Hello, everyone and welcome to a new week of the Daily Stock Watch! The world of Modern has been chaotic, to say at the very least, as people have started to brew their decks with Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Bloodbraid Elf back in tow. Prices have gone bananas for both cards, and a lot of movement has happened towards other cards that support these colors or concepts as well. Today, I'll talk about a card that plays a key role in the top dog of the format prior to the unbannings, and will most likely benefit as well from JtMS' return to Modern.

It's like almost anything with blue is due for a breakout, as people have started incorporating JtMS to their Titanshift, UWx Control, and Blue Moon decks. Darkslick Shores is one of the important lands in Lantern Control, and it should only be a matter of time before we see a new Esper variant in the format (or just a plain UB control deck). Today, it reached its all-time high of $13.89, and it should continue to trend upwards as players start exploring the best possible deck for the format today.

One problem I have when assessing which lands could probably see a significant price increase is their ability to be relevant in new brews. I would have wanted to go all in with Darkslick Shores, but I've always thought of Creeping Tar Pit and fetchlands in favor of this card in a more controllish shell. However, the mother of all control decks (before JtMS returned, that is) pretty much likes to run a full playset of Darkslick Shores.

Lantern Control doesn't need a manland or fetchlands to facilitate what it wants to do. It starts out quickly with miniature artifacts and hand disruption that work in perfect harmony to ruin your opponent's day. This requires the ability of Darkslick Shores to provide that early boost, and it doesn't hurt its cause in the midgame if it comes in late. The same could be said in future control decks with a UB shell that would love to do a turn one Serum Visions, or in a tempo deck (ala Delver) that could use an Opt or Thought Scour. People would love to experiment in the early parts of this transition, and there will be lots of rooms (but not that many cards) for growth and loss as the meta tries to find the best deck in the format for now.

This bunch is all due for more movement in the coming days, as we'll get to see more and more of decks that has JtMS in it. I'm not really sure how bullish we could get in considering these cards as spec targets, but I really like how they are all positioned in the market right now. I'm considering the notion to pick up copies of these lands for now, and just move them around in the coming days until Masters 25 is out. I'm not gonna shy away and admit that I belong to that crowd of skeptic people that thinks that JtMS will get the axe again come April. That guy is just too good of a Magic card to see play in Modern.

At the moment, you could still get some copies of Darkslick Shores via StarCityGames, Card Kingdom, and TCGPlayer for anywhere between $11.95 (played copies) up to $14.24. I'd like to pick them up at below $10, and start shifting them around in the $15-$20 range once they shoot up. I wouldn't be so high on foils right now but if it's your thing and this JtMS craze continues, now would be the window for you to get these cards. Things will start to get crazier once new decklists start popping up, and everyone becomes a blue mage once again.

And that’s it for today's edition of the Daily Stock Watch! See you again next time, as we check out a new card that should be on the go, or good enough for speculating. As always, feel free to share your opinion in the comments section below. And if you want to keep up with all the market movement, be sure to check in with the QS Discord Channel for real time market information, and stay ahead of the hottest specs!