Locations
Like Dark Ascension, I expect a number of cards will come from nowhere, relatively unplayed, and overnight jump in price once they find a home. If you have been following this series you know by now how I format these set breakdowns so I won’t go into too much detail or bore you with all the fluff. Instead let’s dig right in!
As usual I will just be looking at the rares and evaluating each based on constructed merit and where I expect the price to stabilize at over the next few months. I am not going to give an explanation for "bulk" since we have a great deal of cards to cover, but if you have a question about a particular card you can always send me a tweet or leave a comment after the article.
As with Return to Ravnica, I expect Gatecrash to sell extremely well and in turn lower the prices on the fringe to moderately playable cards. Unlike Return to Ravnica, I now have a comparable set to compare Gatecrash to so my prices will be less reliant on Commander, or even fringe playability, when looking to get an accurate representation. If a card like Slaughter Games, which sees play in multiple formats, can barely hold its head above the bulk bin I don’t expect much from the casual or fringe playable cards in Gatecrash either.
White
Angelic Skirmisher–Bulk
Price–$2
Frontline Medic–The second ability on this card is what will make or break its price for certain. If we continue to see a format dominated by Sphinx's Revelation I can see this guy getting a ton of play. If we see an aggro dominant format where decks are attempting to kill you before his battalion is relevant, then I can just as easily see him falling all the way to bulk.
Price–$3
Gideon, Champion of Justice–I like this guy way more than I should given how fragile he is. I can imagine he will see very limited play, if any, over the next few months as this does not seem to be his format. I hold out hope for the future where this guy can shine in a tapout control deck.
Price–$14
Luminate Primordial–Bulk
Blue
Diluvian Primordial–Bulk
Enter the Infinite–Bulk
Realmwright–Bulk
Simic Manipulator–Bulk
Stolen Identity–Bulk
Black
Price–$2
Lord of the Void–Bulk
Ogre Slumlord–Bulk
Undercity Plague–I like the concept of this card but I feel it will be a little slow for the current environment. At some point I expect this to be one of those sleeper rares from the set that suddenly propels a deck to the top, as you can clear your opponent's board of threats and their hand of answers.
Price–5$
Red
Hellkite Tyrant–Bulk
Legion Loyalist–I am just not a huge fan of this card. I can’t see this being what any aggro deck is actually looking for in the late game to go over the top when you have answers like Hellrider, Thundermaw Hellkite or Falkenrath Aristocrat.
Price–Bulk
Molten Primordial–Bulk
Wrecking Ogre–Bulk
Green
Giant Adephage–Bulk
Gyre Sage–Bulk
Ooze Flux–Bulk
Skarrg Goliath–Bulk
Sylvan Primordial–Bulk
Multicolor
Alms Beast–Bulk
Price–$3
Aurelia, the Warleader–I don’t know how much appeal this will have in the competitive community given the popularity of Thundermaw Hellkite at a mana cheaper, but if it does find a home I could see the price spiking quickly given how much appeal it will have in the casual and Commander crowd.
Price–$8
Aurelia's Fury–I am sure this card will see play but I am also certain that this card is likely the most overhyped in the set. It’s a fine Fog and Silence, but beyond that I cannot see this card making a large enough impact to garnish its current price. I expect it to become a silver bullet in some control decks, and something to board against control for aggro. I don’t see it impacting the format in a way that will keep it above the ten dollar mark.
Price–$8
Biovisionary–Bulk
Borborygmos Enraged–Bulk
Clan Defiance–Bulk
Consuming Aberration–Bulk
Price–$4
Domri Rade–Finally we get to the only card in this set that I feel may be fairly priced at preorder. I have bought a few myself for around $15, but even at $16 to $20 I can see this being a fine pickup if you are looking to play with them. This card has a lot of potential, and one good weekend could net this guy a hefty price tag. I expect a spike to upwards of $35, but as a consistent price point I believe the low twenties is fair.
Price–$20 to $25
Duskmantle Seer–I expect Duskmantle Seer to eventually find a home in a deck that can utilize underpriced creatures and a few counterspells to allow you enough time to bash your opponent to death through flips and attacks. Similar to most cards in this set I do not see a deck immediately available for Seer to fit in, but before his life in Standard is over I expect him to find a home.
Price–$10
Fathom Mage–Bulk
Firemane Avenger–Bulk
Foundry Champion–Bulk
Gruul Ragebeast–Bulk
Price–$2
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind–I like this guy in another format and day of Magic where not everything relies on enters the battlefield triggers and haste. Beyond just being an awesome Commander I can see Lazav in a midrange deck at some point over the next year.
Price–$5
Master Biomancer–This card has huge casual appeal. Although I can see it seeing fringe play in Standard, I feel this guy will eternally be worth something due solely to him being another lord effect.
Price–$4
Merciless Eviction–Bulk
Mind Grind–Bulk
Mystic Genesis–Bulk
Obzedat, Ghost Council–I like this guy as much as the next Spike but I really feel he is overpriced for preorder. I can see him fitting into a number of decks, but I don’t see him as a four-of in most of them.
Price–$15
Price–$15
Rubblehulk–Bulk
Signal the Clans–Bulk
Soul Ransom–When I first looked at this card, I sat and stared trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to get out of it. After looking back a few times I am slowly seeing that this card is hard to evaluate because it rarely gives your opponent a desirable choice. I am looking forward to slamming this on a Thragtusk, forcing my opponent to give me the card advantage one way or the other.
Price–$4
Spark Trooper–Bulk
Treasury Thrull–Bulk
Unexpected Results–Bulk
Whispering Madness–One of the first cards spoiled and its still one of my favorites. If a decks pops up that can utilize more cards than your opponent can deal with I expect this to be a perfect fit. I want to play this on a Duskmantle Seer and overwhelm my opponent with removal and counters to drive Dimir to victory!
Price–$3
Hybrid
Biomass Mutation–I am a huge fan of Mirror Entity, and this will likely steal even more games to a few unblocked tokens. Unfortunately, the card is fairly narrow and will not fit in most aggressive decks. Between Elves and tokens I believe it will stay out of the bulk bin.
Price–$3
Price–$2
Immortal Servitude–Bulk
Nightveil Specter–I don’t see a deck for this to fit in currently, but if you can connect with the Specter a few times you will likely be able to net enough advantage to drive the game home. Duskmantle Seer, Vampire Nighthawk and this guy seem like a solid start to a potential deck design. Unfortunately, this being a promo card keeps the price in check even if he does see play. None the less I think it will hold more than bulk.
Price–$3
Rubblebelt Raiders–Bulk
Artifact
Glaring Spotlight–Bulk
Land
Thespian's Stage–This card is by and far one of the best Commander cards in the set. Vesuva holds its value for a reason, and I expect the Stage to follow a similar pattern.
Price–$6
That’s all we have for spoiler season this time around. I stayed away from the cards that I believe will hold a long term value but I will come back to the set and give a more in depth analysis of what long-term options there are. Thank you for reading and let me know if you feel I am way off on any of the future values. As always you can leave me a comment below or connect with me on Twitter.
Ryan Bushard
