MY JANUARY 2025 MARKET PICKS
Welcome everyone to the end of the 2025 MTG Game State recap! In this article I go over all of the cards featured on the segment and see where they currently are in pricing as well as inform the reader on why I chose the card, let's see what we got!
1. Ulvenwald Tracker
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $6.99
Market Listing $6.75
For our first round of cards this month I refered back to some cards I personally own that I saw were creeping back up at the time. Ulvenwald tracker is a great commander piece and is a cheap card with a great fight effect. If your creature has a bassalisk's collar equipped and an Ulvenwald tracker on the field you'll be making some flashy creature spot removal. A classic case of a card that is tied to premium prints as well as being from Innistrad pt1. surpisingly no reprint in Innistrad Remastered
2. Bear Umbra
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $9.15
Market Listing $6.35
Another great card to own for commander and also from my colletion, The rise of the Eldrazi print used to be the only one of it's kind up until a few commander sets ago. A 4 cost aura that has some big pay off's even if you devote your 4 mana to this card, if you attack you'll get your lands back for some sick second mainphase plays. It's not a competetive piece at all but for it's ability and the era of MTG the card is from, the base print should hold some value above $5/00. In the past we've checked in on this card but I saw it was creeping back up at the end of January. Moderate play versions are $6.00 right now for ROE set! A commander print or a damaged copy of the original print are good choices for anyone looking to up their budget and strategy within reason.
3. Polyraptor - (Special Guest)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $13.74
Market Listing $13.31
A card featured originally in The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan Special Guets slot, We had covered Polyraptor's Special Guest printing previously due to how funny it can be in Dino Typal decks and Combo decks. One of my favorite combos is Polyraptor + Marauding Raptor
+ Impact Tremors
being reprinted in a special guests slot puts this card in the "your price is tied to the premium prints" corner. if you can pick the special guest print up for $13.00 you'll be doing yourself a favor in the long run.
4. Rhystic Study - (Prophecy)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $44.89
Market Listing $43.53
A card that really needs no introduction for any commander player, already youre getting flash backs to paying the card's 1 generic mana stipulation. Easily annoying but not so easy to obtain, especially the COMMON print from Propechy. At the time I had sounded the alarm on this specific print because it is slowly creeping half way up to $50.00 which oddly enough makes the 1st printing of this card the cheapest in it's enitre run!
5. Pest control
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $19.99
Market Listing $8.70
Switching gears to the 60 card formats, Pest Control from Outlaws of Thunder Junction's The Big Score (a set within a set, similar to special guests) this card was on my radar in the trending section of MTGstocks at the time for it's really cool ability before I even realised it was in a specail insert set. A powerful board wipe card that is being used in the modern format to combat some of the more cracked archetypes since the Faithless looting unbanning in builds such as Dimir Oculus which features another big card we've covered in December article Abhorrent Oculus
. Pest Control can hit all the cheap big cards like Mox Diamond
as well as effect a wide token based board state. Back in January this card gained a name for itself with tcgplayer listings at the time listed at $20.00!
6. Khabál Ghoul
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $116
Market Listing $114
When a Reserved List card makes it to the trending pages of MTGstocks I pay attention. Rarely ever talked about these days in my circles the reserved list boasts some EXPENSIVE collectors pieces but also cards that have function within the commander format. We see this card actually having some use with cards like skull clamp and In Garruk's Wake
. For about $115 dollars loose you might wanna save up your money for 2 so you can get 1 graded as Reserved list cards will retain value especially cards from iconic sets like Arabian Nights or that see value within Commander.
7. Land Tax - (legends)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $65.26
Market Listing $46.01
Continuing in the commander lane we have a CLASSIC in my opinion. I had to sound thee alarm on the Legends print of Land Tax at the time in my market research. In MTG epescially older cards you'll get really funky arts, modern day MTG is returning to this trend by working with artists suchs as Carly Mazur who happens to have some funky art I really like on our favorite unbanned card; Faithless Looting
! Land Tax has a great ramp ability in the white color pie that helps the Mardu color pie out tremendously. In the early days of my commander career way back in 2017 this card wasn't printed in as many modern day sets like it is in 2025 this card will always be a collectors piece as well as a used card in many decklists. Get the funky Legends print while you can or if you're really about it the Fourth Edition white border print is at a reasonable price of $20.00 while the Legends print at the time was averaging close to $70.00
8. Overlord of the Balemurk
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $38.95
Market Listing $30.51
Back to 60 card standard, legacy and modern formats we are seeing Overlord of the Balemurk race to be Duskmourne house of horror's most expensive card along with Abhorrent Oculus with a base print's average listing of close to $30.00 on tcgplayer! Featured in standard Dimir builds and Orzhov blink, Mardu energy youre going to need to pick up at least three copies if you want to cut your teeth in any events where this card is being used in the proper metas.
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Continuing our article we have our final 8 cards of January 2025's MTG Game state market picks! If you made it to the half way point just know I appreciate you and wanna give you this cookie! 🫳 🥠
9. Sword of Kaldra
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $19.73
Market Listing $14.46
There was a time where Voltron builds in commander weren't as popular as they are today, even Equipments weren't as supported in the format 7 years ago as they are today. One of my favorite artifact cycles is the Kaldra cycle. In my market research I always love seeing cards from my collection make the trending page of MTG Stocks so that was really why I decdied to sound the alarm on this cycle. Helm of Kaldra
, Sword of Kaldra & Shield of Kaldra
are sorta of a package you cant just own 1 without the other 2, fortunately they fixed that for us artifact players with Kaldra Compleat
! The Kaldra cycle is also from the Mirrodin set so it does contain some MTG history that can potentially effect the cycles long term holding price of $20.00.
10. Meddling Mage - (Planeshift)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $17.67
Market Listing $7.93
We've mentioned many times on MTG Gamestate the many ways on how to get your face on a Magic card. Chris Pakula had earned his right back in 2000 at the Magic Invitational in Kuala Lumpur which not only got him on a MTG card but also a newly designed card in Meddling Mage. "Meddling is a slang term used by Magic R&D to describe the ability that names a spell, after which that spell can't be played as long as the card with the ability is on the battlefield." It's meddling effect is really strong and is currently being used in Legacy Gush Mentor builds and Modern Death & Taxes. When a card with history sees play it's usually a sign that you need to acquire it ASAP although most printings of this card are pennies still, the Planeshift and Judge promo should retian the most premium prices that tie the other prints together.
11. Face The Hydra - (Hero's path promos)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $15.00
Market Listing $8.00
Our next cards aren't necessarily usual Magic cards you normally play with. Back in the days of the first Theros set local gamestores would get sent extra product from WOTC during a set's release to hype players up and get them immersed in the planes' theme and story. Hero's path was a set of different mini games one mini game was Face The Hydra. Players would face off agasint a self playing Hydra deck in an epic battle to earn their names in Thero's pantheon of heroes. During the 2020 lockdown season these cards took on quite a huge price increase from mere pennies to a cool $3-$5 bucks a card depening on the Hydra head. I recently unpacked these cards from my collection and wanted to sound the alarm for anyone looking to get into funky MTG gameplay.
12. Original Planechase/2012/Anthology cards
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $3.18
Market Listing $2.71
Before the Dr. Who precon commander sets released with Planechase cards, you would have needed to purchase a Planechase Anthology or 2012 set if you wanted to jam Commander with the game mode at a reasonable price. Now since the mode has gained more popularity the Remastered cards and base set cards are holding premium prices for oversized cards no matter the reprints. I included these on our list as more of a sounding thee alarm for the reader to get at these pieces as they will have original text and not the updated format MTG uses.
13. Unfulfilled Desires
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $22.95
Market Listing $18.99
Alpha Investments' video was really why I decided to add Unfufilled Desires to the list. A reserve list card that was victim of a community buyout I personally think this is has potential for cEDH as piece for Thassa's Oracle
strats. More post episode research revealed that a Command Zone video played part of a role for the card's spike that upgraded the new Aetherdrift precon deck: Eternal Might. Not much to say other than keep your eye on this piece and get at it since it is Reserved List and will never get a reprint.
14. Tortured Exesistance
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $12.76
Market Listing $11.00
In my research I saw Tortured Exesistance creeping up in price along with Unfulfilled Desires. At the time it felt like a cEDH Thoracle piece but after post show research the price increase seems tobe from 2 precon decks, MH3 Graveyard Overdrive & Aetherdrift Eternal Might. Not much to say other than this is fallout from the same reasons as Unfulfilled Desires.
15. Bone Miser - (CM19)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $21.48
Market Listing $17.84
Bonemiser is a BEAST of a card for the commander format. This card rewards you for discarding with three different rewards based off of what you discarded. Another member in the corner of invisible check marks I look for. Bone Miser is only printed in the CM19 Merciless Rage precon set, The list and soon to be special guests insert card in Aetherdrift with some funky Secret Lair art. This means it will retain a premium price across all prints unless we get some more precon reprints in the future...
16. Edgar Markov - (Innistrad remastered)
27 Jan 2025
Average Listing $51.49
Market Listing $44.78
Edgar Markov is a Magic card and character who almost needs no introductions. From the Commander 2017 precons, which were extremely slept on besides Edgar and The Ur Dragon up until we got some support for cats for Arahbo, Roar of the World
. Emenince is a strong commander ability that rewards players even from the command zone. What's huge about Edgar Markov though is he is now finally available in non foil! A trend MTG has been doing now where they released foil only commanders as insert cards from The List or now Innistrad Remastered. Edgar getting a reprint in non foil is big for me because this now allows for some "cheaper" access for players to make a 3 color vampire typal deck! Previously you could only get Edgar in foil and in a precon and if ya wanted him loose it was close to $90.00!! Innistrad Remastered base print will still be $50.00 but hey premium cards demand premium prices, I just live here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That's all of the card's featured from January's MTG Game State!
Check back at the end of February for another follow up article from the month's market picks.
*all finance info sourced from MTGstocks
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