by Richard Rowell, Gaming Successfully Staff ![]() Recently, popular Magic the Gathering card vendor Channel Fireball increased their buy price for Cabal Therapy from Eternal Masters to $2.50 cash, $3.25 store credit. Both the original Judgment printing and the Premium Deck Graveborn foil printing run about $10 a copy. Considering those prices, it’s not surprising that there’s a lot of demand for this Legacy staple when the Eternal Masters version is only $5 to $6. Considering this buylist increase, it’s very possible that this printing, with its relatively low supply compared to other sets, will eventually hit $10. So now is as good a time as any to pick up your playset. It’s always going to be a good card, and is widely played in Legacy Grixis Delver and Storm, plus some Vintage decks, too. Eternal Masters foils of Cabal Therapy are also a solid buy at $11. This is definitely a card to invest in sooner than later. With most reprint sets, Magic the Gathering sometimes has some older rares shifted to the uncommon rarity or even to common! In Eternal Masters, nine former rares became uncommons and one even became a common, Emperor Crocodile. Here, we will take a look at the new nine uncommons and see which of these will have an impact on their original printings. ![]() Battle Squadron This 5-mana flying Goblin originally is from Mercadian Masques. It sees a bit of play in Commander. Overall, it’s a pretty simple card,having a power and toughness both equal to the number of creatures you have in play. It’s definitely not a card you would see printed at rare these days. It was already a bulk rare, and now there will be a good number of uncommon copies available for those who want to play it in their Goblin decks. ![]() Emmessi Tome This artifact was reprinted at uncommon previously in Tempest Remastered, a Magic Online only set. It rarely sees any play, since its draw and discard ability is quite overcosted in today’s Magic. It costs 4 just to cast, and its ability costs 5 to activate. Netting a single card for 5 mana simply isn’t worth it anymore. It was a bulk rare before, and now no one will want it. ![]() Field of Souls This Enchantment is pretty decent. Field of Souls sees play in a number of token strategies in Commander, most notably in Teysa, Orzhov Scion decks. It was already a bulk rare. But unlike the Tome, it definitely has a home (rhyme not intentional!) Extra flying Spirit tokens are always welcome things to have! ![]() Havoc Demon While it’s quite powerful in Limited, Havoc Demon sees very limited play otherwise. It was nice to not have this card take up a rare slot in Eternal Masters. When it dies, all creatures get -5/-5 until end of turn. It’s a good rattlesnake card, and some Black decks in Commander will play it on occasion. But at 7 mana, even with a 5/5 flying body, there are just much better cards to play at that mana cost. ![]() Mesa Enchantress Probably the best bulk rare of these nine to be downgraded, Mesa Enchantress sees a ton of play in Commander. She's run in just about every Enchantment based deck that can run her. Drawing a card every time you cast an Enchantment is extremely useful. Obviously, this is not a card you would want to open at rare in Eternal Masters, but it is a card people do want. ![]() Mindless Automaton This artifact creature is decent in Limited, and some Commander decks can abuse its +1/+1 counters to draw a decent amount of cards. Its discard ability also happens to be relevant in a number of decks, especially ones that love to reanimate high mana cost artifacts from the graveyard. It’s cool to see this at uncommon, especially in the Eternal Masters draft environment. Commander players will be happy to pick them up as draft chaff, too. ![]() Phyrexian Ingester The Ingester was a very good card in Limited when it was first released in New Phyrexia. It actually saw a small amount of Standard play, too. Otherwise, it’s just been a super solid card in mono-Blue Commander decks looking for a way to remove big creatures. Seven mana sounds like a high price to pay, but with commanders such as Braids, Conjurer Adept and Jalira, Master Polymorphist around to cheat the Ingester into play, it’s pretty solid. Commander players will be happy to get this as an uncommon. ![]() Sprite Noble Here’s a cute little flying lord. Sprite Noble gives all of your other flyers a toughness boost, plus the ability to pump your flying team’s power with a tap. As a rare, the Noble was rather under-powered. She’s perfectly fine as an uncommon, and is a boon to flyer strategies in Limited. The Sprite Noble does see some play in Isperia the Inscrutable and Oona, Queen of the Fae Commander decks, both of which are heavy on fliers. ![]() Tooth and Claw This Red Enchantment is actually a key piece to Purphoros, God of the Forge decks. It’s not so much the 3/1 tokens themselves that are important, but the fact that you’re sacrificing creatures to bring new creatures into play for essentially free. Purphoros is all about dealing damage to your opponents each time a creature enters play. This is a dirty way to do just that. Just like all of these downgraded rares, this was always bulk. But again, Commander players will be happy to take your copies off of you. It’s also pretty solid in Limited. While none of these nine rares were ever worth that much to begin with, there are a few cards here that Commander players are happy to have. In particular, Field of Souls, Mesa Enchantress, Mindless Automaton, Phyrexian Ingester, and Tooth and Claw are the ones you’ll want to hold onto. While they aren’t the best value uncommons of the set, they were once rares. So, they will still retain some value. Magic the Gathering (MTG) - Eternal Masters & Pauper - Many Amazing Rarity Downgrades to Common!5/29/2016 by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist As with any reprint set, Eternal Masters includes many rarity shifts, including uncommons to rares, but more importantly rares to uncommon and uncommons to common. Heck, you even get a rare shifted to common once in awhile! But with Eternal Masters, there are some truly important new commons to consider. This is due to the fact that Pauper, the all-common only format, is getting some serious gas with cards only ever printed before at uncommon! Which of these newly printed commons will have an impact on the Pauper format? Let’s take a look! WHITE CARDS ![]() Elite Vanguard This vanilla 2/1 Soldier has been an uncommon forever. Making him a common is actually a pretty big deal. Pauper hasn’t had this guy before. How much he’ll actually impact the format remains to be seen since he still trades with pretty much every other one-drop. But he’s definitely one to watch and definitely is a power-up for one-drops in White. Humble This uncommon instant seems like it should be a good sideboard option in Pauper. For 1W, you make a target creature a 0/1 creature with no abilities. There are some massive creatures even in Pauper and this is a way to easily dispose of them during combat at instant speed. Mistral Charger This 2/1 flyer may not look like much, but flyers are powerful in Pauper. While I doubt he makes a huge impact, this guy was only ever an uncommon in Dissension. Probably only going to be a factor in Eternal Masters limited, but it’s good to know he exists. Monk Idealist The Idealist has seen play in Commander for some time. You may notice that the Idealist is very similar to Auramancer. This is because Auramancer and Monk Idealist are the same card with different creature types. Auramancer does see some play in Pauper, so this may as well. Not going to be an impact card, though. ![]() Rally the Peasants Here is a card that could definitely impact Pauper. Originally an uncommon that was pretty good in Innistrad drafts, Rally the Peasants can be flashed back for 2R. Flashback spells are extremely powerful in Pauper. We’ve seen what White tokens can do with their flashback spells like Battle Screech. Making Red/White (Boros) Tokens a real deck is definitely possible with Rally the Peasants. This is a powerful effect to be downgraded to common BLUE CARDS Cephalid Sage Here’s a decent uncommon from Torment with Threshold. As long as you have at least 7 cards in your graveyard, you can activate the Sage’s Threshold effect. The Sage has the ability to draw three cards and discard two. This is pretty decent card filtering, and I can see this fitting into Pauper Control decks somewhere. Glacial Wall A 0/7 Defender for 3 mana is certainly nothing to scoff at. Being at uncommon since Ice Age means that Pauper players get to now test it out. But I don’t see it having much of an impact at a competitive level ![]() Peregrine Drake Perhaps one of the most surprising rarity downgrades in Eternal Masters is Peregrine Drake to common. The Drake is a big deal in Commander, since he can essentially cast himself for free. He’s part of some infinite mana combos, too. I can’t wait to see what the Drake can do in Pauper. I feel like this is going to be a bomb in the format. (Ultimately, Peregrine Drake proved to be too good in Pauper and was banned in the format.) Phantom Monster Already available at common on Magic Online, the Phantom Monster is just a 3/3 flyer for 4 mana. The Monster is fine in Limited, but not competitive Pauper worthy at all. Stupefying Touch Another potential sideboard card, Stupefying Touch not only stops a creature from being able to activate abilities, but also draws you a card. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of too many activated abilities to stop in Pauper, though. But there are a few key ones. Quirion Ranger is one to target, and Stompy is a real deck. That may slow the deck down. It can stop Atog in Affinity, which is sort of a big deal. There are definitely cases, but I’m not sure it’s quite enough to take up sideboard slots. It might be, though. Tidal Wave While this is probably best suited for Eternal Masters Limited, Tidal Wave is a cute card. It makes a 5/5 Wall that you have to sacrifice at the end of the turn. It’s a nifty combat trick, but not really something that fits in competitive play. Warden of Evos Isle While the Warden is really at common to satisfy Eternal Masters limited, I could see a White/Blue flyers list in Pauper being enabled by this guy. Playing Squadron Hawk for a single White mana feels pretty good to me, and there are many other useful flyers in the format. I really like this guy at common. ![]() BLACK CARDS Night's Whisper Not only did this card desperately need a reprint, but wow, at COMMON? This was a $3 card due to a decent amount of Modern play. Pauper does already have Sign in Blood, and can target either player. However, being 1B does help Night’s Whisper fit better into other Control decks that may have not before considered Sign in Blood. This is an awesome reprint from not only a supply standpoint, but by giving Pauper players a new option. Prowling Pangolin Here’s a guy from back in Onslaught that many players have probably never seen. 5 mana for a 6/5 is pretty decent. Yes, your opponent can choose to sacrifice 2 creatures to kill him, but that’s quite a cost. While I’m not sure Mono-Black Control will want him, this is a cool card to have at common. It’s actually quite similar to a card called Predatory Nightstalker, except this can prove to be a lot better. RED CARDS Avarax This 5 mana 3/3 with Haste can search out another copy of himself and add it to your hand. I really like this in Eternal Masters limited, but not really in Pauper. Carbonize While Carbonize is pretty decent removal for Limited, I’m not feeling this for Pauper. There are better removal options. ![]() Desperate Ravings An excellent card back in its Standard days and still good in Modern Storm, this is not a card I ever saw being printed at common. It’s at common for purposes of Eternal Masters Limited, but Pauper just got a great new tool. The Flashback being Blue is no problem for the Pauper decks that would want it. This is one of my favorite reprints in the entire set. Dragon Egg A fun little card that I’ve played around with in the past, Dragon Egg may not actually do anything in Pauper. But it’s cool to know that it’s a common now. ![]() Kird Ape While Kird Ape has been a common in Paper Magic before, it wasn’t ever at common in Magic Online. This is a big deal for Pauper in the MTGO world. He’s a classic card for good reason and Red/Green decks in MTGO Pauper just got an amazing new weapon. For paper, it’s just a much easier to get foil copy. Orcish Oriflamme This card was amazing in the early days of Magic. It’s always been solid in Limited, and to have it at common seems a bit silly to me. Do I see Pauper decks including it? At 4 mana, I sort of doubt it. But it’s still a good card and it’s still in a lot of Commander decks. Undying Rage This is an Aura that if printed today would probably be at common anyway. So here it is. The fact that you get it back to your hand when the creature dies is pretty solid. But 3 mana for +2/+2 and making the creature unable to block isn’t as efficient as other Auras that exist now, even at common. Wildfire Emissary Protection from White is actually a good thing in Pauper. But otherwise I don’t really see anyone playing this in the format. It’s a solid Limited card, though. GREEN CARDS Elephant Guide Already legal in Magic Online Pauper due to its Vintage Masters printing, this is already a good card. The +3/+3 boost is solid, but the fact you get a 3/3 Elephant token out of it when it dies just makes it really good. This was printed not long ago in Conspiracy in paper Magic, but it’s nice to have it at common. Elvish Vanguard Here’s a really solid Elf that Pauper has never seen before. Each time an Elf comes into play, including those you don’t control, the Vanguard gets bigger. I suppose this guy could get pretty big. I like him in Pauper, although I’m not sure that he’s good enough for competitive play. Emperor Crocodile This 5/5 for 4 mana was actually a rare previous to this Eternal Masters printing. The only drawback is that you have to sacrifice him if you control no other creatures. I’m not sure what he’ll actually do in Pauper, but that’s not a bad creature at common. ![]() Nimble Mongoose One of the biggest downgrades to common is Nimble Mongoose. This guy was super powerful back in Standard and he still holds his own in Legacy today! To add a guy who can easily be a 3/3 for a single mana that also has Shroud is very powerful in Pauper. If the Mongoose doesn’t become a major player in Pauper, I will be shocked. Roots A decent way to tap down flyers in Limited, Magic Online already has this at common. It’s never seen Pauper play. It’s pretty good for a sideboard card in Eternal Masters limited, though. Sylvan Might Here’s a Flashback card I really like at common. Sylvan Might is decent enough at 1G giving a creature +2/+2 and trample until end of turn. While I don’t know how much Stompy wants this, I can see how it would be extremely good in that deck. ![]() Yavimaya Enchantress Enchantress has been a pretty good archetype in the past. It’s been good enough that the key card in that deck, Argothian Enchantress, is at Mythic Rare in Eternal Masters. While Yavimaya Enchantress is not as good, putting her at common makes her eligible for Pauper. There are plenty of strong Enchantments in Pauper. It will be sweet to see if Enchantress truly takes off in Pauper! Thanks to this full list of Eternal Masters rarity downgrades from reddit! While many of the new commons exist primarily for purposes of giving the Eternal Masters limited environment an above-average power level, there’s no doubt that Pauper has picked up at least a half-dozen cards that will see considerable play. Peregrine Drake, Kird Ape, and Nimble Mongoose are the big winners. Yavimaya Enchantress makes an archetype more playable, as does Rally the Peasants. Best of all, you can still use the old uncommon printings (or rare in the case of Emperor Crocodile) since they are also legal in Pauper. What do you think of these awesome reprints? Pauper just changed a bit forever. by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist ![]() A staple in Modern Combo Elves decks, Regal Force is actually best known for its utility in Commander. Originally printed in Eventide, this seven-mana Elemental has sold for as much as $15 a copy. Its ability is quite simple. For 7 mana, you get to draw a card for each green creature (including himself) that you control. With how many creatures Green decks can pop out in a hurry, this means a lot of card advantage. The 5/5 body is just a bonus. A wide variety of mono-Green decks in Commander were happy to see this guy reprinted. These include decks led by Seton, Krosan Protector, Azusa, Lost But Seeking, and Ezuri, Renegade Leader. Basically, any mono-Green deck that's focused on creating a huge army of creatures will want Regal Force in its arsenal. Seven mana to cast is a lot, but he's proven his worth time and time again over the years. While this Eternal Masters printing will tank his price, which was based on his very low supply, it's likely he'll rebound over time considering just how many decks can use his ability. Card draw is always going to be good, especially in Green. by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist ![]() With Eternal Masters, the long-time Legacy burn staple Chain Lightning gets its first printing at uncommon. Prior to this, Chain Lightning only had its original common printing in Legends and a premium foil reprint in Premium Deck Series: Fire & Lightning. On Magic Online, however, it has had additional online-only editions in Vintage Masters, Masters Edition III, and in an online only theme deck. Due to Chain Lightning only having two previous printings, the paper price has crept towards $15 as this powerful card has been disappearing into many different Magic the Gathering collections. While being printed at uncommon will keep the price of the original versions from tanking, it's very likely that the foil version from Eternal Masters will be preferable to that of the Premium Deck. Even being printed at uncommon in this set does not change its status in the popular Pauper format on Magic Online. It actually sees about the same amount of play in Pauper as it does in Legacy. It's good to see more copies of this classic burn spell printed outside of Magic Online. by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist ![]() Gamble is the best of tutors in Red. In fact, outside of Imperial Recruiter, it is the only other one. The cost of a random discard seems like quite a drawback, but at times it is actually useful. This card mostly sees play in the Lands deck in Legacy as a four-of, since the discard does not hurt that deck’s strategy. It also sees play in a number of mono-Red decks in Commander. Because of its unique position in Magic as the only true mono-Red tutor, it’s been a $30 card that was only ever printed in Urza’s Saga. Fortunately for Magic the Gathering players, Gamble has been reprinted in Eternal Masters. Being only a rare, there are many new copies that are hitting the open market. Those who want to play them in Legacy will still want the full playset of four copies, so it probably won’t ever become extraordinarily cheap. This is also the first time that Gamble has ever been available in paper Magic. It was available in foil previously in Vintage Masters on Magic Online. The Eternal Masters version of Gamble features new artwork and new flavor text. I actually prefer the old artwork, but the new flavor text is pretty funny. I mean, “What’s the worst that can happen?” That wraps up the flavor of this card perfectly. But I like the original Goblin flavor that the old artwork provided. How do you feel about this reprint? Is this a card that you’re excited about? by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist ![]() Speculation on what was going to be included in the Eternal Masters set has been rampant ever since the set was first announced. Magic the Gathering players already knew that nothing on the game's Reserved List would be included. But there are plenty of very useful cards that were likely to be in the set. One of the cards on many players' wish lists was Mana Crypt, a very useful card that is at its best in Vintage, but is also very useful in Commander. While Mana Crypt was featured in Vintage Masters in 2015, that was a Magic Online only set, which did no good for players of paper Magic. Before, there was only an extremely rare book promo and a DCI Judge Promo Foil. A single copy would set you back as much as $150 to $200. For most players, that's very prohibitive. While printing this at Mythic rare will still make it rather scarce, it will put a lot more copies out there. So what's so great about Mana Crypt? In many ways, it's very similar to Mana Vault, a very popular artifact in Commander. The Vault doesn't untap on its own, and deals one domage to u for each upkeep that it remains tapped. It costs 4 mana to untap it on its own. However, the Vault provides you with 3 colorless mana, and there are plenty of ways to help it untap in both Legacy and Vintage. The Crypt only gives you 2 mana, but it untaps every turn like most artifacts do. However, the drawback is that you have to flip a coin at the beginning of each upkeep.. If you call the flip wrong, you take 3 damage. Since there's a 50-50 chance of being right, it's usually worth the risk. It also costs nothing at all to cast, which is the card's greatest advantage. Having two mana before even dropping a land on the first turn is very powerful. That's why this card is restricted to a single copy in Vintage decks and is banned in Legacy. It gives you access to a lot of mana very quickly. While I highly doubt that Mana Crypt will ever become the $4-5 card that it is due to two printings on Magic Online, it's going to become so much more affordable for those who want it. Yes, it will remain fairly expensive, and eventually, the price will probably creep its way back into triple digits. Most notably is that the Eternal Masters version has the same artwork as the highly sought after Judge Foil version. Plus, Eternal Masters comes with a foil in every pack, so the chances of opening a Foil Mana Crypt are much higher than normal. How do you feel about this reprint? Is this a card that you've waited for to become more widely available? It's awesome in Commander and it will probably be Commander players who will want copies the month. |
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