MTG Salvation

Conspiracy 2: Take the Crown is coming out this weekend. This article will review all the cards in this set that are not completely Limited fodder. This is not meant as to a guide to what to play, but rather what cards will be in demand and thus worth it keep and/or go after. However, there will be some commentary on what cards may be good in and whether they have a place in a given format, as playable cards tend to have more value and demand then unplayable cards.  

This set's prices are generally at their peaks at release day, and values will go down as more product is opened. This is the same for every set before and most likely after. Unlike Standard sets, this set is not subject to rotating out of format and caters to older formats. This means that cards are not going to lose value in a predictable way once the set reaches price equilibrium, which is where supply is keeping up with demand and prices become stable.  

This set has some special card types called agendas and "draft matters" cards that only see play during drafts. They do have replay value in Cube and that is what their market value will be based on. Otherwise they are unplayable in any competitive format and have no real value in the market. 

Cards that are only good in drafts were excluded from the list.  All cards that were not marked as Limited fodder during the research stage will be reviewed.   Some cards have * in their price to indicate that there was no price data for that card.

Conspiracy 2: Take the Crown

Card Name		Price for 8/23		Is this good to hold on to?	Is this worth its current price?	Will this go up later?		Comments
Berserk		$30.89		Yes	No	Yes		This a great reprint, but only one competitive deck wants it and most Commander decks don't want it.
Show and Tell		$30.00		Yes	Yes	Yes		A great Eternal reprint as well as an interesting Commander and casual card.
Recruiter of the Guard		$25.75		Yes	Yes	Yes		This is arguably the best new card in the set and will be the most in demand.
Sanctum Prelate		$25.64		Yes	Yes	Yes		This is a real interesting card that will see a lot of play in Legacy and Vintage.  Some have nicknamed him "Chalice Man" or "Chalice of the Guy."
Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast		$16.16		No	No	No		Typical artifact decks are Esper or Jeskai colors, not Rakdos.  It has powerful effects, so it's not useless or bad. It just doesn't fit in the right colors currently.
Kaya, Ghost Assassin		$15.12		Yes	No	Yes		Unlike the previous planeswalker review, this one fits perfectly in its colors of the B/W lifegain deck. All the modes are relevant and is reasonably costed. The foil of this planeswalker has alternate art, so that will add to the value of an already valuable planeswalker.
Leovold, Emissary of Trest		$10.49		Yes	Yes	Yes		Sultai needed more commanders, and this one is a lot stronger than others without being oppressive. This could see play in Legacy and Vintage.
Burgeoning		$7.54		Yes	Yes	Yes		Burgeoning was a needed reprint as one of the more interesting and unfair green cards. This has lowered the price for this card, but it will go back up.
Inquisition of Kozilek		$7.08		Yes	Yes	Yes		This is one of the more played cards in Modern and sees some play in Legacy. It's not a casual card, but it sees competitive play, so that will keep its value up there.
Ghostly Prison		$6.99		Yes	No	Yes		Ghostly Prison is an uncommon that is always in demand and never cheap.
Platinum Angel		$6.99		Yes	Yes	Yes		Platinum Angel is one of those card that always sparks casual interest because the text "You can't lose the game."
Birds of Paradise		$5.57		Yes	Yes	Yes		The most consistent mana ramp creature ever printed is still just that. Copies of this will always be worth something.
Selvala's Stampede		$5.44		No	No	No		This is a fun card that ,while it will not break any casual format, is a fun "build around me" card.
Burning Wish		$5.12		Yes	No	No		Burning Wish is not the staple of combo deck it once was, but it's still good to have. There will be demand for it.
Queen Marchesa		$4.99		Yes	Yes	Yes		A great Mardu commander. Not as great as her Grixis counterpart, but still good enough to carry some value.
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds		$4.99		Yes	Yes	No		Selvala, Heart of the Wilds can make for some interesting game states. It could see some play some multicolored commander decks.
Phyrexian Arena		$4.83		Yes	Yes	No		Phyrexian Arena is a great card and always a nice reprint, but it is not too hard to get a copy.  Demand will always be there, but not in great amounts.
Horn of Greed		$4.71		No	No	No		Horn of Greed is a fine reprint but it is not going to be worth much.
Expropriate		$3.33		Yes	Yes	Yes		Expropriate is a great effect for a blue mage. At worst, it will get you an extra turn and a permanent of your choice. Definitely a card to look out for.
Gratuitous Violence		$3.22		No	No	No		Symmetrical doubling effects are rarely played, and ones that only deal damage see less play, and ones that only affect creature see even less play.
Beast Within		$2.99		Yes	Yes	Yes		Beast Within is both a casual and competitive favorite. It is hard creature removal in green, which is not common (in fact it is uncommon), and quite good even with leaving a 3/3 behind.
Followed Footsteps		$2.94		Yes	Yes	Yes		Followed Footsteps is a favorite of Commander for copying creatures.
Serum Visions		$2.94		Yes	Yes	Yes		While it will not see much play in casual formats and Commander, where they can just use better blue cantrips, it sees a lot in play in Modern and this will make it worth getting.
Kami of the Crescent Moon		$2.79		Yes	Yes	Yes		A popular mono-blue commander, and this reprinting will help more players get copies of it.  Foils will be highly sought after.
Grenzo, Havoc Raiser		$2.77		No	No	No		The effect for this legendary creature is weak and not really what any red deck is looking for, whether in Commander or casual.
Desertion		$2.65		Yes	Yes	Yes		This is one of the sweeter counterspells in Commander and will have a lot of appeal.
Avatar of Woe		$2.60		No	No	No		Yet another reprinting of this card. Yet another mythic rare to feel sorry if you open outside of Limited play.
Hymn of the Wilds		$2.20		Yes	No	No		This will be a great conspiracy for cube drafts. It might be worth something if there are a lot of cubes in your area.
Pariah		$2.09		Yes	No	No		The price of this card has never stopped anyone from getting it.
Splitting Slime		$1.99		No	No	No		This is a cute card effect and that is all. It is not worth going after.
Sovereign's Realm		$1.97		Yes	No	No		This might have appeal for some Cubes that have a weird taste or are multicolored oriented.
Subterranean Tremors		$1.95		Yes	No	Yes		It a unique and good effect, and unique effects that are strong have a way of becoming valuable.
Exotic Orchard		$1.77		Yes	Yes	Yes		Exotic Orchard is a solid include in all three or greater color Commander decks, as well as most two-color decks.
Dragonlair Spider		$1.70		No	No	No		Dragonlair Spider was not seen that much prior to this reprinting, but was not due to availability.
Regal Behemoth		$1.57		Yes	No	No		Depending on how many times the monarchy could change in a game, this could be quite powerful. Even if the hands change a lot, it still a good effect.
Sangromancer		$1.49		No	No	No		The effect is medium for the investment of a card in your deck.
Spirit of the Hearth		$1.49		No	No	No		This has some appeal, but not enough to make it worth going after.
Throne of the High City		$1.49		No	No	No		The effect is not worth a slot in a deck.
Hallowed Burial		$1.43		Yes	Yes	Yes		This is a solid mass removal spell used in many formats, including Modern.
Kiln Fiend		$1.29		Yes	Yes	Yes		One of the best "spells matter" card ever printed is still good to get copies.
Faith's Reward		$1.00		No	No	No		People that wanted this card already have it.
Explosive Vegetation		$0.97		Yes	Yes	No		After it rotates out of Standard, it will go back to being a Commander and usual card, but until then, it will have value.
Wild Pair		$0.91		Yes	No	No		It is a fun card that lets green mages do something fun with their creature spells.
Juniper Order Ranger		$0.89		Yes	No	No		This was a necessary reprint for a solid creature.
Adriana's Valor		$0.79		No	No	No		A medium effect for the named creature. It could see some play, but not likely.
Adriana, Captain of the Guard		0.75		Yes	No	Yes		The effect is decent and could easily see play in a R/W/x attack everyone deck.
Hedron Matrix		$0.75		No	No	No		There are better equipment out there and they do not see play.
Stunt Double		$0.75		Yes	Yes	Yes		Stunt Double will replace the last few copies of Clone still being used.
Weight Advantage		$0.75		Yes	Yes	Yes		This could make for an interesting conspiracy in some cubes.
Capital Punishment		$0.73		Yes	Yes	Yes		This is actually a lot better than it looks in multiplayer games.
Skyline Despot		$0.72		Yes	No	Yes		This is the typical red dragon of the set. It is a fine effect in a dragon deck and worth looking at.
Arcane Savant		$0.71		Yes	Yes	Yes		This could see play in a lot of Cubes that use the "draft matters" mechanic.
Archdemon of Paliano		$0.71		No	No	No		This could see a chance of play in decks, but it is most likely going to be Conspiracy 2 draft only card.
Forgotten Ancient		$0.70		No	No	No		Forget about this card.
Paliano Vanguard		$0.70		Yes	Yes	Yes		This could see play in a lot of Cubes that use conspiracies.
Protector of the Crown		$0.68		No	No	No		Protector of the Crown is a fine card that will not see play.
Caller of the Untamed		$0.67		No	No	No		A great effect that will most likely never see play even in a Cube.
Custodi Lich		$0.67		No	No	No		Unless the effect can be triggered multiple times, the effect it is not worth it in a Commander deck.
Custodi Soulcaller		$0.65		No	No	No		Custodi Soulcaller is an interesting take on reanimation, but there are much better ways to reanimate creatures, even in white.
Keeper of Keys		$0.54		Yes	No	No		The effect is quite powerful it you can keep hold of the monarchy and are running an aggressive deck with blue in it.
Volatile Chimera		$0.54		Yes	No	No		Volatile Chimera is an interesting card that some cubes might want, but not likely to go beyond that.
Deceiver Exarch		$0.50		No	No	No		It's no longer the powerful uncommon it once one with the banning of Spliner Twin in Modern, but it is not bad. Demand for it is low.
Emissary's Ploy	$0.50	Yes	Yes	Yes	This is one of the best conspiracies and one of the reason Cube deck might run conspiracies.
Hold the Perimeter	$0.49	No	No	No	This is bad even in Limited, so do not expect it to do well.
Psychosis Crawler	$0.49	Yes	No	No	Psychosis Crawler is a solid card that is a great multiplayer killer.
The Monarch Token	$0.33	No	No	No	It is worth it to have one or two, but not enough to go after getting them in multiples.
Charmbreaker Devils	$0.26	No	No	No
Diabolic Tutor	$0.25	No	No	No	This is is a good replacement for Demonic Tutor and is even better alongside it.
Guul Draz Specter	$0.25	No	No	No	This is bad. Avoid this completely.
Murder	$0.25	Yes	No	No	Only worth anything because it is Standard legal.
Spy Kit	$0.24	Yes	Yes	Yes	Spy Kit is one of better cards out of this set and is going to make a splash in casual and Commander formats.
Illusion of Choice	$0.23	Yes	Yes	Yes	Illusion of Choice can lend to some fun effects in other formats and is worth having a few around.
Coiling Oracle	$0.20	Yes	No	No	While it does not have a lot of value, it is a great card to see reprinted.
Covenant of Minds	$0.20	No	No	No	There are better draw effects.
Harvester of Souls	$0.20	Yes	No	No	A solid rare that sees play that is not worth much.
Sphinx of Magosi	$0.20	No	No	No	Fine card that is never really going to see play.
Garbage Fire	$0.14	Yes	No	No	Just here for the name. That is all.
Ballot Broker	$0.12	Yes	Yes	Yes	Ballot Broker is a fun casual card that could maybe see play.
Custodi Peacekeeper	$0.12	No	No	No	This could see some potential in other cubes, but not likely.
Illusionary Informant	$0.11	No	No	No	This may have better stats than Storm Crow, but it will never be better than Storm Crow.
Deadly Designs	*	*	*	*	Deadly Designs is any interesting card that could go up with time.
Guttersnipe	*	*	*	*	Guttersnipe is a good card that seems play in casual and some sideboards.
Manaplasm	*	*	*	*	A bad rare that sees almost no play.
Marchesa's Decree	*	*	*	*	Life taxing effects when creatures attack have some small value, so it is worth to keep some around.
Smuggler Captain	*	*	*	*	Smuggler Captain is a card that could see play in Cubes thart uses the "draft matters" mechanic. It's also the first new Pirate in 17 years, and is the first mono-black Pirate, so it's got that going for it, which is nice.

So the set has been fully spoiled. Overall, the set looks great with a lot of new and fun cards for many different formats, including Legacy and Vintage. There are some really great reprints, although some cards still elude reprinting, like Damnation or the enemy fetchlands. That is a small damper on what is a great set. Drafting looks fun if you are into multiplayer and the machinations that go on with that. 

The value overall of this set will be more solid than the Standard sets that come out. As said above, this set doesn't rotate, so there is no dramatic rise or fall based on time. Further, since it is not a Standard set, a lot of players will skip over it, focusing on Standard. There will not be teams of pros looking to break this or that card, although plenty of Legacy and Vintage players are already looking into trying out some of the new cards. The amount of product opened will not be at the level of the average Standard set, so prices should not tank too hard, but they will go down. It also means they will rise pretty quick once the set stops being drafted. Most of the product opened will be by people hoping to get some of the great cards in this set.

Remember, foils are always a good bet to get. The foils to go after or keep if you are lucky to open are new rares and mythics that could see play in competitive decks, such as Recruiter of the Guard, Sanctum Prelate and planeswalkers. The alternate art foil Kaya, Ghost Assassin could be interesting, but since there is no normal foil version of her, it is not going to increase the value an incredible amount, but it will put it above what the foil price would have been.

As for buying a box of this, this is as fine as a purchase as can be made. There are plenty of good cards scattered across all rarities, and a lot of the mythics are actually good, although there are bad ones like in every set. Buying boxes to sit on value is not so great, as the original Conspiracy set can still be bought for a reasonable price. This set will not tank value too hard after the first few weeks because soon Kaladesh will be coming, and that will definitely take interest away from drafting Conspiracy 2: Take the Crown. Once this set stops being drafted regularly, if it gets drafted regularly to begin with, the prices of the cards should go up.

Cards Recommended to Pick Up

Birds of Paradise

Expropriate

Leovold, Emissary of Trest

Regal Behemoth

 Recruiter of the Guard

Sanctum Prelate

Selvala's Stampede

Cards Recommended to Sell

Berserk 

Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast

Ghostly Prison

 Hopefully this has helped you, and feel free to discuss any card here. And on that note, good luck at your release of Conspiracy 2: Take the Crown.

Open well. Play well. Trade even better.