Eternal Masters may be a reprint set, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do a Top 10! Unlike with my other Top 10 articles, we won’t be looking at which are the best new cards or the ones that will impact constructed formats. With this article we will focus on the cards that will impact the financial sector the most.

One thing I want to stress about this set is that the supply is quite small. I’ve been repeating this for the past couple of weeks and it's one of the most important factors to keep in mind when delving into the finance of this set. If these cards were in a normal release, like the upcoming Eldrich Moon, we would see prices fall off a cliff and find new lows. That’s not at all what’s happening with Eternal Masters.

Certainly the supply will increase due to the newly printed product, but just like with Modern Masters this set should also reinvigorate demand for these cards. We have already seen this trend with the preorders on a bunch of cards from the set.

This has been a much faster timeline than I anticipated but it’s no surprise. I still believe that we will see prices drop to some degree once the set is released on Friday, but then we will start the climb back upward again.

For a more comprehensive look at the financial implications of this set, check out my article from last week where I broke down the major ways EMA will impact the market and why.

Honorable Mention

Let’s start this Top 10 with the cards that nearly made the list.

Brainstorm

We're getting up there in printings for Brainstorm with a total of 11. That's a lot of versions of one card but it's still holding onto its price and has been recovering and then trending upward after each printing settles. This should come as no surprise for Legacy's premier draw spell. Pick up any leftover copies of this card you see lying around and don’t hesitate getting some as throw-ins on your next trade.

Natural Order

One of the things we want to pay attention to with this set is which Legacy decks become easier to build because of these reprints. On my watch list is Natural Order.

Natural Order seems like a great pick-up because Commander players love this sick tutor and Elf players need it for their deck. What will hold this card back is the same thing that always has---the other important Elves cards like Glimpse of Nature, but more importantly Gaea's Cradle. That's a huge barrier for entry into the Elf club.

Ashnod's Altar

I mentioned this card a couple times last week because Ashnod's Altar a first-time foil as well as having new art on the new border. Some players might not know how potent this artifact is unless you’ve seen it in play in Commander, but this card’s an all-star. This Altar nearly made number 10 on the list, but with no Legacy play, I decided to lower its stock value. I still think it's a great pick-up though, especially foils.

Without any more honorable mentions, let’s move right into the Top 10!

Eternal Masters Top 10 Financial Movers

10. Relic of Progenitus

One of the best parts about this set is the uncommons. You can open Cabal Therapy, Swords to Plowshares and Bloodbraid Elf, and that’s just a couple of the money uncommons! You’ll gain a lot of value out of your packs just from this rarity.

Relic of Progenitus sticks out to me as one of the easiest financial gainers in the set because of how many formats it sees play in. We see many decks in Modern playing this artifact in their main deck because it interacts with the graveyard as well as cycles to replace itself. We know this card is good, but the fact that it’s good in so many places is solid evidence that it will grow once more. I’d be looking to acquire a stack of these to hide away for a rainy future day.

9. Shardless Agent

It took me a while to decide on the number nine slot, Shardless Agent, but once I put the puzzle pieces together, the rest of the Top 10 fit right into place.

As one of the most popular archetypes, Shardless BUG should gain some more pilots with this reprinting. Many Modern players picked up their Ancestral Visions once again after it was unbanned in the format. I think many of those same players will look to cast that draw spell in Legacy as well. Like most other cards on this list, Shardless Agent is great in Commander as well.

8. Vampiric Tutor

Even with its banned status in Legacy, Vampiric Tutor has still maintained a price tag above $20. This obviously powerful tutor can help out every type of player but I think a lot of players will be looking for foil versions of this sweet Cube card. With more copies available, Commander players will jump in with their wallet too.

7. Sensei's Divining Top

No Commander deck is complete without a copy of Sensei's Divining Top. With so many fetch lands in a typical Commander deck, this artifact lets you set up whatever strategy you’re looking to pull off. I know I’ve had two playsets of this card for a while now so I could utilize this effect anywhere I needed it. Because it’s an artifact, it’s widely applicable too. Maybe this only pertains to my region, but lots of players are interested in playing Counter Top in Legacy and this will help spur them toward finally building the deck.

6. Price of Progress

This set has possibly the best uncommon print run of any set to date, and Price of Progress is part of that greatness. While this big burn spell might not see much play in Eternal Masters Limited, burn players will be jumping at their chance to light someone on fire in another format. This new printing will give players an excuse to rid themselves of the terrible Fire and Lightning foiling as well. These should be cheap; make sure to secure at least one extra play set.

5. Chain Lightning

With basically the same reasoning as Price of Progress, Chain Lightning should be a top priority pick-up. Copies of this card should dip considerably before rebounding in a couple months. Burn is one of the most popular archetypes of all time and it should be one of the cheapest Legacy decks to build now with all the reprints its getting. I’m excited to see what this foil looks like as well.

4. Sylvan Library

Although Sylvan Library isn’t the most popular Legacy card, it still does see some play. Every green Commander player wants a copy of this card for their deck though. You have forty life to start with so what’s the harm in paying four life a couple times to draw some extra cards? I know I follow this line of thinking quite a bit and I’m sure you know players who do as well.

Foils should be cheaper than the Commander’s Arsenal copies and players will jump on that as well. With how confusing the old wordings have been, I wouldn’t be surprised if players bought in for the updated text box too.

3. Jace, the Mind Sculptor

The most popular planeswalker of all time, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, is in this set. If you’ve never sold this card you may not know just how popular he is.

I can barely keep copies of this card in stock. I’m always surprised at the type of players who buy this broken card---i.e. every type of player. You’d be shocked to see how many players sell their collection but keep this guy as one of their only leftovers because they wouldn’t think about getting rid of him. I’m ecstatic to have this guy back in stock.

There’s been a lot of chatter from players thinking Jace isn’t too good for Modern. I disagree and think he would be bonkers (see Nahiri, the Harbinger for evidence), but plenty of writers have cited this as a potential card to come off the banned list.

If Wizards was ever going to attempt this unbanning, now would be the time. With more copies in stores' inventories it would be more feasible for players to acquire the best four-mana planeswalker ever printed. I doubt this will happen but since Jace is such a great investment, it doesn’t hurt to hold a few copies for a while to see if Wizards risks it.

2. Wasteland

Wasteland is a colorless land that sees play in tons of different archetypes in Legacy. This format staple gets played in the other formats as well and has shown resiliency with its price stabilizing around fifty dollars. So many players want this card for their Legacy deck and many will adopt this new-bordered version.

Due to limited availability of previous versions, I think this foil should be the most affordable. The Expedition is down to about $150 and I would expect this version to be at or below that one.

If the price of this new-bordered Wasteland drops below $40, I’d say buying in will become lucrative in the long run. Just like most other cards in this set, I think holding is your best bet.

1. Force of Will

The most popular Counterspell that surpassed even the original Counterspell is in this set and players are jumping at their chance to own this iconic blue card. Force of Will will always be a pillar of the Legacy format and blue mages can’t defend themselves from the insanely fast combo decks without it.

I expect all the Mind Sculptor buyers to also buy in on this card. We may see more makeshift Legacy decks for a while, but players will start with this flashy spell.

The preorder price for Force of Will is already higher than the Alliances printing! This same phenomenon has happened with some other cards in the set as well. Players purchasing at this elevated price should give you a look into what the demand for the card will look like once the set is released.

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That's all for me this week. I hope you enjoyed my look into what the best financial investments should be. Remember, even if you don't invest in any of the high-dollar cards, stock up on the uncommons and you won't be sorry. Tune in next week for Box Report time!

Until next time,
Unleash the Force!

Mike Lanigan
MtgJedi on Twitter