by Phoenix Desertsong, Gaming Successfully Staff
Here in the Anatomy of a Bulk Rare series, we’ve looked at a wide variety of cards worth less than 50 cents. There have been “true bulk” cards such as Serpentine Spike that no one will really ever play in Constructed. There’s somewhat playable creatures like Fathom Feeder. Then, you have a card that sees a fair amount of play in the ever-growing Commander format that’s probably still a bit underappreciated: Insidious Will.
Back in October 2016, Insidious Will was a $0.50 card that was buylisting for close to its retail price. Why’s that? People were actually pretty excited about this card. Even though it costs 4 mana for effects that typically cost only 2 or 3 mana, the versatility of this card seemed to make it worth it. With Baral, Chief of Compliance looking like he’d be a big part of Standard, it seemed to some people that Insidious Will was going to be at least a $1 or $2 card. This never happened, although Baral, who makes Instants and Sorceries you cast cost 1 less mana, is very good. In fact, Baral is probably going to be tied to this card’s long term value.
While two of its effect choices are Redirect and Twincast, which are cards that each cost 2 mana, being able to choose seems worth an extra price. And yes, Cancel is 3 mana as a straight counterspell. But wouldn’t having these choices in a control deck be a nice thing to have, even just as a one-of out of the sideboard?
The answer is yes, in Baral, Chief of Compliance Commander decks. Baral has become quite a force in the growing 1v1 Commander scene, thanks to Magic Online adopting the format as a competitive league. Considering the huge amount of foils that are wanted on PucaTrade, it’s clear that most demand for Insidious Will comes from Commander players. While Baral is hardly the only Commander that plays this versatile 4-mana instant, he’s definitely the one who’s added this spell to his library the most.
So what’s made this a bulk rare? It’s simply just not found relevance in the current Standard format. But long term, cards like this easily surpass $2. Foils of this card will definitely not be less than $2 forever, either.
When it comes to the anatomy of this bulk rare, it’s simply a card that was released at a time where its value simply hasn’t been realized. One copy per Commander player coming off the market at a time simply isn’t going to drive the price. This is a card that you want in foil if you’re looking to cash in on it in the long term. But as far as people who just want it to play with, it’s definitely well worth spending a couple hard earned dimes on so you can add into your collection.
Back in October 2016, Insidious Will was a $0.50 card that was buylisting for close to its retail price. Why’s that? People were actually pretty excited about this card. Even though it costs 4 mana for effects that typically cost only 2 or 3 mana, the versatility of this card seemed to make it worth it. With Baral, Chief of Compliance looking like he’d be a big part of Standard, it seemed to some people that Insidious Will was going to be at least a $1 or $2 card. This never happened, although Baral, who makes Instants and Sorceries you cast cost 1 less mana, is very good. In fact, Baral is probably going to be tied to this card’s long term value.
While two of its effect choices are Redirect and Twincast, which are cards that each cost 2 mana, being able to choose seems worth an extra price. And yes, Cancel is 3 mana as a straight counterspell. But wouldn’t having these choices in a control deck be a nice thing to have, even just as a one-of out of the sideboard?
The answer is yes, in Baral, Chief of Compliance Commander decks. Baral has become quite a force in the growing 1v1 Commander scene, thanks to Magic Online adopting the format as a competitive league. Considering the huge amount of foils that are wanted on PucaTrade, it’s clear that most demand for Insidious Will comes from Commander players. While Baral is hardly the only Commander that plays this versatile 4-mana instant, he’s definitely the one who’s added this spell to his library the most.
So what’s made this a bulk rare? It’s simply just not found relevance in the current Standard format. But long term, cards like this easily surpass $2. Foils of this card will definitely not be less than $2 forever, either.
When it comes to the anatomy of this bulk rare, it’s simply a card that was released at a time where its value simply hasn’t been realized. One copy per Commander player coming off the market at a time simply isn’t going to drive the price. This is a card that you want in foil if you’re looking to cash in on it in the long term. But as far as people who just want it to play with, it’s definitely well worth spending a couple hard earned dimes on so you can add into your collection.
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