Making The Most of Your Magic Money - After ROE's Release Part 1
08 Jun 2010 | David Li Wang
The Value of 5 Different Decks in Standard After ROE’s Release Part 1
Since Rise of the Eldrazi’s release, Standard has changed a fair bit and so now that prices have mostly stabilised, I will bring you the analysis on monetary value of 5 decks in Standard at the moment.
1. Jund (Lists may vary but for the purpose of this article, Owen Turtenwald’s Grand Prix Washington DC 2010 – Top 8 list is used)
Lands (26)
4 Dragonskull Summit $60.00
1 Lavaclaw Reaches $8.00
4 Raging Ravine $44.00
4 Savage Lands $8.00
4 Verdant Catacombs $68.00
3 Forest
3 Mountain
3 Swamp
Creatures (14)
4 Bloodbraid Elf $20.00
1 Broodmate Dragon $8.00
4 Putrid Leech $2.00
1 Siege-Gang Commander $8.00
4 Sprouting Thrinax $8.00
Non-Creature Spells (20)
4 Bituminous Blast $8.00
4 Blightning $6.00
4 Lightning Bolt $12.00
4 Maelstrom Pulse $104.00
2 Sarkhan the Mad $48.00
2 Terminate $2.00
Sideboard
2 Doom Blade $1.00
4 Duress $4.00
4 Goblin Ruinblaster $6.00
1 Malakir Bloodwitch $8.00
2 Prophetic Prism $0.50
2 Pyroclasm $4.00
Total $437.50
General Prices Range: $400 to $500.
The Verdict
Current Value: Jund is a relatively inexpensive deck and has lost some of its dominance since Rise of the Eldrazi’s release. It’s a great deck to start playing if you’re just jumping back into Standard again.
Future Value: With few cards playable outside of Standard, many of the cheaper cards will lose value when it hits rotation time in October so it won’t have a devastating effect. Verdant Catacombs and Maelstrom Pulse are the money cards that see play outside of Standard. Dragonskull Summit, Rootbound Crag, Raging Ravine, Lavaclaw Reaches and Lightning Bolt should still be seeing play in the future Standard and so they will still have a lot of use. However, the deck itself won’t survive rotation for Standard and this deck is seen as a temporary and unviable solution if you’re looking for a long term deck in Standard.
2. U/W and U/W/r Planeswalkers Control
Brad Nelson’s U/W Grand Prix Washington DC 2010 winning U/W list
Lands (26)
2 Arid Mesa $36.00
4 Celestial Colonnade $40.00
4 Glacial Fortress $44.00
2 Sejiri Refuge $3.00
2 Tectonic Edge $3.00
7 Island
5 Plains
Creatures (8)
4 Baneslayer Angel $240.00
4 Wall of Omens $14.00
Non-Creature Spells (26)
3 Day of Judgment $45.00
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant $110.00
2 Everflowing Chalice $2.00
2 Gideon Jura $130.00
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor $255.00
1 Martial Coup $9.00
2 Mind Spring $6.00
3 Oblivion Ring $3.00
4 Path to Exile $36.00
4 Spreading Seas $2.00
Sideboard
2 Celestial Purge $3.00
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant $55.00
1 Jace Beleren $15.00
3 Kor Firewalker $9.00
1 Kor Sanctifiers $0.25
1 Martial Coup $9.00
4 Negate $2.00
1 Oblivion Ring $1.00
1 Sphinx of Lost Truths $4.00
Total $1076.25
General Price Range: $850 – $1100. U/W/r lists can be slightly more expensive if they run Baneslayers.
The Verdict
Current Value: The most expensive control deck in Standard because of Baneslayer Angels and Jace, the Mind Sculptors but if you own these cards already, the cost of the deck is reduced drastically. U/W and U/W/r are solid decks in Standard though if they aren’t providing the wins you want, then it is a too hefty price to pay. With the money you use to buy the deck from scratch, you can build Jund and have left over money that will exceed your price earnings and the satisfaction you earn from playing U/W. The only reason to build this deck is if you have a lot of experience and success with it from testing or you have the majority of the expensive cards or can borrow them.
Future Value: The deck will survive rotation and is likely to stay as a tier 1 deck in the future Standard. Baneslayers look like they will be losing value as they are reprinted in M11 meaning you still get to play after rotation, but Jaces are likely to retain their value or increase in value. Jace and Elspeth both see play in Extended and Jace is slowly becoming a staple in Legacy too. U/W seems to be a long term deck solution if you intend on playing it.
3. Mythic Conscription
Brett Blackman Grand Prix Washington DC 2010 – Top 8 list
Lands (25)
4 Celestial Colonnade $40.00
4 Misty Rainforest $64.00
2 Sejiri Steppe $0.50
1 Stirring Wildwood $8.00
2 Sunpetal Grove $10.00
4 Verdant Catacombs $68.00
4 Forest
2 Island
2 Plains
Creatures (28)
4 Baneslayer Angel $240.00
4 Birds of Paradise $48.00
4 Dauntless Escort $28.00
4 Knight of the Reliquary $80.00
4 Lotus Cobra $72.00
4 Noble Hierarch $80.00
4 Sovereigns of Lost Alara $32.00
Non-Creature Spells (7)
2 Eldrazi Conscription $10.00
2 Gideon Jura $130.00
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor $255.00
Sideboard
3 Kor Firewalker $9.00
4 Negate $2.00
2 Oblivion Ring $2.00
2 Path to Exile $18.00
2 Qasali Pridemage $1.00
2 Sphinx of Jwar Isle $14.00
Total $1211.50
General Price Range: $1000 – $1200
The Verdict
Current Value: There is a reason why this deck is called Mythic. Let’s just say this deck is quite expensive and does not have results that make it overwhelmingly better than Jund or U/W. There shouldn’t be too much reason for you to be playing Mythic unless you have the majority of the cards.
Future Value: Mythic will not be a viable deck after rotation but some cards that are also played in U/W, are staying around and can be used for the future Standard. Most of the reasons behind U/W’s future value are applicable to Mythic. Knight of the Reliquary Noble Hierarch also sees play in Extended and Legacy and so won’t be dropping much any time soon. The Dauntless Escorts and Sovereigns that are from Alara block and not played in Extended and Legacy, are expected to lose significant value but they make up a small proportion of the deck.
In next week’s article, I will bring you part 2 with my final opinion, the detailed stats and the 2 remaining decks.
Hope that helped a few people! That’s all for this week! Good Games! Good Times! GG!
By David Li Wang aka RedBluePlayer on Good Games Forums and MTG Salvation
For discussion.