Magic: The Gathering’s latest set,Tarkir: Dragonstorm, will be officially released on Friday, bringing with it some valuable new cards. Like mostMagic: The Gatheringsets from the last few years,Tarkir: Dragonstormhas a variety of showcase and special foil treatments unique to the set. Cards with these special treatments are rarer, and consequently more valuable than the standard-frame versions of the same cards. This also means if you see a card here you would like to play, but don’t want to pay a premium for it, there is probably a cheaper version from this set.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s powerful new Planeswalkersare two of the more sought-after cards from this set, likely because they have more of the special treatments, and also have good utility in the game.It’s worth noting that these prices could shift over timeif certain cards fromTarkir: Dragonstormbecome more or less valuable due to the shifting meta games. That said, cards like the Special Guests fetch lands will likely stay valuable, as fetch lands stay relevant in manyMagic: The Gatheringformats.
10The Showcase Version Of Ugin, Eye Of The Storms
The Showcase Ugin, Eye Of The Storms Costs $129.17
According toTCGPlayer’s Market Price,Ugin, Eye of the Storms (Showcase) has a value of $129.17. The reason I use TCGPlayer to gauge the price of cards is because it is the accepted standard, not just online, but also by many brick-and-mortar game stores. While it’s possible to find places selling it for more, and some for less, the TCGPlayer Market price is always a good indication of what you can expect to pay for, or get for, a given card in a set.
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I’m not all that surprised to see a version of the new Ugin as one of the most valuable cardsin the set. Ugin, Eye of the Storms is pretty powerful, even at seven mana, and Ugin himself is a popular planeswalker. This version features some beautiful art from Joshua Raphael that contrasts the blue spirit dragon nicely against a bright pink background, and breaks the card’s borders in a visually striking way with his wings. The showcase for this set, ghostfire cards, also works especially well with Ugin as it is based on his design.
9The Dragonscale Foil Borderless Version Of Verdant Catacombs
Dragonscale Foil Borderless Verdant Catacombs Costs $165.24
Verdant Catacombs, like the other fetch lands that can be found exclusively inTarkir: DragonstormCollector’s Boosters, is part of the Special Guests series. Special Guests cards aren’t playable in the same Standard rotation as the set they appear in. This doesn’t really impact the collectibility of these cards all that much, however, as fetch lands are essentially a must-have for formats like Modern, and are popular in Commander decks. Currently, the Market Price forthis version of the card is $165.24.
Fetch lands are the name for lands inMagic: The Gatheringthat can be used to find lands with Basic Land types and have them enter untapped. They are considered powerful game pieces because they allow you to find the colors of mana you need quickly.
This version of Verdant Catacombs also has the special Dragonscale Foil treatment, which means the card’s foiling is done in a pattern reminiscent of a dragon’s scaly hide. The Dragonscale Foil fetch lands also feature different art than the non-foil versions from this set, with this card featuring new art by Johannes Voss. Voss did a great job subtly hiding a dragon lurking in the swamp that the titular catacombs are sinking into, and the pink foliage adds some nice accents to the swamp’s earthy tones.
8The Halo Foil Showcase Version Of Craterhoof Behemoth
The Halo Foil Showcase Craterhoof Behemoth Costs $177.29
I was very excited when it was announced that Craterhoof Behemoth was coming back to Standard inMagic: The Gathering. This evergreen finisher for green decks is a personal favorite, as it’sone of the best ways to win the game through combat damage. The popularity of this card in multiple formats probably helps give it a higher value, as does the fact that it has only recently started to receive somewhat frequent reprints. The Halo Foil version can also only be found in Collector’s Boosters, so finding this card will cost more than the ones available in Play Boosters.
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This version of Craterhoof Behemoth features beautiful new artwork from prolificMagic: The Gatheringartist Magali Villeneuve. Villeneuve perfectly incorporated the ghostfire treatment into the art, giving the Craterhoof Behemoth glowing spiritual tusks, helping them stand out in stark contrast to its foliage. The smokey wisps of spirit essence also blend nicely with the card’s border, though I will admit I prefer the non-foil treatment of this card. That said, asthe Halo Foil is worth over three times as much at $177.29, I wouldn’t be disappointed to pull it instead.
7The Dragonscale Foil Borderless Version Of Arid Mesa
Dragonscale Foil Borderless Arid Mesa Costs $190.78
Another of the Special Guests, Dragonscale Foil fetch lands,Arid Mesa, is currently valued at $190.78. Although Arid Mesa tends to be slightly more expensive than Verdant Catacombs across each card’s 12 printings, there usually isn’t as big of a disparity in their cost. That said, these are pre-order prices, so once things stabilize a bit after release, we could see these cards come closer together in value like they have in previous sets.
By definition, an Arid Mesa can be a difficult prompt for an artist to make visually interesting. Previous incarnations of this card have made the mesa itself very visually distinct, butI like that artist Constantin Marin took a different approach with this one. Here the art draws your eyes up into the spiraling clouds of one of the set’s titular dragonstorms as lightning crackles in the distance. The dark mesas stand out from the sky while still being as dry and barren as they should be based on the card’s name.
6The Dragonscale Foil Borderless Version Of Scalding Tarn
Dragonscale Foil Borderless Scalding Tarn Costs $213.43
Scalding Tarn’s relationship to Arid Mesa is very similar to Arid Mesa’s relationship to Verdant Catacombs. This card is historically worth a bit more than Arid Mesa, which is reflected inits current market value of $213.43. Some recent TCGPlayer sales do indicate that the price on this version of the card may be trending down, so like I predicted with Arid Mesa, I do think we might see these fetch lands all begin to stabilize around a similar price as more are opened.
Artist Marco Gorlei put on a masterclass on how to illustrate borderlessMagic: The Gatheringlandswith this version of Scalding Tarn. The card’s space and the composition of the landscape are used so effectively to create a sense of scale. The red foliage and water also feel like natural occurrences in this landscape while also being effective visual cues as to what color pair this card supports.
5The Halo Foil Showcase Version Of Dracogenesis
The Halo Foil Showcase Dracogenesis Costs $216.88
Dracogenesis is currently listed as having a Market Price of $216.88, but of all the cards on this list, it’s the one whose current value I’m most skeptical of. This is a new card being printed inTarkir: Dragonstorm, and while it can be powerful when it hits the battlefield, I can’t help but think it’s a bit slow to have a real impact onMagic: The Gathering’s competitive play. Eight mana is a high cost, and this enchantment doesn’t have anything like hexproof or ward to stop it being removed on site.
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Typically, you would want an eight-mana card to do something strong on its own, not allow you to maybe cast another powerful card that you’ll need to have in your hand. I can see Dracogenesis working well in a Commander deck, but I’m not convinced it’ll make a big enough splash in faster formats to keep its current value. Of course, it will likely still be worth something, even if not as much.
Cards with splashy effects like Dracogenesis tend to have inflated prices ahead of a set’s release. We recently saw this with versions of Radiant Lotus fromAetherdrift, which has seen a significant decrease in value since the set came out.
Even just as a Commander staple,Dracogenesis could keep some value in all forms. This especially hard-to-find version will therefore stay more valuable than the other printings. Artist Kai Carpenter also deserves some credit for doing one of the best jobs blending a card’s background into the style of the Halo Foil border from this set.
4The Dragonscale Foil Borderless Version Of Marsh Flats
Dragonscale Foil Borderless Marsh Flats Costs $220.19
Continuing the fetch land trend, we have the second most valuable of the five in this set,Marsh Flats, valued at $220.19 by TCGPlayer. Interestingly, while the least expensive Marsh Flats is more than the least expensive Scalding Tarn, there are certain printings where Scalding Tarn is more expensive, like theModern Horizons 2Retro Frame versions of the cards. Availability is likely to blame, so if moreTarkir: DragonstormMarsh Flats get opened than Scalding Tarns, we could see their relative prices shift a bit.
Like some of the other Dragonscale Foil fetch lands,Marsh Flats features one of Tarkir’s dragonstorms, with a unique twist on its appearance. Artist Valera Lutfullina gave the clouds a spiked and scaly appearance, seamlessly blending massive dragons in with the storm itself. I’m a little disappointed that this art is only available on a foil card, as I think a non-foil version would make it easier to appreciate Lutfullina’s attention to detail, like how well the storm clouds are reflected on the surface of the marsh’s water.
3The Dragonscale Foil Borderless Version Of Misty Rainforest
Dragonscale Foil Borderless Misty Rainforest Costs $240.05
Misty Rainforest is the final, and most valuable, fetch land fromTarkir: Dragonstorm’s Special Guest cards,coming in at $240.05. This isn’t too surprising because, although standard printings of the card aren’t wildly more expensive than other fetch lands, special printings tend to be consistently more expensive. This can be seen with theZendikar Rising Expeditionsor originalZendikar Expeditionsversions of Misty Rainforest.
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Like Scalding Tarn,the setting of Misty Rainforest lends itself to featuring the two colors of land it searches for. This is captured perfectly by Livia Prima’s beautiful scene of a rainforest river populated by dragons. Not only do the lush green forest and bright blue water capture show off the colors of mana most supported by the card, but also the nearest dragon has iridescent blue and green scales. This art probably looks even better with the foil treatment, as it could feel like a natural addition to a misty setting.
2The Halo Foil Showcase Version Of Elspeth, Storm Slayer
The Halo Foil Showcase Elspeth, Storm Slayer Costs $302.28
As much as I like Elspeth, Storm Slayer, I was actually a little surprised to see that a version of it managed to out-value evergreen cards like fetch lands. This could be another case of a new card with a lot of hype around it having a bit of an inflated value before the set’s actual release.I wouldn’t be all that shocked to see this drop from its $302.28 value, and end up being less valuable than the Special Guest lands.
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Although I can see it dropping in value,that isn’t to say that Elspeth, Storm Slayer isn’t a great-looking card. Ekaterina Burmak did a great job blending the card’s ghostfire effects and Elspeth’s wings into the colors on the Halo Foil border in a way that helps obscure the hard edge between it and the original artwork. I appreciate that Elspeth herself stands out cleanly from the background, helping to highlight her amidst the many effects on the card.
1The Halo Foil Showcase Version Of Ugin, Eye Of The Storm
The Halo Foil Showcase Ugin, Eye Of The Storm Costs $422.82
With even the non-foil version of this card making the top 10 for the set, it should be no surprise that the Halo Foil and ghostfire showcase version of Ugin, Eye of the Storm is also one of the most valuable cards fromTarkir: Dragonstorm. At the time of writing, it isthe single most valuable card from the set with a TCGPlayer Market Price of $422.82. Everything I already enjoyed about Joshua Raphael’s art on this piece is only amplified by the Halo Foil treatment, and, similar to Elspeth, the art blends the frame nicely with the border.
There is a serialized version of Mox Jasper in this set that will likely become the most valuable card in the set once it is opened and starts being sold. However, as of time of writing, it does not have a TCGPlayer Market Value.
I was happy to see Ugin back inTarkir: Dragonstorm’s story, even if it might mean the return of my least favoriteMagic: The Gatheringvillain, Nicol Bolas. Still, I’m excited to see if this new version of Ugin is as powerful of a game piece as its price across its multiple versions would imply. More generally, it will be exciting to see howTarkir: Dragonstormmanages to shake up the current Standard meta game when it becomes legal to play this week.
