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With the first Standard 5k of the coming season fast approaching, there are a few cards that deserve some additional attention in light of the new set. These are not necessarily big gainers, but definitely cards to keep on your radar. Conditions are right for them to see an uptrend in price.
If you follow my blog or my Twitter, and you ought to, you'll know how I feel about this already. The card was initially dismissed by many set reviewers, but a few picked up on the scalability and power of a spell that still only costs a single mana. While mitigated by the quantity of land you have, the fact is that most decks considering this card can run on very few lands anyway. Making two 2/2s for {R} and 2 land is very good, and making two 3/3s is also great, but more risky. It pairs well with Goblin Guide, Goblin Bushwhacker, and tons of burn, and as such, may breathe new life into RDW and Boros archetypes. It's crept up from the < $1 range to the $1-2 range, and is probably not quite done yet. Rating: Strong Buy.
There were rumblings about this when Eldrazi Conscription debuted, but now that a deck has qualified its pilot for German Nationals with the combo, it merits far more attention. It slots well into existing Mythic decks, and can be a game-ending bomb when played correctly. The creature is of substantial size, and the Exalted effects go right along with Mythic's gameplan. They are also still in the $1-2 range, but Alara Reborn cards are becoming hard to find. If Mythic is a big deck this summer, you can expect to see some decks trying to abuse this engine. Rating: Strong Buy.
The other half of the combo, the enchantment really only merits two slots in the potential Mythic deck but it will be an in-demand card nonetheless, assuming the deck remains good. It's under $2 right now, which means that you will probably make some money by getting cheap copies in trade. While it will likely never break the $5 mark, it could come close giving you an easy double-up. Rating: Buy.
These are two enabling cards of the same deck, essentially. The deck aims to cheat out a large monster like Emrakul on an early turn and hope to win the game outright. A Polymorph deck cracked the top 8 at a Midwest Masters event recently, but a Summoning Trap deck has yet to be seen. Both have crept up to around $3, which is closing in on $5, where they ought to be. The decks are mostly unproven, but you'd rather get them cheap if you still can then be left out in the cold once they really spike. Rating: Buy on both, with an emphasis on Polymorph over Trap.
A lot of questions about Vengevine are floating around, and I hope to clarify a few of them. Yes, Vengevine will probably see a good amount of play. No, it is not time to sell off your Vengevines. No, this is not the second Lotus Cobra in the making. Vengevine is a very good aggressive card, and it lends green decks the card advantage they usually lack. Between this, Bloodbraid Elf, Ranger of Eos and Kor Skyfisher, Naya-oriented aggro decks have a wealth of tools at their disposal, not to mention the absolute best creatures in the game today and the best mana fixing. Vengevine probably doesn't have too much higher to go, but there is even an outside chance that it and Gideon swap places. Gideon is the splashier card, but few decks will run 4. On the other hand, almost every aggressive strategy these days uses green and will use 4 Vengevines if they use any at all. Rating: Hold. Trade for them if possible but do not assume a rise in value, although it would not be unprecedented.
Continuing the Vengevine discussion, it seems like Gideon is due for a bit of a downturn. He will probably end up as a 2, maybe 3-of in white aggro or control decks, but it is unlikely that a deck will play 4. The green aggro decks are more popular than the white-only aggro decks, and while Gideon and Vengevine might see play alongside each other, it seems like more decks will use Vengevine. If Vengevine sees more play, Gideon will drop to accomodate Vengevine's rising price. Even if the Vine doesn't show up, Gideon will not be in high enough demand to support a $40 price tag. Rating: Sell, but keep 1 or 2 if you intend to play them since the drop won't be too severe.
If this were not included in the premade decks, it would be a strong buy. The card offers tremendous versatility for its cost, and comparisons to Bitterblossom and Goblin Assault are poor. This gives you a blocker, a way to feed Eldrazi Monument, mana acceleration, or any combination thereof, and that's a lot for a 3-mana enchantment. There will surely be decks that try to use this, and although it's impossible to know for sure, it seems likely that it will get played more than it won't. $10 is the absolute limit for the card, and even that seems unlikely. It might gain a buck or two, but there's no need to acquire them aggressively. Rating: Hold, acquire cheaply when possible.
This is a pretty speculative call, but I'm high on this card right now. It has shown that it has the potental to be very good, but it never quite "got there". The combination of Bushwhacker, Death's Shadow, Devastating Summons, and a host of effective, efficient cheap burn suddenly make Ad Nauseam look like a card worth considering. While I've not seen a list that knocks me out of my seat, it's a card to acquire as you can, on the off-chance that the deck gets popular on MTGO or something. Rating: Weak Buy.
Those are just a few cards to keep on your radar going into the weekend. After the 5k results post, there will be a much better-defined metagame to analyze. Be sure to keep up with the coverage to stay on top of the changing prices over the weekend. Twitter is fast becoming a great tool to stay on top of the metagame, so if you don't already, get on there and follow @kellyreid and @mananation.
You'll thank me.
