Preparing for the Gods

Posted on September 6, 2013

Theros is finally upon us, and that means the beginning of spoiler season for us diehard fans of the game, both financially and in terms of the hobby. As much as I would love to dive into the set and talk about some very exciting spoilers, I am going to save that all for my set review this time and instead focus on the current options within the vast card pool we already have to watch. I do not know if any of these cards will spike and—even if they do—whether it will be from hype or legitimate interactions, but this week will focus on these cards that all have potential upsides with the upcoming block right around the corner.

I will work backward this week starting with Standard, moving back into Modern and Commander while throwing a few of many Legacy picks as well. My first pick is a card I bought into this past week since they can be obtained for next to nothing. Wear // Tear looks to be a staple in the upcoming block, offering versatility to gain the most out of your removal spells. Time will tell if this becomes a main-deck option, but even as it stands, I can imagine we will see three to four copies in a number of sideboards as the metagame shifts. I would also keep an eye out for Golgari Charms you can obtain as throw ins. Both of these cards can be found for nearly nothing, and either could prove to be a $2 to $3 staple for their lives in Standard over the next year. There is hardly any risk involved since both cards will probably go up over time regardless of their play over the next year, but if enchantments prove to be an issue, these seem to be just the cure.

Witchstalker is another one I have been keeping my eye on, as he wavers in the $3 to $4 range. I am not super-excited about buying into these, but if we see even a few more aggro enchantments, such as Unflinching Courage, we could be looking at a Hexproof shell. On that same note, it may also be worth snagging at least a personal set of Courages in case they do begin to see heavy play. It is unlikely it would see a major spike due to how narrow it is, but that doesn’t mean you want to go shell out $10 or more for a play set down the road either.

Mana Bloom has a very unique effect in that you can play it every turn if you’d like to gain any enters-the-battlefield triggers we may see in this block for enchantments. So far, we have nothing to go on, but I hold out hope that, by the end of this block, the Bloom will be a card. I have acquired a few hundred of these, as they cost next to nothing and seem to be a very good spec because the moment a card is spoiled that has a relevant enough effect to warrant such a card, you can get out at a few times over while never needing the card in question to even see more than casual play.

I understand there are a ton of cards in Standard that interact with all the spoiled cards, but as I mentioned before, this week, I want to concentrate on the enchantment aspect of the block to see what can lend itself to the new set. I know there are a number of other cards, such as Ajani's Chosen, that have potential, but I still can’t imagine a Standard where I want to play such slow cards, so for now, I am sticking with aggressively-costed cards that are already good in their own right but gain a boost when Theros drops.

In Modern, the choices open up a ton, and although it may seem like a lot to look at, you will find most cards that interact favorably with the format already see play and have value—such as Trygon Predator. This is not to say these cards will not see a spike, but it is unlikely they will see enough growth in the short term to make it worth picking them up I believe.

One long forgotten card outside of occasional board play and Commander is Aura of Silence. Not only do you shut your opponent down if you can land this early enough, you also have the ability to control the board if a problematic enchantment—or artifact—does sneak into play. The card already holds some value, but I would pick through my bulk at home if I were you and find every copy you have, as this may become a sleeper if Theros has any effect at all on Modern. It seems that currently, outside of a few select cards, this set will be to slow to compete with the current format, but we have also seen less than half of the spoiler, so it may be too early to tell.

Not necessarily for Modern play, I expect Copy Enchantment to see a large boost in casual play, allowing the price to rise at a quicker pace over time. Sculpting Steel already has plenty of toys, and finally, its equivalent is getting its moment in the sun. Greater Auramancy also fits into this category, though the buy-in price is already much higher than Copy Enchantment and has less room to grow.

Enduring Ideal falls into a bit of a strange category, as it does not seem to be something most Commander players would be interested in, but at the same time, it sees fringe play at best in Modern. It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but all it takes is a win condition wrapped up in an enchantment shell to get this party started, and as you can find these at a $1 or $2, I truly suggest trading for any you can. I can see this being a reasonable buy if you can find them for under $1, but as you are unlikely to do that, I would probably just stick to picking them up on the trade floor.

Harmonic Sliver already sees fringe play, but given the new boost Sliver received, if we see even a whiff of a Modern deck brewing, you can expect this sideboard staple to double in price—as it seems anything remotely playable in Modern does.

As dangerous as some of these enchantments are bound to be, it will probably be important to make sure you have access to them whenever possible. As an unbanned tutor in Modern, Idyllic Tutor could have a huge upswing even with the already high buy-in. This is another card I would much prefer to trade for over paying cash for, as it could just as easily hold steady, but if anything, I can see a huge spike from the upcoming Theros boost.

Zur the Enchanter has to be my last pick for Modern this week, and really, this is more of a safe call than anything else. As one of the most popular Commanders among Spike crowds, Zur already seems extremely cheap to me at $3 to $4. If this were to see play in an Esper control deck that could take advantage of cards such as Detention Sphere, we could see a huge spike, but even with no play at all, I cannot see why this is less than $5 while cards like Azusa, Lost but Seeking can spike to $10 or more just from a small amount of Modern play.

There are a ton of Legacy cards we could talk about in addition to all the small interactions that come with, but as I do not have any idea where to start, I will leave that up to you as the community. Leave the name of a card and why you believe it will spike, and in turn, comment on someone else’s post, encouraging his or her spec or informing him or her of what problems you see arising. I will start for the week.

Enlightened Tutor can be found as cheap as $10, and even when this card isn’t facing down an artifact block, it can usually be found in the $15 range. The fact that the price is still down from average and we are staring down the throat of the gods makes me believe this card is poised for a strong jump by the end of the year.

As always, thank you for reading. I am looking forward to seeing what people think may have some major upsides in both Legacy and Commander. Feel free to critique my picks as well since I am seeing the set at the same pace you all do. I am prone to making quick judgments based solely on theory, which does not always pan out properly. As always, if you have any additional questions and comments, leave them below or hit me up on Twitter.

Ryan Bushard

@CryppleCommand