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In the wake of Avenger of Zendikar's meteoric rise over the weekend, I wanted to talk for a moment about how I evaluate Mythics and hopefully set a good framework for people looking for The Next Big Thing. Truth is, I "had" the Avenger call, but I hadn't a clue it would blow up so quickly. I was aware of the card's power in Block, but didn't anticipate it making a 75 card deck before rotation. Sorry I couldn't keep you guys ahead of this one, but I really didn't think it would be so soon.
With Shards block rotating soon and M10 morphing into M11, the foundation of the new Standard environment will be built with the Mythics of Zendikar block. While there are Mythics that are already expensive, such as Lotus Cobra and Abyssal Persecutor, that have room to grow, I'm more interested in covering the low-dollar Mythics that can double up in a heartbeat.
The effect she generates, especially given all the extra ways to trigger Landfall, is extremely powerful and she's an efficient body for the cost. You'll quickly notice that a lot of cards on this list get better with Lotus Cobra, and this is no different. When the plethora of cheap, good removal rotates from the format, Admonition Angel could have her day. She's cheap enough to make it a good flier.
I was expecting this to be huge at the Block Pro Tour, but I didn't expect it to make any waves in Standard yet. Given that decks seem to have no problem generating the mana to slam down giant trees that spit out hordes of little bush-monsters, getting up to enough mana to just rock someone with Comet Storm won't be an issue. The versatility of the card adds to its raw power. Sometimes you just need to pay 3RR to shock a pair of creatures, but sometimes you need to play 5RR to Bolt an opponent and his best two creatures. I just love how many ways you can cast Comet Storm, too. It's never the most efficient way to do something (go to the dome, sweep a board, spot remove a threat), but it can do everything. I love this card right now, and while it might not pop any time soon, it has potential.
I tweeted about this the other day. Ob Nixilis has so much potential, but almost none of it seems to get abused. The trick to the Landfall guys that cost more than Lotus Cobra is that, well, you should probably pair them with Lotus Cobra. A 5-drop that needs you to play more land usually isn't good enough, but turning every land drop into a Bolt seems fine. He's as cheap as Mythics come right now, and the loss of Path to Exile will help his cause. Another card I'll be buying up aggressively.
I'm not sure about this one, since it's basically the same idea as Ob Nixilis, but more expensive. I personally prefer Ob Nix, since he just goes to the dome immediately, but there's a certain satesfaction that comes with crapping out a horde of 4/4s. I don't really think these will ever be a high-dollar Mythic, but they may have room to grow. Being a promo foil hurts their value too, but they're already seeing use in Turbo Land.
I'm listing this card because I like to always go out on a limb and explore "What If" scenarios. The main issue with Omnath right now is that there's no home for him. His set of abilities is quite unique, and it would surprise me for such a powerful card to see no play. If you ignore the fact that he starts as a 1/1 for 3 and consider situations in which he could be good, you start to see potential. Yes, he will sometimes just suck up a Bolt to the face, but most 3-drops can suffer the same fate. I personally love that he allows you to mana ramp while beating, but I don't like how bad he becomes once you start using the mana. He's a tough card to play, but once someone figures out how best to use his unique ability set, he could see a lot of play. I wouldn't go out buying them yet, but get them in trade if it won't mean giving up the world.
Mini Mailbag!
Last week's Mailbag column was well-received, and was a great way for me to interact with my readers as well as cover some important topics. I'm going to try to answer a reader question or two each week, since I really value the people who take the time to read my words. They always spark interesting debate, so here are a couple questions for this week.
@JuzamJedi on Twitter asks: "What cards in ZEN block will likely nosedive in value after shards rotation?"
I love this question because it shows another way of looking at an upcoming change in the game. Most people want to know what ZEN block cards are going to rise, or what Shards cards will see some love in Extended, but this question really makes me think. My first thought is that some of the Planeswalkers might cool off, but the loss of Bloodbraid Elf makes Planeswalkers a lot less mortal. Jace and Gideon are probably safe atop their heap of money right now. If Ranger of Eos stays gone (rumor says it might come back) and Bloodbraid rotates, Vengevine might lose a few dollars. Regardless, the Vine is absurd and justifies a $30+ price tag. We'll have to see what Scars of Mirrodin brings, but most of the ZEN block Mythics look alright for now. Eldrazi Conscription is gonna take a hit because Sovereigns are gone, and Raging Ravine might take a hit because Jund and Naya both lose crucial cards.
@Ciberon on Twitter asks: "When you first buy a card which you believe it's price will go up, do you already think at what price can you sell it later?"
Absolutely. When I consider a card's final price, I usually look at a few things. First, where did it start? Second, where is it now? Third, based on past precedent with cards similar, what can I expect in the future? I will only buy a lot of something if I believe it would be easy to make 50%-100% on the deal, all told, because it's not worth the time otherwise. I usually make an estimate of what "dealer price" will settle at, and will usually target a price about 10-20% below that in order to make a quick flip. So, yes, I almost always have a target price about 75% higher than I paid for the card which I aim to hit every time.
Always the comic, @BottsThoughts on Twitter asks: "If able would you have PB&J's with Lilliana, or rather share a hot tub champagne date w/ Elspeth?"
Unforunately, my heart is spoken-for, so the lovely ladies of the Multiverse will have to look elsewhere for love. However, were I a single man, I'd probably opt for the champagne date with Elspeth. I don't really go for bad girls, and I prefer champagne to sandwiches. That's all for this week!
