Bang for your Buck: Investing in cards for Khans of Tarkir – Multicolor

Disclaimer: I can not be held responsible for any poor decisions I make in regards to any cards you might buy in response to my article. I’m going to post my thoughts and plead my case for each card I recommend, and if you agree then by all means head out to your local gaming store or buy cards online and try to snap up some good deals. I’m basing my information off of months of standard gaming experience as well as prices in my area and how they’ve reacted to the ever changing metagame. I can only hope that the decisions I make are good ones and that my gamble pays off after buying the featured cards. Prices I used are based on the iMTG IOS app, using TCG player.com’s mid-level price range.

Well, we certainly don’t have to wait long to see how standard is going to pan out this fall/winter. Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir is this weekend and is going to blow standard wide open. New tech, combos we haven’t thought of yet, crisp, clean, and concise deck lists . . . those people paying attention to what’s going on in Hawaii will be able to go out and get some deals before everybody goes crazy the following week.  Today’s post won’t be a long one since there aren’t that many multicolor cards to talk about, but they are definitely important. The non-Theros Gods weren’t respected during the last standard metagame because of the number of mono colored and lightly splashed decks. Now that the tables have turned and tri-color is all the rage, I think we’re in for some changes. 

Previous Multicolor Suggestions

• Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver – I suggested that you pick up at Ashiok at $7.50 prior to rotation simply because he was 3 mana planeswalker. He has now almost doubled in price to $14.50. It didn’t hurt that he is playable in one of the best chances for a control deck this season.
• Ephara, God of the Polis – Well, this was a miss. I thought we’d see more of her in UW heroic decks post rotation, but nobody seems to have picked up that mantle. Jeskai Ascendancy also does a much better job of getting you cards while also pumping up your creatures. She is unchanged at $2.50.
• Keranos, God of Storms – I said he should hold his value of $6.75 (which he definitely did), but what I didn’t foresee was his playability in a number of Khans decks which pushed his value up to $17.75. Yikes. 
• Xenagos, the Reveler – Strangely enough, Xenagos hardly moved at all when M15 was released. I was shocked that he was still only $7 when I wrote my M15 investment article, but I was sure that he’d climb to above $10 again post rotation. As we all know from the end of M15 standard, Xenagos’ price skyrocketed to more than $20 at one point. He’s back to about $17, but that still makes my advice worth it back then. 
• Fleecemane Lion – Thanks to Abzan being one of the tier 1 decks of Khans standard, Fleecmane Lion has jumped from his previous price of $1.80 to almost $4 now. I recommended it as a strong buy. 
• Reaper of the Wilds – a few people were promoting this card early in KTK standard, but it hasn’t found a spot yet in standard so its price remains unchanged. 
• Xenagos, God of Revels – Another miss. I thought he’d see play in this format due to how he fits in GR ramp and Temur decks, but he hasn’t seen any play yet. 

Just as with my other post rotation articles, it seems as though when I won big I won BIG. If I was wrong, it wasn’t really that bad. In each of these Bang for your Buck articles, I think you definitely would have come out on top if you had followed my advice. Next time will be a lot harder, so I would take my Khans suggestions with a little more caution than the pre-rotation one. Let’s see what multicolor cards could possibly break out after Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir. 

Multicolor

Reanimator could see more play in Khans standard, especially in Sultai colors. Players shouldn’t forget Abzan reanimator either though. It tested very well in Theros block (though wasn’t a tier 1 deck) and a card like Ashen Rider ($1.75) could see more play after the pro tour. I don’t think it will go up too much, but if the deck shows up in the Pro Tour it could hit around $2.50-$3. Athreos, God of Passage ($8.75) also seems playable in this current metagame. Many players have been trying their hand at BW Warriors and B/w aggro but the decks seem to be missing something to make their forces more resilient. It’s not a strong suggestion, but it’s something to keep your eye on.

Iroas, God of Victory

For some reason, I really like Iroas, God of Victory ($6) in the new metagame. Cards like Monastery Swiftspear and Goblin Rabblemaster become a lot harder to deal with when Iroas is in play. He seems to be built for RW aggro, but I wouldn’t put it past him to become part of a Jeskai aggro deck either. I don’t think he’ll be a 4 of, but he could be a 2 of in RW/x aggro decks this fall and winter. If you have a card like Seeker of the Way alongside the cards I just mentioned, you should have no problem of pushing damage through as well as gaining life to win any races against your opponent. My guess is that he’ll see a modest increase of $1-2 to $8, mostly because people he’s a little bit harder to come by than other gods.

While I didn’t do well with her last time, I think Pharika, God of Affliction ( $4.50) will see more play in Khans. GB and Sultai dredge decks have been putting up good numbers in the first few weeks around town, and adding in Pharika lets you take advantage of any creatures that go into the graveyard. She seems good along side of Sidisi, but I’d be careful not to use too many Delve cards in your deck if she’s in there. Again, I predict a modest increase. 

Reaper of the Wilds

Reaper of the Wilds isn’t down for the count yet. She might not have seen any play yet in KTK standard, but she’s a very strong card. A 4/5 body for 4 mana is good, but the problem most players are running into now is fitting her into their strategy. There are tons of decks she could fit into at the moment: GB dredge, Sultai Dredge, Abzan midrange, Abzan Aggro, and maybe even B/g aggro. I don’t think she’ll stay at $0.70 for much longer. This will be a $2 before year’s end I think. 

Tymaret, Murder King

There has been chatter on some of the aggro websites such as Dies To Removal about a possible 2nd coming of Aristocrats in standard. The deck takes advantage of Tymaret as their sacrifice outlet and floods the board with goblin tokens from Goblin Rabblemaster and Hordeling Outburst. It splashes white for Butcher of the Horde (which acts like Falkenrath Aristocrat) and Sorin, Solemn Visitor. The deck seems very solid, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it reaches Tier 2-Tier 1.5 status in standard. Mardu Midrange has been kicking my butt a lot lately, and this could be the next evolution of that strategy. This is a long shot of course, but Tymaret is only $0.25 so you aren’t losing much if you spend $1 on a playset. If the deck takes off, we could see him sitting at $2-3 sometime early next year. 

I also kind of feel that Xenagos, God of Revels ($4.25) might do well in GR and Temur decks this winter, but we’ll have to see how players react to the metagame from the pro tour this weekend. Keep your eyes peeled!

Multicolor Uncommons that will see more play

• Fanatic of Xenagos – Well, this card can’t be all that bad. It was released as a FNM promo after all. I think Wizards expected it to do well, which is why they released it as a promo. The most obvious spot for it is in Temur aggro alongside Knuckleblade. Not sure I would go out and buy them at $.30 if I already had a playset, but watch how the metagame shapes up.
• Kiora’s Follower – it’s a much better Voyaging Satyr if you’re playing a UG ramp deck, and it’s seeing in play in that Jeskai Ascendancy combo deck so you might want to pick up a play set for $0.25 each while you can. 
• Nyx Weaver – I have a strong feeling about this card, especially if Dredge decks do well this weekend at the pro tour. Most graveyard based decks in standard will use this guy, and since he’s from Journey into Nyx, he’s somewhat rarer than most uncommons. He’s only $0.25 now, but if those decks take off he could jump to $1. 
• Spellheart Chimera – this card seems like it would be a good fit in Jeskai Ascendancy aggro decks if it weren’t for Mantis Rider. We might seem some builds later in KTK standard with the Chimera in order to push damage through though alongside it though. Only a quarter now. 

Riding Out the Storm

We’re done! I’m surprised that I was able to finish my articles before Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir. Coverage should start here in Japan later in the day tomorrow. I plan on keeping tabs on the decks people are playing, while at the same time I’ll be trying out some decks of my own. Phase Aratamabashi is sponsoring 2 days of Magic at the community hall close to my house for Hareruya’s Last Sun qualifier. Modern, Standard, Legacy, draft . . . the place should be pretty busy. The biggest typhoon of the year is also due to make landfall this weekend so it should be fun regardless. 

It’s been a while, but I should have some new deck lists for you to pour over as well as where I think standard will be heading after the Pro Tour. I hope you have a good weekend and get some MTG in so you’re ready for KTK Game Day next Saturday and Sunday!