Locations
The time has once again come to look back at my set review and weigh the good and the bad to see where I measure up. The set is relatively new still, and so some of the higher prices have not adjusted, and some of the sleepers may yet still be slumbering, but nonetheless, it is time to see where we stand. If you heeded my advice during spoiler season and wrote down your predictions, it is time to dust them off and see just how accurate we were. I will run down the same list I did in these articles so we can directly compare predictions versus actual prices.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $5 | $25 |
Precinct Captain – I expected this guy to see play in some W/x aggro as soon as the format came out, and then he’d potentially spike. Although there was a brief spike when W/U aggro started doing well after States, it was short-lived, as the W/U Flash variant took over, leaving this guy in the dust. I can see his price spiking back to $4 on and off through his time in Standard, but for now, I was certainly a little high on my prediction.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $2 |
Cyclonic Rift – Finally a card I was right in there on. I saw this seeing play as a way for control to slam the door on aggro in the late game, and it seems it has also proved to be a useful tool in the mirror matches in addition to allowing you to bounce Angels and planeswalkers alike.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $3.5 |
Jace, Architect of Thought – I am pretty happy to say Jace exceeded even my expectations for playability, and in turn, he has risen even higher than I had originally predicted. Although he is currently $35 retail, his auction price can be found as low as $25 quite regularly, leading me to believe his retail number may drop soon enough.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $22 | $35 |
Sphinx of the Chimes – This was one of my more off-the-wall called shots from this set, as I had hoped a deck able to use this in conjunction with Veilborn Ghoul would arise. Alas, I was incorrect, and it does not seem this guy will be rising from the bulk bin any time soon.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $3 | $.50 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $10 | $3 |
Grave Betrayal – This one tanked even harder than I expected, but I feel that over time, this will increase due to Commander and casual crowds.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $2 | $.50 |
Necropolis Regent – This has gone about as expected, and I see the price holding just above bulk.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $2 | $2.50 |
Underworld Connections – Although it has seen some play over the past few months, this card is proving to be no Phyrexian Arena. I don’t expect a sharp increase any time soon, but I do see people still trying to make the card work.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $5 | $1.50 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $5 | $5 |
Guild Feud – I feel that this is a card the potential of which has not been delved into in Modern; however, I also make some wild shots.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $2 | $.50 |
Utvara Hellkite – This dropped slightly lower than I thought it would. As expected, though, it has held value from the casual players and collectors
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $2.50 |
Deadbridge Goliath – Being released as a promo killed the price on this guy, and his lack of play has given me no reason to believe that will change any time soon.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $1 |
Abrupt Decay – I fully believe I was right on the money with this card, and I expect it to stay stable around where it is now.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $10 | $8 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $12 | $10 |
Collective Blessing – Holding barely above bulk, Collective Blessing, has shown some potential in sideboards and is likely to pick up quickly for the casual crowd. Possibly the next Parallel Lives.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $3 | $1 |
Detention Sphere – I was correct in the assessment of the card, but I was a little low on the price. I expected Zombies to keep down control more than it did, and I therefore undervalued this card in the current format.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $6 | $8 |
Dreadbore – I expected this to be in Zombies, but when that fell, I expected the price to tank. Luckily, Jund has become a major metagame player, leaving Dreadbore with a home in Standard.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $6 | $8 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $7 | $4 |
Isperia, Supreme Judge – So far, Isperia has managed to stay above bulk, but her lack of play is already catching up. I don’t believe what I mentioned about being a conditional one- or two-of is correct; there are far better options in the current format.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $2 |
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord – The normal version is down to $3, while the Duel Decks copy is still $6. I still believe he has not found a home, and if that continues, I can see the price dropping even further.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $5 | $3 or $6 |
Lotleth Troll – This guy saw as much play as I expected but has tanked far quicker than I predicted. The fact that Zombies never became the dominating force everyone predicted never gave the Troll enough time to shine.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $12 | $6 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $3 | $5 |
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius – I still cannot understand why this card does not get jammed in more U/R midrange or control decks. If you have ever untapped with this guy, you know the definition of driver’s seat. There is no way this guy doesn’t hit $15 somewhere in his Standard life.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $15 | $5 |
Rakdos, Lord of Riots – This one has been relatively accurate. The B/R suicide deck that has sported Rakdos has shown to be fringe-playable but still shows up occasionally.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $5 |
Rakdos's Return – I have been on this card from the beginning, and it has proven to be among the scarier cards control can tap out to cast. Jund and other midrange decks have even taken to main-decking Return to great success.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $6 | $10 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $6 | $10 |
Supreme Verdict – A card like this will ebb and flow through the price scale over its life in Standard. The Legacy applications will always make it worth picking up if ever the price should be near bulk.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $6 |
Trostani, Selesnya's Voice – I was a bit surprised when I reread this article to discover I was not a huge fan of this card. I’ve been impressed with Trostani ever since I started playing her in G/W/x midrange variants, and I cannot believe she is only $8 right now, much less ever $4.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $4 | $8 |
Vraska the Unseen – As expected, this price has plummeted over the past few months, just now finally crawling into the sideboards of some midrange variants. I am sure that at some point, her price will spike, but as of now, I see her staying fairly stagnant.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $16 | $12 |
Wayfaring Temple – Without a deck, this card is floundering. Nothing has shown to be quite good enough for any serious competitive play.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $3 | $1 |
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $6 | $12 |
Growing Ranks – Unfortunately, fringe play has kept this card from hitting bulk. Given time, I do believe this will obtain about the same price as Parallel Lives.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $3 | $1.50 |
Nivmagus Elemental – I was happy to dump the few copies I had when they showed up on the Pro Tour, and I hope you all did the same. I don’t see many brave souls wanting to pilot that or any similar deck any time soon.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $3 | $2 |
Chromatic Lantern – This card has seen less play than I expected, but the price seems to have stabilized for now. Expect the price to climb upward slowly as a continual staple in Commander.
| Prediction: | Actual: |
| $7 | $4 |
Whew, I am surprised I was able to fit all of the thoughts into one article this time. I am sorry I cut some of the explanations short to conserve space, but most of them don’t really need me to describe what you already know. Thank you as always for reading as always, and join me next week for another theme week here on GatheringMagic.com.
Ryan Bushard
