Foil versions of cards spike in price when they are played in Modern. It’s a trend we have seen occur with recent new releases that were adopted into Modern, like Vizier of Remedies and Desert Cerodon. Today I'll cover some cards that have made the jump into Modern and could offer strong returns if the foil prices start to move.

Green Merfolk has broken out in Modern with a top eight, and online Vintage Merfolk is using green as well, so the prices of foil versions of Kumena's Speaker and Merfolk Branchwalker have begun to rise and are liable to spike.

Kopala, Warden of Waves could also be found in the top eight decklists, and its foil price tag of $8 might be a bargain, especially because it has potential as a Commander.

Unclaimed Territory has caught on in Modern Humans as a four-of, and has applications in all sort of decks, so I like buying in on foils and foreign foils. Kitesail Freebooter is being used as a four-of in these same Humans decks and is also being used in Abzan Collected Company decks, so it looks like another attractive buy.

Shapers' Sanctuary has a lot of potential in Modern as a way for creature decks to beat decks full of removal. It’s now seen success in the sideboard of Infect as a two-of, and it has been discussed for Elves, so it’s all but certain it’s eventually going to see more play as a Modern staple, and at that time its price will head higher. I also see potential in Legacy and possibly even Vintage.

Opt has officially been adopted into Blue-Red Storm, which won the Modern Open andmight be the best deck in the format. It could also be found in the Grixis Death's Shadow deck of Andrew Jessup, who has been at the forefront of the deck all year. The card was heavily hyped for Modern, and the hype is real, so that makes me think at $10 it’s due to rise. Most players are priced out of the Invasion version’s $50 pricetag, and the new art may just be better than the original and has the updated card frame, so there’s a lot of upside here in the long term.

A Green-Red Ponza Land Destruction deck made it into the top eight of the SCG Open, and that’s a pretty big deal. The results of these events are looked at by a ton of people, and there will be plenty of players who set out to build and play the deck now that there is evidence it’s strong. Any of its cards are fair game for a speculator, but Mwonvuli Acid-Moss stands out as a card that sees essentially no other Modern play besides this deck, but is now suddenly a staple. It has one printing, and is extensively used in Commander and casual formats. At $16, it’s not cheap, but the price doesn’t seem to account for the card being used as a Modern staple, and the price has seen some recent gains, sitting at just $14 a week ago, so everything points to this one continuing to rise.

An Affinity deck with maindeck Claim // Fame made it to the finals of the SCG Modern Open, which is pretty good evidence that the card is playable in the archetype. It also sees some play in Death's Shadow decks and even Burn. Its foil price was hyped on release to $15 and has since fallen to a low of around $7, but it will rise as the card begins to earn more mainstream play.

Todd Stevens used a copy of Gideon's Intervention in the sideboard of the White-Green Collected Company deck he played to the top eight of the SCG Modern Open. It’s a sign the card is Modern playable and could be applied to other archetypes as well, so there’s the potential for it to catch on and its foil price to rise.

SCG grinder Harlan Firer made it to the finals of the SCG Classic last weekend with a Temur Tempo deck with Narnam Renegade. It’s not the first time I’ve seen the card in Modern, and if it catches on in this deck or another the price could spike.

Pieter Tubergen is known for playing nothing but Affinity in Modern and has a history of success with the deck, and his top-eight list last weekend included a copy of Stain the Mind in the sideboard. It’s pretty good tech for a creature deck that can discount its price with convoke, and at barely over $1 the price would certainly head higher if it ever caught on as a staple of a top-tier deck.

Hour of Promise has caught on as a staple for Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle decks as a backup to Primeval Titan, and these decks are among the best in the format with consistent success, like a top eight last weekend. The price of foil versions seems like a bargain under $6.

Shefet Dunes seems to have become a staple of Mono-White Death and Taxes in Modern, where it’s very easy for the manabase to support. With little downside and a ton of upside, it’s easy to see why this is a good inclusion in this creature deck, and it’s going to see play in other decks like tokens and Mono-White Martyr of Sands with Spectral Procession. The $1 price point seems like a great one for a Modern staple.

Whir of Invention could be found all over Magic Online results last week, where it is used in an alternative version of Lantern Control, and in a Krark-Clan Ironworks combo deck. It’s a powerful card with plenty of potential in Modern, essentially a Chord of Calling for artifacts, and it will only get better with every new artifact that is printed. Its foil price has been steadily falling since release and seems to have bottomed out around $4.50, but based on its recent Modern success, it looks to be due for an increase.

What Modern-playable foils do you have your eye on in light of the recent results?

–Adam