Magic 2014 – Anyone Home?

Posted on July 12, 2013

The core set is finally upon us, and for once, it doesn’t look like we will be smashed with $50-and-higher mythics with the coming release. Overall, the set seems to be chalked full of sideboard love and really lacking in anything that could form a new archetype. That does not mean there will not be financial upsides to the set, but I don’t expect to be rushing out to buy boxes this time around. As usual, I will talk about what cards I think are solid pick-ups now and cover the remainder of the casual cards in a month or so when the set finally drops and most of the cards hit the basement.

Ajani, Caller of the Pride – With this guy plateauing at $5, I don’t see a reason not to trade for them. I would not go out of my way to acquire or buy them, but once a ’walker hits a certain point, even reprints can’t drop them much lower.

Archangel of Thune – Some people are speculating that this is the next Baneslayer Angel. I feel that this is one of the cards that will plummet the most from the set, and I expect it to settle around $5 before it sees any growth—which will probably only come from the casual community. I don’t feel that the card does enough to warrant the cost, and though it certainly can be abused in certain archetypes, I feel that those are currently nowhere close to existing.

Devout Invocation – Bulk

Ajani's Chosen – With the expected enchantment theme in Theros, I can see speculating on this for no other reason than just the hype, but I think you have some time to wait for a floor. I believe that even with a theme behind it, this guy just won’t viably be fast enough to be relevant, but the casual crowd will probably flock to him in testing, so I expect a jump regardless.

Imposing Sovereign – One of the sideboard cards I was talking about earlier, this guy has potential given a Humans theme or a hate-bear strategy, but I am not sure he even warrants a ’board spot given how fragile he is. It’s too expensive either way to be getting in, so keep an eye out, and see what the price does for now.

Path of Bravery – My friend talked me out of liking this card, and similar to Ajani's Chosen, I do believe this card will see a spike down the road—just on casual terms—but for now, I would not be looking to go to deep. It should be noted, though, as much as I dislike the Angel and feel this is too weak, the interaction between them in the correct shell could prove me wrong down the road.

Bonescythe Sliver – The whole cycle of Slivers will eternally be picks, and they are always fine to trade for just because of the demand, but I would not buy in. All of these will probably hold $1 or so and will be easy to move, so look for them as throw-ins.

Seraph of the Sword – I want this card to be good, and a few years ago, it would have been, but when you’re competing with cards like Restoration Angel, I just don’t see much of a reason to consider her. This, like the Slivers, will hold some appeal I imagine, so feel free to grab them for cheap, but otherwise, I would not expect much in terms of competitive play.

Silence – Bulk

Planar Cleansing – Bulk

Indestructibility – Bulk

Fiendslayer Paladin – Without protection, this guy is eaten apart by most of the creatures you want him against. It’s fringe-board-playable now, but I don’t expect much in terms of financial value. Even if he finds a main-deck home, it will be hard for his price to rise any more than it already has.

Jace, Memory Adept – This guy has a bit more to fall before he reaches the floor for a playable planeswalker, but I expect to be able to pick them up in trade and hold them until they see control play again and rise to $10 or so. For now, trade them away if you can.

Windreader Sphinx – Bulk—costs too much and requires other cards to be any good.

Tidebinder Mage – Here’s one of the few cards I expect to be worth buying in to in this set. Play sets can be found for $4 or under currently, and that seems just fine. I don’t expect this to go insane and hit $10 or higher, but I can certainly see this holding $3 to $4 through Standard and going up from Eternal play after.

Elite Arcanist – Bulk

Jace's Mindseeker – Bulk

Galerider Sliver – If Slivers is a viable strategy in any format, this will be part of that, so I may pick these up more aggressively than others.

Colossal Whale – Bulk

Clone – Bulk

Traumatize – Just above bulk; expect no movement.

Dismiss into Dream – Bulk

Domestication – Bulk

Quicken – Bulk

Liliana of the Dark Realms – Like Jace, she has some room to fall. Dump them if you open them, and expect the price to cut in half, barring her seeing play.

Shadowborn Demon – I like this creature in the correct format, which is sadly not the current one. His price is certainly too high to start, so if you open them, dump them, but expect this card to stay above bulk and potentially be worth picking up down the road.

Rise of the Dark Realms – Foils will be insane for Commander, and regular copies will probably be in demand at first for the same reason, but if you can’t unload them quickly, expect a drop.

Liliana's Reaver – Sadly, this guy falls just short of being playable, and as I don’t see that changing, I see no reason to be picking them up.

Dark Prophecy – I believe the presale is a little much, but if this card tanks or you can pick them up cheap, I feel safe saying that this card will see some amount of play, even if just in the ’board. Somewhere, right now, people are brewing with this, and I can’t say I blame them. There’s not much financial opportunity currently, but keep a finger on the pulse of this enchantment.

Nightmare – Bulk

Lifebane Zombie – I see no reason to not be aggressively picking these up in trade. I expect this to be Eternal-playable, and that bodes well for his long-term price. Standard should find a home for him as well, but it may take rotation to reveal that.

Bogbrew Witch – Bulk

Grim Return – This card requires too much setup I feel, but perhaps in a shell after rotation, we may see me proven wrong. If this card said, “from anywhere,” I could see the merits, but as of now, I am not convinced.

Xathrid Necromancer – This card has been seeing considerable testing, and I expect a spike in the first week just from how many decks will be attempting to jam them. Take advantage of the initial spike, and sell into the hype. I believe this card will probably drop after rotation, but for now, I feel fine trading for them.

Syphon Sliver – See Bonescythe Sliver.

Sanguine Bond – The card hasn’t seen the floor yet, and even with the potential combo in Standard, I don’t see any growth on the horizon.

Chandra, Pyromaster – I like this card a lot, but sadly, I have to agree with the majority who feel this iteration of Chandra doesn’t have a home. The abilities don’t work well together, but I feel a Grixis deck could take advantage of both abilities. No matter what, sell out now since it is unlikely she will see enough play to warrant the presale price.

Scourge of Valkas – Mythic Dragons will always hold some value, and though this guy is overpriced from the start, I expect a point at which he may be a reasonable pick-up down the road.

Mindsparker – Similar to Voice, expect the ability to be secondary, but considering he comes equipped with a reasonable body that at least deals 2 for a Wrath, I feel he can be a contender. I don’t expect much of a rise, but I don’t see any issue trading for them at the current price.

Goblin Diplomats – I love the flavor, but unfortunately, I feel he will end up in the bulk bin.

Chandra's Phoenix – It’s above bulk but unlikely to jump much unless a deck forms that can abuse Chandra and her Phoenix.

Shivan Dragon – Bulk

Thorncaster Sliver – See other Slivers.

Awaken the Ancient – Bulk

Ogre Battledriver – I’m not sure he can compete with the other 4-drops in red, but as he drops, he may be a real contender after rotation.

Burning Earth – It’s not a bad spec, and it certainly has potential in the current metagame of nonbasics. As a player, I would certainly pick up a play set now, as they will see play even if the price doesn’t go up much.

Wild Ricochet – Bulk

Garruk, Caller of Beasts – Similar to Chandra, he is overpriced to start, but unlike Chandra, Garruk has a few homes already. I don’t expect a spike just due to his mana cost, as he is unlikely to be more than a one- or two-of in those decks.

Kalonian Hydra – I just don’t see the appeal to this guy, but I have been wrong before. He is extremely overpriced, so regardless of whether you like him, dump him now.

Primeval Bounty – As this card drops, look at picking them up for casual play, but as of now, $8 is just too much to make me excited about this card.

Witchstalker – It’s overpriced to start regardless of play, but given the current Hexproof shell, he will probably see some play. I don’t expect much more than a ’board card down the road, but if he finds a home after rotation when his price drops, I will be keeping an eye on them.

Savage Summoning – I feel this card is slightly overpriced, but if it sees any play in the first week, it will spike even higher, and if not, it probably won’t drop instantly, so I don’t have any issue trading for them now. As it’s a rare, I don’t see the price holding, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a quick flip in the first week.

Garruk's Horde – Bulk

Oath of the Ancient Wood – Bulk

Megantic Sliver – See other Slivers.

Vastwood Hydra – It’ll be bulk at first; it may spike due to being a Hydra.

Into the Wilds – Presale is low, and this is another effect that Commander players love. Trade for them at bulk, and hope to gain some value from them or sell them in bulk later.

Scavenging Ooze – There’s not much to say about this guy. He’s unlikely to spike much higher down the line as more are opened, but if it sees heavy play at first, I can see a short-term spike.

Darksteel Forge – This one isn’t done going down yet, so dump them now while you can.

Ring of Three Wishes – It’s on par with what I expect the card to end up at. Commander will carry the value at first, and foils will probably be through the roof in the beginning. Trade for them if you have an outlet; otherwise, I would just ignore them.

Door of Destinies – As with most of the reprints, I expect the Door to drop more.

Pyromancer's Gauntlet – This is unlikely to make an impact on any real formats, but it’s a casual card for sure. Probably in the basement, this could be the Parallel Lives of the set.

Ratchet Bomb – It’s fine trade fodder, but I would not be looking to buy in.

Haunted Plate Mail – I like this card a lot, and I feel that it is among the safer pick-ups in the set. Already bulk, there is nowhere to go but up, and this card seems as though it will see Commander play, at least giving you an outlet even if it never makes it above bulk.

Strionic Resonator – Similar to Pyromancer's Gauntlet, expect long-term gains, but it’s currently above bulk, so stay away.

Guardian of the Ages – Bulk

Trading Post – I’m happy to see this card back, but I’ll probably be holding at bulk.

Mutavault – This is still overpriced, but I can see it settling between $8 and $10 and going up from there over time.

As always, thanks for joining me for the financial review. This set is a little lighter on the playables than is usually desired, but there are still some gems to be found. Keep an eye out this coming weekend for these cards at your local prerelease. Check in next week for more financial information directly from the source!

Ryan Bushard

@CryppleCommand