Eldritch Moon looks like a pretty solid set with a few pretty messed up cards sprinkled in. Exactly what you'd expect from Emrakul!

For today's article I went over the whole spoiler and plucked every rare and mythic that has the most potential to increase in value from its pre-order price. These aren't necessarily the strongest cards in the set, though they are the cards that you might be getting a deal on. Let's get to it!

Decimator of the Provinces

Decimator of the Provinces is pre-ordering for about $5, which is higher than the price tag for a bulk mythic and lower than the price tag for a good one. The professional community is singing the praises of emerge as a strong mechanic, though Decimator is one that seems to be slipping through the cracks.

It's possible that Decimator misses strictly because a deck doesn't really need more than one or two copies, given that it should win the game the turn you cast it, though at $5 it's not a bank-breaking gamble.

Splendid Reclamation

Splendid Reclamation is one of those cards that is very difficult to grok at first blush, but which has a very high ceiling for its power level. SCG is currently pre-ordering the card for $5, though copies can be found for less than $3 on TCGPlayer.

Sam Black featured the card as a four-of in his article yesterday, and the deck actually looks very real. I would happily pick up a set of these at $10 a set.

Elder Deep-Fiend

Elder Deep-Fiend is pre-ordering for $5, which is much less inviting for a regular rare than a mythic, though literally everybody is saying that this is among the best cards, if not the actual best, in the set. It has been referred to as Mistbind Clique and Cryptic Command combined, and the combination with Sanctum of Ugin is extremely powerful.

This card looks weird enough where I imagine a lot of people are waiting to see it in action, though if it puts up the results many players are expecting, it could easily have a $10 price tag for a short window while players scramble to get their copies.

Grim Flayer

The $15 price tag on SCG was too rich for my blood, though after working on delirium decks the $10 price tag at TCG Player is somewhat tempting. Any deck that plays this card is likely going to want four, and as such $10 is likely low if the card takes off.

I will grant that this one is more of a gamble than other selections, though the potential is there and the 33% price drop since I wrote about the card on the free side significantly changes my opinion on this position.

Ishkanah, Grafwidow

Ishkanah takes some work to be effective, though you're getting a deal when you have delirium enabled. I put it in as a one-of in my delirium build, and I could see it potentially being a three-of.

What's most interesting to me about this card is that SCG had it listed at $3 and have since bumped it up to $4, while copies on TCGPlayer are closer to $5. This card is getting some buzz, and if the card proves to have Standard chops you'll be happy to have gotten in at $4.

Mausoleum Wanderer

Mausoleum Wanderer is already a $3 card, though it has very obvious Standard potential. I'm kind of reminded of when Mantis Rider pre-ordered for $2-3. It was obviously very good, and after winning the Open week one it was suddenly $6-8.

Betting on Mausoleum Wanderer requires some confidence and a fast exit strategy---presumably this one is primarily for traders, though the potential to double up is definitely there for savvy speculators.

Permeating Mass

Permeating Mass is arguably the strangest card in the set. Is this card good? I don't know! but I do know that it's efficient, it's a spirt, and that it's the right color to potentially fit into a Cryptolith Rite deck. This card is pretty miserable for beating down, though it blocks Sylvan Advocate until the opponent has six lands and turns anything that it has to chump block into a 1/3.

The fact that it can be fought with a Dromoka's Command without changing the other creature in the fight given the wording of the card is disappointing, though it's entirely possible that this card is a windmill slam at $1. This one isn't for the faint of heart and I can't stress enough that I don't actually know how playable it is, but it's weird enough to be a consideration.

Selfless Spirit

I do know that Selfless Spirit is good. 2/1 fliers have been taking chip shots at Nissa, Voice of Zendikar as a strong metagame angle for months, and this card just has great upside on top of the evasive body. You won't be able to beat Languish with Selfless Spirit, but that's Mausoleum Wanderer's job.

This card fits into Collected Company decks, spirit decks, non-spirit flier-based decks, and could theoretically show up somewhere in the Humans 75. This card is definitely going to see Standard play, and with copies available on TCGPlayer for just over $2 I like picking up a couple sets.

Stromkirk Condemned

This is another more speculative pick. There were a lot of issues with Vampires when Shadows over Innistrad was released, though a solid two-drop that works as a madness enabler can't make the deck worse. At just over a buck, this would become a bulk rare if it missed but would triple or more if a deck emerges around it.

The card was featured as a four-of in a mono-black vampires deck that Tom Ross played in a Vs. Video, though that's the only positive press I've seen at this point. Invest at your own risk.

Voldaren Pariah

 

A five-mana 3/3 flier sucks. A three-mana 3/3 flier is kind of great. A curve with Heir of Falkenrath and Stromkirk Condemned on two could really make this card work. You have to be able to consistently enable madness and be very heavy on black mana, but I don't think it's impossible.

I actually think that the flip ability on this card can be quite good. Your Stromkirk Condemneds are likely to get significantly worse as the game progresses, and forcing the opponent to sacrifice three creatures is generally going to be quite strong. Getting hit by a removal spell in response to activating the ability would be quite unfortunate, though the primary reason to go for this card is the confidence in having a three-mana 3/3 flier on turn three anyway.

This card can be bought for less than fifty cents, and while the upside isn't huge, I could definitely it being Standard-playable.

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I'm not seeing any home-run undervalued cards in Eldritch Moon, though there are a lot of solid positions that can make reasonable returns and which allow a fairly diverse portfolio. The set is definitely going to change the face of Standard, and I'm excited to see how things shake out.

One final pick worth mentioning is that literally everybody is talking about Matter Reshaper at $2 right now. There are tons of copies available at this price, though the fringe Modern play and inevitable Standard play are likely to get Reshaper up to $4 before long. Buylist prices have already started to move, and while the value won't explode it will certainly increase.

Thanks for reading.

-Ryan Overturf
@RyanOverdrive on Twitter