Weekly Winners 2019 - 49

A very interesting week, especially for everyone that is keeping a close eye on Pioneer and all the new brews out there. And just like the past weeks, many cards go up due to organic demand!

Like every week, just in time for FNM, I'll now tell you about the cards that will be the talk of the town tonight!

 

#1 Rhonas the Indomitable $9.97 (+47.70%)

 

It feels good to report on actual, demand driven spikes! Over the past months, we have seen less speculative spike than usual, and that's a good thing in my personal opinion.

And there is enough to report in the organic demand section! Rhonas the Indomitable spiked this week because of its addition in 5 pioneer builds, (and many more brews). In the right deck, the drawback Rhonas the Indomitable has can be compensated and it can be one hell of a three drop!

Depending on the build, Rhonas the Indomitable is a 2, 3 or 4-of maindeck. The fact that it is not an automatic 4-of can have a big effect on the card price, together with Pioneer format popularity.

The format is still so young, it is very hard to make a good prediction where prices will go. If Pioneer takes off like Modern, the only way is up. But the format still needs to prove itself, and that includes a good and fitting banned and restricted list.

To get a good overview in what kind of decks Rhonas the Indomitable sees play, check out these five decklists below. To stay on top of things, I am sharing the most recent builds we have on file.

 

Rhonas the Indomitable
Amonkhet	CardKingdom $11.99	TCGPlayer $9.97

 

#2 Brazen Borrower $28.76 (+46.81%)

 

One of the advantages of playing Legacy is that the changes in the format go at a slow pace. One or two cards from every new set prove to be relevant for the format over a longer period of time. Especially when it comes to changes in tier 1 and 2 decks.

And from Throne of Eldraine that honor goes to Brazen Borrower. You see it popping up in Arena Standard, but also in a whopping 9 different Legacy builds in that Tier 1 and 2 range. Many that play blue (and there are many) now include Brazen Borrower. Ranging from Blue-Red Spells to BUG Delver, to Miracles. Check out this decklist recent decklist for reference:

Outside Legacy, Brazen Borrower sees some play in Pioneer as well, but it is not taking off as hard in that format. In Simic Nexus, Brazen Borrower is the only creature the deck plays. Check out the decklist:

Once a card (especially a Mythic) is included in multiple Legacy decklists, prices will start going up and stay there. Just because decklists evolve slowly, an addition into a Legacy deck means a stable amount of demand for a card over a long period of time. And since Brazen Borrower is now included in that many decks, it might end up becoming one of the most expensive cards from Eldraine in a year or two.

Currently, Brazen Borrower's price is falling back to around the $20 - $25 dollar mark. It's market price is now at $25 and seems to be going down. And that's a great indicator for the movement of the AVG in the coming days.

Brazen Borrower
Throne of Eldraine	CardKingdom $34.99	TCGPlayer $28.76

 

#3 Pithing Needle $9.35 (+30.77%)

 

Ah yes, Pithing Needle! One of the best sideboard cards ever printed in the history of magic. Anyone who plays competitive Modern, Legacy or Pioneer needs to own at least two copies of this card. And if you have multiple decks that use it, a playset comes in very handy.

Pithing Needle is an auto-add in game 2 and 3 against any deck that wins with activated abilities on permanents. As a fervent Sneak & Show player, I have looked at Pithing Needle naming Sneak Attack sitting on the battlefield for many hours of my life. Some people even target Lotus Petal with it. Sometimes because they don't know it has a mana ability, sometimes as a bluff (or so they say).

Pithing Needle is up and we have Pioneer to blame. With that new format, a whole new range of decks can make use of this extremely powerful and versatile sideboard card. That extra demand drives up the prices.

But beware, the 10th Edition price is now $9.35 and almost sold out at TCGPlayer. It reeks of a buyout, and probably in a blend of organic and speculative demand. As a rule, original printings tend to be the most expensive, especially when the art of the card is the same. Even more so when it's a card from an older set, like Saviors of Kamigawa.

All prints show a spike or steep uptrend, but choose your copies wisely when pulling the trigger on this one!

 

Pithing Needle
Saviors of Kamigawa	CardKingdom $9.99	TCGPlayer $7.00
Magic 2010 (M10)	CardKingdom $7.49	TCGPlayer $6.04
10th Edition	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $9.35
Return to Ravnica	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $5.91

 

Cheap Pickups

Please note: for our 'record low' we consider the price of the card over the past 7 years. Many cards have been even cheaper (a) decade(s) ago. Also note: some cards are still going down, and might be even cheaper pickups next week.

 

Tarmogoyf $50.95 - Record low and going down

 

Ajani, Wise Counselor $6 - Record low and bottoming out

 

Glimmervoid $8.37 - Record low and going down

 

Glimmervoid	CardKingdom $5.99	TCGPlayer $8.37
Tarmogoyf	CardKingdom $44.99	TCGPlayer $50.95
Ajani, Wise Counselor	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $6.00