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Weekly Update (Mar 22): Mechanized Panharmonicon

by mtggoldfish // Mar 23, 2020

Does Pioneer have the tools to make Dubious Challenge less dubious, all on a $100 budget? Let's find out!Read more

Finance Update w/ Saffron Olive

This week's biggest winners comes from the world of Commander, where Steal Enchantment jumped from near bulk prices to over $5. While I couldn't find a direct reason for the price increase (although it's possible the card showed up in a piece of content that I missed) there were a few Reddit threads about Steal Enchantment being one of (if not the) best enchantment removal for Mono-Blue and Izzet decks in Commander, since blue and red can't just kill an enchantment. While the card currently sees almost no play in Commander, coming in at 0% of decks according to EDHRec (and when it does show up it is normally in dedicated "steal your stuff" decks like Dragonlord Silumgar or Rubinia Soulsinger), it might be in line for an increase in play as more players realize what it offers. Just be warned that it is only an uncommon and not on the Reserved List, so if the price actually stays high (which is up for debate, since buylist prices are still low), it seems like an easy target for a reprinting in the not too distant future.

Speaking of Commander, Test of Endurance jumped from $10 to nearly $30 this week. Here it seems likely that this is a delayed reaction to the lifegain sub-theme of cards like Heliod, Sun-Crowned and Daxos, Blessed by the Sun from Theros: Beyond Death making their presence felt in the format. It's probably worth keeping an eye on Epic Struggle and Chance Encounter as well, which are the other two members of the cycle that haven't been reprinted since Judgment block (the cycle also includes Battle of Wits and Mortal Combat, both of which have core set reprintings). If the right support pieces come along, their future could mirror that of Test of Endurance, assuming they aren't reprinted in the meantime. This is especially true of Chance Encounter. If we ever get a set where coin flipping is a theme (which seems somewhat more likely now in a world where Standard is played mostly in Magic Arena, making flipping a coin fast and easy) I'd expect a price jump similar to that of Test of Endurance.

Finally we have Mana Crypt, specifically the Mystery Booster printing, which was the single most-viewed card on the site this week, presumably because Commander players are hoping to pick up copies at a discount with new supply entering the market. While the Mystery Booster printing is much cheaper than the original or Eternal Masters version, it's still not cheap, with the least expensive copy online being in the $120 range (compared to closer to $200 for Eternal Masters). I wouldn't be surprised to see Mana Crypt show up against as a mythic in Commander Legends this fall. Even after the recent reprinting, its price is still high enough that it should be one of the most desirable opens in the set and offers Wizards an easy way to make sure players purchase the product. If you don't have all the copies you need for your Commander decks yet, you should wait and hope for another reprinting to drop the price.

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What are the odds of literally winning with a Panharmonicon (or eight) with the help of Mechanized Production? Let's find out!Read more

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The Fish Tank: Sweet Viewer-Submitted Decks (March 15-21, 2020)	Podcast 268: Fetchland Lair and Cancellations

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Instant Deck Techs

Each day we'll be posting a short, three minute deck tech featuring some of the coolest decks that come across the site. The most popular deck will be made into videos the following week based on your views, likes and comments in the videos. Here's this week's Instant Deck Techs: