Locations
It’s that time of year again, folks! A new set is upon us! Those of us in the financial world are trying to find the buzz and keep our ear to the ground for the next piece of Hot Tech. There are two main areas where cards can gain value while they are in print, and that is either being a tournament staple or becoming a Commander mainstay. So without further ado, let’s see where we are.
The Mythics!
Of the fifteen mythics in M12, seven of them are new toys for us to play with.
Tournament scene: Cards with the “enchant creature” restriction are rarely good enough to break through as tournament staples, and I don’t think this card has it.
Commander: The fact this has the ability to return every time the creature dies provides virtual card advantage, but I don’t believe the effect is strong enough to become widely played. However, some people will love and want this card.
Verdict: Have one or two in your binder and be willing to trade them away at a couple bucks.
Tournament scene: I think this card is fantastic and will bring a power to green that we haven't seen since Harmonize. We have a lot of raw power in this card, with its only disadvantage being its heavy green mana cost. This will likely lead to you having to play him in a mono green style deck, but being able to overwhelm your opponent with pure card advantage is something that cannot be overlooked.
Commander: This card has some potential, but I think the smaller Garruk may be better than his big brother mainly for his ability to make mana as well as being easier to cast. The new Garruk will definitely fit in mono green decks that need more draw power, but I can't see him being too useful beyond that.
Verdict: People will love and desire this card for as long as it is legal, it is a Planeswalker with a unique ability that is easily abused. I think Garruk will easily stay in the 15-20 range as long as he finds a home.
Editor's Note: This was added after publication.
Tournament scene: I don’t easily dismiss any card with the card type “planeswalker,” and this Jace is no exception. We can’t compare this Jace to his previous two iterations, as this Jace has a more precise use, while his two brothers could be classified as more “general use.” With the rumor that Innistrad could be graveyard-based, it is not crazy to assume that we may be using his second ability on ourselves.
Commander: Planeswalkers are a great tool in Commander, and this one does something completely unique, allowing you and your buddies to all draw twenty cards. Just make sure you know who your buddies are. Also, I know my Commander deck has some pretty awesome graveyard synergies, and will greatly benefit from this card’s addition.
Verdict: Be prepared for this card to blow up if Innistrad allows it to be abused, and pick up some foils for those Commander junkies (like me!). I would approach nonfoils with caution and expect a big drop-off from its presale price, and expect them to stabilize between $8 and $10 until the time comes when it can be abused, when it could reach Koth-like levels. Foil copies should settle around twice what the normal ones are going for, but the foil junkies will probably give a little more so they can have them (like me!).
Tournament scene: This card just doesn’t have what it takes to be a tournament staple.
Commander: If you have someone in your community who has a Baron Sengir Vampire Commander deck, you will be able to move exactly one copy of this card.
Verdict: A casual card through and through, which doesn’t necessarily doom it to the bulk box since it is a Vampire, but I would not expect to get more than $2 to $3 out of this card at any point.
Everything I just said about the last guy, but replace all of the Vampire stuff with Bladewing the Risen and Dragon stuff.
I will take this time to say that I really like the direction they took with Bloodthirst in this set, and while I am not sure that it will see much Constructed play, I think they may have made it a Limited powerhouse. Bravo to Wizards on that one.
Tournament scene: I will admit that I was skeptical about this girl until I had the following conversation with a certain Medina:
Me: I mean seriously, what is the best thing you are going to copy with it?
Him: Cruel Ultimatum.
Me: ::head . . . explodes::
Also, her ability to protect herself from the anemic beatdowns is an added bonus. My biggest concern is how she will interact with Koth, seeing as they both occupy the 4 slot. Since they play different roles, different decks will want more of one than the other and play those accordingly.
Commander: The Cruel Ultimatum scenario is just the beginning when it comes to Commander. Can you even imagine what it would be like to copy a Time Stretch? It would be embarrassing to lose any game where one copy resolved, let alone two of them. This card will be played in Commander.
Verdict: How is this card preselling for less than Jace? No respect for the red mages? I still think it will come down from where it is currently, but will settle in the $12-to-$15 range once people find a home for her. The Commander players will want their foils, so pick them up early and have them ready. The sooner you get the foils, the higher the premium you can charge; just make sure you move them, as their price will plummet once the market equalizes.
Tournament scene: I can think of some ways this card could see some tournament play, but they all involve changing the stats on the card itself, or for other cards to be printed. I don’t have high hopes for this guy.
Commander: Looks like the Doubling Season decks have a new toy to play with, basically allowing this guy to triple in size every turn. If you play him for 5, it would only take two turns before he is swinging for life-total-sized chunks. Even under normal circumstances, he grows at an alarming rate, especially for how much mana you can pump into this guy in a typical Commander game.
Verdict: Underwhelming for Constructed, but have some on hand for those more casual Commander players. Be willing to move them around $2 or $3.
This covers all of the new mythics that we will be seeing in M12. While overall they seem to be more focused on the casual side of Magic, there are definitely some gems.
A Note on Alters
There was something of an outcry after my last article that I forgot about alters in the world of Pimp. The world of alters could have an entire article written about it just from the diversity of the different pieces that exist, but I am going to touch on a few things here.
Alters come in two basic flavors: extensions and picture alterations. Extensions basically take the originally picture and extend beyond the original borders. Picture alterations take the original picture and replace it with a new picture.
Alterations can add some very unique Pimp to a collection, but the more specific the alteration, the harder it is to move. For instance, I had Eric Klug put my face on a card, and while I think that card was worth what I paid him to alter it, I can’t imagine many other people clamoring to trade for it. However, the more generic alters, such as extensions, can definitely add true value to the card; the problem is acquiring the card for less than what you will be able to trade it for.
In summary, I think alters are some of the coolest cards you can have in your collection, but at the same time, they are pieces you should have to own and not to trade, and if I were going to drop some cash on an alter, I would make sure it was done by the best artist possible, and make sure it was something I want. I own several alters, and I love them, but they are something that I own to show off, and not something I want to trade to someone else again.
Happy grinding!
JR Wade
JohnRobertWade at gmail dot com
@THEJRRR on Twitter
