the-curve monster
(4/4 or 5/5 for four mana, the turn after a Wrath) and lets all of your early-game threats turn into late-game monsters for an affordable cost (only
two mana). This is a strategy that would work well in Kuldotha Red, Poison decks, Zombies, White Weenie, and Elves in Standard.
Phyrexian Revoker
Starting Price: $4
Current Price: $5
Short-Term Price: $5
Long-Term Price: $7-$8
Thoughts: Pithing Needle on legs, which makes it both better and worse than Pithing Needle — easier to kill, but it can also beat down and block.
Most of the time, if you had the choice, you’d rather have Pithing Needle — if you need to stop Jace, the Mind Sculptor, you don’t
want to give your opponent’s deck the chance to Journey to Nowhere/Lightning Bolt your answer away. With that said — solid, should see play
in all major Constructed formats, and will continue to rise in value if Wizards doesn’t print more immediate answers to planeswalkers in Standard
over the next couple of sets (see: Where are you, Oblivion Ring?)
Shimmer Myr
Starting Price: $2.50
Current Price: $2.50
Short-Term Price: $2
Long-Term Price: $2
Thoughts: Should be a very solid casual card, along the lines of Vedalken Orrery. Should be big in Commander and other casual places. Probably not
Constructed playable, but I wouldn’t rule it out entirely — you never know if the Myr strategy might be pushed hard enough with set #3 to
make some impact in Standard.
Sword of Feast and Famine
Starting Price: $12.50
Current Price: $12.50
Short-Term Price: $15
Long-Term Price: $15
Thoughts: If I had to rank the four Elemental Swords that have already been printed, it would be: Tier 1: Sword of Fire and Ice. Tier 2: Sword of Light
and Shadow + Sword of Feast and Famine. Tier 3: Sword of Body and Mind. Early game, the “Feast” ability can give you an incredible mana
boost — and in a midrange deck that’s running Garruk Wildspeaker already, we’re talking a reliable way to get a generous amount of
mana on turns four or later. In addition, while I still think protection from green and black aren’t the most relevant colors to grant a creature
protection from right now in Standard, this is another tool in the toolbox of a Stoneforge Mystic deck.
Quick question: What price is Sword of Body and Mind right now? Generally I’ve seen it sell in the $10-$12.50 range. What price is Emrakul right
now? I’ve seen it sell in the $10-$12.50 range. What do both of these cards have in common? They were both in a “large” set, and they
both had alternate versions released nearly simultaneously with their regular release (From the Vault: Relics for the Sword and the Rise of Eldrazi
Prerelease foil for Emrakul), but both of these cards draw heavy parallels to two cards in this set — Blightsteel Colossus and Sword of Feast and
Famine. If Emrakul and the last Sword can be $10-$12.50 cards while being essentially double-printed, then I think Blightteel and the newer Sword will
have every reason to be more valuable — they’re single-printed and come from a set that will be less opened than Rise/Scars.
Artifact Bulk Rares
Darksteel Plate
Decimator Web
Knowledge Pool — Though the foil version will be big in Commander.
Mirrorworks
Magnetic Mine
Myr Turbine — Though I reserve the right to reevaluate this card based on the Myr printed in Action.
Myr Welder
Psychosis Crawler
Spine of Ish Sah
Thopter Assembly
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Artifact Commons and Uncommons
Ichor Wellspring (C): Great for Time Sieve decks.
Myr Sire (C): Casual appeal.
Plague Myr (U): Will be a staple in the Infect deck.
Signal Pest (U): Will see play if a tokens deck or a metalcraft deck sees play in Standard.
Sphere of the Suns (U): With eight playable two-drop mana artifacts in Standard now (this and Everflowing Chalice), I expect to see a lot of
Jace, the Mind Sculptors dropped on turn 3. This will be another uncommon card that ends up in the $1.50-$2 range.
Gold Cards (All two of them!)
Glissa, the Traitor
Starting Price: $7.99
Current Price: $7.99
Short-Term Price: $5.99
Long-Term Price: $4.99
Thoughts: Interestingly, I think that Wizards really pushed the overall power level of mythics in this set — of the ten of them, I don’t
feel like any of them will be in the “Bulk” mythic price range ($1.50-$3). Glissa is a great general for Commander and is a good
power/toughness/ability mix for the cost, but GGB is a really awkward mana cost. The third ability (returning an artifact) seems generally to be a
non-starter in Standard or Extended — if you’re playing Glissa in Constructed, it’s because you want a 3/3 death machine for three
mana or because you’re playing Elves.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Starting Price: $35
Current Price: $35
Short-Term Price: $25
Long-Term Price: $30
Thoughts: Let me get this out of the way — if there is a person doing a financial values set review at this point, or really any set review
— then planeswalkers are the card type they really should dread talking about the most at this point. Time and time again, planeswalkers have
proven to be very powerful. However, the hype and early price structure of these cards makes them a nightmare to predict. The backlash against the
presell prices often drives the card below its final worth, as people don’t want to miss the next Jace train but are resentful when the card they
just bought for “X” dollars isn’t the next Jace.
With that being said, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is starting at $35. It’s been selling well (but not out completely) at that price, but how
sustainable is this price? Last set, I predicted that Koth would be the one of three planeswalkers that held value — and so far, he’s held
the “best” value of himself, Elspeth Tirel, and Venser — but all three have dropped significantly more in value than I initially
thought they would. Given that this seems to happen with most planeswalkers (even the playable ones) that aren’t Jace (see: Gideon Jura),
it’d be foolish to assume that Tezzeret is going to hold full value in the short term.
In the end, the final arbiters of price are supply and demand, and demand is largely driven by casual appeal and tournament playability. Tezzeret
— heck, all planeswalkers — have a big casual appeal. Will Tezzeret see tournament play? My thoughts are yes. Tezzeret passes a number of
tests.
1)Â Â Four-mana planeswalkers have generally been the more successful ones.
2)Â Â Planeswalkers that can get their loyalty immediately out of Lightning Bolt range have generally been the more successful ones.
Just based on stats, without even looking at any of the three abilities on Tezzeret, I’d give Tezzeret a good chance of at least holding in the
$20+ range.
The question then: Is Tezzeret any good to play with? I think so. Ability #1 is pure card advantage in whatever deck wants to run Tezzeret, and ability
#2 plays both offense and defense, builds on ability #1, and can be a win condition on its own. Ability #3? I think that Tezzeret actually has one of
the most relevant “ultimate” abilities, in that you can hit it the turn after you play Tezzeret, and it can outright kill the opponent in
one hit. In Legacy, imagine Tezzeret at the top of the curve in Affinity. In Extended — at the top of the metalcraft chain.
So how about Standard? Well, Tezzeret is a good buddy to Jace, the Mind Sculptor. You’re already going to want to play Everflowing Chalice and
Sphere of the Suns, so Tezzeret turns early-game acceleration into late-game win conditions. In addition, the “look at your top five cards and
get an artifact” ability pairs brilliantly with Jace’s Brainstorm ability. In short, there’s already a U/B Control deck in Standard
— and I think that Tezzeret will transform that deck into an artifact-based control deck to take full advantage of the best card in Standard
(Jace) with a planeswalker that is niche but has all the tools to work in Standard right now (Tezzeret).
So in the short term, I think the price on Tezzeret will fall slightly — but I see Tezzeret recovering most of that value in the longer term. I
also think Koth will eventually get back to the $30 range as well, so take both of those pieces advice as you will.
Land Cards (Hey, only two of these also!)
Contested War Zone
Starting Price: $2
Current Price: $2
Short-Term Price: $2
Long-Term Price: $3-$4
Thoughts: This is another sleeper card. The drawback is pretty huge, but Contested War Zone is just crushing in the creature-versus-control match. If
you’re relying on Oracle of Mul Daya and Primeval Titan to do combat, good luck facing four to eight extra damage a turn if the aggro player
drops two of these in the first four turns. I also think this is a card that will make the token decks work; 1, tap, make all your 1/1 guys into 2/1
guys is pretty powerful. In short, I think this is a low-risk, high-reward investment. If it’s good, it’ll be a staple in many aggressive
decks or be a four-of in the sideboard of aggro decks to bring in to punish slow/control decks. At worst, you’re out eight bucks for the playset.
Inkmoth Nexus
Starting Price: $5
Current Price: $12
Short-Term Price: $12
Long-Term Price: $12-$15
Thoughts: Perhaps the best infect creature printed. Free to play, evasive and an artifact — all of these are relevant to the power level of this
card. Will this be played in Legacy Affinity for two-hit kills with Ravager/Cranial Plating? Will this deal the first and last points of poison damage
in Standard? Will Tezzeret make you end up with a 5/5 flying poison creature as early as turn 4? (Thanks Everflowing Chalice)? All signs point towards
Inkmoth Nexus being a pretty staple creature for the next while, and I think that you’re looking at playsets selling at a solid $50 each for this
card, going forward — with upward potential to $60 a playset if Inkmoth Nexus takes off in Legacy and Extended.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the forums or at Ben@StarCityGames.com! If you’re
coming to our Open Event in Indianapolis next weekend, come say hi to me at the booth! Until then, may all your trades work out for both parties!
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ben Bleiweiss
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Director of Sales, StarCityGames.com