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Browse > Home / Strategy / Articles / Weekly Update (Feb 14): Challenger Decklists

Weekly Update (Feb 14): Challenger Decklists



Challenger Decks 2021 Decklists


Here are the new Standard Challenger Decks for 2021!Read more


Website Update: Lost Data


Collection changes and deck creation/edits in the last 24 hours are affected.Read more


Banned and Restricted Preview: Uro Banned in Pioneer, Modern, Historic


Bye bye Uro in Pioneer, Modern, and Historic.Read more


Budget Magic: Fynn-fect (12R / 2M, Standard)


Is Infect back in Standard thanks to Fynn, the Fangbearer and a bunch of cheap deathtouch creatures? Can it work with just 12 rares and two mythics? Let's see!Read more


Finance Update w/ Saffron Olive


Skyshroud Poacher Glamerdye Embercleave

This week, our biggest winner is once again associated with the release of Kaldheim and more specifically the Kaldheim Commander precon decks, with Skyshroud Poacher shooting up from around $5 to $25. Lathril, Blade of the Elves has started to separate itself from the rest of the legends in Kaldheim as the most popular commander from the set, which in turn has caused a bunch of older Elves to spike in price as players look to complete their Elf decks. While it might be too late to pick up Elf cards on the cheap, expected this process to repeat itself with the release of Strixhaven, probably to an even greater extent, considering we're getting five Commander precons alongside the set rather than just two. At this point it's hard to predict what tribes and archetypes will be supported in the set, but if you want to make some guesses and try to pick up some cards early, focus on older cards, ideally with just one printing, as they are the most likely to see a big price spike. 

Another funny Kaldheim and Commander related trend is some really bad blue cards that can repeatedly target permanents spiking in price thanks to their synergy with Orvar, the All-Form. First was Whim of Volrath (which enables some infinite combos with Orvar, the All-Form and something like Coveted Jewel) which went from a bulk rare to nearly $35 over the past few weeks. This week it was Glamerdye spiking more than 1000% from $0.50 to almost $6. While neither of these cards have text that really does anything, the simple fact that they can target any permanent and do it multiple times thanks to buyback and retrace means that they are suddenly staples in decks built around one of the most hyped and exciting legends from Kaldheim

Finally, Wizards announced the 2021 edition of Challenger Decks this week. The Standard-focused pre-constructed decks generally sell for somewhere between $20 and $30. The four decks have an average card value of nearly $60, making them a solid deal on their face. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the decks is the inclusion of some of the mythic MDFC lands from Zendikar Rising. Shatterskull Smashing, Turntimber Symbiosis, and Shatterskull Smashing are all heavily-played in both Standard and Commander and survive the next Standard rotation in September (unlike most of the valuable cards in past Challenger Decks). As such, the decks offer a reasonable way to snag some copies to round out your collection if you need them, along with some other decent reprints like Rankle, Master of Pranks, Embercleave (planeswalker stamp), and Skyclave Apparition (planeswalker stamp). On the other hand, I'm not sure how relevant the decks themselves are this year considering they still don't have a code to get the cards on Arena and there isn't much paper Magic happening at the moment. In the past, Challenger Decks have offered a semi-competitive option for FNM-level events right out of the box. While this year's offerings look playable, there just aren't many places to play in paper at the moment. My advice would be to snag the decks if you need some of the reprinted cards, otherwise, you might be better off picking up a Commander precon to play on the kitchen table while we wait for paper Standard to return.


Top 5 Most Expensive Commander Cards


The Reserved List is silly.Read more

This Week in Legacy: The God of Lies Strikes Back

Historic 101: Hateboar 2: Electric UwUgaloo

Joe Dyer gets into the thick of all the Kaldheim mess with Turbo Tibalt! Read more

The Hateboar has returned! Can a light stacks deck work in Historic? Read more

Top 10 Kaldheim Commander Combos

Against the Odds: Tergrid, God of Fright (Standard)

What new combos does Kaldheim enable in Commander? SaffronOlive counts down his top 10! Read more

What are the odds of winning in Kaldheim Standard with a deck full of discard/sacrifice effects and Tergrid, God of Fright? Let's find out! Read more

Vintage 101: A Story of Gods

Single Scoop: Elves of Kaldheim (Historic, Magic Arena)

Joe Dyer dives into various Birgi, God of Storytelling combos in Vintage! Read more

A ton of elves have arrived for the Elf tribe. Are these elves good enough to help elves in Historic? TheAsianAvenger will find out! Read more


Much Abrew: Party Time? (Standard)


Do some new Kaldheim cards and the addition of changelings mean it's finally time to party down, party hard, and party on in Standard? Let's find out!Read more

Commander Clash S10 E2: Kaldheim Clash | Aegar vs. Magda vs. Svella vs. Ranar

Single Scoop: Jeskai Runes (Standard, Magic Arena)

The crew brews around Kaldheim commanders! Read more

I guess you could say this deck is Runing the Standard format? Ba dum tsssssssss Read more

Tribal Tribal Primer | All Tribes In One Deck | Big Kaldheim Update

Meme or Dream? 69-Card No-Sideboard Dogs (Standard)

Why stick to just one tribe when you can play all of them? Read more

Teacher: Where's your sideboard, Platinum-Mythic Ranked Player? Student: The dog ate it. Teacher: But why 69 cards in the main deck? Student: [laughing] Nice... Read more

So You Need a Reserved List Card...

Podcast 315: Did Tibalt Break Magic?

The prices of cards on the Reserved List are spiraling out of control. What can you do if you need a Reserved List card to complete your Commander deck? Here's a few ideas. Read more

The crew discuses the impact of Kaldheim on Standard and Modern, a new Secret Lair drop and answers #MTGFishmail! Read more



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