I'm just wondering with RTR close to leaving standard which cards would be good to pick up when rotation looms. I'm thinking of the following. Just a nice way to accure some relatively cheap modern staples.
One last note - Don't buy in until standard is about to rotate or just after. Most of these will only go down (some significantly). Also, if you're planning to "invest", then I recommend doing so into as many Foils as possible (where reasonable). What I mean by reasonable, is that a Foil Deathrite Shaman right now is ~$70. That's not a good investment i wouldn't think (although it will rise). Foil Nivmagus Elemental will only be ~$2, so thats a low risk buy-in with a lot of upside.
I think a lot of it depends on the colors and types of decks you want to build with. RTR and Gatecrash is one of my all time favorite sets, Dragon Maze was ok. There are many useful commons and uncommons again depending on what you want. Shock Lands a must for any thoughts of multi color in Modern. In this block the best cards seem to be the multi colored and hybrid cards.
Lots of good cards already mentioned, Id add some other useful cards like Epic Experiment, Radkos Return, Vraska, Sundering Growth, Dreadbore, Putrify, Pillar of Flame (because of the exile).
Abrupt Decay
Ash Zealot
Boros Reckoner
Counterflux
Deathrite Shaman (Could be unbanned in a few years)
Domri Rade
Dreadbore
Epic Experiment
Gaze of Granite
Legion Loyalist
Jace architech of thought
Lotleth Troll
Loxodon Smiter
Nivmagus Elemental
Rest in Peace
Sphinx's Revelation
Supreme Verdict
Voice of Resurgence
Archangel of Thune
Imposing Sovereign
Mutavault
Scavenging Ooze
Tidebinder Mage
4 mana for 4 damage and gain 4 life. If you really like that card, you can just use Lightning Helix, 2 mana for 3 damage and gain 3 life.
Or Ajani Vengeant, as Lantern hinted at.
Though it should be mentioned that between those two cards, the reason 4 mana sorcery speed Lightning Helix wins out over Warleader's is largely a function of Vengeant being a repeatable damage source if left alone. I think even if Warleader's was literally 2 Helices stapled together, Vengeant would still offer a lot more by virtue of not being a one-shot spell.
In before someone does the math and says otherwise on account of Snapcaster shenanigans.
Shocklands are a great investment. I imagine they'll creep to a healthy price in the coming years. Obviously not as much as fetches, as they are limited to modern, but $20 dollars a piece doesn't seem unreasonable.
Private Mod Note
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+1 Roland does 1 damage to up to 6 target creatures, players or plainswalkers.
-2 Roland twirls a bullet casing. Tap all opponents creatures.
-11 Reset life totals to 20 x the number of activations of this ability. Begin a new game shuffling all cards into owners decks except for Roland who remains in play.
Shocklands are a great investment. I imagine they'll creep to a healthy price in the coming years. Obviously not as much as fetches, as they are limited to modern, but $20 dollars a piece doesn't seem unreasonable.
+1 Warleader's Helix was ok in Standard but wont see much play in Modern. Shocklands are a great investment even for Legacy especially if you dont have the funds to invest in those dual lands.
The only real thing that value from RTR are Shocklands ... rest will always down in price ...
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Modern: RW R/W Burn WB B/W TokensXU MonuU Tron // UWX UW Tron R GoblinsW Soul SistersRWG Small ZooWUR WUR Geist/Control/Kiki-Resto Combo/NahiriUR Splinter Twin (90% Japanese)/ Grixis TwinRUB UR Delver / Grixis Delver UR Blue MoonBWU Ad NauseamWDeath and TaxesRUB Grixis ControlUMerfolksX Affinity RGB Living End UR Storm/PiF Combo RGX R/G TRON GWU Bant Eldrazi BW Eldrazi and Taxes RUBGoryos Vengeance UB Faeries Legacy:BRx Renimator Playing right now:Standard: Jeskai Control Modern; GoryosVengeance/UBFaeries/Affinity Legacy: BRx Reanimator Pauper: UR Drake (banned) Commander: Merieke Ri Berit Esper
Spending my birthday money ($14) on a pair of aburpt decays that I found at my LGS rare folder was a great decision... even if they werent worth that much at the time.
Some cards have inherent vaule that is unconnected to compedative format. The vast marjority of players are still casual. like planeswalkers *****es love planeswalkers. I traded my huntsmaster of the fells for a scavenging ooze.. because the casual player thought werewolves were cool and the ooze he got for free with duels of the planeswalkers so it wasn't worth anything to him.
Several of these I don't think their prices are completely driven by standard, and thus them rotating wont case much change.
While not from RTR Block, they are rotating soon, Mutavault and Young Pyromancer both seem like good choices.
I would also stock up on uncommons (preferably foil ones). Many charms are played in eternal formats, and likely won't be reprinted any time soon.
Izzet Charm, Golgari Charm, Rakdos Charm, Boros Charm, Burning-Tree Emissary, Experiment One, I'm sure I'm missing a few more.
Other cards that have some eternal potential are:
One last note - Don't buy in until standard is about to rotate or just after. Most of these will only go down (some significantly). Also, if you're planning to "invest", then I recommend doing so into as many Foils as possible (where reasonable). What I mean by reasonable, is that a Foil Deathrite Shaman right now is ~$70. That's not a good investment i wouldn't think (although it will rise). Foil Nivmagus Elemental will only be ~$2, so thats a low risk buy-in with a lot of upside.
Lots of good cards already mentioned, Id add some other useful cards like Epic Experiment, Radkos Return, Vraska, Sundering Growth, Dreadbore, Putrify, Pillar of Flame (because of the exile).
All shock lands
Abrupt Decay
Ash Zealot
Boros Reckoner
Counterflux
Deathrite Shaman (Could be unbanned in a few years)
Domri Rade
Dreadbore
Epic Experiment
Gaze of Granite
Legion Loyalist
Jace architech of thought
Lotleth Troll
Loxodon Smiter
Nivmagus Elemental
Rest in Peace
Sphinx's Revelation
Supreme Verdict
Voice of Resurgence
Archangel of Thune
Imposing Sovereign
Mutavault
Scavenging Ooze
Tidebinder Mage
Not so much for Modern, though. Not until he's unbanned, if/when that happens.
Past that, keep a fistful of various guild charms around you, they're decent enough to find their way into different decks, whether main or side.
I'm just wondering. What about warleader's helix?
At 4 mana I'll cast an ajani, thank you.
Its a pretty big jump. At 5 mana you can cast baneslayer. Just a large power gap.
4 mana for 4 damage and gain 4 life. If you really like that card, you can just use Lightning Helix, 2 mana for 3 damage and gain 3 life.
Guild Charms
Lifebane Zombie
Young Pyromancer
Varoz
Loleth Troll
Counterflux
Verdict
Revelation
BTE
Ghor-clan rampager (+4+4 trample uncounterable is good in certain stuff)
Domri
Reckoner
Archangel of Thune
Scooze
Tidebinder
Ash Zealot
Rakdos Cackler
Experiment one
BEEEES!
Rabble Red
Modern
Burn
Infect
Or Ajani Vengeant, as Lantern hinted at.
Though it should be mentioned that between those two cards, the reason 4 mana sorcery speed Lightning Helix wins out over Warleader's is largely a function of Vengeant being a repeatable damage source if left alone. I think even if Warleader's was literally 2 Helices stapled together, Vengeant would still offer a lot more by virtue of not being a one-shot spell.
In before someone does the math and says otherwise on account of Snapcaster shenanigans.
the demand only comes from Legacy.
Warleader's Helix is a joke compared to Lightning Helix.
-2 Roland twirls a bullet casing. Tap all opponents creatures.
-11 Reset life totals to 20 x the number of activations of this ability. Begin a new game shuffling all cards into owners decks except for Roland who remains in play.
+1 Warleader's Helix was ok in Standard but wont see much play in Modern. Shocklands are a great investment even for Legacy especially if you dont have the funds to invest in those dual lands.
RW R/W Burn WB B/W TokensXU MonuU Tron // UWX UW Tron
R GoblinsW Soul SistersRWG Small ZooWUR WUR Geist/Control/Kiki-Resto Combo/NahiriUR Splinter Twin (90% Japanese)/ Grixis TwinRUB UR Delver / Grixis Delver UR Blue MoonBWU Ad NauseamWDeath and TaxesRUB Grixis ControlUMerfolksX Affinity RGB Living End UR Storm/PiF Combo RGX R/G TRON GWU Bant Eldrazi BW Eldrazi and Taxes RUBGoryos Vengeance UB Faeries
Legacy:BRx Renimator
Playing right now: Standard: Jeskai Control Modern; GoryosVengeance/UBFaeries/Affinity Legacy: BRx Reanimator Pauper: UR Drake (banned) Commander: Merieke Ri Berit Esper
I will bet you any amount of money that Abrupt Decay and DRS will go up in value over time...
Some cards have inherent vaule that is unconnected to compedative format. The vast marjority of players are still casual. like planeswalkers *****es love planeswalkers. I traded my huntsmaster of the fells for a scavenging ooze.. because the casual player thought werewolves were cool and the ooze he got for free with duels of the planeswalkers so it wasn't worth anything to him.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own