Five Standard Magic Sets on the Upswing
Commander may be Magic’s most popular format at the moment, but that doesn’t mean our usual three or so sets of Standard Magic products each year aren’t also stars in their own right. Here are five Standard-legal sets which are all full of cards starting to climb in price.
Innistrad: Crimson Vow
Arguably the weakest and least popular of the five sets we’ll be talking about today, Innistrad: Crimson Vow’s unassuming release has become a secret weapon for the prices of the cards within. First up, our land cycle.
The lands in this set have skyrocketed in price recently, with some of them even eclipsing multiformat all-stars like the Shocklands. These prices are all being propelled by the dual forces of limited supply (this set’s lacking popularity meant that very little was opened) and Standard playability, so figuring out whether or not they can sustain their near-$20 prices is just a waiting game now, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore them. The fact is, Crimson Vow has a rare slot full of value, so keep an eye on it.
Two other rares worth tracking from this set are
| Shattered Sanctum | ||
| Shattered Sanctum (Borderless) | ||
| Wedding Announcement | ||
| Hullbreaker Horror |
Dominaria United
Our second set saw the opposite reception as Innistrad: Crimson Vow – it was widely accepted on release, only to smolder out in the long months since. However, all is not lost in Dominaria United, and I don’t just mean the exorbitant price tag of
First up:
As for our dual removal spells –
| Timeless Lotus | ||
| Temporary Lockdown | ||
| Temporary Lockdown (Extended Art) | ||
| Leyline Binding | ||
| Leyline Binding (Extended Art) |
Phyrexia: All Will Be One
For our third set, we move over to Phyrexia: All Will Be One – something which we can’t discuss without covering Commander heavily. So, where to begin?
Our next card was the other big Commander target upon release:
Finally, the speculative target from the set.
| Mondrak, Glory Dominus | ||
| Mondrak, Glory Dominus (Showcase) | ||
| Mondrak, Glory Dominus (Oil Slick Raised Foil) | ||
| Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines | ||
| Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines (Phyrexian) (Step-and-Compleat Foil) | ||
| Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines (Concept Praetor) (Step-and-Compleat Foil) | ||
| Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines (Showcase) (Step-and-Compleat Foil) | ||
| Jace, the Perfected Mind | ||
| Jace, the Perfected Mind (Borderless) |
Streets Of New Capenna
Up next is Streets of New Capenna. Widely rejected by the market upon release, the combination of a powerful land cycle (our aforementioned Triomes) and a few standout rares has brought the single contents of this set back into the spotlight and led to a bit of a market repricing.
As I hinted at with Leyline’s Binding, the Triomes are all the rage right now. Domain – a mechanic providing you with benefits based on the number of basic land types you control – has a stranglehold on Modern, something that’s being reflected in the prices of this land cycle. Beyond Modern, however, these cards are also in demand across formats – Commander, Standard, Pioneer, etc.
Outside of the lands, Streets of New Capenna also has two particularly noteworthy rares:
| Jetmir's Garden | ||
| Xander's Lounge | ||
| Raffine's Tower | ||
| Spara's Headquarters | ||
| Ziatora's Proving Ground | ||
| Ledger Shredder | ||
| Professional Face-Breaker |
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Last but certainly not least, I can’t talk about valuable Standard sets without mentioning Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. This set has it all – a popular land cycle (including a $40 rare via
As Kamigawa begins to leave shelves, the lands in this set are appreciating at an accelerating rate. Boseiju,
As for Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, this card pulled off the near-impossible feat of keeping a price above $10 despite being banned in its most popular format. It’s holding on there, so don’t forget it just because it got banned.
The Wandering Emperor, meanwhile, may not be as dominating as it once was, but it still commands a solid price tag and is on the upswing. All in all, not bad for a card on the tail-end of its standard rotation.
| Boseiju, Who Endures | ||
| Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | ||
| The Wandering Emperor | ||
| Otawara, Soaring City | ||
| Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance | ||
| Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire | ||
| Takenuma, Abandoned Mire |
Wrap Up
I hope this guide has been a refreshing reminder of some of Standard’s hidden value. There’s plenty of noteworthy single cards in recent standard sets, from Sheoldred, the Apocalypse to
Further Reading:
Pick Up These Modern Outliers Before Modern Horizons 3
Harvey McGuinness is a student at Johns Hopkins University who has been playing Magic since the release of Return to Ravnica. After spending a few years in the Legacy arena bouncing between Miracles and other blue-white control shells, he now spends his time enjoying Magic through CEDH games and understanding the finance perspective. He also writes for the Commander's Herald.
