The way I look at Spirit of the Labyrinth, I feel her pricing pattern is going to be similar to Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Thalia also have a better chance of seeing more play in Modern than SotL. Both also happened to be in the 2nd set. In the long run I can't see SotL doing better than Thalia.
One advantage Spirit has as far as constructed goes is the lack of a legendary clause. I mean the potential of having an opening draw of 3+ Thalias is a big downside to Thalia. I mean a 3+ hand of Spirit of the Labyrinth while not ideal is usually better than a multiple Thalia hand. Obviously decks can limit Thalia to 2 copies or something to prevent the potential of 3+ copies in the opening hand, but that does limit the need of the card.
Spirit also is one of the most broken cards in combination with Æther Vial in Legacy or even Modern, like the two cards are basically meant to work together. Thalia with Aether Vial is fine, but you get no extra value off that, since you can't in response make them pay 1 more. I guess best case is you could Thalia in their upkeep but even then its not much different than just casting Thalia after you have cast everything else you want to on your turn, barring saving mana or something.
I think this set will turn out decent after some time, quite a few of the rares right now are not really respected for how good they are. Hero of Iroas, Eidolon of Countless Battles and the Phoenix may surprise people in the future.
So Kiora? The price seems to be staying high but it doesn't look like people on Ebay are willing to pay premiums on the 4 sets like they are on Brimaz.
She is still selling but for how long can the $25 price hold?
Can we compare her to Ral Zarek? Only planeswalker in a small set, looked good and started at a high price but limited playability saw him take a tumble as the months rolled by.
Ephara, Xenagos and Courser of Kruphix look to be the most playable cards outside the top 2.
Right now the good buy looks to be Ephara, God of the Polis. I think she'll shoot up especially once Sphinx's Revelation rotates out.
Not doing a full tally update today, but I did check my prices. Brimaz is still stupidly high, and as mentioned above, his playsets are selling for a weird premium on eBay. You could buy 4 from individual listings, pay the shipping for each, and resell them as a playset for a profit. (Also known as an "arbitrage" opportunity in investing circles.) Not that I'm recommending that, just noting it. I've got him at $30 shipped and sales are okay but nothing special. I'm not sure how eBay sellers are managing to charge $35 plus shipping via playsets. Kiora looks like it has topped and is coming down, but it might be too early to say for sure. It hit $21 on my site a few days ago and now it's $20, and sales haven't been great. I could see it at $18 and then $15 next week if it doesn't really make a "splash" in big tournaments. Xenagos is cooling. Ephara and Mogis are pretty stable at ten bucks with Phenax close behind.
Courser of Kruphix is top rare (tied with scryland) and I was comparing it on paper to Oracle of Mul Daya. Oracle has 2 great creature types and isn't a vulnerable enchantment, so wins there. Courser comes down a turn sooner but you've got to dedicate yourself to green a lot more. They both reveal your top card, and allow you to play it if it's a land. Courser has built in one-sided Lifegift, Oracle has built in Exploration. Oracle dies to Shock, Courser dies to Erase. Both are rare and both are worth about $7. It's a bit weird they printed such similar cards - didn't they notice Courser was almost a direct reprint of an existing card?
The other 2 scrylands are stable at $5, Phoenix continues to fall, and Spirit of the Labyrinth (was top rare 2 weeks ago) has fallen to the bottom of the list and looks like it will fall off next update - wow.
Eidolon of Countless Battles, Herald of Torment, Hero of Iroas, Pain Seer, and Satyr Firedancer are at 2.5 so just off the tally.
Currently Playing: Standard:
Nothing, the format Bores me! Legacy: RBurn (Made on the Cheap!)R RGBelcherRG WSoldier StompyW BReanimatorB EDH: BUGRWSliver OverlordWRGUB BGeth, Lord of the VaultB
Playing an extra land can be huge. So can 1 mana though. Not sure which is better. lol
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Currently Playing: Standard:
Nothing, the format Bores me! Legacy: RBurn (Made on the Cheap!)R RGBelcherRG WSoldier StompyW BReanimatorB EDH: BUGRWSliver OverlordWRGUB BGeth, Lord of the VaultB
Every standard tournament I have been to lately has lots of Ash Zealots, Satyrs, Burning Emmissaries, Mutavaults, Rats, and other 2 power what not that the courser can stone-wall while gaining life. Not to mention the Bile Blights, Searing Blood, Magma Jet, Anger of the Gods and Lightning Strikes flying around for removal. If someone feels they need to use Mortars, Downfall, or other premium removal go right ahead.
My assumption is that Wizards will reinforce the Mono-color deck thing next block and this guy will just get better. I predict it will stay close to $10 for his stay in standard, and probably pass most of the gods in value after people get bored with them.
Don't know if anyone else is following this rather soft set but it looks like Kiora, Xenogos, and Brimaz are holding and continue to prop up the set. The other gods are softening in my area. There seems to be Polis, Mogis, and Phenax decks out there but most of their interest seems to be casual.
Temple of Enlightenment is stiff tough but I expect that to retreat. The other two are doing fine a little below that. Courser continues to strengthen close to $10.
(previous tallies are located in the following posts: 1, 4, 24, 33, 35)
The rich get richer while the poor get left to die:
1) Brimaz King of Oreskos (30) / / / /
2) Kiora the Crashing Wave (20) / / / /
3) Xenagos God of Revels (15) / / / /
4) Courser of Kruphix (9) / / / /
5) Ephara God of the Polis (9) / / / /
6) Mogis God of Slaughter (9) / / / /
7) Phenax God of Deception (8) / / / /
8) Temple of Enlightenment (7) / / / /
9) Temple of Plenty (5.5) / / / /
10) Temple of Malice (5) / / / /
11) Karametra God of Harvests (4) / / / /
12) Flame-Wreathed Phoenix (3.75) / / / /
The card's most recent move is on right. means no movement. is a card that wasn't on the list last update. This is the update's hottest mover. (#) is price in CND incl. shipping here.
There are now only 12 cards worth $3 or more, and therefore worth opening in a booster pack, as Spirit of the Labyrinth is headed for the dollar bin.
Bored of the Gods continues to exhibit SOKS (Saviors Of Kamigawa Syndrome), with a few cards rising to soak up all the value in an otherwise worthless set. I've been reluctant to move Brimaz above $30 while eBay said $35 was appropriate, although now it's looking like it's coming back to $30. Kiora remains at $20 and Xenagos at $15. Courser, once worth a couple bucks, has risen to $9! Conversely, Spirit of the Labyrinth was once $9 and has fallen to two - right off the tally. There are literally hundreds of playsets of it on eBay at that price - nobody wants it. I'm wondering though, will it bottom at some point, over-correcting to the downside, and become a screaming bargain? I can see it coming back up in the future as people realize it's playable in all formats. Perhaps once supply dries up in a year or so. Ephara and Mogis are tied with Courser at $9 but lose to alphabetical tie-break, and Phenax is close behind them. The three scrylands, led by and followed by come next, with Karametra stable at $4 and the useless Phoenix rounding out the tally.
The rest of the set continues to settle and I haven't noticed any interesting up-and-comers in the lower ranks.
My assumption is that Wizards will reinforce the Mono-color deck thing next block and this guy will just get better. I predict it will stay close to $10 for his stay in standard, and probably pass most of the gods in value after people get bored with them.
Aren't two color gods contrary to the "reinforce mono-color" idea?
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"Because we cannot prevent draws in paper Magic we allow IDs. If we could prevent draws we would not have IDs in paper Magic. " Scott Larabee.
Back by popular demand: Pricing updates (will be updating everything this evening or tomorrow as time allows, been wicked busy irl of late, but getting lots done.) Will do my best to keep up with them on a regular basis again, especially given the several people that were wondering why I stopped.
Anyhow, without further adieu, here is my first pricing/value update for BNG. As always my prices come from the lower end of tcgplayer but primarily from the lower end of buy it nows from ebay (emphasis on playset/4).
Most valuable rares/mythics:
Brimaz, King of Oreskos: $27
Kiora, the Crashing Wave: $18
Xenagos, God of Revels: $13
Mogis, God of Slaughter: $8
Ephara, God of the Polis: $7.50
Phenax, God of Deception: $7.50
Courser of Kruphix: $7.50
Temple of Enlightenment: $7
Temple of Malice: $4
Temple of Plenty: $3.50
Flame-Wreathed Phoenix: $3
Spirit of the Labyrinth: $2.50
Karametra, God of Harvests: $2.50
Pain Seer: $2
Satyr Firedancer: $2
Eidelon of Countless Battles: $2
Hero of Iroas: $2
All others are worth less than $2.
Set value information:
Total value of mythics: $89
Total value of Rares: $40
Total value of common/uncommon set: $7
Total complete set value: $136
Overall average box value:
Mythics: $8.90/mythic x 4.5 mythics/box = $40
Rares: $1.14/rare x 31.5 rares/box = $36
Common/Uncommons: $7/set x 1.8 sets/box = $12
Foils: $5/box
Total average box value: $93
Average pack value:
$93/36 = $2.58/pack
Overall, the set's value isn't too bad, but its being largely propped up by the mythics, and a few decently valued rares. Since we are only a month out from the release, there will likely be more settling just like there was from Theros, so the current value shouldn't and more assuredly wont hold out. Will do another update in a couple of weeks or when time allows.
Is Kiora seeing play in anything? I want to get my hands on some but I've been out of the Standard loop since before BNG came out. She seems to be trending downward at an excruciatingly slow rate. I'm not sure if it's wise to pick them up now or wait just a bit (Trying to put together a UG Standard deck but I can't seem to find a list that even uses her).
There's a pretty solid UWg control deck that plays her alongside Elspeth and Jace, primarily as a win-condition. From people who play Standard, they note that it's a lot easier than it seems to reach her ultimate, which is a pretty solid win-condition - not many decks can reliably beat 9/9's every turn for the rest of the game.
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Went to a new shop from a friend's recommendation, DQ'ed for willful violation of CR 100.6b.
Can Xenagos, God of Revels be considered undervalued? He seems super strong especially from games I've seen him played, but I think $13 is pretty low. Still he is one of the most expensive gods thus far, but is it unreasonable for him to rise around $20 if R/G monsters takes off? I know R/G doesn't play a playset of him but rather only as a 2 of which may hold him back.
Xenagos will never see as much play as thassa and she topped out at 15$. I would say xenagos will eventually stabilize somewhere in between purphoros and thassa. 9-11$ most likely.
Xenagos will never see as much play as thassa and she topped out at 15$. I would say xenagos will eventually stabilize somewhere in between purphoros and thassa. 9-11$ most likely.
Thassa wasn't in a garbage set. There are only a handful of good cards in BNG, which will concentrate the value in the few cards worth opening and drive prices higher. It's why Voice of Resurgence and Domri Rade each commanded higher prices than Jace, Architect of Thought (pre-Duel Deck), despite the fact that Jace showed up far more often in tournaments.
Xenagos will never see as much play as thassa and she topped out at 15$. I would say xenagos will eventually stabilize somewhere in between purphoros and thassa. 9-11$ most likely.
Thassa wasn't in a garbage set. There are only a handful of good cards in BNG, which will concentrate the value in the few cards worth opening and drive prices higher. It's why Voice of Resurgence and Domri Rade each commanded higher prices than Jace, Architect of Thought (pre-Duel Deck), despite the fact that Jace showed up far more often in tournaments.
That's the key thing that a lot of people forget. When you have a set that is relatively poor for value or popularity (like this set could likely end up), the good cards are often propped up higher than they normally would if they were in a more popular set (like theros for example which was a really hot set out of the gates). That said, its entirely possible it could easily end up down in the $10 or less range if it isn't able to keep up a decent level of popularity/play. For now at least it appears Brimaz is the one that people are going after the most (it is a nice card, gotta say).
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One advantage Spirit has as far as constructed goes is the lack of a legendary clause. I mean the potential of having an opening draw of 3+ Thalias is a big downside to Thalia. I mean a 3+ hand of Spirit of the Labyrinth while not ideal is usually better than a multiple Thalia hand. Obviously decks can limit Thalia to 2 copies or something to prevent the potential of 3+ copies in the opening hand, but that does limit the need of the card.
Spirit also is one of the most broken cards in combination with Æther Vial in Legacy or even Modern, like the two cards are basically meant to work together. Thalia with Aether Vial is fine, but you get no extra value off that, since you can't in response make them pay 1 more. I guess best case is you could Thalia in their upkeep but even then its not much different than just casting Thalia after you have cast everything else you want to on your turn, barring saving mana or something.
I think this set will turn out decent after some time, quite a few of the rares right now are not really respected for how good they are. Hero of Iroas, Eidolon of Countless Battles and the Phoenix may surprise people in the future.
Feel free to bid on my cards here!
She is still selling but for how long can the $25 price hold?
Can we compare her to Ral Zarek? Only planeswalker in a small set, looked good and started at a high price but limited playability saw him take a tumble as the months rolled by.
Ephara, Xenagos and Courser of Kruphix look to be the most playable cards outside the top 2.
Right now the good buy looks to be Ephara, God of the Polis. I think she'll shoot up especially once Sphinx's Revelation rotates out.
Courser of Kruphix is top rare (tied with scryland) and I was comparing it on paper to Oracle of Mul Daya. Oracle has 2 great creature types and isn't a vulnerable enchantment, so wins there. Courser comes down a turn sooner but you've got to dedicate yourself to green a lot more. They both reveal your top card, and allow you to play it if it's a land. Courser has built in one-sided Lifegift, Oracle has built in Exploration. Oracle dies to Shock, Courser dies to Erase. Both are rare and both are worth about $7. It's a bit weird they printed such similar cards - didn't they notice Courser was almost a direct reprint of an existing card?
The other 2 scrylands are stable at $5, Phoenix continues to fall, and Spirit of the Labyrinth (was top rare 2 weeks ago) has fallen to the bottom of the list and looks like it will fall off next update - wow.
Eidolon of Countless Battles, Herald of Torment, Hero of Iroas, Pain Seer, and Satyr Firedancer are at 2.5 so just off the tally.
.
Currently Playing:
Standard:
Nothing, the format Bores me!
Legacy:
RBurn (Made on the Cheap!)R
RGBelcherRG
WSoldier StompyW
BReanimatorB
EDH:
BUGRWSliver OverlordWRGUB
BGeth, Lord of the VaultB
Do you mean that Oracle has built in Exploration?
.
Looks like a drop to me.
Yup.
Playing an extra land can be huge. So can 1 mana though. Not sure which is better. lol
Currently Playing:
Standard:
Nothing, the format Bores me!
Legacy:
RBurn (Made on the Cheap!)R
RGBelcherRG
WSoldier StompyW
BReanimatorB
EDH:
BUGRWSliver OverlordWRGUB
BGeth, Lord of the VaultB
My assumption is that Wizards will reinforce the Mono-color deck thing next block and this guy will just get better. I predict it will stay close to $10 for his stay in standard, and probably pass most of the gods in value after people get bored with them.
Temple of Enlightenment is stiff tough but I expect that to retreat. The other two are doing fine a little below that. Courser continues to strengthen close to $10.
The rest of the rares look weak at best.
The rich get richer while the poor get left to die:
1) Brimaz King of Oreskos (30) / / / /
2) Kiora the Crashing Wave (20) / / / /
3) Xenagos God of Revels (15) / / / /
4) Courser of Kruphix (9) / / / /
5) Ephara God of the Polis (9) / / / /
6) Mogis God of Slaughter (9) / / / /
7) Phenax God of Deception (8) / / / /
8) Temple of Enlightenment (7) / / / /
9) Temple of Plenty (5.5) / / / /
10) Temple of Malice (5) / / / /
11) Karametra God of Harvests (4) / / / /
12) Flame-Wreathed Phoenix (3.75) / / / /
The card's most recent move is on right. means no movement. is a card that wasn't on the list last update. This is the update's hottest mover. (#) is price in CND incl. shipping here.
There are now only 12 cards worth $3 or more, and therefore worth opening in a booster pack, as Spirit of the Labyrinth is headed for the dollar bin.
Bored of the Gods continues to exhibit SOKS (Saviors Of Kamigawa Syndrome), with a few cards rising to soak up all the value in an otherwise worthless set. I've been reluctant to move Brimaz above $30 while eBay said $35 was appropriate, although now it's looking like it's coming back to $30. Kiora remains at $20 and Xenagos at $15. Courser, once worth a couple bucks, has risen to $9! Conversely, Spirit of the Labyrinth was once $9 and has fallen to two - right off the tally. There are literally hundreds of playsets of it on eBay at that price - nobody wants it. I'm wondering though, will it bottom at some point, over-correcting to the downside, and become a screaming bargain? I can see it coming back up in the future as people realize it's playable in all formats. Perhaps once supply dries up in a year or so. Ephara and Mogis are tied with Courser at $9 but lose to alphabetical tie-break, and Phenax is close behind them. The three scrylands, led by and followed by come next, with Karametra stable at $4 and the useless Phoenix rounding out the tally.
The rest of the set continues to settle and I haven't noticed any interesting up-and-comers in the lower ranks.
.
Anyhow, without further adieu, here is my first pricing/value update for BNG. As always my prices come from the lower end of tcgplayer but primarily from the lower end of buy it nows from ebay (emphasis on playset/4).
Most valuable rares/mythics:
Brimaz, King of Oreskos: $27
Kiora, the Crashing Wave: $18
Xenagos, God of Revels: $13
Mogis, God of Slaughter: $8
Ephara, God of the Polis: $7.50
Phenax, God of Deception: $7.50
Courser of Kruphix: $7.50
Temple of Enlightenment: $7
Temple of Malice: $4
Temple of Plenty: $3.50
Flame-Wreathed Phoenix: $3
Spirit of the Labyrinth: $2.50
Karametra, God of Harvests: $2.50
Pain Seer: $2
Satyr Firedancer: $2
Eidelon of Countless Battles: $2
Hero of Iroas: $2
All others are worth less than $2.
Set value information:
Total value of mythics: $89
Total value of Rares: $40
Total value of common/uncommon set: $7
Total complete set value: $136
Overall average box value:
Mythics: $8.90/mythic x 4.5 mythics/box = $40
Rares: $1.14/rare x 31.5 rares/box = $36
Common/Uncommons: $7/set x 1.8 sets/box = $12
Foils: $5/box
Total average box value: $93
Average pack value:
$93/36 = $2.58/pack
Overall, the set's value isn't too bad, but its being largely propped up by the mythics, and a few decently valued rares. Since we are only a month out from the release, there will likely be more settling just like there was from Theros, so the current value shouldn't and more assuredly wont hold out. Will do another update in a couple of weeks or when time allows.
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Went to a new shop from a friend's recommendation, DQ'ed for willful violation of CR 100.6b.
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(Credit to DarkNightCavalier)
$tandard: Too poor.
Modern:
- GW Birthing Pod(?)
Legacy:
- UWR Delver
I might bite the bullet eventually but not for a couple of months.
Credit to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the Avatar & Miraculous Recovery for the Banner.
My 540 Card Cube (WIP)
Current post- Grand Prix KC Modern Postmortem (7/7/13)
Thassa wasn't in a garbage set. There are only a handful of good cards in BNG, which will concentrate the value in the few cards worth opening and drive prices higher. It's why Voice of Resurgence and Domri Rade each commanded higher prices than Jace, Architect of Thought (pre-Duel Deck), despite the fact that Jace showed up far more often in tournaments.
That's the key thing that a lot of people forget. When you have a set that is relatively poor for value or popularity (like this set could likely end up), the good cards are often propped up higher than they normally would if they were in a more popular set (like theros for example which was a really hot set out of the gates). That said, its entirely possible it could easily end up down in the $10 or less range if it isn't able to keep up a decent level of popularity/play. For now at least it appears Brimaz is the one that people are going after the most (it is a nice card, gotta say).