Innistrad Check Up / My Buys!

I hope you’ve all been doing your homework and staying current with your Innistrad prices as they develop! I’ve been able to secure a few goodies at the prices that I’d listed in my Innistrad primers:

MYTHICS / RARES

So far I’ve been able to pick up:

GOOD ONES! (93)

17x Parallel Lives

7x Bloodline Keeper
7x Reaper from the Abyss

7x Kessing Wolf Run

8x Moorland Haunt
7x Mentor of the Meek

4x Olivia Voldaren
3x Mayor of Avabruck Foil Promo

4x Mayor of Avabruk

1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
5x Elite Inquisitor
5x Mindshrieker
5x Laboratory Maniac

4x Gavony Township

4x Stromkirk Noble

OK ONES! (150)

4x Ludevic’s Test Subject

4x Mirror-Mad Phantasm

8X Unbreathing Horde

8x Undead Alchemist

4x Cackling Counterpart

4x Bloodgift Demon

4x Gutter Grime

4x Moldgreff Monstrosity

4x Splinterfright

4x Stont Silence

8x Geist-Honored Monk

12x Instigator Gang

12x Kruin Outlaw

4x Angel of Flight Alabaster

4x Back from the Brink

4x Creeping Renaissance

8x Curse of Stalked Prey

8x Dearly Departed

13x Divine Reckoning

4x Evil Twin

2x Daybreaker Ranger
1x Sturmgeist

5x Charmbreaker Devils

1x Diregraf Ghoul (Uncommon)

13x Kessig Cagebreakers

1x Curse of Stalked Prey (FOIL)

TOTAL: 243 cards purchased

Equivalent to: 243 / 36 = 6.75 boxes (> 1 CASE!)

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That’s right. I bought all that stuff and I’m proud of it! (… Don’t tell my GF!)

LOL if you NEED any of the cards that I’ve listed above, hit me up with a message and we can talk turkey! :P. As you can see, I’m chock-full of Werewolf and Zombie Goodness so far!

Some of the cards I’ve seen picking up heat already are:

Kessig Wolf Run

Stromkirk Noble

Olivia Voldaren

Bloodline Keeper

Moorland Haunt

Mentor of the Meek

These have all gone up in value since my first posts about Innistrad (as I’d predicted) :).

My tip of the week is as follows:

Yes, Werewolves and Zombies don’t seem like they will be tier one decks right now, but there are 2 more blocks to be released. They are pushing tribes HARD in these sets, so I’m SURE that we will be getting more of these creature types in the future. As such, if there is anything that is released that has the potential to make any of these tribes TIER 1 competitive, you can expect the support characters to increase in value. All of the werewolves are poised to see an increase IMHO, but I’m not sold on the Zombies yet since they seem to really be pushing the mill theme which I find weak. The groundwork is set, now we just need those tribes to explode!

TALKBACK!

How has YOUR shopping been going?

Did YOU cash in on cheap Buy-It-Now’s on EBay?

Are you speculating, or buying for decks?

Have fun at your release tournaments, I’ll be at a wedding so will prob miss out on all the fun! :*(

Cheers,

Carl Szalich

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NOTE:

CHRISTINA MARCHIONI & CTRLMJOLLNIR!!

Could you please send me an email to: cszalich@hotmail.com?

I’d like to get you your prizes but your Google profiles have no info ;).

Thanks!

An Apology To Our Girlfriends…

Dear Girlfriend,

I’m sorry I came to bed so late last night. I know we were supposed to watch that romantic comedy together, but the draft was going really well so I didn’t want to drop. I won $5 worth of cards and the respect of my peers, so that makes it OK, right?

I’m sorry that I made you watch that Japanese animation that you hated. I know that you think it’s childish, and that Anime is for chumps and losers, but I really thought you’d like the schoolgirl outfits and tentacles and that they would give you some ideas for Halloween. We DID watch it dubbed instead of subtitled, so that counts for something, right?

I’m sorry that you were excluded from our dinner conversation with my friends. I know you hate it when we talk about our geeky obsessions that you can’t follow, but the newest Magic Card set was just released and it needed to be discussed! I DID cover our tab, so that made your discomfort bearable, didn’t it?

I’m sorry that I spent all of our money on Comic Books. I know we needed that couple hundred to pay bills, but you just don’t see near mint copies of Spiderman from the silver ages anymore so I had to buy them. They are going to go up in value, so it’s an investment in our future, isn’t it?

I’m sorry that you broke up with me. I guess I was too preoccupied with my own shit to realize that you were unhappy and that we needed to make more time for each other. At least you left me my cats and didn’t burn ALL of my clothing, so we can work things out, right?

:*(

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This Friday I’ll be skipping FNM to head out to Eastside bar and Grill (on Hamilton Rd) to watch an AC/DC cover band called: “For Those About To Rock”. I love magic cards, but I love my GF even more. She’s my Black Lotus! <3

Hobbies are great and I’ve met most of my friends through card shops and common interests, but don’t forget about your significant other who may be staying awake at night waiting for you to come home, only to fall asleep alone and lonely. For those of you WITHOUT girlfriends who complain about not being able to get one, ask if you’re making yourself available to the opportunity or if your obsession with gaming is taking up all of your time.

There is more to life than magic cards and comic books, and sometimes you have to take a step back to examine your priorities.

Don’t let the above letter be one that YOU end up writing! :P

Cheers,

Carl Szalich

 

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NOTE:

CHRISTINA MARCHIONI & CTRLMJOLLNIR!!

Could you please send me an email to: cszalich@hotmail.com?

I’d like to get you your prizes but your Google profiles have no info ;).

Thanks!

69 Player Innistrad Pre-Release!

What an incredible Magic weekend!

I hope you all enjoyed your FNM & Innistrad Pre-Releases this past week. I can’t remember another time when I have seen so many Magic players at a “casual” event. I know that L.A. Mood broke their attendance record with 69 participants. Worlds Away had a crazy 20 person midnight draft and 50 more players at their pre-release. I think we gave out more new DCI #’s this weekend than in all of history combined!

Check out this full house @ L.A. Mood on Sunday!



Eugh... Humans!



And they were upstairs as well! There was no escaping us magic geeks!

Claustrophobia City!

Great time guys! :)

I know, I know. You all want a story about your hero (me!?) and how I rolled my opposition like a fat man down a steep hill. How I dream crushed them so badly, that they are ashamed to show up again to do battle with their fellow Planeswalkers next FNM. How my Iron Fist of DOOM choked the life right out of them along with their dignity!

How about a different story?

A story about me going 2-4 drop and crying myself to sleep? Lol.

I can’t remember the last time I did so poorly, but such is life! That’s the beauty of sealed… anything can happen! Lucky those losses won’t affect my DCI rating. Planeswalker Points ARE good for something after all… preventing me from going on tilt, that is! It’s funny because I won my first 2 rounds, only to lose my next 4 in a row and drop before round 7. Humiliating! Haha

Not much really to say except that I stank up the joint REAL bad. My deck was a steaming pile of excrement, and I was not playing my best. My curve started at 4cc because it was all I had to work with, so I was normally half dead before my first monster came out.

In an ironic twist of fate, Paul Dobbs was dong AMAZING and was 3-0-1 after round 4. Unfortunately, he had to leave for his Granny’s bday so dropped! All my hopes and dreams were on him to win a few packs for us to minimaster, and he let us down… DAMN YOU DOBBS!! :P

Hopefully we’ll have this kind of consistent turnout from here on out! It’s pretty hurtin’ for us older guys though (aka: Me) when we have to do 7 rounds… I’d better be sure to drink my boost, take my calcium pills and bring a fresh pair of depends to the next one! Lol

Cheers,

Carl

NOTE:

CHRISTINA MARCHIONI & CTRLMJOLLNIR!!

Could you please send me an email to: cszalich@hotmail.com?

I’d like to get you your prizes but your Google profiles have no info ;).

Thanks!

Contest Winners Announced!! :)

Congratulations to:

CHRISTINA MARCHIONI the winner of the Foil Promo Hero of Bladeholme!

&

CTRLMJOLLNIR the winner of a trusty Birds of Paradise!

I'll be in contact with the two of you shortly! :)


Thank you to everyone who joined in and I hope to have more contests like this one for you in the future!

(I'm ALSO in shock that PrestoPopUp didn't win anything with 11/24 entries! lol)


Good luck at your pre-releases!

Carl

Innistrad Rares – Primer / Evaluations

A little bit of info before we break into evaluating a few of the choice RARES from Innistrad. Here is the schedule for the London, Ontario pre-releases so that you’ll know where to go, when, and how many dollar-dollar-bills to bring with you, yo.

Worlds Away

Where? 666 Dundas St

When? Saturday October 01 / 2011 @ 11am START

Cost? $27 for 6 packs and the Pre-Release Foil!

Website: http://www.worldsawaylondon.com/

L.A. Mood

Where? 350 Richmond St.

When? Sunday October 02 / 2011 @ 11am START

Cost? $27 for 6 packs and the Pre-Release Foil!

Website: http://www.lamoodcomics.blogspot.com/

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You can see the full spoiler here:

http://www.gatheringmagic.com/magic-the-gathering-sets/innistrad/innistrad-spoilers/

(No, that’s not the official Wizards spoiler, but I like the layout of this page and how fast it loads.)

To see my review of the MYTHICS from Innistrad, check out yesterday’s article HERE:

Innistrad Mythics - Primer / Evaluations

Now that the logistics are out of the way, let’s delve into a few of the rares that I see making waves in standard and beyond!

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CHAMPION OF THE PARISH

Human decks are going to need a 1 drop, and this will be the go-to guy to fill the role. Narrow use (only humans) but the humies are looking like they have potential as a tribe, so they should retain some value. Unless you plan on playing a human deck, I’d trade these ASAP to those who want to.

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $1

DIVINE RECKONING

A conditional Wrath of God that can do double duty with its flashback. People are already talking about using this in conjunction with Sun Titan, and I don’t see that as a bad strategy. I think most control decks are still going to want a hard wrath though like DoJ because you won’t always have a creature in play, and if you’re playing a wrath effect, you want their guys DEAD, not just “mostly dead”.

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $1-2

MENTOR OF THE MEEK

Love him! I think he’s going to make human decks / spirit decks playable! He activates when either you OR your opponents creatures EtB, which makes him even better. A constant source of card draw, he’s worth picking up.

EBay TODAY: $2-3

Predicted Future Price: $4-5

CACKLING COUNTERPART

An instant speed clone effect. This will see play in Commander for sure, but I don’t think it will see that much constructed play due to it only being able to copy your OWN creatures.

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $1

LABORATORY MANIAC

Combos with both Divining Witch and Leveler, with Divining Witch being the best choice IMHO. If there is a self mill strategy, this guy will be key. He’s also going to be in legacy with the aforementioned cards making it possible to win on T3. This guy is going to keep Jace, Memory Adept relevant for the next little while as well. Maybe I’ll be able to get more than 15 tix for the one I have online! People who will want to build this deck will want 4x of this guy, but it’s uses are narrow, as he’s only good in the self-mill strategy obviously.

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $2

MINDSHRIEKER

This has amazing potential. Imagine this set up: T2 play Mindshrieker. T3 ponder and put a high CC spell 1^st draw and 3^rd draw. Swing with Shrieker, pay 2 and pump him for say 8 if Army of the Damned was on top. Next turn draw your 2^nd card, and you KNOW that the following card is a fatty. Swing again and that’s a T4 win! No one has this guy on their radar, so I’m buying in!

EBay TODAY: $2-3

Predicted Future Price: $4-5

SNAPCASTER MAGE

He’s amazing and everything you’ve heard about him is true. He’ll be played in every format that plays spells. Not only is he a flash creature that will be able to trade as a surprise or get dropped EoT to have a sword equipped to him, but he provided CA by allowing you to re-use a spell. I don’t see him retaining his $20+ price tag though, because since he’s a rare, he will be opened a LOT in these first few months of Inn/Inn/Inn drafting which will put more on the market.

EBay TODAY: $20-25

Predicted Future Price: $12-15

BLOODGIFT DEMON

He’s like a flying Phyrexian Arena that can damage your opponent if you need to! A 5cc flying 5/4 that draws you a card every turn is decent value, so I can see this guy making it into decks that need some reach. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that this guy will be included in a starter deck in foil because that would be his perfect home! :P

EBay TODAY: $2-3

Predicted Future Price: $1-2

BLOODLINE KEEPER

Card advantage for team Edward. I’ll take a 3/3 flyer for 4 that makes me a 2/2 flyer every turn all day long! She reminds me of Master of the Hunt who was an all-star in Alara block. This lady also pumps your team when you control 5 vampires. She’s the new Vampire Nocturnus!

EBay TODAY: $4-6

Predicted Future Price: $4

DEVIL’S PLAY

I’m normally not onboard with “fireball effects”, but think this one has potential because of the flashback. Single use cards that just trade but don’t provide CA and are mana sinks like most X spells are typically bad, but since you could potentially burn an opponent for 5, then burn them again next turn for another 4 (if you play a land), it’s an option. Killing 2 creatures with 1 card (or a creature and a player) can’t be bad, even though it’s at a high cost…

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $1

INSTIGATOR GANG / KRUIN OUTLAW

The first 2 werewolves on the list. All werewolves are powerful if they flip, and therein lies the problem that I see with them. Vampires are always good, but werewolves are be better WHEN their flipped. So it’s a trade… consistency vs. sheer power level. Werewolf decks look like they’re going to be a TON of fun, and I KNOW that people will want to play with the new flip mechanic so we can expect these guys to stay in demand.

Instigator Gang

EBay TODAY: $1

Predicted Future Price: $2

Kruin Outlaw

EBay TODAY: $1

Predicted Future Price: $2

STROMKIRK NOBLE

Just as the humans get a nice little 1 drop, the vampires also show up to the party with this little guy. He’s a hungry devil, and playing him T1 could be even better than a goblin guide! I’d pick up a playset while their cheap, as these guys could be good outside of vampire decks. Depending on the meta, his “can’t be blocked by humans” clause could be relevant!

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $3

GUTTERGRIME

While I don’t see this card going too high, it has potential in a sacrifice outlet type deck and as protection vs DoJ. Combined with “Parallel Lives” it could be insane. Keep an eye on it, but don’t pay too much (aka: anything).

EBay TODAY: $1

Predicted Future Price: $0

MAYOR OF AVABRUK

The human “lord” with an amazing ability as well! He pumps humans and werewolves AND makes 3/3 wolves at the end of your turn. He fits nicely on a curve, as he could be swinging for 3 on your T3 and netting you a wolf! So basically you have an aggressive creature that provides card advantage! Who needs werewolves when you’ve got this guy who is good on his own?

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $3-4

PARALLEL LIVES

We’ve all seen the price on doubling season and there’s no reason that this card can’t follow suit. It won’t add counters to planeswalkers, but doubling up on wolves / spirits doesn’t seem bad!

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $3-4

EVIL TWIN

“Good… bad… I’m the guy with the gun.” – Good Ash

A clone / removal card all in one! Will fit into Commander decks and could see some fringe play in constructed, though it’s doubtful. Best flavor card of the set and great design IMHO!

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $1-2

CREEPY DOLL

Stuffy doll is a hot little number and this guy does almost the same thing, except worse. It doesn’t damage players, but can remove creatures. An indestructible blocker is still good, but I think this guy will only see play in EDH…

EBay TODAY: $1

Predicted Future Price: $1

ALL OF THE ETB TAPPED LANDS

(Clifftop Retreat / Hinterland Harbor / Isolated Chapel / Sulfur Falls / Woodland Cemetery)

The new set of “enemy dual lands” that come into play tapped unless you control a basic land type that matches one of their colors. They're all around the same price with Sulfur Falls being worth +$1 and Woodland Cemetery being worth -$1.

EBay TODAY: $5-6

Predicted Future Price: $4-5

KESSIG WOLF RUN

Late game it turns all of your creatures into threats and early it will give your #1 man trample and a little boost if they need it. Will see play in Commander as well as constructed. Werewolves will prob run 3x.

EBay TODAY: $1-2

Predicted Future Price: $3

MOORLAND HAUNT

Like always, U/W gets the best stuff. “Sure! I’d love to make free 1/1 flyers to carry my swords! Thanks for asking!”. Just when we though we saw the last of Squad Hawk we get it’s functional (if not conditional) replacement :S. EUGH… damn you U/W!!

EBay TODAY: $2

Predicted Future Price: $3

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These are the rares that I found interesting in the new set. It’s not that the cards that I DIDN’T list are bad, I just don’t see them as being part of the “all-star” team. I’m a little disappointed that there only appear to be 3 cards in the entire set that are worth > $10 (Liliana / Garruk / Snapcaster Mage), so opening packs is like chasing the dream. Even most of the rares are < $3. The set is soooo full of flavor that it probably won’t stop me from mini-mastering a box though, lol!

TALKBACK! (Copied / pasted from yesterday’s article!)

What do you think about these evaluations… on target or way off?

Anything that you think will be hot that I missed?

What’s your favorite Rare from Innistrad?

Did you find this article helpful to decide what to buy and what to trade away?

ALSO! Don’t forget about THE CONTEST which ends today @ 5pm! I’ll be making the winning draw at the L.A. Mood FNM tonight! :)

Hope to see you there!

Carl Szalich

Innistrad Mythics - Evaluation / Primer

*** Not sure why, but blogger is giving me errors for this post... sorry! ***

You can quit drooling now; the full spoiler has finally been released! :)

With every set, I like to evaluate which cards are worth the hype, which are undervalued, and which are just plain crap. I look at this as a great way to get the jump on deck building as well, as it really gets you thinking about card interactions within the set and magic as a whole.

Today I'm going to take a look at the MYTHIC RARES coming out of Innistrad, and which ones I'd be on the lookout for at this weekends pre-release. I'll also set a rough price point based on completed eBay auctions as of NOW, as well as where I see prices in the future after the initial buzz has died down.

Let’s start!
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	A non-lifelink Baneslayer Angel with a conditional ability that is quite strong. I like the card, but unless you’re playing a W/x “human” deck, it won’t make the cut. This makes the card very narrow, so with the quantity that will be opened anyone looking to build said human deck should find these in abundance. It is an angel, however, so should retain SOME value due to those crazy angel collectors out there :P. The above method of evaluation is something that I’m going to come back to a lot, and it’s a skill that I STRONGLY suggest you start honing. There were a few things I said in the above paragraph that you should always look for: 1)      Is the ability conditional? If so, it wouldn’t be able to be used in EVERY deck, and therefore there will be less demand for it because it has a narrow use. In this case it is true because of the fact that to make the Angelic Overseer any good, you need a human in play. This is a problem because you not only need to play with humans, but you also have to have a human in play. Double conditional. After a Day of Judgment this guy is just a 5/3 flyer. When deck building you want to try and reduce the amount of cards that rely on other cards to be “good”, so even devoted human decks may choose NOT to run this guy because of the fact that it could be vanilla instead of always being amazing. 2)      Is the card narrow in its uses? How many decks are going to want to play this card? Is it Tarmogoyf level in power, where EVERY green deck is going to run 4x, or is it focused on only 1 deck type, like tempered steel would be. The more decks a card can be used in, the higher its demand will be as more people will need it. Higher demand = higher price. See? Isn’t economics fun?! In this case, the card is very narrow, as it will only see play in a human deck. 3)      Does the card have a UNIQUE ability? I didn’t actually mention that it didn’t have a unique ability, but it doesn’t. At best it is a flying / indestructible / hexproof… nothing we haven’t seen before on other cards. There won’t be any crazy combo decks abusing this guy. So it has 3 strikes against it. Conditional, narrow, and vanilla. Its prices are going to reflect this. EBay TODAY: $4-5 Predicted Future Price: $1-2
	I REALLY like this guy. He fits anywhere on the mana curve and can pump himself and / or your team. He’s legendary, so probably won’t be played as a 4x, but I can see him being used in decks that aren’t just “human” decks. This guy would be great in any kind of token or swarm deck, for example. His price will be slightly reduced because he was printed in FTV: Legends, but he’s still going to be in demand because he’s so versatile. EBay TODAY: $4-5 Predicted Future Price: $3-4
	If there is a self mill strategy, this card MAY make the cut. I really think he’s overcosted for what he does… by a LOT. If I’m going to be investing 5 mana in a measly 5/1 flyer, I at LEAST want to be able to use his ability right away. As it is, you actually need 7 mana to play this guy efficiently: The 5 to cast him with 2 more mana up to “protect” him if he’s targeted. I guess if you ARE able to stick one of these guys that he could be a pain for your opponent as he’s hard to get rid of, but he really doesn’t have much else going for him aside from his recursion. Again, if there is a mill strategy, this guy could possibly see play, but you’d really only want him as a 1-2x anyways since you’ll want to flip / discard as many cards from your library as possible with that strategy. Too many of this guy in your deck = hitting him sooner = not enough cards put into your graveyard. EBay TODAY: $2-3 Predicted Future Price: $1
	There is a lot of debate about this guy, and I’m not buying into the hype. People compare him to Vengevine, but this guy is far worse. I can cast Vengevine T4 all the time AND swing with him, and it’s easy to play 2x creatures in a turn to bring him back and have him swing immediately again. Ruinator has recursion, yes, but the conditional cost to both play him from hand AND graveyard is VERY high. He will see play as a 1x in Birthing Pod decks and 4x in self mill decks. Anyone who is thinking of living the dream and casting him on T3 is in for a surprise because without the perfect hand, it’s not going to happen. MAYBE with a T1 Dream Twist and T2 Flashback Dream twist you could do it… but then you’ve just wasted 2x turns just for your 5/6 flyer who will undoubtedly eat a Doomblade / Go For the Throat / Oblivion Ring etc… Then if you want to cast him again T4, you need the perfect setup once more. I’m not convinced he’s worth the $$$. EBay TODAY: $12-15 Predicted Future Price: $8-10
	“This. Is. My. BOOMSTICK!” Pay 8, get 13 2/2’S? It could have a home in a zombie control deck, but anything that costs 8 is typically not constructed worthy unless it will win the game as soon as it’s cast. In this case, you spend your 8 mana, your opponent gets a chance to react on their turn with a Slagstorm / DoJ or the like so it doesn’t “auto-win”. BUT it also has flashback, which makes the first board reset negligible at the mere cost of only 10 mana! Restrictive mana cost + narrow = not in demand. I could see this played in Commander however, so I won’t totally write it off yet… EBay TODAY: $3-4 Predicted Future Price: $1
	A 3cc planeswalker with relevant abilities… gotta love her! She’s removal for creatures, discard for control. She may even see legacy play, as a T1 dark ritual into Liliana vs. a combo deck is very good, AND she can make a NO RUG player sacrifice their Progenitus which is an added bonus. She also plays well with reanimator type cards, as she’ll allow you to discard that pesky Jin-Gitaxias to bring back next turn (or even THAT turn!). Her mana commitment is only 2B, so even decks that aren’t hardcore black can splash her (unlike poor Sorin Markov). She’ll see play in casual as well, as cubes will want her and commander players love to have opponents sacrifice things that are too big to deal with. Her versatility is really what makes her shine. If you’re playing vs. control and manage to stick Liliana, for the first few turns you can make them discard until they play their fatty, then make them sacrifice it. VS aggro it will eat a creature and draw an attack away from you. You may even get lucky and be able to chain sacrifice effects against them and basically get a few free “timewalks” as they play a creature, then have to sac it, then play another, and sac it as well… all at no further mana cost to you! Strong. EBay TODAY: $28-32 Predicted Future Price: $20-25
	I like him in a sideboard or something? While powerful, these 6/6 for 6 type creatures all end up meeting with a fatal flaw… they have to compete with the Titans as the “finishers” of choice. This guy creates situational card advantage though, and he’s a really nice trick if you’re able to drop him! You swing with your team into unfavorable blocks, your opponent kills one of your team, you play the demon and ace their best guy. If they swing on their turn, you block a weakling and EoT snipe another of their best peeps. The “titan dilemma” is always what makes me question the inclusion of these creatures, and his price reflects this. As we’ve already discussed, cards like Grave Titan are ALWAYS good… you drop him, you get 2x 2/2’s. This guy could just be a 6/6 flyer for 6. Conditional, but powerful. EBay TODAY: $2-3 Predicted Future Price: $2 **UPDATE** Mike White is making a call on this guy as a sleeper, and mentioned it's amazing in Pod decks, which I hadn't considered. Odds are it will only be played as a 1-of IMHO, but it will still cause some demand! He also feels it will TRUMP the titan decks, which is always a possibility! EBay TODAY: $2-3 Predicted Future Price: $3-4
	I REALLY hate when WotC adds “filler mythics” to sets. No one wants to open this card unless you’re playing limited, in which case he’s a b-bomb. A 7cc creature with no immediate effects that dies to every piece of removal in the format is not good. I’m sorry if you opened one of these… maybe you could trade it for a decent uncommon to a dragon collector? Lol EBay TODAY: $1 Predicted Future Price: $0
	It’s like a Yawgmoth’s Will for instants / sorceries! I’ll bet that pre-banning this card would have OWNED the modern format, but now it’s just OK. Very situational, very mana intensive. You have to have 5 mana just to replay a ponder off of it. Late game you can do crazy things like flashback all your lightning bolts and shocks, but unless you’re running a storm combo or something, its uses are narrow. It has the potential to be broken, however, so keep your eyes on it, because this is a hard call. It really doesn’t feel very “mythic” to me, so I think red got hosed in that department between this and the dragon. EBay TODAY: $5-7 Predicted Future Price: $3 (but could EXPLODE)
	TIMMMYYYY!!! This card is for YOU. Limited bomb, unplayable in constructed. Just read up on the Balefire Dragon because they’re both bad for the same reasons. At least this guy has a mythic “feel” to it, which is something I guess… :S. EBay TODAY: $2-3 Predicted Future Price: $1
	He’s got a lot going for him, but it’s kinda the same old, same old just with a different picture and a really cool mechanic. He still makes creatures to protect himself, so he generates card advantage that way. He can still make an “overrun” effect, which is a great game ender. He’s got a new ability that green doesn’t normally have, and that’s built in removal! Aside from Unyaro Bee Sting I can’t think of another effect green has that does this. It’s nice that you can play him, burn a creature and have them deal up to 2 back and immediately flip him. The deathtouch wolves are nice, as they act as the ultimate defenders, which is an upgrade to the classic 3/3 beast tokens IMHO. Not as good vs control since you’re giving them a longer clock, but much better vs. aggro since all your wolves trade with all their non-first strike guys. His ability to search out any creature in your deck is probably underrated right now since I never hear anyone discussing it. You’ll be able to run a few silver bullets in your deck that he can tutor up when needed. Burn got you down? Search out an Obstinant Baloth! Need mana fix? Sylvain Ranger to the rescue! Being a tutor / token generator / overrun giver = high price tag and worth it. *NOTE: I still think Garruk, Wildspeaker was the best incarnation of the G-Man! :P* EBay TODAY: $20-25 Predicted Future Price: $20
Will not allow picture upload? TREE OF REDEMPTION	This is my call on one of the cards that’s going to go up in value once people realize how good it is. It’s the Spellskite of this set IMHO. At first I wasn’t that impressed, then I read it again. “Wait a sec… you don’t have to sacrifice the tree to use its ability??” AMAZING. Not only is it the ultimate wall with a hearty 13 toughness, but it gains you life FOREVER. How is a mono red deck supposed to win against this card? I somehow doubt they’ll be running that “destroy a land, deal 13 damage card” (Into the Maw of Hell). They get you in the red zone, you go back up to 13. They bolt you 4x times… you go back to 13 and apologize for them emptying their hand for nothing. I guess I could be wrong on this, but it seems to shut down every aggro deck that doesn’t run non-burn spot removal… My first pick to rise in value… let’s see if I’m right! :) EBay TODAY: $3-5 Predicted Future Price: $6-8 **UPDATE** Mike White informed me in the comments that the tree doesn't work as I'd originally believed. You actually SWITCH your life total with the tree, not just have your life total become the trees toughness. So while it's still good, it's not mind-boggling good... EBay TODAY: $3-5 Predicted Future Price: $4-5
Will not allow picture upload? GEIST OF SAINT TRAFT	Ummm… combo with sundial of the infinite anyone? C’mon, I CAN’T be the first one to think of that! Lol. A low CC hexproof creature with a massive upside when attacking. I don’t think he’s worth the $12+ right now, but I can see him as constructed playable. Being able to abuse the angels EtB (Enters the Battlefield) effect every turn has got to count for something, you just need to find the right way to do it (Warstorm Surge?). He’s also got potential as a great Commander as well! EBay TODAY: $12-15 Predicted Future Price: $6-8
Will not allow picture upload? GRIMGRIN, CORPSE-BORN	By far the coolest name in the set, just saying “Grimgrin” makes me think Zombieland! That’s about all the positive things I have to say about him, however. If at least he came into play untapped that would make him better, but to risk sacrificing a creature only to have him killed before getting a single attack in doesn’t seem like a good deal. If you get him online he’ll be amazing, but his conditional costs are prohibitive. You’re sacking a creature every attack as well, so it’s card parity, not advantage. You’re probably sacking worse guys than you’re killing which is nice, but I’m sure there will be situations when you don’t want to sacrifice your Frost Titan to untap him. Now if you’ve just played “Army of the Damned”, it’s a different story! Ooh ooh ooh… breeding pit or even goblin assault would work well in a deck with this guy, but then you’re playing bad cards in order to play another bad card. IDK, but seems good as a commander! EBay TODAY: $2-3 Predicted Future Price: $1-2
	Yea, I’d tap that! … … … As in swing for the red zone you pervs! :P What an amazing vampire. Competitively priced at only 2BR it will see play in B/R vampires 100%. Hell, I’d even run 4 to be sure that I draw one! She deals direct damage and pumps herself when she does. She takes control of a creature she damages. She’s like a lightning bolt and a mind control all wrapped in one. In the Vampire mirror, it’s going to come down to who draws their Olivia first. She’s so efficient and powerful, I’d run her even in a non-Vampire deck. It’s one of those rare instances when she doesn’t need to be part of the tribe to succeed! This card is singlehandedly going to force me to join team Edward over team Jacob. I can see her gaining momentum and her price rising accordingly. Another of my calls! EBay TODAY: $2-4 Predicted Future Price: $4-5
	Before you play this card, don’t forget to say: “Klaatu barada nikto” or it’s an auto loss, lol. Oh the Army of Darkness puns could go on forever with this set, and I love it! I can totally see some diabolic planeswalker waiting for you to put the 3rd counter on the Grimey (as his friends called him) then naturalizing it. Cards like this set you up for disaster. Its redeemable quality is that it’s discard AND reanimation all in one! Just add creatures, stir and serve! It would be fun to use in a more casual environment like Commander, but I don’t think it will see constructed play due to the high probability of you getting 4 for 1’d. EBay TODAY: $3 Predicted Future Price: $1

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Tomorrow I’m going to look at a few of the rares from Innistrad that I think have potential. I won’t be going through them all like I did with the mythics, but focusing on those that I feel have room to move up, or come crashing down hard.

TALKBACK!

What do you think about these evaluations… on target or way off?

Anything that you think will be hot that I missed?

What’s your favorite Mythic from Innistrad?

Did you find this article helpful to decide what to buy and what to trade away?

Cheers,

Carl Szalich