Ixalan is here! While I am rejoicing that, I am also weeping as I say goodbye to Eldrazi in Standard. We have a brand new Standard upon us and from what I’ve seen, people are struggling to find new decks that perform well. As people try new things, cards will go up and down at the drop of a hat. Let’s take a look at what movement we saw this week, in Magic.
I want to start things off this week with my favorite pirate and one I talked about last week. Hostage Taker has quickly caught the attention of players and has led to some interesting brews. This may spike as high as near $10 when it gets ultra-popular, but only time will tell. I’ve seen this in more non-pirate decks than actual pirate decks, which speaks to its power.
While Morphling may be on the reserved list, many of us remember just how power it can be. I’m sure this is just another one of the reserved list spec buy outs, as ol’ morphin ranger here doesn’t see play these days. While some RL buy outs are just based off of what is cheap and available, certain cards like this speak to heart of many older players.
I wish I may, I wish I might. I wish…for a land or creature. Living Wish gets overshadowed by all the other wishes, but today, this wish came true! About the only place you’ll see this card played is in Legacy, usually alongside Dark Depths or Aluren, but it certainly has potential.
Tezzeret the Schemer has been seeing some experimental play in Standard right now, so that’s probably why there’s been a uptick in Tezz pricing and play. I tried building a few different decks around him, but he never quite felt powerful. With a new Standard upon us, all bets are off!
What article would be complete without an obscure, unplayable reserved list card on the list? Scarwood Bandits looks like it could be an elf, but alas, it is not. As much as I loved green back in the day, I never got around to playing with this 2/2. It is quite hilarious that the card reminds you to give your opponent’s card back at the end of the game.
Thanks to a certain Facebook group, Wheel of Fortune has been going up. They decided to buy out Wheel, so here we are. Wheel always has been one of the most fun cards to cast. Even if you’re casting it in a 4 player game, usually people are happy to see this. Granted some decks deal you damage when you draw or discard, but that still doesn’t stop this from being one of the best and most fun draw spells of all time.
Foils of the Week!
Foil Phyrexian Reclamation isn’t spectacular to play, but it’s pretty to look at. Time of Need screams “build around me” and the foils have been all but bought out. Foil Blasphemous Act spiked and usually goes hand and hand with Boros Reckoner. No surprise that foil Chromatic Lantern hit the charts due to the amount of 3+ color Commander decks put out in the recent past. Lastly, foil Pangosaur got bought out thanks to the errata changing it to a dinosaur.
Cheap pickups of the Week!
During my playtesting, I’ve had a ton of fun with Jace, Cunning Castaway. While it may not have a firm home right now, in the right shell, Jace can quickly take over the game. I play him in the mainboard with pirates and he’s performed well. Plus it’s a 3 mana Jace that just might be one of the last Jace’s we see! Another Ixalan card that I’ve been interested in is Entrancing Melody. While the non-foils may not see as much of a spike, I think the foils could be interesting. If you’ve ever wanted Grove of the Burnwillows, your time is now here! Finally, with so many sets rotating out of Standard, now’s your chance to pick up all those cards that used to be staples.
MTGStocks Mystery Chart of the Week!
Last week’s softball of a chart was Devoted Druid. This week, let’s kick it up a notch.
Conversation of the Week!
For this week, I want to talk a little about Frontier. Now that the hype has died down, I’ve taken some looks at the pros and cons of the format. I think it would be good for Magic in a few years and it is actually quite fun to play. This is coming from someone who hated most of the Standard decks that many frontier decks are based on. I think the reason I am drawn to Frontier is because it’s a new concept and I love to brew new decks. I still firmly believe that Frontier should start with Magic Origins to avoid the huge mistake of having fetch lands in the format. That would mean that Khans block wouldn’t be legal, but that is a good thing, even though I love the block.
The best Commander card you’re not playing!
Legacy Weapon is what got me into 5 color cards, and when I combined it with Seedborn Muse, the world was my oyster. It may not be the most busted card in the world, but it can absolutely demolish the battlefield.
