I’ve got a two-parter here for you today. As usual, I’m going to look at the casual staples from the most recent set that I think are good pickups. I'm also going to look at how some of the targets from the last year are behaving.

If you’re doubtful of cards like this, I should remind you that they’re incredibly low-risk. Sure, doubling up from $2-4 on Gilded Lotus isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, and it certainly isn’t as thrilling as calling Xathrid Necromancer and the like, but it is essentially “free money,” and something I make a lot on year-to-year. Those dollar bills add up fast, and just by grabbing some intelligent throw-ins in trades you can make yourself hundreds of dollars over a few months.

So let’s start by looking back at some of these from the last year.

Last Year's Casual Pickups

Vexing Devil

I know not all of this card’s price comes from casual circles, but some of it does, so I wrote about it back in March. When I did, it was around $7.50. Since then, it’s moved up to $10, and I sell these briskly in my case.

I think rotation will slow it down some, but there’s no reason this doesn’t continue to grow in the coming years.

Omniscience

This has stabilized around $8 despite falling off in Legacy. That, I think, bodes well for its future, and I see this pushing $10-12 in the next year or so.

Primordial Hydra

This has held rock steady at $7 since I last wrote about it, when it was $5. With more powerful hydras coming along, the ceiling on this may be lowered (especially considering the reprint), but it’s still a safe-to-hold casual staple, financially comparable to something like Master of the Wild Hunt.

Akroma's Memorial

$4 when I last wrote about it, and $7 now. No reason this doesn’t continue going up. Remember, before the reprint this was a $20-25 Rare. I think it’ll take quite some time to reach those heights again, but $10 is coming along sooner rather than later.

Chromatic Lantern

This has gone up just a little, to $3, but to me that just means more opportunity to buy these. I sell these regularly in my case, and there’s no way this doesn’t continue to climb, especially considering what just happened to Coalition Relic recently.

Trostani, Selesnya's Voice

Last I wrote about it, it was under $4. Now it’s up to $7.50, and there’s no reason it doesn’t push $10 for the next year due to possible Standard applications. That said, its price for the next year or so will be tied to Standard, and it may be worth re-evaluating where it’s at then before considering its long-term applications.

Magic 2014

So, with all of that stated, I hope you see how easy it is to double up on these in a matter of months or a year or two. But, most importantly, these are so low-risk, and none of them have gone down in price.

So let’s dig into Magic 2014, which has some similar targets.

The original printings of this are still over $10, and were $15-20 before the reprint. As popular as this thing is in Casual and EDH circles, the $4 pricetag on the reprint is incredibly appealing right now.

At $7, this isn’t exactly cheap right now, and I’m not sure if this is the real deal in EDH or not. That said, the fact that it is $7 is a good sign. Wait another month or so for this (and the other cards on this list) to bottom out, and then move in hard.

I have no idea how much this will be worth two years from now, but it will likely be more than whatever it’s at a month from now.

People always love the mythic dragon of the set, and regardless of its Standard playability it’s always worth a little bit of money. The upside on this one isn’t as high as some of the others, but it’s a great throw-in nonetheless.

At $6, I’m not sure how much upside there is, but there has to be some. This could find a home in Standard, but if nothing else there will be casual and cube play. That said, I don’t like moving in on this anytime soon. Let it fall down in the coming months and then we’ll see where it’s at.

This includes all slivers, obviously, and the price won’t be lower than it will be a few weeks from now.

I love these at $2 right now. This was $10+ before the reprint, and $5 a year from now seems reasonable.

Until Next Year

Like I said, I love these type of calls, and I look forward to checking back in on these in a year or so.

Thanks for reading,

Corbin Hosler

@Chosler88 on Twitter