Weekly Update (Dec 22): Commander Clash Holiday Special

This week in the world of finance, players begin preparation for the release of Theros: Beyond Death. The biggest Standard winners of the week include Starfield Mystic, which increased 45% to $1.77 based on early Theros: Beyond Death spoiler which suggests the set is overloaded with enchantments and Casualties of War (up 59% to $2.67), which is already seeing heavy play, but presumably will be even more important once our return to Theros releases a bunch of powerful enchantments into the format. While they haven't seen much price movement yet, keep an eye on potential devotion support cards over the next couple of weeks including the tripled colored three-drop cycle featuring Gadwick, the Wizened and Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig, and the Cavalier cycle of Core Set 2020. We know devotion is returning and if it's anywhere near as powerful as it was the first time around, these cards could be in line for a huge jump in play in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, The Great Henge ticked up another 13% on the week to just under $15 from a low of near $11 a few weeks ago. While The Great Henge isn't especially heavily-played in either Standard or Pioneer, it does see a bit of play in both, while also being one of the most-played Throne of Eldraine cards in Commander, which is enough to make it one of the most expensive cards in the set. If there's one lesson we've learned over the past few years and will be even more important in 2020, it's not to sleep on casual cards. Commander is driving much of the paper market these days, which makes seeing heavy Commander play almost as important as seeing heavy Standard play when it comes to card prices. As for The Great Henge in specific, it wouldn't be a surprise if it continued to tick up slowly. It's a card that most green Commander decks will want, which makes whatever Standard and Pioneer play the mythic sees a bonus.

Finally, keep an eye on Lotus Field. The card has developed into a Pioneer staple and the driver of one of the best combo decks in the format. This had caused a huge price spike on Magic Online where Lotus Field was under $1 a month ago and over $9 today. Assuming there are no bannings that target the deck, the Storm-esque Lotus Field deck seems like something pro players might gravitate towards for the Players Tour events coming up in February, which could lead to Lotus Field seeing a spike in paper as well. Worst case, Lotus Field is a card that from the day it was previewed, looked like it could be broken eventually, so it probably isn't the worst card to have in your collection even if Pioneer isn't the format that breaks it.

Much Abrew: Naban Elemental Wizards	Podcast 255: Theros Previews, Arena News and Magic Legends
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Historic 101: Irencrag Gruul (Historic, Magic Arena)	Vintage 101: The Doomsday Device
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The Fish Tank: Sweet and Spicy User-Submitted Decks (Dec. 15-21, 2019)	Pioneer Peak: Jund Pact (Pioneer, Magic Online)
What amazing decks did viewers submit this week? Let's jump into The Fish Tank and find out! Read more	What this ol' thing? Its just a harmless Demonic Pact right? Let us see if Crim or his opponents will take a loss from Demonic Pact! Read more