Financial Quick Picks - MTG Hit List, Pre-TCG Championship [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 41]

Alright. Here's a pretty meaty finance article before I head to the TCG Championship this coming weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Owen Turtenwald recently highlighted a fairly new version of Esper Tokens that popped up in an MTGO League following a top 16 finish by Yu Tanaka at Grand Prix Kobe.

Standard
Skyspawner Tokens - SWPC (5-­0, Magic Online)

There are two cards that stick out.

1. Eldrazi Skyspawner

Yes, it's a common. But be careful not to overlook commons (and uncommons), especially blue ones. Remember the investment rule about artifacts, blue cards, and colorless cards? Well, blue commons and uncommons pretty much fall under this rule too. But the key is to invest in FOIL versions of these blue beauties.

There are a bunch of FOIL blue commons and uncommons that have spiked over the years.

Cheap CMC Blue Cards

These are all pretty expensive now with the exception of Steel Sabotage. The foil version is about a buck or two, so it still has some room to grow since it sees play in Modern and Vintage.

So the play for Eldrazi Skyspawner is to pick up foils. Outside of Standard, it'll probably see play in Commander, Tiny Leaders, Cube, and Pauper. I just picked up 36 foil copies under a dollar each. I suggest you do the same before the supply dries up and the price spikes. Don't forget the other investment rule of picking up AT LEAST 12 copies of cards you spec on.

2. Painful Truths

This is the other card that sticks out in the Skyspawner Tokens list. However, foil versions of this card are already about 5-6 bucks. That's quite pricey. But it sees some fringe Vintage play. So we could see non-English foils skyrocket in price if this really takes off in all Eternal formats. But for right now, I suggest picking up cheap non-foil versions of this card. They're only around 70 cents each.

Modern and Legacy

Okay, moving on.....I picked up some Modern and Legacy staples over the weekend. Again, putting my money where my mouth is regarding Legacy. I traded a Revised Edition Bayou and a Time Spiral Lord of Atlantis for a Modern Masters Tarmogoyf. I didn't really want to get rid of the Bayou for a Tarmogoyf because I don't really like trading cards on the reserved list for cards that will continue to get reprinted. But I needed the Tarmogoyf to complete my Legacy deck. Plus, Wizards is careful to reprint a high-impact, high-value card like Tarmogoyf. Thus, I ended up doing the trade.

I also traded a near mint English Chains of Mephistopheles and a slightly played Italian white-bordered Scrubland for a near mint Revised Edition Volcanic Island, a near mint Tempest Wasteland, and a slightly played Modern Masters 2015 Edition Tarmogoyf. Again, I didn't really want to trade away the reserve listed Chains for two non-listed cards. But I needed all three cards for my deck and the Volcanic is also on the list. In the end, I decided to do it because I traded with a friend who's also a collector. Plus, the Chains would just end up rotting away in my binder. Whereas, now I'm only one Volcanic short of completing my Legacy deck. That right there alone is worth some value.

Other than Wasteland, I'd pick up Force of Will and dual lands. These are the only cards I can confidently suggest targeting during the Legacy 'down-turn'.

As for Modern, we're in the 'winter lull'. So I suggest stocking up on staples if you don't have them, especially if Modern becomes the Eternal format of choice by the masses.

The one card I suggest picking up is Tarmogoyf. But you should pick up FOIL versions of the card, particularly the Modern Masters 2015 Edition one. You can find them for around only 200 bucks a piece. If you have the cash, these are probably a good mid to long-term investment.

Alright, that's all I've got for you this time. You can check out past finance articles here. And don't forget to link up on social media for instant updates.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures