As I’m sure all of you are aware, the pro tour was last weekend and with it came an bunch of unsustainable spikes.  What does that mean exactly?  I’m glad you asked!

The Hype

Many cards spiked over the PT weekend based on the amount of play and success they saw. Among them are [card]Pearl Lake Ancient[/card], [card]Siege Rhino[/card], [card]Wingmate Roc[/card], [card]Anafenza, the Foremost[/card], [card]Dig Through Time[/card], [card]Rakshasa Deathdealer[/card],and [card]Perilous Vault[/card].

If you had your copies before Friday, you’re in luck! These cards have increased to almost double the value of what they were last week in retail.  What do we do with them now?  Well, if you’re not playing them, now is the best time to sell them.  Most of these cards (save [card]Dig Through Time[/card]) are likely not eternal-playable and this may be their peak price for the foreseeable future.  The price of Khans of Tarkir singles is unsustainably high and it’s better to count the dollars you make now than the cents you could make by holding out longer. These cards could continue to grow, but it’s much more likely they see a significant dip as people continue to open Khans of Tarkir sealed product.  It’s a safe bet to get rid of your excess product now, because if any of these cards become a bust in the coming weeks, they can come crashing down like some other Khans cards.

The Busts

Some of the tri-color creatures in Khans haven’t lived up to their hype.  [card]Savage Knuckleblade[/card] and [card]Butcher of the Horde[/card] in particular are seeing some rough times price-wise.  I would keep an eye on these for further dips and buy in when they’re around $2.  The power level is definitely there for the cards, but they just don’t currently have the deck to be successful.

All other Khans cards over $3 that aren’t seeing tons of play are likely to come down in the next month.  These cards may still have some price memory from pre-order period, but lack of play will cause their prices to flop.

Sell, Sell, Sell!

Some older cards have not proven their worth and price tag in new Standard. Among these are [card]Jace, the Living Guildpact[/card], [card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card], [card]Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver[/card], [card]Erebos, God of the Dead[/card], [card]Keranos, God of Storms[/card], [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card], [card]Purphorous, God of the Forge[/card], [card]Thassa, God of the Sea[/card], and [card]Master of Waves[/card].

See the pattern?  These are all Standard-playable mythic rares that for the most part don’t have a ton of casual appeal buoying their prices. I would look to get rid of these as soon as possible as all except Keranos see no play in competitive Magic. I would like to say especially that it’s time to get rid of Xenagos—he is prime for a Duel Deck reprint with Elspeth.

Keep a Holding Pattern

If you read my grinder finance articles from the Khans of Tarkir pre-order period, I advocated buying a few cards and I think it’s still a good idea to hold them. [card]Anger of the Gods[/card] has almost doubled in price since I recommended buying it, but I don’t think it’s done growing. It’s one of two cards that efficiently deal with [card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card] in the sense of both cards and mana. (The other being a black uncommon, [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card]).  I think this can become an $8 or $10 card if people continue to play Rabblemaster and [card]Mantis Rider[/card].

[card]Hornet Queen[/card] is probably at its peak, but I don’t think they’re quite worth selling yet. There is a possibility that the new Abzan midrange deck from the pro tour decides to play them as an answer to the mirror match.  [card]Hornet Queen[/card] is really the trump in green mirror matches.

The Fetch Question

Please don’t buy them.  They’re still too expensive and make up far too much of this set’s price.  They will be down to $8 to $14 by Christmas time.

Invest!

[card]Ashen Rider[/card] is still far too cheap.  A $2 mythic means it’s basically bulk (this is like Tibalt levels of bulk) but this guy is an EDH all-star and plays phenomenally well with [card]Whip of Erebos[/card].

That’s it for this time! Let me know what you think in the comments.