Don’t sleep on the Virtues!
The dust has settled on much of the hype that comes with the release of a new set, and now we can take a more sober look at Wilds of Eldraine and where its chase cards have ended up in terms of price. Its rares don’t even get a look in, as every single card on this list is a mythic – but how many of these mythics have got what it takes to hold their current prices as the novelty continues to wear off? In my view, Wilds of Eldraine has cards that are both overpriced and underpriced – wildly so, in some cases. Let’s get into it, and have a look at the current state of play when it comes to expensive card in the most recent set.
10. Hylda of the Icy Crown
Wilds of Eldraine, Mythic
![Hylda of the Icy Crown - Wilds of Eldraine - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/512193.jpg)
Hylda is an excellent example of a card designed to see play in Commander that was snuck into a Standard set. It sees no play in Standard whatsoever, but is still worth $4.50. That’s not a reasonable price for an unplayable mythic, but this card’s popularity in Commander has seen it hold steady around the $5 mark since the set’s release. Tapping-themed decks actually have a lot of extremely sweet options in Commander: Verity Circle, Citadel Siege, and of course the mighty Opposition, and Hylda is a good way to get even more value from tapping down opposing boards. Hylda does offer a relatively unique payoff, it’s true, so maybe this price is reflective of how in-demand the card is.
9. Virtue of Strength
Prerelease Cards, Mythic
![Virtue of Strength - Prerelease Cards - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/514406.jpg)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: all of the Virtues are underpriced at the moment. Each one of these cards offers effects that are absolutely huge in Commander, and come parcelled along with useful little Adventures to give you even more options in the early game. Virtue of Strength is an easy sell: look at Nyxbloom Ancient, a card that offers a similar effect as Virtue of Strength. Good luck finding a copy for less than $20! In time, Virtue of Strength’s price will rise to a similar level as Nyxbloom Ancient, especially once the set is out of print, and you’ll kick yourself for not buying your copies when it was under $5.
8. Talion, the Kindly Lord
Wilds of Eldraine, Mythic
![Talion, the Kindly Lord - Wilds of Eldraine - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/509486.jpg)
This is a cool card with a very fun effect, but I’m not convinced it has the staying power once its novelty wears off. Talion isn’t a very good commander for a Faeries deck – you’ve got Alela, Artful Provocateur or Oona, Queen of the Fae for that – and while this card sees a bit of play in Standard, Dimir Faeries would have to completely take over Standard for Talion to increase in value, or even hold its current position. While it has a really sweet and quite unique mechanic, I don’t think Talion will maintain its value in the long-term unless without a drastic change in Standard.
7. Blossoming Tortoise
Wilds of Eldraine, Mythic
![Blossoming Tortoise - Wilds of Eldraine - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/512321.jpg)
The creature-lands that were printed in Wilds of Eldraine are actually quite good, and Blossoming Tortoise’s price is reflective of that. In black-green-based decks, the Tortoise is powering up cards like Restless Cottage and Restless Vinestalk while also providing excellent value with its enters-the-battlefield and on-attack trigger. It’s a tough ask for a four-mana 3/3 to make it in Standard, and while Blossoming Tortoise is by no means a format all-star, as a mythic that plays into solid, grindy, midrange strategies, I’m not surprised to see it at around the $5.50 mark – and it could go up quite easily, if these green-black decks really take off.
6. Virtue of Knowledge
Prerelease Cards, Mythic
![Virtue of Knowledge - Prerelease Cards - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/514410.jpg)
Another Virtue, another absolute bargain. Sure, we’ve got no shortage of Panharmonicons these days, but here’s the thing: many Panharmonicon players want as many copies of this effect as they can get. In time, Virtue of Knowledge’s price will rise from its current $5.50 (as will all the Virtues, even the red one) – the real value of this card is plain to see when you consider that Panharmonicon itself is still a $6 or $7 card after having been reprinted a ton of times – and it doesn’t have a sweet little Adventure to go with it that slots very nicely into blink decks. I don’t know how many times I have to say it: don’t sleep on the Virtues!
5. Virtue of Loyalty
Prerelease Cards, Mythic
![Virtue of Loyalty - Prerelease Cards - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/514418.jpg)
With Virtue of Loyalty, we’re starting to see the Virtues approach a price point that is more reflective of their long-term value, but we’re still a long way off. Virtue of Loyalty sees a good amount of Standard play, driving its price up, but even $10 is low for this card in the long-term. Doubling Season decks are immensely popular in Commander, and they would want to play this card even if it didn’t have its useful little Adventure half. Any deck themed around +1/+1 counters will very happily include Virtue of Loyalty, and once supplies dry up and this card isn’t available in Standard packs, its price will only rise and rise. I think this Virtue has the highest ceiling of all of them, and in time will become an expensive Commander staple that you wish you’d bought back when it was $10.
4. Virtue of Persistence
Prerelease Cards, Mythic
![Virtue of Persistence - Prerelease Cards - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/514401.jpg)
Like Virtue of Loyalty, Virtue of Persistence also sees a lot of play in Standard, but I’ll stand behind my claim that it still isn’t anywhere near its peak. I suspect that Virtue of Persistence will end up cheaper than Virtue of Loyalty and Virtue of Knowledge – and perhaps even Virtue of Strength – because when you look at a card like Debtors’ Knell, you can see the demand for its big splashy effect isn’t quite the same. Then again, Virtue of Persistence doesn’t require you to play white in your Commander deck and has an excellent piece of removal stapled to it, so I still think this card is going places and – one final time – is underpriced at the moment.
3. Moonshaker Cavalry
Wilds of Eldraine, Mythic
![Moonshaker Cavalry - Wilds of Eldraine - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/509485.jpg)
We’ve been using comparable existing cards to contextualize the prices of many of the cards on today’s list, and nowhere is this easier than with Moonshaker Cavalry. As a white Craterhoof Behemoth, Moonshaker Cavalry is close enough to the Hoofdaddy that we can comfortably predict it to become entrenched as a highly sought-after, expensive mythic. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it comfortably outstrip Craterhoof Behemoth, rising further from its current $20 – before it was reprinted a bunch of times, Craterhoof Behemoth sat between $40 and $50, and Moonshaker Cavalry could very easily end up there in a couple of years if it ends up lacking reprints to keep up with demand.
2. Beseech the Mirror
Wilds of Eldraine, Mythic
![Beseech the Mirror - Wilds of Eldraine - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/512160.jpg)
The floor on this card is so high that I can’t see its price collapsing even after it eventually rotates out of Standard. Tutors are an essential part of Commander, for one, but this card is seeing play in not just Standard and Pioneer, not just Modern, but in Vintage. It’s one of the best tutors we’ve had in a long, long time, and I don’t expect demand to drop off any time soon. It has already shown itself to be playable in multiple eternal formats, and so I think there’s every potential that Beseech the Mirror remains an expensive mythic for a very long time. Its price has been edging down in recent weeks, so I don’t think it’s a panic buy, but I’d be very surprised to see this card below, say, $20 any time soon.
1. Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
Wilds of Eldraine, Mythic
![Agatha's Soul Cauldron - Wilds of Eldraine - magic](https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/fit-in/700x700/filters:quality(75)/512510.jpg)
Ordinarily, cards are over-hyped during preview season and then their prices tumble after release, when cooler heads prevail and realize that all these marquee mythics aren’t quite what they’re cracked up to be. It was the opposite with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, which was only broken after it was released and now is breathing new life into Modern archetypes like Yawgmoth and Hardened Scales, while also picking up in popularity in Commander. Is it a flash in the pan? I suspect not, as it really seems to be the real deal in Modern, but I’m less certain that $45 is a sustainable price. If you don’t need this card immediately, I’d wait for some of the hype to dispel, and see if the price comes back under control.