I’m rounding out my Modern Masters coverage this week with probably the most useful piece moving forward--what new cards to target.

Prices surrounding cards in Modern Masters have come down as expected, with the rares and uncommons taking the biggest hits. Mythics, on the other hand, have seen less movement. A Future Sight card named Tarmogoyf (you may have heard of it) hasn’t moved much at all, and Vendilion Clique has gone down just a few dollars.

Stuff like Kitchen Finks and Spell Snare have seen bigger moves and continue to trend downward. I expect this trend to continue at all levels for probably another 3-4 weeks before supply stops hitting the market. At that point we’ll have the floor, and the time will be ripe to get back in (preferably on the original printings, though really any printing will do).

That’s all well and good for Modern staples. But stuff like Divinity of Pride and Doubling Season are going to have a much harder time recovering. Because demand for these is not affected by Modern, we’re basically just introducing a bunch of new supply onto the casual market. And, while the demand is certainly there, it’s not particularly going to increase. Prices for stuff like Adarkar Valkyrie hasn’t exactly fallen off a cliff, and I don’t expect it to, but I also think the upside is much more limited than the rest of the reprints.

But there is more to Modern Masters than these cards. I speak particularly of the stuff that didn't get reprinted in the set. Cards that were ineligible for MM due to their age have gone largely unaffected by the printing so far, even though the influx of new cards will ostensibly increase demand as we move into Modern season in a few months. So let’s look today at some of the best trade targets for the next couple of months, with the expected payoff coming in Modern season.

Inquisition of Kozilek

I’ve been talking about this card forever, and got in on a ton of them myself at $3-4. I’ve outed some number at $7-9, and have several more play sets waiting for next Modern season when I expect $10 to become a possibility, even with the expected Thoughtseize reprint coming. The two cards fill different roles, and while a more affordable Cashseize will put some downward pressure on Inquisition, I still think it’s a safe target.

Birthing Pod

Another card we’ve talked about forever, and one that has already begun to move upward, as Sig pointed out earlier in the week. I still like this as a target, and again $10 probably isn’t out of the question come Modern season.

Remand

This will likely heat up even more than Inquisition and become the most-sought-after uncommon--Is Aether Vial a rare now?--in Modern.

I heard quotes of $12 all weekend in Houston and I imagine come Modern season $15 isn’t out of the question. You can probably still pick some up under $10 in the next few months as people still remember the $7-8 price of last Modern season. I like them at those prices, and there will almost certainly be a payoff here.

Lands

Scars lands, shocklands, and manlands are the plays here, with emphasis on the heavily-played ones like Blackcleave Cliffs, Razorverge Thicket, Celestial Colonnade and Creeping Tar Pit.

I think these are more likely to appreciate slowly than to spike hard, but nonetheless they’re safe targets for the moment.

Thrun, the Last Troll

The new legendary rules help this guy out, and while it remains to be seen how much that will affect his playability, I wouldn't be surprised to see him approach $20 if he does take off.

Aven Mindcensor

This little bird has seen more and more play as Modern has evolved, and as Scapeshift (another good target) is becoming more of the top tier of Combo with Storm and Eggs gone, I like the bird’s chances. And that’s not even mentioning that Pod is probably the best deck in the format, and this significantly hinders it.

Speaking of Pod, I also like Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Chord of Calling to continue moving up.

Karn Liberated

As long as Tron continues to exist, this guy is only going up, especially considering his appeal outside of Modern.

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

This strikes me as a card very similar to the Eldrazi. While it’s not quite in that vein, it does have cross-format appeal and is a mythic from a third set. Foils may be the higher-yield play here, but I like moving on all copies.

Batterskull

Everything I said above applies here as well.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast

Speaking of third sets, this dude is somehow still just a dollar. That just can’t be right since it’s an integral piece of what many consider the best deck. Probably not huge gains here, but it certainly seems like it shouldn’t be this cheap.

Fulminator Mage

We’ve already seen moves from this card, and while another jump like that is probably out of the question, some more movement wouldn't surprise me either. It’s good against a lot of the decks in the format and is a big piece of one of the budget decks in Living End. As one of the only expensive parts of an otherwise-cheap deck, it has room to grow.

Speaking of Living End, I would keep an eye on Beast Within, which somewhat surprisingly is worth real money and is also a four-of in the deck.

Primeval Titan

I’ll wrap up with the biggest sigh-inducing card of the list. Primetime has found his way into Scapeshift decks after initially being passed over, and after the slate of reprints thrown his way he’s super cheap right now.

I don’t expect huge jumps out of this due to the number on the market, but growth seems likely if the deck stays the same into the PTQ season. It’s also worth noting that a big spike is in order if he ever comes off the Commander banlist.

Wrapping Up

Well, I think that covers us. Those are the (currently) safe-from-reprint Modern cards I like trading into over the next several months. I expect many of these will find their way into an eventual Modern Masters 2, but we certainly have time before then to make money off of them.

Thanks for reading,

Corbin Hosler

@Chosler88 on Twitter

PS: I hope to see you all in Vegas! We have a house rented for the Brainstorm Brewery crew (as well as several others), and we’re having a cookout on Friday night that we’d love to see you at! Hit me up on Twitter if you’re interested in swinging by. It’s going to be a blast.