Putting the “Boo” in Booster Fun.
Welcome, at long last, to my Duskmourn: House of Horror Buyers’ Guide. Anyone who has been reading my card-by-card financial review over the past few weeks is likely familiar with my love of this set, which has already become one of my absolute favorites. Early reviews seem fairly positive from all corners of the market, and I’d expect Duskmourn: House of Horror to sell quite well as horror often does.
So far, Duskmourn: House of Horror seems like a well-balanced set without a true breakout Mythic. Valgavoth, Terror Eater is the most expensive card as of this writing, and even that can be purchased for under $20. There are a few other cards in the $10-$15 range, but nearly every other card in the set is sub-$10. Expect to see a lot of values shifting over the coming weeks as the cream rises to the top while the pretenders sink toward bulk, especially since there’s unlikely to be a $40+ card soaking up a lot of the expected value.
This volatility should make for some interesting spec opportunities but also many chances to make costly missteps. That’s where I come in. Join me as I cover Duskmourn’s highlights, from the top mythics and premium foil treatments through the biggest potential financial pitfalls. If you’re going to engage with Duskmourn: House of Horror at all, read on. I’ve got you covered.
Duskmourn Boo-ster Fun
Market Price: $40.51
Market Price: $18.55
As is tradition with new sets, Duskmourn: House of Horror’s Boosters are filled with some interesting (and valuable) art and foil treatments. First up, we’ve got the Double Exposure treatment, which are in both Play and Collector Boosters. The non-foil variants of these should be fairly easy to find, as you have a roughly 40% chance to open one in any given Collector Booster. In addition, five of these cards also have a Textured Foil Double Exposure treatment, and you only have about a 1% chance to open one of these in a given Collector Booster. These will be incredibly scarce and are already commanding a pretty serious premium on the secondary market.
Market Price: $17.00
Market Price: $41.12
Market Price: $23.64
Even more exciting, Duskmourn is introducing the Japan Showcase, a recurring series featuring Japanese artists creating chase variants for Collector Boosters. There are ten of these in Duskmourn, the five Enduring cards and the five Overlord cards. English variants are about twice as common as the Japanese language variants, though foreign cards aren’t as popular in the US market these days, so don’t expect much of a price difference. All told, these Japan Showcase cards appear in roughly 10% of Collector Boosters or about one per box. These should be common enough for us to see a race to the bottom once the majority of Collector Boosters are opened, but they’re cool enough that they should maintain some long-term value as well.
Market Price: $131.71
Market Price: $201.14
Market Price: $134.51
The real prize in Duskmourn Collector Boosters are the Fracture Foil variants of the Japan Showcase cards. These only appear in about 1% of Collector Boosters, the same as the Textured Foil Double Exposure cards, with Japanese language variants only counting for roughly a third of those pulls. These are not only incredibly scarce but have a special and unique foiling process that makes them instantly recognizable and iconic.
Will these super scarce cards hold their value going forward? That depends on how consistent Wizards of the Coast is with maintaining the scarcity of the Fracture Foil treatment. As we saw with Surge Foils, Wizards seems reasonably comfortable taking a previously hyper-scarce foil treatment and making it more readily available, which drags the price down for all cards made with that treatment. If Wizards commits to keeping Fracture Foils this scarce, then these cards are likely to rise in price since they’re so hard to come by and mark the first time this treatment has been used. If not, then they will almost certainly drop in price over time as people move on to the next shiny object. I’d stay away for now unless you can get a great deal, but it’s still worth internalizing just how rare this treatment is right now.
The Best Duskmourn Cards in Commander
As of now, these are the most-played Commander cards in Duskmourn via EDHREC:
- Razorkin Needlehead – 3,181 Decks
- Enduring Tenacity – 2,955 Decks
- Withering Torment – 2,425 Decks
- Valgavoth’s Lair – 2,423 Decks
- Enduring Innocence – 2,401 Decks
- Twitching Doll – 2,076 Decks
- Valgavoth, Terror Eater – 2.051 Decks
- Enduring Curiosity – 1,868 Decks
- Untimely Malfunction – 1.789 Decks
- Blazemire Verge – 1,625 Decks
- Inquisitive Glimmer – 1,501 Decks
- Enduring Vitality – 1,500 Decks
Razorkin Needlehead is an unexpected winner since it wasn’t even really on my radar last week when I was working on my card-by-card set review. The reason for its position is almost entirely due to how good it plays with Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls, the Commander variant of Duskmourn’s most popular Demon. That version of Valgavoth wants consistent ways to make your opponents take damage or lose life, and Razorkin Needlehead is an incredibly efficient pinger.
Razorkin Needlehead
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Personally, I’d stay away from this card during its current hype cycle. It’s the perfect storm of a brand-new card fitting into a brand-new Commander Precon, which is causing a demand spike that will resolve itself in a few weeks as more and more Duskmourn is open. Be patient, sell any copies you open into the hype, and buy back when the price bottoms out in late November. You’ll be glad you did.
Enduring Tenacity
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Enduring Tenacity is somewhat more interesting to me, but it’s worth noting that its position on this EDHREC list is likely artificially high because it was previewed months ahead of the rest of the set, giving virtual deckbuilders a nice head start. I do think this will be a long-term gainer, but as yet another non-Mythic Rare in a stacked set like Duskmourn, I think it will end up dropping lower before it starts to climb. Yet again, I’d preach patience here.
Enduring Innocence, Enduring Curiosity, and Enduring Vitality all made this list as well, and Enduring Courage isn’t too far behind. All five cards in this cycle are likely to see Commander play, since they all provide valuable effects that have to be dealt with twice if your opponent wants them off the board. As with Enduring Tenacity, I think all the cards in this cycle will trend lower before starting to climb again, but I’ve got them all on my list of potential long-term specs.
Withering Torment
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Uncommon
Withering Torment is enchantment removal in black, and it can also become a Doom Blade in a pinch. It’s an Uncommon, but it’s one that Mono-Black Commander players are going to want access to for years to come. Make sure you snag a few immediately, while the price is cheap, as chase Uncommons tends to gain value over time. It may not be the most efficient card ever, but anything that breaks the color pie this cleanly is going to have uses over the years.
Untimely Malfunction
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Uncommon
Untimely Malfunction is even better. It’s instant speed enchantment removal that can also be used to mess up combat or redirect a removal spell and cause a complete blowout. It’s very similar to Abrade, a card that sees a ton of Commander play. This is going to be a huge staple going forward, and you’re going to want to pick up copies immediately. Focus on foils if you can.
Inquisitive Glimmer
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Uncommon
The last Uncommon I want to talk about here is Inquisitive Glimmer. I don’t think the unlock cost reduction is going to do much outside of dedicated decks, but it’s a Jukai Naturalist for Azorius or Bant Enchantment decks, which is worth acknowledging. I don’t think there’s a ton of financial upside here, but make sure you keep these out of your bulk box.
Valgavoth’s Lair
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Valgavoth’s Lair is solid fixing, but let’s be honest — you’re running this card because it’s an Enchantment that you can play for free out of your land slot. This is a design area that Wizards of the Coast has only explored occasionally, like the card Urza’s Saga, so every Enchantment-focused Commander (or even decks in Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer) is going to run Valgavoth’s Lair. The price is nice and cheap right now, so it’s worth snagging these on release weekend. I wouldn’t be shocked if the price spikes the next time Wizards prints a new Enchantment-focused Commander, and if you combine that with the potential for competitive play, you’ve got a nice little card.
Twitching Doll
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Twitching Doll is another card whose presence this high on the list is bolstered by the fact that it was first revealed about two months ago. Not only is this card going to slot into every Spider Kindred Commander strategy, but the fact that it doesn’t care what kind of tokens are on it when it starts making Spiders means that there’s some fun combo potential here as well. This is another card I’ll be looking to snag when it hits bulk or near-bulk, as expect someone will find a way to break it in the future.
Valgavoth, Terror Eater
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Mythic
Valgavoth, Terror Eater, is going to see play in nearly every Demon Kindred deck going forward, and that’s likely what’s driving the bulk of its Commander popularity here. It’s also a huge threat with a powerful static ability, a high ward cost, and a built-in card advantage. Not only will Commander players want Valgavoth, but I expect it to be used in pretty much every Standard or even Pioneer deck that wants something huge and scary to reanimate or cheat into play. I wouldn’t be shocked if Valgavoth ends up as the set’s biggest chase card, and at the very least it should stay above the $8-$10 mark even at its low point. If you want to make a big splash early on, this is a relatively safe card to pick up.
Blazemire Verge
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Lastly, Blazemire Verge is the most popular of the new Verge lands so far, but all of them are going to see a decent amount of play in Commander, Standard, Pioneer, and perhaps even Modern. These are currently a tad too pricey for my taste, likely because the Surveil Lands from Murders at Karlov Manor was so underrated and underpriced at release that nobody wants to make that mistake again. I like the Verge cycle a decent amount, but you don’t want to pay for the past mistakes of others, and I’d guess these will be closer to the $3-$5 range when they hit bottom. Feel free to snag these now if you need them immediately, but patience will be a virtue here.
The Best Duskmourn Cards in Constructed
Market Price: $9.41
Market Price: $20.54
Let’s start with the Overlord cycle, which I am quite high on. Overlord of the Hauntwoods is the one that has the most hype right now, and I think it’s justified. It might not end up doing much until Llanowar Elves is printed in a few months in Magic Foundations and Green makes a comeback, but there aren’t too many better plays you can make for three green mana in Standard, and perhaps even Pioneer. I’m also very high on the white and red members of the cycle, Overlord of the Mistmoors and Overlord of the Boilerbilges, which I expect to become tournament staples despite the lack of pre-order hype. Sleep on these cards at your own risk.
The Wandering Rescuer
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Mythic
I’m also incredibly high on The Wandering Rescuer. While cards like this aren’t super flashy or exciting, they usually see quite a bit of play. There are loads of white decks out there that can use The Wandering Rescuer right now, so I expect it to have a higher-than-expected rate of demand in the early going.
Market Price: $10.17
Next up, we have the Verge Lands. As I discussed earlier, I expect these lands to drop a bit from their current pre-order prices, as they won’t be as good and ubiquitous as the Surveil Lands. That said, if Duskmourn fails to spawn a few expensive breakout cards, these lands may end up gaining quite a bit of ground over time as the expected value funnels into whatever cards see the most play. Since these cards will see play, they are fairly safe buys, even if I don’t think we’re quite at the bottom of their market.
Screaming Nemesis
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Mythic
I expect Screaming Nemesis to see some competitive play as well. The fact that it has haste and shuts down lifegain strategies entirely is too much for me to ignore, and at the very least it’s going to be a mandatory sideboard card in Standard Red Aggro decks and likely Pioneer as well. Best case, it has a shot at being one of the most impactful cards in the whole set. I love it.
Kona, Rescue Beastie
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Kona, Rescue Beastie has a ton of hype behind it right now, and I get it. While there hasn’t been a ton of Commander interest in this card yet, I’d guess that will improve over time, while competitive players are going to spend the next three years trying to make this card work every time Wizards prints some splashy new thing that Kona could help cheat into play (such as Omniscience in Magic’s Foundations releasing in November). While the short-term price floor is a tad too low for me to want to buy in at current prices, I do think Kona has legs and at the very least I’ll be looking to pick up a few copies if and when it bottoms out.
Leyline of Resonance
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Leyline of Resonance is another card with a ton of constructed hype right now, and it’s one of the highest risk and reward buys in the set at the moment. Leyline of Resonance is likely to either be totally unplayable or so good that it ends up spawning a top-tier combo deck with very little room in between. I’m pretty bearish on it myself, but if you see the deck show up at the top tables in early testing, you should buy in immediately.
Abhorrent Oculus
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Mythic
Abhorrent Oculus is another huge risk and reward pick. It could end up as a staple in Modern, Pioneer, and Standard, or it could be the next Skaab Ruinator and end up in the bulk Mythic range by Halloween. Based on the current price tag and scary risk profile, I need a prove-it performance for Abhorrent Oculus before I’m willing to buy in.
Lastly, there are five non-Mythic Rares that I think are being underrated right now: Split Up, Hedge Shredder, Unidentified Hovership, Unstoppable Slasher, and Dollmaker’s Shop // Porcelain Gallery. None of these cards have much-constructed hype right now, but I expect all five will see significant Standard play if not more. If you’re a fan of any of these cards, feel free to snag them on release weekend. I’d expect at least two or three of them will rebound fast, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the breakout card in the set comes from this little shortlist.