Hey everyone, and welcome to another week of budget-focused Magic! I wanted to start focusing on some Pioneer cards that have potential to spike down the line. I had some on my list that have already spiked in value and did not want to have you all potentially miss another opportunity. Today, and the next few articles, we're going to be talking about some low CMC cards that are (in my opinion) flying under the radar.

Ceremonious Rejection and its outlook

To kick things off, we are going to start with an instant spell that deserves even more looks due to Pioneer. Ceremonious Rejection is a card that should be considered for a good portion of blue sideboards. It is niche given the fact you can only target colorless spells. That being said, you can hit Eldrazi, artifacts, and other non-creature spells. In this format all the above are used and some resulting in wincons, such as Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and Inverter of Truth. Depending on your build, you might be able to get away with throwing one in your mainboard as a silver bullet in case you come across a colorless deck.

The current price for this is coming in at $0.50 for the non-foil and $3.01 for the foil copies. This card for whatever reason hasn’t quite found a home just yet in pioneer, but it most certainly should long-term. It is already used in both Modern and Vintage formats, and if it is used there it should be in Pioneer at some point. Considering the high number of potent colorless spells used in the format, it just blows my mind it is not at least a 2-of in most blue sideboards. Keep an eye on this one going forward, as it most certainly has room to grow over time!

Infernal Reckoning and keeping an eye on colorless spells

Continuing the route of colorless spells, another card to note here is Infernal Reckoning. This one is coming in at $0.50 for non-foils, $1.85 for the foils, and $1.58 for the prerelease copies. This was one when Pioneer was becoming a thing it would be used heavily against Smuggler's Copter decks, among others. Both this and Ceremonious Rejection were answers to it, but people still felt it was too much for the format, unfortunately. This made for these two to be a little less appealing in the format, overall.

History has a way of repeating itself in some regard, so do not be surprised if another colorless card is created with great upside. We should also note here that the format is still trying to find itself and we should not sleep on the fact that colorless spells can be a thing in the future. Nothing else is more appealing to players than a low-cmc answer to a threat! Infernal Reckoning still has room to grow such as Ceremonious Rejection and should be considered as a buy at the current rate.

Deafening Silence

The next card we have is one that surprises me still that it is not worth more. For budget-minded players, this is one to certainly pick up while it is low, and that card is Deafening Silence. This was one that for sure was going to be a $3.00 minimum when it came out, or so one would have thought. Here we are today looking at the current price of $0.42 for the non-foil and $2.05 for the foil copies. This is a steal at the current price, and it is being used outside of Pioneer format, seeing play in Legacy, Vintage, Modern, and Commander. Being used in basically every format is nothing to scoff at.

Looking at where this thing can be used, the easy answer is “any white build”. In Pioneer we could easily sideboard this in any white build, and even mainboard in others. Sram, Senior Edificer decks can benefit from this if going against any deck utilizing non-creature tactics. White weenies are another deck style that is big in the current meta and can utilize this, especially against burn decks to slow them down a bit.

Those are just two examples that jump right out as they are big in the current meta. This card is also the Achilles heel to Lotus Field decks. If you pop this out and they have no response, you can very well win out if they do not get their wincon quickly. Closing on this one it should be very close to the $3.00(minimum) range long-term especially if it gets used more in Pioneer.

Cindervines

Last, we are going to be looking at an enchantment that one would think would be worth more than its current price. Cindervines is another great card that gets used in other eternal formats such as Modern, Legacy, and Commander. The current price on this is $1.44 for the non-foils, $3.51 for the foils, and $3.06 for the prerelease copies. For where this is being used, it should be sitting around the $5.00 range for the non-foils. Though it only pings when our opponents cast non-creature spells, we can use it to rid of potential enchantment or artifact threats.

There are some Gruul Aggro decks that have been popping up in the top eight as of late, and this one features Cindervines in the board.

Outside of Gruul Aggro, it has potential as a sideboard piece in other green decks that have room to utilize dual lands. Although the casting cost makes it less appealing, one cannot deny the upside it holds once it hits the board.

To close out this week’s article, I just wanted to let you all know to keep an eye on all lower-cmc cards that show potential. I know that might kind of go without saying, but sometimes the obvious gets overlooked. Cards that look out of place or may not have a home yet are also worth keeping an eye on, as Wizards may produce something that will compliment them in the months to come. I hope you all enjoyed this week’s article and be sure to come back for the next one!