MTGGoldfish is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Weekly Update (Jan 05): Theros Gods

by mtggoldfish // Jan 6, 2020

Theros: Beyond Death Previews

Theros: Beyond Death previews are in full swing. This week all of the returning Gods were revealed, along with a ton of legendary creatures and new sagas. Be sure to check out all of the latest previews at mtgpreviews.com, and check out SaffronOlive's first impressions below:

Finance Update w/ Saffron Olive

This week, most of our biggest finance news is tied to Theros: Beyond Death spoilers, although somewhat surprisingly the biggest impact is being felt in formats like Modern and Pioneer rather than Standard. In Pioneer, Walking Ballista increased 43% to just under $30 based on its combo potential with Heliod, Sun-Crowned. Whether or not the combo actually develops into a top tier deck in the format, it wouldn't be a huge surprise for Walking Ballista's price to stick since it sees heavy play in both Pioneer and Modern. The bigger risk financially might be that the combo is too good for Pioneer and Walking Ballista ends up getting banned as a result. If you're planning on playing the combo, you might as well pick up copies of Walking Ballista at the new price, if it breaks out on the tournament stage after Theros: Beyond Death releases it could go even higher, and with Player's Tour events on the way in about a month it will have ample opportunities to shine.

Meanwhile in Modern, Eldrazi Conscription jumped 63% this week to almost $8 thanks to Storm Herald. If you can get an Eldrazi Conscription in the graveyard on turn one or two, Storm Herald can represent a turn three kill with a bit more help, by reanimating Eldrazi Conscription and maybe another enchantment or two for free and getting in a big, annihilating attack.While the recent reprinting in Ultimate Masters will keep Eldrazi Conscription's price from getting too out hand over the short term, considering that the Tribal Enchantment isn't legal in Pioneer or that heavily played in Commander, but is the biggest, baddest aura in Magic to reanimate making it a casual favorite, it feels like the type of card that could avoid getting reprinted again for a while and continue to slowly rise in price - it was up to $15 before it was reprinted.

Finally, thanks to a combination of Standard demand and the creation of Pioneer, some shocklands are increasing in price. Breeding Pool is a good example. Back when Ravnica Allegiance first released copies could be had for under $10, now they are pushing $21. However, thanks to the Brawl precon decks, which each contained a shockland, some shocklands are still floating in the $10 range. With the creation of Pioneer, owning a playset of the 10 shocklands is more important than ever in paper. Last time we had shocklands in Standard they barely dropped in price at all at rotation. If you still need to complete your set, there's little downside in picking them up now (outside of a potential random Challenger Deck reprinting), especially for the cheaper members of the cycle.

Year in Review: The Five Best Parts of Magic: the Gathering in 2019	Year in Review: The Five Worst Parts of Magic: the Gathering in 2019

What went right in the Magic world in the past year? Let's take a look at the five best aspects of the game in 2019! Read more	A couple of days ago we looked at the best part of the year. Today it's time to take a peak at the worst aspects of Magic in 2019. Read more

This Week in Legacy: The Veil of Winter	Vintage 101: Into the Unknown

Joe Dyer returns This Week in Legacy and dives deep into the Winter descending upon the Legacy format! Read more	Joe Dyer reaches into the unknown of what is in store for Vintage 2020! Read more

Historic 101: Nicol Bolas 2020 (Historic, Magic Arena)	The Fish Tank: Theros: Beyond Death Edition (Dec. 28-Jan. 4, 2020).

New Year. Same Bolas mwahahah! Read more	What sweet decks featuring new Theros: Beyond Death cards did viewers submit this holiday season? Let's find out! Read more

Commander Clash S7 E16: Revenge Week \| Eron vs. Kadena vs. Morophon vs. Patron of the Moon	Pioneer Peak: Rakdos Control (Pioneer, Magic Online)

The Goldfish crew brings back old losing decks for another shot at glory! Read more	Looking for a tap out control deck with a better manabse? TheAsianAvenger takes a poke at Rakdos Control! Read more

Breaking Theros: Beyond Death—Heliod, Sun-Crowned	Podcast 257: Theros: Beyond Death Previews and Product Review

Why is everyone freaking out about Heliod's combo potential in Pioneer and Modern? Let's take a look, and discuss some ways to break our new God. Read more	The crew discusses a ton of new Theros: Beyond Death cards, finishes wrapping up 2019 and answers #MTGFishmail. Read more