With the pre-release merely days away, it's time for all you savvy traders to get in gear and start figuring out what you need to acquire. Today we're going to tackle the Uncommons of M10, which feature some very interesting cards indeed! While there doesn't seem to be an ubiquitous "power uncommon" - at least, not yet, there are some cards that are worth acquiring before everyone starts needing their set.

One note about Uncommons and Trading: people never, ever value Uncommons correctly when trading. Many people think that anything less than a rare is chaff, and not worth putting in their trade binder. This is completely incorrect. There are many times when the card(s) preventing you from running a deck are uncommon, not rare. You should have a trade binder DEDICATED to commons and uncommons. This makes it easier for your "clients" to find the merchandise they want and makes it clear that uncommons especially hold value. A smart trader can take advantage of an inefficient market here - people who don't consider uncommons to be valuable will throw them into trades for pennies, while smart people (that's you!) will value them appropriately. Long story short, you can usually end up turning a playset of a good common into 1 or 2 decent rares, so accumulate them whenever possible. That said, let's get on to the list! We're going to skip the full text of the cards this time, as many people have had a chance to pour over the spoiler. If you're not familiar with a card, have a look at MTG Salvation's list.

Celestial Purge - Reprinted from Conflux, Purge has been a great sideboard card and will continue to be just awesome. This is one of those 'last minute' uncommons out of which you can sometimes get extra value before a tournament.

Elite Vanguard - This should go without saying, but this guy's going to be worth more than 50% of the rares in the whole set. He's only a buck on Star City, but he'll find a home in WW once Kithkin leave the format in October. Snap up every one you see and sit on them for a while.

Harm's Way - Mike Flores (www.twitter.com/fivewithflores) recently asked via Twitter, "What do y'all #Magic Tweeps think of Harm's Way? http://is.gd/1sxEx @Top8Games thinks it's the bee's knees, especially in the mirror 🙂" Most people responded favorably, but the best comparison thus far is to Agony Warp. With a little set-up, it can be a 2-for-1. It can usually be removal, and it can also act as a fog+removal sometimes. The card is really versatile and the only question is where it finds a home. This is another one you'll never have too many of.

Righteousness - No, this is not a big-money Uncommon. It's just notable as a former rare. It was a crap rare when it was a rare anyway. Just an interesting note.

White Knight - Keep an eye on people developing Mono Black Control. There is debate over the deck's actual viability but if it becomes viable, White Knight'll be great to have.

Fabricate - Tutors are always popular, and ones that get Darksteel Colossus are even moreso. Frankly it's not a necessary card in Standard right now, but that won't keep it from being popular.

Flashfreeze - A staple sideboad card for any blue control deck, and somewhat underrated. Have a set for yourself and a set with which to gouge someone they day of a tournament.

Mind Control - Always a hit with the casual crowd, control magic effects at uncommon tend to sell fairly well. SCG is selling them for 2 dollars a piece already. Might not be great in Standard but will always be able to get you some value.

Sleep - Some may be tempted to use this in control decks, but the real power of this card is to set up TWO alpha strikes in aggressive decks. If a Fish deck rises to power, this card will likely be in it, so get a few as a throw-in.

Black Knight - Kithkin and Green-White have no maindeck answer to this guy, and those two decks seem poised to do a lot of damage in the coming months. If Mono Black Control is viable, he's one of the reasons why. A note about MBC: The lack of Mutliate, Damnation, Disk or O-Stone and thus the lack of ANY real board wipes beyond Infest are going to make the deck significantly worse, even with the rest of the cards supporting it. Probably not a tier 1 archetype.

Deathmark - See Celestial Purge and Flashfreeze.

Diabolic Tutor - See Mind Control.

Relentless Rats - Because the one guy a month who makes the deck is keeping the price at 3 dollars, you could do worse than to trade these at full price. Just make sure that you show "that guy" what Maelstrom Pulse does.

Pyroclasm - A great board wipe at 2 mana, Pyroclasm has commanded a 2 dollar + price tag for a while, and that shouldn't change with M10.

Acidic Slime - A lot of pros love this card, and for good reason. It's almost always going to be 2-for-1. It's cheap right now so it's another card to get in a throw-in.

Awakener Druid - Has potential, but may not see play. There are worse things to hit off a Bloodbraid Elf, but the fact that it MUST hit a forest diminishes its utility.

Nature's Spiral - Already going for a dollar, and might see play somewhere. Lacking the ability to recur combat tricks, removal or sweepers hurts the card's value. Should be sought-after but not "chase".

Overrun - A known quantity that will only increase in value while G-W Tokens is a good deck. See if you can get these cheap because they'll be highly sought-after.

Windstorm - Seems like the kind of card that you'll get a set of, and never use. Can't hurt to have a set but don't break the bank trying to get it.

Tune in next time when we cover the Sleepers of the set, and talk about how to come out ahead even if you don't win your pre-release!