Now Magic: Origins is out, we can start brewing with the new toys we've got! This can have its effect on card prices, but we have not seen huge changes yet, but I expect them to be on the horizon. Coming October, 4 sets will rotate out of standard, and that means a lot of change!
But now, once again, I present you the cards that will be the talk of the town tonight.
Want to join or follow the discussion? Check out this week's Reddit Thread
This week, Thopter Spy Network rose from obscurity into the spotlights. Not because it is the best Thopter themed card out there, but simply because it was undervalued leading up to the release of Origins. Just like with every release, people start with brewing decks right away when they see the spoilers coming out.
And Thopters are interesting to a large number of people. And, in the wake of all that brewing, Thopter Spy Network got noticed. Once it lands, you get a free Thopter each turn, and huge card advantage when those pesky kites (or other artifact creatures) do damage. It even feels like it could be Modern viable, but 2UU is pretty steep for what it does, compared to other choices you can make instead. So it will probably won't make it.
But in Standard however, Thopter Spy Network could claim a place as a card that will seal the fate of your opponent when you already have a (slight) advantage. Don't expect this card to be played as a 4-off in any deck. I have found three Thopter brews for standard you might want to take a look at:
U/R Thopter Midrange: Thopters, Burn and some huge body support.
Please note: the OP of the thread tested with Thopter Spy Network and has chosen to cut it. But, others put it back on the table.
R/U Thopter Legion: One-dimensional Thopter approach
U/R Thopter Devotion: Holds the middle ground between the Midrange and Legion brews.
Living End is the card that gives the Modern 'Living End' deck its name. The best recent result for the deck is Andreas Jönsson's 16th place at the Grand Prix in Copenhagen. With a TCG mid of $491.98, Living End is a low-budget choice if you want to enter Modern.
You can call the spike of Living End a price correction, $5+ for a key card in a Modern deck that can top 16 a Grand Prix is cheap. But you could also see it as another card in a long line of Modern cards that got bought out. It's sudden spike and swift fall are characteristic of a buyout.
#3 Languish +57.6% ($12.18)
With its $12+ price tag, Languish is #8 in the top 10 most expensive cards in Origins. Just one place below Goblin Piledriver and one above Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh.
Face it. Languish is solid removal. It favors the player that gets 5/5+ bodies on the field first. It can 'reset' the games against decks with 4/4- creatures, and I also love that art and flavor text. But, it is pretty hard to really take advantage of Languish since -4/-4 is pretty rough. But, brews like this focus on putting X/5 creatures on the table. And even there, Languish is in the sideboard.
Cheap Pickups
Want to help me out? Pitch me a tweet when you see something interesting @MTGPeter
