Did Ravnica Remastered really bump down some key prices?
Ravnica Remastered brought back a ton of favorite cards from a favorite plane. Three full blocks have been set on Ravnica, all filled with enduring staples across many formats, but Ravnica Remastered doesn’t stop there – as you’ll see as we get into today’s list, it also contains Ravnica-themed cards that were first printed in supplementary, non-Ravnica sets. Between main sets and supplements, Ravnica has produced some powerful, iconic, and quite expensive cards – let’s get across the most expensive of the lot!
Note: I’ve lumped all the shocklands together into one “card” here because otherwise this list would be very boring as they’d make up most of the article.
Another note: I’m using the price of the regular, new-bordered, non-showcase, vanilla versions of all these cards when talking about their price, unless stated otherwise.
10. Lord of the Void
Lord of the Void
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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For a long time after it was printed, Lord of the Void was just another splashy mythic that wasn’t good enough to break into Constructed and wasn’t popular enough to command a significant price tag. With the rise of Commander as a format, however, and with the enduring popularity of Demons, Lord of the Void steadily climbed in price, peaking at an unbelievable $27 when the demon-filled Streets of New Capenna was released. The price of Gatecrash copies has halved since then, and will continue to fall as Ravnica Remastered brings this card’s first reprint. Regular Remastered versions are only $7.50, while the old-bordered ones go for as little as $4.50 – it’s been quite awhile since Lord of the Void was so cheap.
9. Dark Confidant
Dark Confidant
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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A classic Magic boomer card, Dark Confidant was, once, one of the most powerful two-drops in the Modern format. There were times, at this card’s peak, that it would cost you up to $100 a copy, and it was a non-negotiable four-of in Jund! Now, however, Dark Confidant has been eclipsed by the Ragavans and Wrenn and Sixes of the world, and has more or less been forced into retirement. Some people still find room for copies here and there – for old times’ sake, I suspect – but it’s inarguable that Dark Confidant’s best days are behind it, as indicated by its current price: $8, and again even less if you’re after an old-bordered copy, which go for $6.
8. Utvara Hellkite
Utvara Hellkite
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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Utvara Hellkite is a popular inclusion in Dragon-themed decks of all kinds, from five-color The Ur-Dragon monstrosities right through to punishing mono-red lists with Lathliss, Dragon Queen at the helm. You can see why: this card will, if unanswered, completely take over a game more or less immediately. It triggers for each Dragon that attacks, and doesn’t say anything about them being non-token. That means that a second combat step with Utvara Hellkite means that all the tokens you generated last turn generate new tokens this turn – it doesn’t take long for things to spiral out of control. Similarly to Lord of the Void, Utvara Hellkite spiked a few years ago to $25 or so, but this new version is only a little above $8, the most affordable it’s been for years.
7. Karlov of the Ghost Council
Karlov of the Ghost Council
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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As a reasonably popular Orzhov commander, Karlov of the Ghost Council is usually seen in life gain decks as a very powerful payoff for lots of little life gain triggers. A repeatable and cheap way to exile creatures can be extremely useful in Commander, and life gain decks built to pile counters on Karlov will be rewarded with the ability to keep the board under control. As the first “proper” reprint of Karlov (the Judge Foil doesn’t quite count, I don’t think), this version comes in at half the price of the original C15 printing, at $9 compared to $18. But, once again, there’s a cheaper option – copies with the old-style border are only $3, a huge discount.
6. Guardian Project
Guardian Project
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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It doesn’t take much to realize just how good this card is in Commander. Unless you’re playing some type of Relentless Rats-style deck – like the new Slime Against Humanity from Murders at Karlov Manor – then Guardian Project is going to draw you a card you play (or blink!) a creature. A no-nonsense card advantage engine like this is always going to be popular, and unlike all the other cards on this list, the new Remastered version is the same price as the original Ravnica Allegiance version: $11. That speaks to real demand for this card, not just price memory sustaining its value, so this is a card that very much seems to be worth the asking price.
5. Cloudstone Curio
Cloudstone Curio
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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In a recent article, I predicted the price of Cloudstone Curio would only tank further when Ravnica Remastered came along, and that’s exactly what has happened. Once a $60 card, a Remastered copy will cost you just $11 (and again, the old-bordered version is even cheaper). I think this card has further to fall, its price kept artificially high due to a longstanding lack of proper reprints, and as weird and cool as it is, as many combo potentials as it unlocks for you, this card is not destined to remain this expensive for much longer. If you’re after a copy, you’ll be rewarded for waiting a little while longer.
4. Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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This version of Liliana has held a good amount of value since it was first printed, never dropping below $15 – until now. Liliana, Dreadhorde General is cheaper than it has ever been before thanks to this reprint, available for just $11.50. It’s a hugely popular inclusion in sacrifice-based decks- Teysa Karlov, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, Ghoulcaller Gisa – thanks to its on-death draw a card ability, but also played as a generically powerful planeswalker in decks like Carth the Lion. There have been some terrific six-drop planeswalkers over the years, like Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge and Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, but Liliana, Dreadhorde General might just be the best one ever printed.
3. The Shocklands
Market Price: $17.04
Market Price: $21.50
Market Price: $12.61
Ravnica Remastered brings back the shocklands, reprinted with the original Rob Alexander art and, given that these cards are multiformat staples with a long proven track record, it’s not surprising to see very little in the way of price difference between printings. When it comes to Breeding Pool, for instance, the most expensive of the Remastered shocklands, a Remastered version is $15, as is one from Ravnica Allegiance, while Gatecrash’s is $17. The original from Dissension is $26 – a bit of a premium has been placed on its first printing, as indeed has been on various promos. Overall though, it’s great to see the shocklands back, they’re priced very reasonably, and you’ll get your money’s worth from them – they’ll always be playable.
2. Bruvac the Grandiloquent
Bruvac the Grandiloquent
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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Bruvac’s first-ever “proper” reprint (The List doesn’t quite count, I don’t think) has seen the Jumpstart version begin to come down in price a little bit, dipping below $30 – but, as has been the case with a few card on this list, the Remastered version is almost half that, at $17. And yes, once again, real bargain-hunters can instead go for the $11 old-bordered version – it’ll go very nicely with your copies of Brain Freeze and Grindstone, which have never been printed in normal new borders! Bruvac remains one of the most popularly-played mill commanders, so it’s good news for any mill fans out there that he’s now more accessible than before.
1. Cyclonic Rift
Cyclonic Rift
Ravnica Remastered, Mythic
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One of the most-played cards in the Commander format, even reprints in Modern Masters, Double Masters, Commander Masters and other sets hasn’t been enough to rein in the price of Cyclonic Rift. While it has come down from its $40+ peak, even this new Remastered reprint still costs $31 – more or less the lowest price you’re going to come across for this card. It is so enduringly popular, played in so many different types of deck, that the only thing likely to cause its price to tumble is it being banned from the format. I don’t think that’s likely, as much as Cyclonic Rift frustrates many players. So, if you need copies, now’s as good a time as ever – I don’t think this card has much room for downward movement.