Magic Mondays!: Massive Khans Update-Part 2.
Magic Mondays! (Again on a Tuesday this time)
Hello everyone, time for another edition of Magic Mondays! Well...I know it’s on a Tuesday this time around. Though I want to take this time to say there will be a lot of content coming to BSB, and I have been fairly preoccupied with that. Setting up new articles/writers, making sure the Podcasts come out in a more timely manner. I will say, again, I apologize for the delay on the content here at BSB. I want to take full responsibility, but, please forgive me. I do a lot here on the back-end at BSB trying to keep this going and provide great content for everyone. I also have to come out of my comfort zone, editing audio, and making sure to proof read and re-proof read everything. Even then, some things slip through the crack. No one here gets paid or compensated (yet) and everyone who contributes to BSB is purely passion based. So, thank you again another time, for sticking with us.
That being said. Here is part 2 of the Khans spoiler (now fully spoiled) and I wanted to keep the same format. Giving Financial anecdotes along the way for each of the cards I want to highlight. I will be highlighting more cards this time around, since the set was fully spoiled.
Ascendancies:(all of them together)
I think these are all very similar in terms of playability in Standard. Outside of standard I think these could be solid addition to EDH decks, and table-top players. As far as a competitive environment, they are all mediocre. Though, Temur Ascendancy has the most promise out of the bunch. I have seen in a few places people speculating and brewing to some varying success to using Temur Ascendancy, mainly alongside Knuckleblade, Stormbreath Dragon, and Sagu Mauler. Which seems fairly solid, giving giant 4+ power creatures haste, and also giving you some cards along the way. I would have to say it stops there, the other Ascendancy cards will inevitably go into the junk rare bin. I could really be wrong, but comparing these to a format of Goblin Rabblemaster, and Courser of Kruphix, I think there’s better things to do with three mana. The one thing any of these (again mainly Temur) has going for them is the fact that they give 2 devotion to multi-color gods, which can buoy their effectiveness *maybe* in Standard. Though more so in EDH/casual games.
Financial Anecdotes: I really can’t say much about these other than being in the .25c rare bins. Even if Temur Ascendancy does end up getting more attention and is a playable card, I can’t see it peaking more than 2$, if that. I think there’s just better rares that will soak up more of the value of the set than these cards. Fetches/Mauler/Knuckleblade just to name a few.
As I keep going over these cards I’m going to do them in groups. So, the explanations will be a little elongated to get as in depth as possible.
Multicolor role-players:
Butcher of the Horde: I think this somehow fills the void of Desecration Demon. I don’t think the two cards are on the same stratosphere, D-Demon being clearly better. Though, this is unique in it’s own right as we will most likely see this card on the other side of the table. It’s undercosted, big, evasive, and has a solid ability. I do question the validity of players using BWR, as it never really was a popular tri-color to begin with. Though, there seemed to have been some successful looking Mardu Monsters lists making their way around the internet. @Redhawk Will seems to have a solid looking one on his blog, a BSB community member. We have also talked about this on the most recent Podcast. Though, it still remains to be seen, just to re-iterate, BWR is usually less popular than the other wedges. Though with certain cards in the pool, it can certainly in the running. Hero’s Downfall, Utter End, and Elspeth. To name a few.
Savage Knuckleblade: We have seen this around the web as being a fairly solid card. SCG Series “VS” between BBD and Van-Meter showcased a decklist using Knuckleblade. While it isn’t *always* amazing in every single match-up, it certainly is a very solid card. I don’t know how reliably you can play this on T3, with the modern Standard mana-base. Though, the later in the game it gets the better top-deck it becomes. Van-Meter says this card really shines in non-control match-ups. While I agree, I’m going to say he also is good as a late game threat against control too, he really does have a ton of versatility. I would never be sad to see this guy off the top, with extra mana laying around from a long drawn-out game. Each ability is relevant in any given situation, but earlier they are worse admittedly, than they are later on when you have the extra mana to use. I see good things from Knuckleblade, and he’s in a popular wedge.
Mantis Rider: This guy is just all around value. Through some preliminary testing I have seen this guy perform highly efficiently. Effective in many different UWR archetypes, coming in from SB’s, to just being a solid main-deck threat, I have seen both styles being utilized from this card. I think Mantis Rider has a bright future ahead, and could easily see a very active roll in Standard, maybe even Modern, well...maybe not. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Financial Anecdote(s): I think each of these, maybe with the exception of Butcher will most likely see a price increase from where these are pre-ordering. Much similar to Polukranos, and that has seen a steady increase. Though mythic as opposed to rare, but Polukranos also saw an additional printing in a duel deck. We will have to see if these get any additional printings, but if not, I think Mantis Rider and Kuckleblade can surely increase to 3$ and 5-6$ respectively.
Predicitons within 1 ½ months:
Knuckleblade: 5-6$
Butcher: 2$
Mantis Rider 3-4$
Odds and Ends: (Innocuous cards)
I wanted to group these together only because I think they’re fairly inexpensive for a potentially high upside. I will save more financial talk for the anecdote but I think Grim Haruspex is a bit underrated, and other than Dig Through Time (which is really a great card) has the highest chance to break out. I think he can fit into many different archetypes, and can provide quite a bit of extra card advantage over the course of the game. He is also easy to cast, and could be a sneaky morph play. With an aggressive P/T ratio, I think he should see a bit more love, and think he will as the weeks of THS/KTK Standard rolls on. Rakshasa Deathdealer, and Dig, are just great cards in their own right and worth owning for how inexpensive they are. I’m just a sucker for creatures that get better as the game goes longer, and is not a horrible top deck late game. In a potential fit into an aggressive or mid range strategy, he brings a lot to the table. Certainly at least worth testing in some capacity, but I don’t think I’m entirely off base here.
Financial Anecdote:
Prices after 1 ½ months:
Rakshasa Deathdealer: 1-2$
Grim Haruspex: 3$
Dig Through Time: 2$
I think those are very educated guesses on those cards. If they don’t hit that price then it’s the .25c rare bin along with “could-have-been” cards like Boon Satyr. We all have to really take into account the sheer amount of product that will be opened from this set.
Random Mythics:
Like most mythics in this set, I don’t think many of them will hold value. On the flip side, a select few I think can increase. I think the one with the most break-out potential is Hooded Hydra. With Nissa having such a large success in Standard with shock-lands around, there will be new cards to lean on with those lands leaving. Every X spell becomes that much better with Nissa around, and with Nykthos also. I think MonoG Devotion will be very good, it has all the tools. The real test will be how well it can deal with Thoughtseize and Despise in the format. Though, that being said, those cards won’t deter people completely from such a potent archetype. Nissa/Nykthos/Genesis Hydra/Hooded Hydra I think can all play *very* well together.
Surrak: He’s a great card, probably would be 25$ easily some years ago. I think his time will be later rather than now, after Control lists have better developed. As it is now, other than having flash, his other abilities are win more. He dies to literally every single removal in the format. While that’s not always a good argument, it is for now. With a condensed card pool, players will lean more on spot removal. Let’s check back once more of the block is released and Control starts to develop a better foot-hold.
Wingmate Roc: Solid card. Don’t know where it fits. I’m just being completely honest here. Seems like a good card to power out via Sylvan Caryatid to combat decks like RabbleRed.
Financial Anecdotes: Hydra goes up. Wingmate Roc and Surrak go down.
Price after 1 ½ month:
Hydra: 5-6$
Surrak: 2$ *Foils could be a sneaky pick up*
Wingmate Roc: 1$ maybe 2$. Depends on how well it can fight RabbleRed.
Well, that about wraps this up. I will be posting an MTGFinance re-cap and rant from my tablet. Going over specific cards from my Standard book. Be on the look-out for that and a whole bunch more content in the coming days and weeks!
Your BSB Podcast host,
Chaz
Semi-competitive player, I’ve been playing MTG since I was in my early teens. Frequent NY/CT area, shout out to all those stores! MTGFinance enthusiast.
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