Top 10 Bestselling MTG Cards of the Week – 04/05/2024

I’ll be honest, it’s a bit of a weird one this week.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction previews wrap up today, where there is a lot is going on with this Wild-West Standard expansion. Not only are there a few extra bonus sheets in The Big Score and Breaking News, but there is also the return of Special Guests that have left players feeling a little confused about what will be legal upon the April 19 release. If you can sift through the wealth of previews, there are some really fantastic cards along with some desirable reprints that are worth taking note of. Notably, Terror of the Peaks, Mana Drain, and Mindbreak Trap are some of the more exciting reprints, allowing players to snap up more affordable copies upon release.

Market Price: $29.79

Market Price: $16.13

Market Price: $14.25

But as with any preview season, there’s plenty of speculation when hype manifests, leading to some interesting purchases. That aside, let’s look at some of the cards that sold best throughout the week with Outlaws of Thunder Junction on the horizon.

#10 Archdruid’s Charm

Archdruid’s Charm

Murders at Karlov Manor, Rare

Archrduid’s Charm from Murders at Karlov Manor remains a desirable card for Commander as the options provide flexibility at any point during a game. There are also some Constructed applications, such as Pioneer’s Lotus Field and even Mono-Green Devotion, as it can find a Lotus Field or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in a pinch. Combined with the ability to remove a creature, artifact, or enchantment, Archdruid’s Charm is an excellent card and one that will become a Mono-Green Commander staple in the future.

#9 Warleader’s Call

Warleader’s Call

Murders at Karlov Manor, Rare

One of the breakout cards from Murders at Karlov Manor is seeing a stream of healthy sales this week as Warleader’s Call as Boros Convoke continues to be a serious contender in Standard. With the Enemy Fast Lands returning in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Inspiring Vantage will become a mainstay for the low-mana value strategy. One of the hurdles of Boros Convoke in the past was the mana, as Thran Portal was a regular addition even though it’s relatively cumbersome. Upon Outlaws of Thunder Junction’s release, Boros Convoke will have access to smoother mana, which means there’s some interest in Standard players picking up Boros Convoke going forward. Just don’t bring up Pest Control, okay?

Furthermore, Warleader’s Call is also fantastic in a Boros-aligned Commander, especially one that’s aggressive. For three mana, the enchantment does quite a bit, from buffing your battlefield to passively pinging each opponent when a creature you control enters play, so there’s plenty of redundancy here.

#8 Roaming Throne

Roaming Throne

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Rare

One of the more powerful and popular cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan returns to the bestsellers as Roaming Throne appears once more. While a lot has been said for the card, Roaming Throne continues to become a staple of the singleton format as it’s effortless to double triggered abilities, even if you aren’t really trying to! With a bunch of “creature type matters” cards coming in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Bloomburrow, and Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed, it’s never a bad time to stock up on a copy of Roaming Throne or two.

#7 Descent into Avernus

Descent into Avernus

Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, Rare

Often when there are ongoing previews of an upcoming set, older cards tend to see movement due to synergies or combo potential, and that is true for Descent into Avernus from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate. Typically, most card movement these days originate from Commander hype, where Obeka, Splitter of Seconds looks to be one of the more hyped Commanders from Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Being able to chain multiple upkeeps through dealing combat damage with Obeka is exciting enough that it piqued the interest of various Commander players.ARTICLE SPOTLIGHTTop 10 MTG Cards You Should Play With Obeka, Splitter of SecondsUntap, Upkeep, Upkeep, Upkeep, Upkeep, Upkeep, Upkeep, Up—Emma Partlow4/2/2024

Since Obeka cares about cards with an upkeep trigger, Descent into Avernus is becoming one of the more synergistic cards you can play with the Grixis Ogre. Granted, Descent into Avernus does hit each player (which includes you!), so you do need to be careful when to fire off the enchantment, but it’s seeing healthy sales as players look to snap up cards for Obeka in preparation for Outlaws of Thunder Junction’s release. Also, Descent into Avernus does punish players who opt to play (and be greedy) with Treasure tokens, so there’s an upside against those pesky Dockside Extortionist players!

#6 Court of Ire

Court of Ire

Commander Legends, Rare

The same is also true for Court of Ire, which is seeing strong sales thanks to Obeka, Splitter of Seconds hype. Generally, the Courts from Wilds of Eldraine and Commander Legends are excellent for Obeka, as they offer a variety of ways to close out games. In particular, Court of Cunning and Court of Ambition are strong win conditions, especially as you keep being the Monarch as you’re chaining off upkeep steps. Another card that’s seeing movement due to Obeka is Darksteel Reactor, probably one of the easier ways to win with the Grixis Legend, and suggest snapping up a copy soon if you’re looking to pay Obeka on release.

#5 Slime Against Humanity

Slime Against Humanity

Murders at Karlov Manor, Common

Slime Against Humanity remains a popular purchase from Murders at Karlov Manor due to the quirky deckbuilding freedom of running as many copies of Slime Against Humanity as you wish. These cards tend to be quite popular in Commander as it breaks the singleton norm you see in Commander, with other options being Shadowborn Apostle, Persistent Petitioners, and Dragon’s Approach. While prices are beginning to cool off on Murders at Karlov Manor singles, now is a reasonable time to snap up some cards if you’ve been holding off hoping for a better deal.

#4 Ravenous Squirrel

Ravenous Squirrel

Modern Horizons 2, Uncommon

Modern Horizon 2’s Ravenous Squirrel has seen some surprising interest, which could be in reaction to the Commander: Outlaws of Thunder Junction reveals, given the bulk of the sales of the Uncommon were from yesterday. Perhaps it’s in reaction to the Grand Larceny Commander Precon reveal, but honestly, figuring this out is a tough nut to crack. However, the next Standard expansion Bloomburrow does feature a mixture of critters such as Badgers, Mice, and Squirrels. Notably, a Squirrel Commander Precon is dropping in August called Squirreled Away that supports Bloomburrow’s release so there could be some early speculation on Ravenous Squirrel as a result.

#3 Ugin’s Nexus 

Ugin’s Nexus

Khans of Tarkir, Mythic

Another card that’s seeing movement due to the recent Outlaws of Thunder Junction previews is Ugin’s Nexus from Khans of Tarkir. The Mythic Rare does offer a combo with Krark-Clan Ironworks and Esoteric Duplicator, where you can take infinite turns if you are careful about how you play it out.

Market Price: $33.66

You have to sacrifice Ugin’s Nexus to Krark-Clan Ironworks on your end step so the token copy doesn’t create until the extra turn’s end step. And with the two mana created by sacrificing Ugin’s Nexus to the Ironworks, you use that to pay the cost of the Duplicator to create a copy. What’s excellent with Krark-Clan Ironworks is that you can pay the costs with the mana produced by the Ironworks, as it’s a mana ability, so it doesn’t use the stack. This means you get two colorless mana before the Esoteric Duplicator trigger, even hits the stack. Neat, right?

While this is unlikely to be the hottest and most exciting newest combination for Commander players, it does work with some nuance. If you happen to have copies of Ugin’s Nexus lying around, it’s often sensible to sell into the hype, so do keep an eye on the price, as it is climbing at the time of publication.

#2 Kolaghan Warmonger

Kolaghan Warmonger

March of the Machine: The Aftermath, Uncommon

Over the last few days, copies of Kolaghan Warmonger have sold in massive quantities, and while there isn’t any clear-cut reason as to why, my guess is due to the recently announced reprint of Terror of the Peaks and the reveal of Stingerback Terror from Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Back in Core 2021 Standard, Terror of the Peaks was well, a terror, and Kolaghan Warmonger does synergise well with the reprinted Mythic and the new Rare in Stingerback Terror, so perhaps there’s some speculation for a Mono-Red (or even Rakdos) Dragons build in Standard.

Market Price: $16.13

Furthermore, there could be something with Molten Duplication, since you can use the sorcery to copy Kolaghan Warmonger to see another six cards in your library upon attacking to find a Dragon card. Alternatively, you can create a copy of Terror of the Peaks, which sounds terrifying, to be honest. While March of the Machine: The Aftermath was mostly forgettable for all the valid reasons, it’s worth revisiting to see if any cards work with the upcoming Standard expansion.

#1 Fervent Champion

Fervent Champion

Throne of Eldraine, Rare

A card that’s seen financial speculation during the Outlaws of Thunder Junction previews this week is Fervent Champion from Throne of Eldraine, where the Human Knight offers an exciting infinite mana combo with Lotus Ring from The Big Score bonus sheet. Granted, you need another card in Koll, the Forgemaster from Kaldheim to initiate the combo, but it could have potential for Pioneer, Modern, and Commander applications.

The combo is straightforward. If you control Fervent Champion and Koll, the Forgemaster, you can generate infinite mana with a Lotus Ring in play. First, equip the Lotus Ring to the Fervent Champion (this costs zero mana to equip), and then, sacrifice the Fervent Champion for three mana, triggering Koll to return the Fervent Champion to your hand. Then, you cast Fervent Champion again using one of three floating mana created by the Lotus Ring, rinse and repeat!

Over the last few days, there’s been a massive wave of purchases for traditional copies of Fervent Champion in light of this infinite mana combination. There is a lot of supply of Fervent Champion already, as it was also printed in the 2021 Mono-Red Aggro Challenger Deck as a playset. However, the Extended Art printings — especially in foil — are beginning to see steady sales as Throne of Eldraine was the first release to properly introduce Collector Boosters where these weren’t bought in droves, meaning circulation is much lower on these variants. So, if you think this new infinite combo is the real deal, now is a decent time to buy those Extended Art variants despite the price. It’s unclear whether this newfound combination will see play in Constructed until Outlaws of Thunder Junction releases in a few weeks, but there’s definitely something for Voltron/Equipment-focused Commander players out there.