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By: Procrastination, Christopher Giovannagelo
Dec 01 2014 1:00pm
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Welcome back to The Modern Perspective! I was diligently working away on a non-Market Watch article for this week. It was a great recap of my deck choice and tournament report for the extremely fun Slugapalooza 2014 Player Run Event. Unfortunately, the holiday weekend was much busier than expected, so I didn't get to finish that article. I really didn't want to rush it out and I had been tinkering with the Market Watch formatting, so I figured I'd unveil some of the changes and save the tournament report for next week.

All prices are from MTGOTraders.com. For cards with multiple versions, the version linked on my price tables was the cheapest price actually purchasable when the card was added. I did not use outdated Alternate Art or Promotional Card prices. Be sure to check all versions of a card for the best available prices. 

Deck Spotlight Highest Price Non-Land Cards Other Staples Modern Land Prices

Deck Spotlight

Naya Zoo                                                Cost: 106.14 
Thraglife - 4-0 Modern Daily #7704624 24NOV14
Creatures
3 Experiment One
3 Flinthoof Boar
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
3 Loam Lion
3 Vexing Devil
4 Wild Nacatl
28 cards

Other Spells
2 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
2 Path to Exile
11 cards
Lands
2 Forest
3 Mountain
2 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
21 cards

kird ape


This deck presents a reasonable price for someone looking to get into Modern. It packs a raw power punch that can end the game for some decks before they even get started. You're only goal with this deck is to deal out damage as efficiently as possible. If the opponent finds a way to stop you creatures, this deck packs plenty of burn spells to get the job done. Most of the creatures have 3 Toughness, so the deck isn't as weak to Pyroclasm, Electrolyze or Pillar of Flame as some decks are.

Overall, it's hard to say if this or a budget U/R Delver list are a better bang for your buck? I have most of the cards in this deck, so I might pick up the rest and run it through a test gauntlet for a future article.

Cost Break Down:

  • Main Deck: 85.35
  • Sideboard: 20.79

Highest Price Non-Land Cards
The following table lists the Top 10 most expensive Modern legal cards in descending order. I excluded the following: Hurkyl's Recall, Craterhoof Behemoth and Entreat the Angels. Those three cards are more desirable in other formats and I tried to keep this table Modern focused.

Higher End Non-Lands SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Tarmogoyf FUT 74.86 74.86 0.00 0%
Liliana of the Veil ISD 50.00 68.00 18.00 36%
Mox Opal SOM 53.81 57.00 3.19 6%
Vendilion Clique MOR 45.91 49.00 3.09 7%
Noble Hierarch CON 31.00 41.31 10.31 33%
Batterskull PRM 39.40 39.40 0.00 0%
Scapeshift MOR 33.07 36.55 3.48 11%
Cryptic Command LRW 26.37 28.15 1.78 7%
Karn Liberated NPH 25.41 25.41 0.00 0%
Voice of Resurgence DGM 21.11 25.06 3.95 19%

Liliana's gains are huge this week; she was down to just shy of 48.00 a little over a week ago. She has returned to her former glory as the 2nd Place Queen of the format. Voice of Resurgence is another card that has done well post GP: Madrid. I'm kicking myself that I didn't pick up a couple more when they were under 16.00. Noble Hierarch also had a big week, climbing over 10.00. Actually, most of the cards went up, so it looks like Modern is in a good spot popularity-wise online.

Other Staples
This is a new section that I want to develop that shows the price of other staples that aren't the most expensive cards in the format, but are some of the most defining ones. These are just the first ten, but I think I have something more expansive in mind for future editions.

Other Staples SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Birthing Pod NPH 11.29 13.00 1.71 15%
Snapcaster Mage ISD 10.57 9.05 -1.52 -14%
Splinter Twin ROE 10.47 10.47 0.00 0%
Scavenging Ooze M14 4.81 4.63 -0.18 -4%
Thoughtseize THS 6.90 7.00 0.10 1%
Path to Exile MMA 4.30 4.34 0.04 1%
Remand RAV 7.60 6.93 -0.67 -9%
Serum Visions 5DN 6.80 6.83 0.03 0%
Kitchen Finks MMA 1.40 1.12 -0.28 -20%
Young Pyromancer M14 0.40 0.38 -0.02 -5%

It's no surprise that Pod, Twin and Snapcaster all hover around the 10.00 range. I'm surprised Scavenging Ooze is so low. I'm curious what the growth cap on it could be? Also, I think it's important to note that two of the best uncommon creatures in the format are very budget friendly. 

Modern Land Prices

The Zendikar Fetch Lands
The Fetch Lands are the lynchpin of most mana bases in Modern. Being able to fix your colors by finding a Ravnica Shock Land is critical to the various top tier multi-color decks. The price of Fetchlands is often considered the defining cost barrier of Modern, however, the return of the original Allied Fetches in Khans of Tarkir has helped stabilize all of the Fetch prices.

Fetch Lands SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Arid Mesa ZEN 14.22 14.95 0.73 5%
Marsh Flats ZEN 7.79 7.64 -0.15 -2%
Misty Rainforest ZEN 21.42 17.91 -3.51 -16%
Scalding Tarn ZEN 37.59 34.85 -2.74 -7%
Verdant Catacombs ZEN 14.22 14.81 0.59 4%
Bloodstained Mire KTK 3.75 3.40 -0.35 -9%
Flooded Strand KTK 8.00 8.92 0.92 12%
Polluted Delta KTK 5.39 6.07 0.68 13%
Windswept Heath KTK 3.33 3.57 0.24 7%
Wooded Foothills KTK 3.61 3.16 -0.45 -12%

Is Misty Rainforest finally going to take the price plunge I speculated earlier in the year? Hard to say. On the other hand, Flooded Strand continues to take off. Sigh.

The Ravnica Shock Lands
The Shock Lands, with their dual basic land types, are very important pillars of the Modern format. The nickname is derived from the 2 life paid to put the land into play untapped compared to the 2 damage from the card Shock. After being reprinted in the Return to Ravnica block, the prices dropped dramatically and it is now much easier for players to acquire these lands with a modest budget.

Shock Lands SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Blood Crypt RTR 2.33 2.06 -0.27 -12%
Hallowed Fountain RTR 3.67 3.56 -0.11 -3%
Overgrown Tomb RTR 2.15 2.73 0.58 27%
Steam Vents RTR 7.17 6.08 -1.09 -15%
Temple Garden RTR 2.37 3.29 0.92 39%
Breeding Pool GTC 3.49 4.64 1.15 33%
Godless Shrine GTC 2.63 3.26 0.63 24%
Sacred Foundry GTC 3.35 2.95 -0.40 -12%
Stomping Ground GTC 4.01 3.79 -0.22 -5%
Watery Grave GTC 3.03 2.93 -0.10 -3%

The resurgence of Abzan Junk Decks is helping boost G/W/B lands. A slight increase in Breeding Pool is probably thanks to Scapeshift.

The Scars of Mirrodin Fast Lands
The Fast Lands are a great way to ensure two colors of mana in the first few turns of the game. Only available in allied color pairings, they see the most use for colors that have strong aggressive themes that are not affected by the drawback. The Fast Lands have a relatively low price threshold and are an inexpensive way to add mana consistency to a deck.

Fast Lands SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Blackcleave Cliffs SOM 1.09 1.24 0.15 14%
Copperline Gorge SOM 1.07 1.09 0.02 2%
Darkslick Shores SOM 0.84 0.94 0.10 12%
Razorverge Thicket SOM 1.75 2.43 0.68 39%
Seachrome Coast SOM 1.06 0.96 -0.10 -9%

I was always surprised that Razorverge Thicket wasn't worth more. Most G/W decks in the format use them, from Pod to Bogles, that card sees use. It'll be fun to see if the price continues to bob up and down, or if it's keeps this time?

The Worldwake Man-Lands
The ability to produce two colors and provide a creature with an ability makes these lands rather attractive. More useful in mid-range and control oriented decks that don't mind the drawback as much. Currently only one of these lands appears as a '4-of' in a deck; so while they have a moderate price threshold, keep in mind that you usually only need about 1-2 copies of each per a deck.

Man Lands SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Celestial Colonnade WWK 10.21 10.05 -0.16 -2%
Creeping Tar Pit WWK 5.45 5.45 0.00 0%
Lavaclaw Reaches WWK 0.54 0.54 0.00 0%
Raging Ravine WWK 1.68 1.68 0.00 0%
Stirring Wildwood WWK 1.44 1.44 0.00 0%

The Core Set/Innistrad Check Lands
While they do not provide mana on the first turn of the game, the Check Lands still have enough potential to see use in Modern. When combined with the Ravnica Shock Lands, the Checks are an inexpensive way to create reliable 2 color mana bases. New players to Modern, as well as those with very tight budgets, may want to start with these extremely cheap lands.

Check Lands SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Clifftop Retreat ISD 0.21 0.27 0.06 29%
Hinterland Harbor ISD 0.10 0.17 0.07 70%
Isolated Chapel ISD 0.20 0.26 0.06 30%
Sulfur Falls ISD 1.73 1.90 0.17 10%
Woodland Cemetery ISD 0.14 0.23 0.09 64%
Dragonskull Summit M12 0.05 0.05 0.00 0%
Drowned Catacomb M12 0.08 0.08 0.00 0%
Glacial Fortress M12 0.05 0.05 0.00 0%
Rootbound Crag M12 0.05 0.05 0.00 0%
Sunpetal Grove M12 0.06 0.05 -0.01 -17%

The Utility and Deck Specific Lands
This section covers Utility Lands, off cycle mana fixers and Deck specific lands that you might need if you want to build a Modern deck. Whether it's the Urza Tron Cycle, Affinity or you just want to know how much the most used lands that blow up other lands cost, this should give you some idea of what you are working with.

Utility & Deck Specific SET 23NOV14 30NOV14 Change %
Grove of the Burnwillows FUT 17.93 17.93 0.00 0%
Horizon Canopy FUT 17.75 18.34 0.59 3%
Tectonic Edge WWK 0.64 0.85 0.21 33%
Ghost Quarter ISD 0.15 0.15 0.00 0%
Urza's Mine ME4 0.14 0.14 0.00 0%
Urza's Power Plant ME4 0.15 0.15 0.00 0%
Urza's Tower ME4 0.15 0.15 0.00 0%
Academy Ruins MMA 1.13 1.02 -0.11 -10%
Gavony Township ISD 0.11 0.19 0.08 73%
Treetop Village PRM 0.25 0.25 0.00 0%
Blinkmoth Nexus MMA 3.21 3.21 0.00 0%
Darksteel Citadel DKS 0.15 0.15 0.00 0%
Glimmervoid MMA 1.93 2.14 0.21 11%
Inkmoth Nexus MBS 6.55 7.11 0.56 9%
Mutavault M14 5.26 5.23 -0.03 -1%
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx THS 0.54 0.54 0.00 0%
Eye of Ugin WWK 4.70 4.70 0.00 0%

A new look for this table is coming soon! Woohoo.

Conclusion
It's amazing how quickly time blows by when good food and family fill up your days. I hope you aren't getting tired of so many Market Watches in a row? It really wasn't my intention when I started writing about prices again, but it has been nice to create several in a row to give me a feel of how I want to go about it all in the future.

As always, any comments would be appreciated. Maybe you think it was wrong of me to not include Hurkyl's Recall in those higher price cards? Or maybe you want that list to be longer to you see some of the really fun "price fights" going on in the 18.00-20.00 range? Let me know!

As stated above, next week I'll finally be back to a more regular The Modern Perspective, where we will talk about playing Pod and the ridiculousness a bunch of older Magic players get up to in a chatroom.

birthing pod

Until next time,

- Gio


The Modern Perspective Archive

You can follow me on Twitter @TehGioSays