Buy: Fast Lands
Along with all the new cards from Phyrexia: All Will Be One, we got five fast lands reprinted into Standard. They are:
Not only are they changing the landscape of Standard and Pioneer. Their reprint also made prices truly plummet. Now you can pick up a playset for €10–20. That is considerably less than what it used to cost. I remember having to pay €20 for a single copy of Blackcleave Cliffs. Exceptionally affordable, I highly suggest picking these evergreen lands up. They see play across all three of the biggest competitive formats, namely Standard, Pioneer, and Modern. Even after they rotate out of Standard, there will be numerous shells where they can be put to good use.
Some of them are more important than others, which is reflected in the price. Currently the two most expensive are Darkslick Shores and Blackcleave Cliffs, which is far from surprising if you know the landscape of Modern and Pioneer. With that in mind, I'd pick up these two first before moving on to the others.
You may even look into equipping yourself with proper bling and opt for foil versions. Foil Darkslick Shores cost essentially as much as the regular version. A similar pattern is seen across the other fast lands.
Buy: Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
In the last installment of this series, I speculated that you should hold onto your mana dorks with the release of
| Devoted Combo by galatriste, 5-2 at Modern Challenge, February 17 | ||
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In this deck Tyvar effectively gives the namesake Druid haste, which opens up an avenue that hasn't been available previously: winning on the same turn you deploy Druid. Tyvar's untap ability allows you to make even more mana, give multiple creatures protection with
In Pioneer Tyvar created his own sacrifice strategy alongside
Despite all these applications and more to be discovered, Tyvar sits at €4, which is crazy to me. If you are a creature toolbox player, I'd pick up four copies to play them now in the decks you already own and to have them in case some new crazy synergy comes up. Even foil copies don't exceed €5!
Buy: Mirrex
I tentatively call this a speculative buy. But even as a risk-averse person myself, buying a playset of a card worth half a euro is not exceptionally risky behavior.
Much to nobody's surprise, it sees play in poison strategies such as Selesnya Aggro or Dimir Control in Standard. You won't see a full four often, but in those decks it plays a relevant role. I wouldn't be surprised to see it in control strategies in general, just as a way to keep creating threats instant-speed and put pressure on other control players.
While we can't expect more toxic or infect in upcoming sets, there may be other effects. Something could unlock the hidden potential in toxic, another unblockability effect or maybe a planeswalker. Considering all the factors—that it is already played in Standard and EDH, might get stronger with time, and commands such a low price—I'm tempted very much to snag myself a playset. Even if just in case.
Sell: Sword of Forge and Frontier
This new sword did not live up to the expectations. You can see it here and there but not on a large scale. The hype around it is slowly dying out, and the card sits at around €15. If you've opened it at your prerelease, I would feel inclined to liquidize it, as the chance that you'll need it in a Constructed deck are pretty low.
You might run it in Gruul Monsters or in Commander, where it may do its job pretty well. But for all the people who sit on it in the hopes of it picking up some steam, I wouldn't get my hopes too high. Since release the price has been steadily declining. I am afraid that it may just continue dropping.
Sell: Mondrak, Glory Dominus
The biggest selling point was a tokens deck, especially in Standard. This has, however, not materialized and token decks are nowhere to be seen. The issue is that by turn four you should already have built your board presence, while Mondrak really wants you to play the token makers on turn five and later. The presence of
That's it for the Phyrexia installment of Buy, Sell, or Hold! Have you bought yourself foil Tyvars yet? What are you looking to buy? Let us know! And as always, remember to hold my hand and let's pass the turn together. Cheers!
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, not of Cardmarket.