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Insider: Weekend Hype – GP Shanghai, MOCS Finals

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There were many interesting developments last weekend, and the results of these tournaments have financial implications.

One great storyline is from the Magic Online Championship Finals. This event was televised to the masses, the decks were widely publicized, and the market has reacted.

MOCS Standard Decklists
MOCS Modern Decklists


The tournament featured a Modern portion, and Collected Company was at the forefront. It appeared in both the Abzan combo deck with Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit that reached the Top 4 of the MOCS, and the Elf deck that ultimately won the event. Both of these decks threaten to become major players in the metagame.

Collected Company has serious legs in Modern and perhaps even Legacy, so it’s a good long-term bet.


Chord of Calling, a key component of both decks, was a big winner over the weekend. The price was just 0.7 tix at the beginning of the month, and was double that by last Monday. By Saturday afternoon the price had peaked over 2.3 tix, but has since fallen to just under 2 tix.

The price fell as some hype faded, but it’s not going any lower. This card is among the best possible long-term targets going forward, and should be a target for anyone in trades and buys. This was the marquee reprint of Magic 2015, like the Mutavault reprint in Magic 2014, a $30 card before the reprint. It’s going to slowly head back up towards that number.


Fauna Shaman was a part of both strategies, and as such the online price has already seen a price surge in response. The price approximately doubled over the weekend, from over 2 tix to over 4 tix. The paper price, which has been sitting steady at $9, is now ticking upwards towards $10, and is likely to steadily grow higher as time goes on.

Other parts of the Elf deck have also seen an increase, none more apparent than Heritage Druid which has spiked to an astronomical 13 tix and growing. I would sell into the hype. The paper price, which sat around $6, is approaching $7, and there may be a another dollar or two to gain in the near-term.



Den Protector and Deathmist Raptor currently dominate the Standard metagame.

The paper price of the mythic Deathmist Raptor saw a 15% price jump in the first week of May, from under $20 to $23, and has steadily crept up since then to its current price of $25.

Its price has stayed steady over the weekend, but more telling is the online price, which actually fell a fraction of a ticket over the weekend. Deathmist Raptor saw its high of over 28 tix a week ago, and it’s clear the increase in supply is outpacing new Standard players. The price should continue to slowly fall.

Similar laws of supply and demand govern paper prices, so I wouldn’t expect the paper price of Deathmist Raptor to go any higher. Both paper and online prices are likely to remain stagnant until the release of Magic Origins takes drafters away from Dragons of Tarkir.

Den Protector’s online price has followed a similar trajectory to Deathmist Raptor. It reached its peak, 6.5 tix, a week ago, and has now begun a downturn. The effects of new supply are magnified in this rare card, so the price has fallen earlier and more sharply. I would expect it to continue to fall into the summer.

Interestingly, the paper price of Den Protector continues to grow higher, now at a peak of $9, which indicates that from a demand perspective, the paper player base has yet to adjust to the new card and incorporate it into their own decks. In this case, it’s not clear if the price can continue to grow higher, or if the card is now saturated through the metagame. As new supply enters the market the price will face downward pressure, so I’d err on the side of caution.

The megamorph package is part of the GP Shanghai-winning Abzan Control deck by Yuuki Ichikawa. This deck is likely to change the way people build Abzan decks going forward.

But the hype of this week is dragons, and much like Flores' Dragon Control deck, Makihito Mihara’s Five-Color Dragons Midrange deck plays all five colors of them. This 5-Color Dragons deck was played to the Top 16 by Makihito Mihara and Yuuya Watanabe, and it represents a paradigm shift in the approach to Standard.

GP Shanghai Top 8 Decklists
GP Shanghai Top 16 Decklists

The Dragonlords are sure to garner a lot of attention this week, so take note. Haven of the Spirit Dragon is a four-of in the deck, so it will see some increased demand.


Dragonlord Atarka has already seen a nearly 20% increase online, up to over 6.25 tix, but this is mostly due to the massive successes of G/R Dragons and G/R Devotion, both of which play Dragonlord Atarka in large numbers. The paper price has fallen steadily, down over 20% to $15 from its high of $19 a month ago, but perhaps recent results will buoy demand and keep the price stable.

In other news, the online price of Anafenza, the Foremost continues to grow, now over 9 tix, and is approaching its former peak of over 10 tix. I expect the price will grow no further.


Tasigur, the Golden Fang has seen a modest price gain in the wake of success this past weekend, and it’s a solid pick for some small gains this week.

The paper price is nearly down to $6, and now is a good time to stock up for the long term before Fate Reforged becomes drafted less as new sets are released this year. This card is a clear staple in Modern and Legacy, and it’s going to be pricey one day.

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