Hello, readers and welcome to a new edition of the Daily Stock Watch! Reprints in the upcoming Core Set are already sending shock waves to the finance world, myself included, as some of the mythic rares in the set such as Crucible of Worlds and Omniscience are ones that I own for the longest time, and they will definitely dip in value because of this inclusion. However, reprints like these ones also mean that there will be some positive price movement for other cards that are key pieces of certain archetypes where these staples belong. One of the most noticeable financial movements has been the increase in the price of today's featured card, thanks largely to the upcoming arrival of Scapeshift in M19.

Back in the day, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle was the main reason why I made it to the top eight of the Philippine Nationals, as it helped me in beating UW, UB, and Pyromancer decks to the pulp. A year removed from that event, Modern emerged and Valakut didn't waste any time in making its presence felt. It has brought the likes of Bring to Light, Prismatic Omen, and the dreaded Scapeshift to prominence by becoming one of the format's best combo decks right from the onset. Almost a decade later, Valakut is at the top of its game financially, hitting its all-time high of $25.20 which we can co-relate to the reprint of Scapeshift next month.

Modern is currently the land of aggressive decks such as Affinity and Humans, with the impending rise of control again such as Jeskai and UW (thanks to Teferi, Hero of Dominaria), but with very little room for combo decks such as Valakut. So what's with this current spike that this card is experiencing? The only obvious answer I could come up with is that Scapeshift has been a pricey card in the past that it has stopped players who wanted to try the list from playing it, and this reprint will make it more accessible to old and new players alike, at the expense of the main winning condition card getting a price spike.

In terms of power level, this deck would still be on top of most player's list as the go-to combo deck of choice. All you have to do is get to seven lands and have Scapeshift in your hand, or drop a Primeval Titan and grind your way to victory from there. It seems pretty reasonable that the card is $25 considering that it is the centerpiece of the deck, but I don't see it as enough reason to purchase the card if you don't intend on playing with the deck. I still see Valakut as a tier two deck at best, and these prices should stabilize as soon as M19 hits the shelf.

Above are other cards that are obvious inclusions in the decks that pack Scapeshift, Omniscience, and Crucible of Worlds. They might see some short or mid-term price spikes, while the prized mythics of M19 will see some massive price drop due to supply. If these spikes do happen, bear in mind that this won't be permanent price changes, and will eventually even out as the market finds its footing. I'm pretty much a seller at this point if that happens.

At the moment, StarCityGames, ChannelFireball, and Card Kingdom are out of stock of Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, while there's still some vendors via TCGPlayer that's selling it for various prices based on its condition in the $16.80-$27.98 range. All online stores are expected to refill near the $30 mark, and expect foil prices to move up as well. I honestly think that the price spike will end sooner than later, but the price tag will settle in the $20-$25 price range. Start buying in now if you intend to play with the deck, but stay away from picking them up for speculation purposes. The hype will eventually die down and even out the playing field financially when it's done.

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!