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MTG Metagame Finance #32

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Mythic Championship Cleveland has come and gone. And there’s been a lot of things happening in and outside of Standard. Also this will most likely be my last article for a while as I want to spend more time with my daughter. I’ve realized that I don’t think I have the amount of time I’d like to devote to Magic. But I still want to leave you with one more article to round out February.

Article Series Main Focus Points

  • Cards that you should hold on to or pick up for tournaments if you need them before they rise in price. These cards are either seeing increased play in one or more formats, the supply is drying up, or they’re pretty far from the next reprint.
  • Cards that you should consider selling or trading away. Their prices are pretty much at the ceiling owing to inflation from speculation, reprint inevitability in the near future, a lull in tournament play, or some combination of these.

Holds

Cry of the Carnarium - Ravnica Allegiance (Foil)


Target Purchase Price
$1ish

Yoshihiko Ikawa ran two copies of this card in the maindeck of his second place Esper Control deck at Mythic Championship Cleveland. But that’s not really where I see the potential for this card. It’s actually starting to show up in Modern as a replacement for Flaying Tendrils.

Modern: Sultai by Kitchenfinkel

Although I think Sultai isn’t particularly considered a top-tier deck in Modern right now, Jund and Golgari a.k.a. The Rock have been doing a little bit better again in the format after the banning of Krark-Clan Ironworks. I could see this card being played in the sideboard of either one of those decks.

For the most part, this is pretty much a strict upgrade to Flaying Tendrils since it looks back in time to exile any creatures that went to graveyard before it was cast on the same turn.

Mox Amber - Dominaria (Non-Foil)


Target Purchase Price
$7-9

Circling all the way back to article #1, this is still a card to pick up even though it’s been on a slow increase in the last few days to weeks. There are many people speculating on this card, hoping the next round of legendary creatures and planeswalkers will cause it to skyrocket. There’s a slight chance this could happen with War of the Spark.

While Mox Amber is harder to break than Mox Opal, it’s just a matter of time before a few cards are printed that’ll push it over the top. And when that does, mox mania will ensue. If you can afford to, foils might be nice to pick up too. But for the most part, I think non-foils are the play.

Folds

Craterhoof Behemoth - Modern Masters 2017 Edition (Non-Foil)


Target Sell Price
$30+

This is getting dangerously high in price. Outside of EDH/Commander, it only really sees play in Legacy Elves and as only a one- or two-of. It’s been almost a year since it was reprinted, which isn’t that long ago. But I could see Wizards reprinting this in a supplemental set. If that happens, I think this card will tank pretty hard.

Serum Powder - Iconic Masters (Foil)


Target Sell Price
$10+

This card spiked hard with the announcement of the new mulligan rule Wizards will be trying out at Mythic Championship London. I mentioned this as a Hold in article #8. So if you picked those up then, now is probably a good time to cash in. We don’t know if the test will be successful, so there’s no telling where this card will end up.

There aren’t many foil copies on TCGplayer, and they’re very pricey.

If you decide to risk it and keep them, though, you might want to consider this deck going forward if the mulligan rule sticks around.

This deck also plays Gemstone Caverns, Eldrazi Temple, and Leyline of the Void—all decent cards that play well with the new mulligan rule if it sticks around. I’m a little skeptical of four Dismembers in the maindeck though.

Tempest Djinn - Dominaria (Non-Foil & Foil)


Target Sell Price
Non-Foil: $2-3ish
Foil: $3-4ish

This just won Mythic Championship Cleveland and there were three decks in the Top 8 playing the full playset. It only sees play in Standard, so cash in now. I hope you got these when I mentioned them in article #16.

Siren Stormtamer - Ixalan (Non-Foil & Foil)


Target Sell Price
Non-Foil: $2-3ish
Foil: $3-4ish

Here’s another card in the winning list of Mythic Championship Cleveland that also saw play as a four-of in all three Mono-Blue Tempo decks in the Top 8. This one is a little bit trickier since it’s a flying blue one-drop and is a Wizard. It hasn’t really seen play in Legacy or Modern yet but could. But for now, I would cash in on this owing to the hype and buy these after rotation in October.

Blue Sun's Zenith - Masters 25 (Foil)


Target Sell Price
$3-5

This card spiked owing to another deck/video from MTG Goldfish.

Modern: Sultai Wilderness Teachings by Ftzz

I don’t know if this deck has any legs, so I would definitely dump into the hype. On the other hand, Growth Spiral is still a card to keep an eye on, particularly the FNM promos if they drop below $3 each.

Entrancing Melody - Ixalan (Non-Foil & Foil)


Target Sell Price
Non-Foil: $2-3ish
Foil: $3-4ish

This was played in seven of the eight decks in the Top 8 of Mythic Championship Cleveland. Sell into the hype. Some may argue that it pops up in Temur Threshold in Legacy or Izzet Wizards in Modern. Even so, just pick these up after rotation in October.

Side note: I like foil Cindervines if it drops below $3.

Side note: Keep an eye on Alpine Moon, which I mentioned in article #25.

Summary

Holds

Folds

Stay in touch with me on Twitter at @edwardeng.

Have fun,
Eddie

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