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Hello, everyone and welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Daily Stock Watch! If you're still shopping for cards during this holiday season, our card of the day is something that you might be interested in picking up. I have a feeling that it will take a while for this card to be reprinted again, but you know how crazy new sets could be. You never know what you're gonna get.
I was active in Magic when this came out during Return to Ravnica, and I was pretty sure that it was going to be a great card someday. I didn't really have the funds back then to keep all the cards that I wanted to keep (note that this was a $3 card during its early days) and had to choose between Chromatic Lantern and Desecration Demon. I chose the latter, and was greatly rewarded for a while as it reached the $10 plateau during its prime, but wasn't able to keep copies of the lantern, as it was better to buy and sell shocklands back then. It was a sleeper that was hard to miss, but I'm sure we all have stories like this one.
I think it's safe to say that Chromatic Lantern is a Commander staple today, and in the years to come. It fixes any mana base, and is a very efficient source of mana as well. It could nicely fit in any deck that needs or doesn't need the mana boost, but would benefit more from its fixing prowess. Just check out this MUD list in Vintage that uses a singleton Chromatic Lantern on its list.
MUD
Vintage is slowly starting to look like a richer man's Commander, as cards that are restricted to one per deck are bountiful in this format. Although Chromatic Lantern is nowhere near the caliber of these power cards, it is vital in fixing this deck's mana base that relies on lands that produce colorless mana, and are only supported by the different types of moxes to produce colored mana. If MUD decks start packing lantern consistently, breaking its current all-time high of $14.99 won't be hard to do.
Super Mana Stones
Above are cards that are in a class of their own (value-wise) and is in a territory that would be hard to enter as a mana stone. It's really hard to tell if Chromatic Lantern would belong in this group in the next couple of years due to supply and power level issues, but it certainly is in the right direction to reach new financial highs. However, I don't think that I would be paying $15 for this card for spec purposes, and would even try bargaining for less if I need one for my deck. There's a fine line that I always consider before I cross when buying EDH cards -- if my deck could make do without you, then I don't think that you're a necessity. This has always been my impression on this card, unless I'm running a big mana Commander that runs three or more colors.
However, this segment isn't about my opinions entirely and when money talks, you listen. Barring any random inclusion in a future supplemental product, Chromatic Lantern should cross the $20 barrier during the first quarter of 2018, and might never look back. At that point, I might say that it would be best to start moving it. For now, hold on to your horses and watch them gallop higher as the new year enters.
At the moment, you could still find a few copies of Chromatic Lantern from Commander 2016 via Star City Games at $14.99. This is selling out more than the Return to Ravnica version probably because it already has the authenticity seal which some players prefer. The RTR versions are available in other sites as well such as TCGPlayer, Channel Fireball, and Card Kingdom for as low as $13.99, and should be good pickups if you need some for utility. I'm not so sure how the Masterpiece version would fare in the future, but it should be good to hold on to your copies. I don't think it's a good idea to buy and sell these Inventions, anyway.
And that’s it for the Tuesday edition of the Daily Stock Watch! See you again tomorrow, as we check out a new card that should be on the go, or good enough for speculating. As always, feel free to share your opinion in the comments section below. And if you want to keep up with all the market movement, be sure to check in with the QS Discord Channel for real time market information, and stay ahead of the hottest specs!
Why do you say it isn’t a good idea to buy and sell the inventions? DO you mean stay away from them entirely? Or just don’t sell them once you buy them?
Hi, Andrew! I’m sure you know that WotC has stopped printing these type of cards, so we’re not really sure about the direction where it’s headed financially. What I’m trying to say is that try not to let go of your copies if you have them, unless you’re really willing to part ways with it. There’s always a Premium on cards like these, and it might be hard to get them again someday.