New Horizons: March of the Machine

Welcome back to New Horizons where we’re covering the newest Standard set, March of the Machine, releasing April 21st. The emphasis of this week's article will center on prices, future potential, and minor speculation.

 

Intro

March of the Machine sets into motion a carefully crafted plan, the inception of which was shown in Kaldheim. From there followed the subtle hints and plot points that brought the Phyrexian threat to the forefront. Now with the climax of the story, but not quite the epilogue, players are given a multi-plane conflict filled with action, throwback references, and familiar faces.

Considering the number of planes and key characters, there is a vast amount of coverage and representation of the different factions in the set. An example of this is the inclusion of 43 legendary permanents. This figure also incorporates the transformed side of our new permanent type, battles. The numerous legends covering nearly 15% of the entire set offer the semblance of a mini-Commander Masters set being released into circulation. This notion is further fueled by the March of the Machine: Multiverse Legends, the booster fun cards integrated within packs of the set. Overall, there are 65 additional legendary creatures, ranging greatly in value, with many heavy hitters in the form of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and Atraxa, Praetors' Voice.

 

Wrenn and Realmbreaker

 

Wrenn and Realmbreaker has gathered traction both from speculation and a general power creep standpoint. Being a three-mana, four-loyalty walker has a large upside. However, the additional capabilities attract attention to Wrenn. Firstly, the passive Chromatic Lantern ability is a nice upside for any deck concerned with color fixing. Secondly, the +1 ability turning a land into a creature notably fails to untap the land. Lastly, there is a case to be made for trying to hit the ultimate. The ability to play permanents and lands from the graveyard allows for various potential combos. The most common example of this would be with Lotus Petal being cast repeatedly, creating infinite mana.

 

Wrenn and Realmbreaker will see a variety of play in EDH, where it will undoubtedly shine the most. Within the current Standard metagame, there is no place for a planeswalker that comes down and doesn't provide an immediate upside. The cause for this to be different would be the resurgence of mono-green into the Standard meta.

In the meantime, Wrenn and Realmbreaker has started strong at a max of $85 since the preview, before quickly falling toward the $50 mark. This downward trend will likely continue until after the set release.

 

Wrenn and Realmbreaker	CardKingdom $37.99	TCGPlayer $36.32
Wrenn and Realmbreaker (Borderless)	CardKingdom $54.99	TCGPlayer $40.81

 

Urabrask

 

The dawning of New Phyrexia introduced a cycle of Praetors representing the rulers and their vision for what Phyrexia should be. While the first cycle of these cards remains quintessential, two additional representations of these creatures have since been released with the buildup to, and the conclusion of, the current story arc. During the first two cycles, Urabrask remained the weakest of the five rulers, which is no longer the case.

With heavily rewarding spell slinger and storm archetype, Urabrask’s first ability is very similar to Birgi, God of Storytelling, netting us one red mana every time an instant or sorcery is cast, as well as dealing one point of damage to target opponent. Once three instants or sorceries have been cast in a turn, Urabrask can be cast into The Great Work. The saga offers a powerful effect that combines and a max roll on Hoarding Ogre, along with a unique ability to cast instants and sorceries from any graveyard. The third ability is key, as when the saga transforms back to Urabrask, spells can still be cast from the graveyard to change Urabrask again.

 

While the card is currently around the $28 range, the predictions of future pricing largely vary. Presently Storm remains an unpopular archetype in any metagame outside of CEDH, which significantly lowers the potential for the card. Another consideration would be Burn decks, however these are unable to accommodate a four-mana value card when their top end is between two and three.

 

Urabrask
March of the Machine	CardKingdom $29.99	TCGPlayer $24.58
March of the Machine: Extras		TCGPlayer $24.99

 

Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

 

This card is a prime example of how the power level in magic is steadily increasing over time. A simple team-up providing the best of each Abzan colors can give, with ramp, Stax, and sacrifice effects all bundled into one. The closest comparison available is Siege Rhino with the same mana value, similar stats, and one keyword ability as well as a draining effect. Thalia and the Gitrog Monster continue to push the amount of value obtainable from singular cards.

While the natural place for this card continues to be EDH, there’s little traction steering it into other formats. The downside of the sacrifice effect being an attack trigger is greatly capping the power level of the card.

Considering this card was one of the earlier previews, there have subsequently been severe changes in potential value. Once reaching a high of $38, the price has now slipped back towards $15 with this trend likely to continue as post-set release prices change.

 

Thalia and The Gitrog Monster
March of the Machine	CardKingdom $15.99	TCGPlayer $13.81
March of the Machine: Extras	CardKingdom $24.99	TCGPlayer $16.39

 

Monastery Mentor

 

The final card under the microscope is Monastery Mentor, originally printed in Fate Reforged. Gaining significant popularity in multiple formats, including Legacy and Vintage, this card has been incorporated into decks such as Jeskai Control and Blue Thinker. Despite being a single inclusion in these decks, Monastery Mentor has established a strong presence. As a result, pricing has experienced vast fluctuations, with a spike of $35 and a subsequent decrease to an average of $8 between the original print and the Double Masters copy. However, with the recent third reprint of the card, featuring new art, the price has dropped to a new low of $3.

The reintroduction into Standard and the extension to Arena has already sparked interest among players, leading to the brewing of new decks featuring the card. Along with the prevalence of white in the current Standard meta and various Explorer decks gaining traction, there is a high likelihood that the popularity and price of Monastery Mentor will rise once again.

 

Monastery Mentor (Foil Etched)
Double Masters 2022: Extras		TCGPlayer $15.99
March of the Machine	CardKingdom $4.99	TCGPlayer $4.99
March of the Machine: Extras		TCGPlayer $4.08
Fate Reforged	CardKingdom $8.99	TCGPlayer $8.21

 

 

Conclusion

March of the Machine offers a distinct and compelling experience designed to appeal to a diverse audience with the accumulative popularity of EDH and the conclusion to the Standard storyline. With the abundance of spotlight cards, exciting booster content, and diverse art styles, this set provides a rich and immersive experience for both casual and competitive players alike. While it may be too early to tell if any of the cards will follow the explosive price patterns from the previous set, the metagame is once again about to be reshaped.

Join me again in two weeks, where we’ll cover Commander: March of the Machine.

Check out these other articles:

A Penny Saved, a Titan Earned by Ryan Cole

The Big Things: World Championship Decks by Harvey McGuinness

History, Restapled: Under the Radar and Over the Top by Steve Heisler