Locations
Welcome back to another article of budget magic! Today we are going to investigate some newer cards, and how we can actually get some bling to our decks without spending too much! With the new oil raised foils in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, we have a new opportunity to get traditional foils at a lower rate than before! Speculators probably hate this, as it is just one more thing to "devalue" a card, monetarily speaking; but, for players on a budget this is a huge win! I hope by the end of this article you consider acquiring some of the cards discussed for your trade binder! As always here is a list of cards to consider outside of the ones we do a deeper dive on!
- Swooping Lookout - A 1-drop 1/2 creature with both flying and vigilance. What more do you need? The current price is $0.20 for non-foils and $0.25 for foils.
- Jawbone Duelist - Having not only toxic 1 but double strike makes this an interesting pick for a Boros (
) or Selesnya (
) build. We can buff it to make it a larger threat, and also put multiple poison counters on our opponent if unblocked! The current price is $0.22 for non-foils and $0.30 for foils! - Phyrexian Arena - Now we have it in pioneer format, and it is a huge bargain with yet another reprint! The current price is $3.01 for non-foils and $3.16 for foils!
- Rebel Salvo - An interesting piece for sideboards in the event we run into a planeswalker heavy deck, or a deck utilizing indestructibility! The current price is $0.22 for non-foils and $0.26 for foils!
- Karumonix, the Rat King - Rats get yet another tool in their arsenal, and they would all gain Toxic 1 once this is on the board. The current price is $0.99 for non-foils and $0.99 for foils!
- Compleat Devotion - A great 2-drop card to add to any deck utilizing toxic creatures. Getting not only a buff but card advantage as well at common rarity makes this one worth grabbing a playset of. The current price is $0.16 for the non-foils and $0.25 for the foils!
- Offer Immortality - Another great common rarity card. Instant speed that gives our creature both deathtouch and indestructibility for only two mana is huge for Black decks! The current price is $0.19 for the non-foils and $0.27 for the foils!
- Zealot's Conviction - For one mana we get to utilize an instant speed aura with the upside of an additional +1/+0 and first strike if we are utilizing poison counters. The current price is $0.15 for non-foils and $0.22 for foils!
- Infested Fleshcutter - This card is a complimentary piece to decks that utilize either poison counters, token creatures, and/or duplicating token creatures. Could be used as a budget option in Commander for those looking for an equipment card with upside. The current price is $0.24 for non-foils and $0.30 for foils!
- Tamiyo's Logbook - This looks like it could benefit from treasure decks and/or artifact styled decks that need something to give more card advantage on the cheap! Another budget friendly card that could be utilized in Commander format! The current price is $0.21 for non-foils and $0.25 for foils!
) Pioneer decks, and also used in Blue Commander decks looking for creature control on a budget! For Pioneer, I felt this could work as a one-of, possibly two-of depending on the build, and/or a sideboard piece. Being able to not only control a creature, but possibly copy something that is a big threat is a complete game changer! This is something most Blue decks would want, as they are prolonging the game until they are ready to end it. This card can do just that! Regarding Commander, this looks like it could be a budget friendly option against decks that look to be a threat to us using big creatures. At the current price it is one to consider trading into to add to your trade binder!
Next on our list is going to be Vindictive Flamestoker. The current price is $0.40 for non-foils and $0.50 for foils. This is one that I felt could be supplemented in Red decks for late game card advantage. The design of the card makes perfect sense, play early, cast burn spells to give it counters, and when you run low or out of plays we sacrifice it. This is exactly the type of thing that all Red decks can benefit from. Of course, there are a couple downsides to consider, one being its toughness. The other is we have to be able to cast noncreature spells in order to give it the counters. Overall, this is one to toy around with putting two into your main board and see how it works with your deck!
First, the fact it has both deathtouch and first strike is huge! We can basically kill anything that comes our way as long as the opposing creature does not have first or double strike. Second, if we dealt combat damage to our opponent we get card advantage, enchantment removal, or counter removal! One thing to consider with counter removal is that we can get rid of planeswalker threats! The enchantment removal and counter removal is what opens the door for this to be used in budget Commander decks. These are several upsides for a creature only costing three total mana, and one I'd recommend adding into your trade binders!
Last on our list today is going to be Vraan, Executioner Thane. The current price is $0.50 for non-foils and $0.75 for foils. This has potential in Commander and Pioneer. In Commander we can put this into a deck where we can find little creatures or tokens to sacrifice on each of our opponents turns once we build a base up. If we are able to do this, we could be dealing up to eight damage to each opponent by our next turn! Then add in the possibility of a life gain/loss trigger and that number now doubles! In Pioneer this would complement as an additional source to deal damage when our creatures die. Although it is a legendary creature, I would add two to the mainboard and see how it fares with synergy!
That is all for today, thank you for reading this installment, and hope you come back for the next one!
