I have recently become reacquainted with Geoguessr, one of my all-time favorite games. The premise is simple: you’re
dumped into Google Street View somewhere in the world and you have to figure out exactly where you are. You can move around, but some of the signs and all
of the license plates are automatically fuzzed out. All you have to work with is a tiny version of Google Maps and a compass on the side. There’s no search
feature, so a large portion of the game is guesswork as you scroll around the map trying to find a certain town or street, often not even knowing if you’re
in the right country.
I’ve played enough Geoguessr that I can usually tell whether I’m in North America or not at first glance. Beyond that, I’ve been pretty shocked at just how
wrong it is possible to be. I’ve mistaken Manitoba for Alabama and Brazil for South Africa. My brain likes to go nuts with whatever information is has
access to, drawing wild conclusions based on a tiny sample size.
This happens to the Magic community every time Standard rotates. Last year, I dubbed it ‘ Overreaction Week‘ and talked about how Tamiyo, the Moon Sage and Entreat the
Angels might not actually dominate Standard all year even though it seemed like they would after week one of Return to Ravnica’s legality in the fall of
2012. In fact, neither card made much of an impact after that very first week.
How predictive did last year’s Overreaction Week end up being? It was something of a mixed bag. On the positive side, three of the top decks were U/W
Control, Esper Control, and G/R Monsters. These archetypes were relatively dominant wire-to-wire last season, so anyone who bought in after week one was
probably fairly happy with their decision. Sphinx’s Revelation was everywhere, but that was mostly a re-hash of the previous season’s best deck. In fact,
Theros as a whole went under-represented in week one last year. The best indication of what the new format might hold was probably Christopher Posporelis’
G/R Monsters. Check it out:
Creatures (22)
- 3 Scavenging Ooze
- 2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
- 4 Elvish Mystic
- 3 Polukranos, World Eater
- 2 Ember Swallower
- 4 Sylvan Caryatid
- 4 Stormbreath Dragon
Planeswalkers (7)
Lands (24)
Spells (7)
Pretty close, right? Ember Hauler and Chandra, Pyromaster weren’t in it for the long haul, but ramping Sylvan Caryatid into Polukranos, World Eater and
Stormbreath Dragon was a big part of what Theros is still bringing to Standard.
Of course, if you invested in the hot cards that weekend, you probably took a bath on your spec portfolio. Chandra, Pyromaster was the biggest winner of
the weekend, jumping from $20 to $40. Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver was also red hot, jumping from $20 to $30. Even Stormbreath Dragon – a card that ended up
actually being a tier one playable – was a bad buy that weekend. Would it really have mattered if you jumped in at the pre-spike price of $30 or the
post-spike price of $35? It was a stay-away regardless.
And you know what didn’t show up during Overreaction Week 2013? Mono-Blue Devotion, the breakout deck from Pro Tour Theros. Heavy black decks were also
massively underrepresented; there were no Gray Merchants at all, and no Desecration Demons showed up higher than a rogue 27th place Esper deck.
With very few exceptions, week one is just too early to make any accurate long-term calls about the format, and going all-in on the latest hot tech is a
recipe for losing money even if you ‘hit’ on a solid playable.
Results are results though, and speculating based on what shows up in week one is far better than the theorycrafting we’ve been doing for a month now.
There are good and mindful ways to use this information that don’t involve blindly dropping $30 on planeswalkers. Here’s what I like to do:
Sell into hype
– If a chase mythic or planeswalker makes a big splash early, there’s a good shot the price will jump into the $35-$40 range. That’s an awesome time to
trade these away for more stable goodies.
Look for potential spikes from the old set
— None of the cards in Theros were good buys in week one last year, but Desecration Demons and Nightveil Specters were still dirt cheap. Those are the
cards that you need to target if you want to make a profit by finding the next big thing.
Analyze potential archetypes
– U/W Control was discovered early in Return to Ravnica Standard. G/R Monsters was discovered early in Theros Standard. It’s very possible that at least
one of the new cornerstone decks has already been found, even if the others are still waiting to be created.
Look at the Eternal decks
– If a card is showing up in Modern or Legacy already, there’s a chance that it could have a major breakout in Standard as well. Even if it doesn’t, cards
like Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay are often the best long-term pickups and holds.
Look for the high variance breakouts
– If we all thought that a card was bulk and it shows up in multiple decks, there’s a good chance it isn’t bulk after all and you might strike gold on a
$0.50 rare.
Don’t worry about the cards that aren’t showing up…yet
– Thassa, Nykthos, Master of Waves, Hero’s Downfall, and many other Theros staples didn’t show up much until the Pro Tour last year. Don’t worry if your
favorite breakout rare hasn’t made a splash yet – that doesn’t mean you should give up hope.
With the correct frame of mind established, let’s take a look at Khans of Tarkir so far:
Standard By The Numbers
Let’s start by adding up the copies of every rare and mythic rare in the maindeck of both Open Series Top 8s two weeks ago. Here are the total quantities
seen across all sixteen decks alongside their current StarCityGames retail prices (as of late last week):
Creatures
- 42 – Sylvan Caryatid – $15 (sold out)
- 42 – Courser of Kruphix – $20
- 38 – Polukranos, World Eater – $15 (sold out)
- 24 – Goblin Rabblemaster – $20
- 20 – Genesis Hydra – $4
- 17 – Stormbreath Dragon – $20 (sold out)
- 12 – Hornet Queen – $2
- 9 – Brimaz, King of Oreskos – $30 (sold out)
- 8 – Nylea, God of the Hunt – $8 (sold out)
- 8 – Mantis Rider – $8 (sold out)
- 8 – Siege Rhino – $6 (sold out)
- 8 – Rattleclaw Mystic – $8
- 8 – Eidolon of Blossoms – $2
- 7 – Arbor Colossus – $0.75
- 6 – Wingmate Roc – $10 (sold out)
- 5 – Doomwake Giant – $1 (sold out)
- 5 – Boon Satyr – $1.50
- 4 – Fleecemane Lion – $4 (sold out)
- 4 – Butcher of the Horde – $6
- 3 – Reverent Hunter – $0.50
- 2 – Hooded Hydra – $4 (sold out)
- 2 – Necropolis Fiend – $1
- 1 – Ashen Rider – $2
- 1 – Soul of New Phyrexia – $6
- 1 – Pharika, God of Affliction – $6
What a crazy list. First off, it’s worth nothing that every single Top 8 deck was incredibly creature-centric: there wasn’t a single winning brew that came
even close to a planeswalker or spell-based control deck. Of the sixteen decks, only four – four!! – weren’t running Courser of Kruphix and Sylvan
Caryatid. Green is by far the most represented color, and using Caryatid/Courser to ramp into Polukranos, Genesis Hydra, Hornet Queen, and/or Stormbreath
Dragon is by far the dominant strategy.
Beyond ramp and splashy finishers, we’ve got a whole bunch of midrange value creatures showing up in big numbers. Siege Rhino, Mantis Rider, Wingmate Roc,
Brimaz, Goblin Rabblemaster, Fleecemane Lion, and Butcher of the Horde are all good at beating in when they can and providing some sort of value when they
can’t. Even the Jeskai Tempo deck, which runs arguably the most aggressive package of creatures, is kind of a midrange thing with planeswalkers and
eight-mana card draw spells.
Creatures (11)
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (24)
Spells (22)
Let’s talk about the Khans creatures first. Mantis Rider, Siege Rhino, and Rattleclaw Mystic put up the best showing, but there’s not much financial upside
here at $6-$8. Mantis Rider was a nice buy during the first few hours of the tournament, but the secret was discovered pretty early on and all the cheap
copies disappeared fast. $8 is an untenable price for a fall set rare that can only fit in a single deck, so I’m a seller even if Mantis Rider proves to be
a legit archetype staple. Rattleclaw Mystic is also intriguing, but $8 is still too high. I do like that Rattleclaw is already showing up as a four-of,
even though the decks that are using it so far aren’t really taking advantage of its full fixing potential. With green already dominating, I’d expect
Rattleclaw to show up in greater numbers once the potential of blue is unlocked.
Two different decks made use of Wingmate Roc, and I’m starting to come around on it. It’s certainly the mythic I have the closest eye on heading into the
Pro Tour, and I wouldn’t be shocked if someone ends up breaking this and causing it to surge temporarily into the $20-$25 range. Like Thassa and Master of
Waves last year though, you’re going to have to be quick on the flip if that were to happen. Fall set mythics can’t sustain that price tag past a certain
point, and Wingmate Roc’s future is probably in the $10-$15 range if it ends up proving it’s meddle over time. If not, it’ll drop down to $4-$5.
I’m sold on Butcher of the Horde’s power potential, but it has to show up more before it’s a worthy buy at $6. Hooded Hydra and Necropolis Fiend are nice
throw-in targets as well, but I can’t call any card from a brand new set a worthy pick-up based on showing up as a one-of or two-of in a deck.
Moving on to cards from older sets, I can’t say much more about Sylvan Caryatid, Polukranos, World Eater, Courser of Kruphix, Goblin Rabblemaster, or
Stormbreath Dragon. I can’t see either red or green staying as dominant as they are right this second, so we’re probably very close to the top of the
market on all five cards. Polukranos probably has the most growth potential, but Heroes vs. Monsters decks are still readily available, so there’s
certainly a built-in ceiling there. If you have extra copies of these, it’s okay to trade or sell them while demand is sky-high. Remember: always sell into
hype! It’s also fine to keep your own playset of any of these cards, of course – Standard will shift somewhat over the next few months, but I can’t see any
of these cards falling entirely out of favor.
Genesis Hydra and Hornet Queen are much more interesting spec targets. This weekend was something of a coming-out party for both cards, and M15 is by far
the best set in Standard for turning a $2-$4 card into a $10-$20 card. Very little of it was opened, and I doubt too many more M15 drafts are going to fire
at game stores near you as it was a fairly unpopular set. Genesis Hydra and Hornet Queen are solid casual cards as well, and I wouldn’t be shocked if
either or both ends up at $7-$10 within the next couple of weeks. As long as the format stays green-centric, these cards will be in massive demand.
Why hasn’t Genesis Hydra jumped in price already? It is in the $30 ‘clash pack’ along with Courser of Kruphix, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Temple of Mystery,
and Prophet of Kruphix. As long as this box is in print, the ceiling on all four cards is limited. At this point, however, it’s becoming a really solid
buy.
I wouldn’t mind having a handful of Doomwake Giants and Eidolons of Blossom going into weeks two and three of the format. Journey into Nyx is the second
best Standard set for creating spec opportunities, and it appears as though constellation has a shot at making an impact this year. Both cards are at or
under $2 and they have $4-$5 upside. I like Eidolon more than the Giant for one simple reason, however: the latter was a Prerelease card.
Planeswalkers
- 18 – Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker – $40 (sold out)
- 13 – Nissa, Worldwaker – $50
- 11 – Xenagos, the Reveler – $20 (sold out)
- 10 – Elspeth, Sun’s Champion – $30 (sold out)
- 7 – Chandra, Pyromaster – $7
- 2 – Sorin, Solemn Visitor – $30
- 2 – Ajani, Mentor of Heroes – $18
- 1 – Ajani Steadfast – $16
Week one of Khans Standard may have been all about the creatures, but that doesn’t mean planeswalkers didn’t show up in massive numbers. Not only did
Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker appear more than any other planeswalker, it was arguably the most impactful non-fetchland from Khans. What does Sarkhan’s future
look like? Well, at five mana, it probably isn’t going to follow Liliana of the Veil into Legacy and Modern. Its trajectory is probably more in line with
Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, a card that dropped under $20 last year despite seeing massive play last year. Even still, I expect Sarkhan to outpace Nissa at
some point over the next few weeks, making it the most expensive card in Standard. Its long-term trajectory is still pointing down thanks to how much Khans
will be opened, however. The hype is likely to increase before it decreases though, and if you’ve got a Sarkhan for trade over the next few weeks you
should be able to name your price. I’d be angling for Deathrite Shamans, personally.
Despite jumping from $15 to $30 the week before Khans was released, Sorin, Solemn Visitor didn’t make much of an impact last weekend. It has already
started trending downward again, and unless it breaks out this weekend or at the Pro Tour it’ll be $15 again by Halloween. If you have a copy, sell it
fast.
In terms of older cards, I doubt that either Elspeth, Sun’s Champion or Xenagos, the Reveler will stop seeing play anytime soon. Because of that, their
prices should be either stable or slowly increasing over the next few weeks. A strong Pro Tour showing could cause either card to spike, but I doubt either
has the potential for a sudden tank. They’re a safe hold.
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and Kiora, the Crashing Wave, both are too expensive for planeswalkers that aren’t showing up in maindecks right now. Hold for now
– especially Kiora, who will likely show up in whatever the ‘good’ Temur deck ends up being – but sell fast if they don’t show up at the Pro Tour.
You could do worse as a spec target than Chandra, Pyromaster. She continues to be a powerful and relevant card that has been largely overlooked by the
finance community. The supply is only going down from here, at least until M16 is spoiled. I’m trading for these at retail.
Spells
- 12 – Hero’s Downfall – $9
- 8 – Thoughtseize – $25 (sold out)
- 8 – Crater’s Claws – $1.50
- 6 – Chord of Calling – $10
- 4 – Crackling Doom – $4 (sold out)
- 4 – Chained to the Rocks – $1
- 4 – Anger of the Gods – $4 (sold out)
- 2 – Dig Through Time – $3 (sold out)
- 2 – Steam Augury – $0.50
- 2 – Whip of Erebos – $3
- 2 – Fated Conflagration – $0.50
- 2 – Utter End – $5
- 1 – Bow of Nylea – $1.50
- 1 – Empty the Pits – $5 (sold out)
So I guess this is what happens when you end up in a format without a true control deck. If you had asked me to guess the two most-played spells before the
open weekend began, I would have gotten it right, but at such low quantities? That’s surprising.
Crater’s Claws was the most played spell from Khans of Tarkir, and at $1.50 it is probably undervalued. Mizzium Mortars was a solid $3-$5 throughout most
of Return to Ravnica’s Standard legality, and at this point I wouldn’t be shocked if Crater’s Claws follows a similar trajectory. Grab a set now.
I loved Crackling Doom when it was spoiled at $1, but there’s no upside left at $4. Dig Through Time is a little more interesting as spec target (more on
this later) but until I see it show up in greater quantities, I can’t call it a buy.
As for the older cards, I’m selling Hero’s Downfall and Thoughtseize if black doesn’t show up in force at the Pro Tour. Neither card can sustain its price
unless they start to see more play, and it does appear that black’s days as the dominant color in Standard may be over for now. Keep your Thoughtseizes if
you think you’ll need them for your Modern deck this year, but if not, selling is fine. They’ll drop to $12-$15 prior to rotation, and you can pick them up
again then.
Lands
- 26 – Wooded Foothills – $20
- 20 – Temple of Abandon (Theros) – $7
- 19 – Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx – $6
- 16 – Windswept Heath – $20
- 13 – Temple of Malady (Journey into Nyx) – $12
- 13 – Llanowar Wastes – $8
- 13 – Battlefield Forge – $6
- 11 – Temple of Triumph (Theros) – $5
- 7 – Bloodstained Mire – $18
- 6 – Temple of Epiphany (Journey into Nyx) – $8
- 6 – Shivan Reef – $6
- 6 – Temple of Silence (Theros) – $4
- 5 – Caves of Koilos – $4
- 5 – Flooded Strand – $20
- 4 – Temple of Plenty (Born of the Gods) – $10 (sold out)
- 4 – Temple of Malice (Born of the Gods) – $8 (sold out)
- 4 – Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth – $6
- 3 – Mana Confluence – $18 (sold out)
Here’s a bold prediction: Wooded Foothills will be worth significantly more than Polluted Delta by the end of this month. G/R is clearly the dominant color
pair in Standard right now, and U/B is nowhere to be seen. It’s been a bad couple of years for U/B, actually – after coming into Return to Ravnica as the
most expensive shockland, Watery Grave was arguably the worst of the ten to open for the duration of the format. Standard playability matters a lot more
than Eternal playability when it comes to these cards while they’re in print, so if you can get a Wooded Foothill plus a throw-in for a Delta right now,
you should do so.
Regardless, all the fetchlands are still dropping in price. The same logic still applies here: get them if you have to, hold off if you can, trade them
away if you can bear it. They’ll settle closer to $10-$15 than $20-$25.
I labeled all of the Theros Block Temples based on which set they’re from because that’s the biggest factor in their price. If Temple of Abandon had been
printed in Journey into Nyx instead of in Theros, it would already be a $15-$18 card. As is, the $7 price tag is fairly recent and it still has a shot to
climb further. I’d be scouring my local shop for $3-$4 copies of these, and they also make great trade targets. The other Temples still have upside as
well, even the ones at or over the $10 mark. It’s clear that these cards aren’t going to be displaced by the fetchlands, and they will be in high demand
all year long.
If Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx wasn’t in the clash pack, I’d be calling it a must-buy at $6. As is, it’s still a solid spec target with massive upside once the
clash pack goes out of print. Don’t forget that this is a casual and Eternal card too. I wouldn’t stockpile a bunch unless the price came down even more,
but buying your own playset at $6 each is fine.
The painlands aren’t irrelevant in the new Standard either, and I’m looking closely at Caves of Koilos and Battlefield Forge in case Mardu or Abzan aggro
takes off. These three-color decks are going to need lands that don’t come into play tapped, and the M15 painlands fit the bill.
Mana Confluence put up an incredibly disappointing showing last weekend, but I am still bullish on the card this season. As these Khans-based three-color
brews come together, the mana-fixing plan will come into starker focus. When it does, I’d be shocked if Mana Confluence isn’t a crucial piece of the
puzzle. I’m holding at $18.
The Legacy of Khans
Standard wasn’t the only format that was played last weekend. Several Khans of Tarkir cards showed up in Legacy as well. Check out this winning U/R Delver
brew from Bob Huang:
Creatures (12)
Lands (17)
Spells (31)
Not only is this deck using four copies of Monastery Swiftspear, but it’s got four copies of Treasure Cruise. Both cards are perfectly positioned in Legacy
Delver decks, which fills the graveyard fast with cheap cantripping instants.
Based on these returns, foil copies of Monastery Swiftspear are up to $15 while foil Treasure Cruises are at $20. Of the two, Monastery Swiftspear is more
likely to keep its price that high simply because it’s an uncommon. Don’t forget that neither Delver of Secrets nor Young Pyromancer are $20 foils yet, and
both are far more established as Modern, Legacy, and Vintage powerhouses. If you can get $20 for your foil Treasure Cruise right now, sell. Long term, of
course, both cards are excellent holds.
Dig Through Time also made a small appearance, showing up as a one-of in Gerard Fabiano’s 6th place Sultai Delver list and as a two-of in Gus Schade’s
Sneak and Show. It’s unclear yet if this card has a long- term place in the format, but the fact that’s started showing up is a great sign, which is why
foils are already sold out at $20. Murderous Cut, by the way, was a no-show in week one.
If you want more on delve and the future of Legacy, this Gerry Thompson article is quite excellent.
Looking Ahead
Now that we’ve gone through the decks that did well last week, it’s worth seeing what the pros are considering for week two and beyond. While much of the
best tech is still being kept hidden for the Pro Tour, there are many excellent deckbuilders on the Open Series circuit who are working tirelessly to break
the format.
In his article last week, Tom Ross took a look at the future of
aggro. He suggests the following aggressive U/W Heroic build:
Creatures (20)
- 4 Battlewise Hoplite
- 4 Favored Hoplite
- 4 Hero of Iroas
- 4 Eidolon of Countless Battles
- 4 Seeker of the Way
Lands (20)
Spells (20)
Sideboard
If something like this were to catch on, both Eidolon of Countless Battles and Hero of Iroas could see a bump. I like Seeker of the Way at $0.25 each
regardless – the card saw a good deal of play last weekend in Jeskai decks, and it appears to be the best aggressive two-drop in the set for Standard play.
Brad Nelson
also wrote about Standard last week, focusing on how he misbuilt his deck in week one and focusing on what he’ll do to improve it in the future. Here’s
what he put out there:
Creatures (27)
- 3 Elvish Mystic
- 4 Sylvan Caryatid
- 3 Herald of Torment
- 3 Courser of Kruphix
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- 2 Soul of Innistrad
- 2 Necropolis Fiend
- 4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
- 2 Rakshasa Deathdealer
Lands (24)
Spells (9)
I’m still very high on Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, and it appears as though many of you agree with me. Despite no high finishes last week, Sidisi has jumped to
$8 and is currently out of stock. I still expect this card–not Narset or Surrak–to be the breakout khan in Standard. Unfortunately, the price has already
gotten too high to be a worthy spec buy.
Herald of Torment and Soul of Innistrad are the good buys here if you’re a believer in this deck. They’re both from under-opened sets, and either card
could hit $8-$10 in a couple of hours if this version of Sultai Delve takes down a major event or even does well on camera.
There are also some intriguing decks worth looking at from last weekend that finished beyond the top 8. Take a look at this 11th place
Ascendancy Combo build:
Creatures (12)
Lands (21)
Spells (27)
- 4 Commune with the Gods
- 4 Dragon Mantle
- 1 Nylea's Presence
- 1 Astral Cornucopia
- 4 Retraction Helix
- 3 Twinflame
- 1 Briber's Purse
- 2 Taigam's Scheming
- 3 Dig Through Time
- 4 Jeskai Ascendancy
Sideboard
I don’t know if the Standard version of this deck has staying power (the Modern version sure seems to – more on that later), but it certainly is sweet!
Jeskai Ascendancy has already jumped to $6 based on both versions of this combo deck, but I can’t see that price sticking unless the deck becomes a weekly
presence at the top tables in Standard. If that happens, I like Dig Through Time as a solid spec – it’s an essential part of the engine that’s also
versatile enough to go in different brews too.
Here’s another deck worth discussing:
Creatures (24)
- 4 Elvish Mystic
- 4 Polukranos, World Eater
- 2 Sylvan Caryatid
- 4 Stormbreath Dragon
- 3 Courser of Kruphix
- 3 Rattleclaw Mystic
- 4 Savage Knuckleblade
Planeswalkers (6)
Lands (24)
Spells (6)
This one takes advantage of the mana fixing given to us by Rattleclaw Mystic, allowing a G/R ramp deck to run Savage Knuckleblade, Temur Charm, and Kiora,
the Crashing Wave on the splash. Patrick Chapin analyzed this one
early last week, saying that Savage Knuckleblade isn’t very well positioned right now – there’s too much green in the format, and it would be much more
powerful in a tempo version of Temur. I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on this card during the Pro Tour though. There isn’t enough upside at $7, but the
price is slowly trending downward. If it drops to, say, $4 by the start of PT Khans of Tarkir, there could be a nice quick flip opportunity here.
This Week’s Trends
– Aside from all the cards I’ve discussed so far, the big winner this week was Glittering Wish, which is currently sold out at $20 thanks to its importance
in the Modern version of the Jeskai Ascendancy combo deck. Based on what I’ve read, it appears as though the deck can go off with regularity on turn 3. If
that’s true, expect something in the deck to be banned. WOTC will not allow a regular turn 3 kill to take over Modern. If you’ve got any Glittering Wishes
lying around or you spec’d on this card early last week, sell them.
– Both Setessan Tactics and Hornet Nest were very relevant Standard cards last weekend – they just weren’t in anyone’s maindeck. Both are still $2, and
both have some room to grow. Hornet Nest is a popular casual card from a base set, so I like that one slightly more. Another card seeing some sideboard
play: Ashcloud Phoenix. It’s quietly up to $8, and I still like it as a Standard playable mythic. There’s no upside if you buy in now, unfortunately.
– Someone decided to buy the internet out of foil Nyx Weavers last week. It’s a nice card that should see some Standard play going forward, but Standard
foils just aren’t where you want to be. Pull them out of your bulk if you have them, but don’t go nuts trying to get them in deals.
– Even though most of Khans is still trending upward, a few cards are slowly beginning to drop: Clever Impersonator, Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Surrak
Dragonclaw, Savage Knuckleblade, and Utter End. I’d be looking to move on from these cards quickly, especially if they don’t show up at the Pro Tour.
– Am I alone in thinking Khans is the best Limited format since triple-Innistrad? It’s possible that things calm down and the decks get more focused and
less fun, but I’m having a blast so far. If this keeps up, Khans might be even more heavily drafted than usual. Between that and the fetchlands, the market
is going to be flooded with these cards in a couple of months.