This series is designed for the player or speculator looking to build their collection, with a particular focus on Eternal Masters (EMA). Our last article focused on why paper speculators should give MTGO a spin. This article will give you some good targets for the next one to three months. These singles are a good place to reinvest some of those profits you made on Shadows over Innistrad, Magic Origins and Oath of the Gatewatch boosters, or during the Pro Tour spikes.

I thought there was a good chance we would see EMA previews this week, but it was not to be. Keep an eye out Monday morning, as I think we’ll see them next week. Depending on when they roll out, there could be some volatility in the Modern and Legacy markets. The obvious play will be to sell anything that’s reprinted asap, but there may be some secondary plays as well---keep an eye on the forums.

In the meantime, prices are depressed across the board after several weeks of SOI events. There are lots of good buys, including on complete sets of Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged. But there are also lots of Modern singles on sale.

As Matthew has pointed out, Modern is great because, "speculating on depressed staples from every Tier 1.5 or Tier 2 deck is a great long-term strategy. There are too many playable decks to sideboard effectively against. This means that eventually every deck will have its day in the sun as the metagame stops preparing for it."

Many of the cards below are a safe buy and should see a 25-40% increase in the next few months. A basket of these is a good place for your tickets.

Modern Picks

Melira, Sylvok Outcast (NPH)

Current: 5.75 tix
Target: 9 tix

Melira seems a safe bet since it was over 10 tix just in April. Abzan Company is also on the rise in Modern. Editor's Note: Since the time of writing, we've already seen Melira start to edge up, as you can see in the graph.

Dark Confidant (RAV)

Current: 9.6 tix
Target: 12-15 tix

Highly played in Modern and Legacy. Unless he appears in EMA, which is very unlikely, this will take a nice climb.

Lion’s Eye Diamond (VMA)

Current: 17.5 tix
Target: 30-50 tix (22 safely, but with higher upside)

This was on the rise before release events knocked it down. If you missed this the first time around, I’d recommend stepping on the escalator now. A good buy because it’s a gatekeeper card in a handful of Legacy decks, as I discussed here.

Blade Splicer (NPH)

Current: 2.75 tix
Target: 5 tix

Was 8.5 tix before OGW release and 5 tix until SOI. Not clear why this guy took a dive, but it’s a powerful effect and only a matter of time before he’s back in favor. A good bet for smaller portfolios.

Tasigur, the Golden Fang (FRF)

Current: 1.13 tix
Target: 4 tix

Doesn’t have the same price history as the others, since he just rotated. But 4 tix seems a safe guess short- to mid-term.

Primeval Titan (MM2)

Current: 5.4 tix
Target: 8 tix

Has hovered between 7 and 10 tix for the past couple years, taking a predictable dip around set releases. A safe bet to bounce back.

Glimmervoid (MRD)

Current: 6.2 tix
Target: 9-10 tix

I expect Robots to remain one of the top Modern aggro decks, and the 'Void won’t stay down for long.

Mox Opal (SOM)

Current: 29.6 tix
Target: 40 tix

Same rationale. This is up a few tix in the past couple days since I called it out in the forums. Matt also had it as one of his top picks, and with good reason. Getting a 10 tix return per copy should not be difficult.

Return to the Ranks (M15)

Current: 0.4 tix
Target: 1.5 tix

Was at 1.5 tix not too long ago. Not sure if there’s a home for this, but a reasonable bet at a low opportunity cost.

Some Cards to Avoid

As Eternal Masters is more likely to reprint cards that Wizards cannot reprint in future Modern Masters sets, the Modern banned list is a particularly good place to look for cards that are likely to appear in EMA. As I mention in this forum post, I would stay away from the following cards (and considering selling copies you aren't using).

I've omitted the low-value cards on this list to make things a bit clearer. Also note that Stoneforge Mystic and Umezawa's Jitte have cheap prices due to their availability in the Theme Deck Set.

Finally, make sure you take some time to enjoy the triple Time Spiral drafts while they're available---it's a great format.

-Alexander Carl

@thoughtlaced