New Horizons - Dominaria Remastered

Hello! My name is Matt Grzechnik. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to my new bi-weekly series, New Horizons. We’ll cover upcoming sets, new releases, and other products, all the while engaging with the financial aspects of the newly released cards and the price trends of reprints.

But first, a little about me. I work as a RealTime Workforce Analyst and have been playing Magic since Dragon's Maze. I experimented with all MTG formats before settling in, growing my roots, and finding an appreciation for EDH and Pauper. Since I discovered the concept, I’ve been forcing Jund while also dabbling lately with the ins and outs of the Sealed format along with new releases.

 

Dominaria Remastered

We’re beginning the series with Dominaria Remastered  ("DMR"), a nostalgia-fuelled set of nothing but reprints celebrating the history of the plane across 27 different sets and 30 years of gameplay. Just like Time Spiral: Remastered, this set aims to provide two things. Firstly, a larger circulation of high-end cards for play in a multitude of constructed formats, as well as specific new collector variations of sought-after cards. And Second, it provides the player with a sealed experience unlike any other, at a reasonable price per box.

The main financial impact of this reprint run will be felt across EDH, Vintage, and Legacy. Just a few days after the release, we can already observe a downtrend in the prices of many prominent cards such as Yawgmoth, Thran Physician (Retro Frame) and Exploration (Retro Frame). However, observing the previous release and our findings from Time Spiral Remastered, this may not be a complete picture. Many of the staple cards bottomed out within 4 months of the set release before coming back up in price or even exceeding their initial pricing.

Considering the above, let’s navigate through a selection of cards that I suspect will follow the same pattern of financial loss and gain due to their flexibility and firm residence in popular meta decks.

 

Force of Will

 

Initially printed in Alliances, Force of Will (Retro Frame) has always been a highly-priced and sought-after card due to its flexibility. Whilst being a staple in both Vintage and Legacy as well as spreading into cEDH, its popularity has only been increasing over the last decade.

This rise in popularity and relevance has also reflected a steady price increase, with the original printing reaching low triple digits. The two previous reprints from both Eternal Masters and Double Masters have fluctuated with the market shakeups, but regained their initial price over time.

With the release of DMR, a new copy was priced at around $68 on the day of release, compared to the $95-$100 average for any previous printing. I predict this new printing will continue to decrease in price for the next 4-6 weeks before finding a comfortable bottom price, and then steadily going back up in cost.

Force of Will (Borderless)
Dominaria Remastered: Extras	CardKingdom $94.99	TCGPlayer $88.60
Dominaria Remastered: Extras	CardKingdom $99.99	TCGPlayer $83.96
Dominaria Remastered	CardKingdom $89.99	TCGPlayer $80.00

 

Vampiric Tutor

 

There are many different types of tutors in MTG, each with their unique abilities and costs. Some tutors, such as Worldly Tutor (Borderless) and Green Sun's Zenith, allow players to search for a specific type of card. Others have additional costs like Grim Tutor or specific conditionals like Mystical Tutor (Retro Frame).

Standing above all of these conditions and drawbacks we have Vampiric Tutor, an aggressively costed search effect that enables us to bring any card from our deck to the top for a single mana and 2 life.

Initially printed in Visions, this tutor has enjoyed moderate popularity in Vintage and EDH. With six printings, not including the various promos and extras, the card is currently averaging $45 depending on the set. With the new release of DMR, the price is already at a 33% fall, sitting at an average of $32. Due to the abundant reprints and the opening of packs during the upcoming weeks, I would hold off on grabbing copies of this card. The price drop has only started, and is unlikely to sharply spike back up.

Vampiric Tutor (Borderless)
Dominaria Remastered: Extras	CardKingdom $42.99	TCGPlayer $44.96
Dominaria Remastered: Extras	CardKingdom $39.99	TCGPlayer $39.98
Dominaria Remastered	CardKingdom $39.99	TCGPlayer $36.43

 

 

Urza’s Incubator

 

In recent years we’ve seen a rise in popularity and support for tribal synergies. Cards like Pyre of Heroes or Vanquisher's Banner have paved the way for greater synergy in modern EDH decks. Players now have the freedom of choosing their playables rather than cramming in underpowered cards to fit the theme. Observe: the rise of Urza's Incubator (Retro Frame).

A cheap cost reducer for our tribe of choice, it mainly sees play in EDH. With the original release and subsequent short print runs of preconstructed products, Urza's Incubator remained a card with limited availability. This has caused it to soar in price over the last three years, with copies retailing for $45 on average. Looking at the price impact of the DMR print run, we can see the new art copies starting at $29 on release date. This trend is also true for both the border variation print and the borderless treatment.

While I would expect these to continue to pivot downwards in the trend, there is a high probability that they will bounce back up in line with the other prints. My reasoning behind this is that the popularity of tribal strategies hasn't peaked yet. We continue to see different cards being printed to enable underrepresented tribes to shine (looking at you, Kibo, Uktabi Prince (Extended Art)). These all have different effects on how they spin the selected subtype from minor to major effects. Separating itself from the herd, Urza's Incubator provides a static discount that continues to generate value through its presence on the battlefield. If you ever wanted a reason to make a tribal deck or are looking for effective upgrades, this remains a card that I encourage trying.

Urza's Incubator (Retro Frame)
Dominaria Remastered: Extras	CardKingdom $23.99	TCGPlayer $24.18
Dominaria Remastered: Extras	CardKingdom $24.99	TCGPlayer $27.23
Dominaria Remastered	CardKingdom $27.99	TCGPlayer $26.06

 

Conclusion

 

Each new release presents us with a multitude of opportunities. These range from exciting new cards to old and tried reprints. Dominaria Remastered provides us with some much-needed reprints that have refreshed the financial scene. It has also continued the precedent of older cards creating a full supplementary set, encouraging both new players and veterans to anticipate and enjoy the release. From nostalgic pieces to the potential financial ebbs and flows, I hope you will join me again as next time we will become compleated in Phyrexia: All Will Be One.