What’s valuable in a post-Phyrexian multiverse?
Magic: The Gathering’s Spring 2023 Standard set, March of the Machine, was officially released on April 21st. March of the Machine is the climactic end of the multi-set storyline that began with Dominaria United. Draft, Set, and Collector Boosters from March of the Machine contains Multiverse Legends, Battle cards, Phyrexians, and other exciting cards.
Average market prices of Mythic Rares and Rares swung wildly before March of the Machine’s global release date. Several new March of the Machine cards could become mainstays in multiple Constructed formats, including Invasion of Gobakhan, Faerie Mastermind, and Wrenn and Realmbreaker. Now that March of the Machine cards are in players’ hands, let’s review the ten most expensive regular-version cards.
#10 Sword of Once and Future
March Of The Machine
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Players anxiously awaited the release of Sword of Once and Future, a Mythic Rare Equipment card from March of the Machine. Sword of Once and Future completes a cycle of unique Equipment cards with protection from two colors. Equipping a creature with Once and Future protects it from blue and black. Also, the equipped creature gets +2/+2, and whenever it deals combat damage to a player, surveil two, and you may cast an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard with a mana value of two or less without paying its mana cost. If the chosen spell goes into your graveyard, it gets exiled instead.
Market Price: $42.41
Sword of Once and Future’s playability in a constructed format may depend on the prevalence of top-tier Blue and Black decks. Nevertheless, Sword of Once and Future’s average market price of $11 indicts that players are interested in playing the Equipment card in multiple formats. It will be interesting to see how Sword of Once and Future performs as format metagames shift in 2023.
#9 Wrenn and Realmbreaker
March Of The Machine
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Wrenn and Realmbreaker is a three-mana Planeswalker with an average market price close to $14. Three loyalty abilities accompany a static ability that enables lands you control to tap for mana of any color. Wrenn and Realmbreaker’s +1 loyalty ability turns a land you control into a 3/3 Elemental creature with vigilance, hexproof, and haste until your next turn. The first minus ability mills three cards and lets you put a permanent card from among the milled cards into your hand. Lastly, Wrenn and Realmbreaker’s second minis loyalty ability provides an emblem that allows you to play lands and cast permanent spells from your graveyard.
Although Wrenn and Realmbreaker have helpful loyalty abilities, it has yet to impact constructed formats. Time will tell if Wrenn and Realmbreaker becomes a contender in Constructed formats, but there is still a chance Wrenn and Realmbreaker can become a star in Commander.
#8 Invasion of Tarkir
March Of The Machine
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Invasion of Tarkir is one of the Mythic Rare Battle cards in March of the Machine. Upon Invasion of Tarkir entering the battlefield, you may reveal any number of Dragon cards from your hand. When you do, Invasion of Tarkir deals X plus two damage to any other target, where X is the number of cards revealed this way. Removing five defense counters from Invasion of Tarkir exiles it, enabling you to cast it transformed into a 4/4 Dragon with flying, trample, and an ability that deals two damage to any target whenever a Dragon you control attacks.
Modern
Domain Aggro
Market Price:$822.05
Maindeck, 60 cards
Sortsort deckCreature (16)
- 4Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
- 4Scion of Draco
- 4Territorial Kavu
- 4Wild Nacatl
Sorcery (4)
- 4Tribal Flames
Instant (8)
- 4Lightning Bolt
- 4Stubborn Denial
Enchantment (4)
- 4Leyline Binding
Land (21)
- 1Breeding Pool
- 4Flooded Strand
- 1Forest
- 1Overgrown Tomb
- 1Plains
- 1Sacred Foundry
- 1Savai Triome
- 1Steam Vents
- 1Temple Garden
- 4Windswept Heath
- 4Wooded Foothills
- 1Zagoth Triome
Battle (7)
- 3Invasion of Azgol
- 4Invasion of Tarkir
Sideboard (15)
- 2Flusterstorm
- 2Hidetsugu Consumes All
- 1Jegantha, the Wellspring
- 1Omnath, Locus of Creation
- 2Rest in Peace
- 3Teferi, Time Raveler
- 4Wear // Tear//
Invasion of Tarkir is already seeing some play in constructed formats. The above Domain Aggro Modern deck featuring Invasion of Tarkir went 5-0 in a Magic: The Gathering Online League. Various Dragon-themed Standard decks are experimenting with Invasion of Tarkir too.
#7 Invasion of Ikoria
March Of The Machine
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Invasion of Ikoria is another battle card with constructed playability. For XGG, Invasion of Ikoria lets you search your library and/or graveyard for a non-Human creature card with a mana value of X or less and put it onto the battlefield. If you can remove six defense counters from Invasion of Ikoria, you get to transform it into an 8/8 with reach, and each non-Human creature you control may assign combat damage as though it were not blocked.
Market Price: $23.85
Invasion of Ikoria is an alternative version of Finale of Devastation with a slight twist. Being unable to put a Human into play from your library or graveyard is a minor limitation of Invasion of Ikoria. Players are already trying Invasion of Ikoria in Pioneer’s Mono-Green Devotion and Modern’s Amulet Titan. Both Constructed decks have potent non-Human targets for Invasion of Ikoria to place on the battlefield. Also, Invasion of Ikoria is finding traction among Commander players in various deck themes.
#6 Urabrask
March Of The Machine
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March of the Machine gives players a version of Urabrask that synergies with instants and sorceries. Urabrask is a four-mana 4/4 with first strike and two abilities. Urabrask’s first ability deals one damage to an opponent and adds one red mana to your mana pool whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell. The second ability transforms Urabrask into a Saga at sorcery speed for one red mana if you have cast three or more instant and/or sorcery spells this turn. Transforming Urabrask will deal three damage to an opponent and each creature they control, plus additional benefits for reaching chapters two and three.
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Market Price: $12.80
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Spellslinger-themed Commander decks will want to consider Urabrask for their ninety-nine. Refunding one Red mana when casting instants or sorceries works well alongside Birgi, God of Storytelling, Veyran, Voice of Duality, and Baral and Kari Zev. Also, Urabrask’s triggered ability becomes a potent damage dealer when paired with Solphim, Mayhem Dominus, Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph, or Tor Wauki the Younger.
#5 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite (Multiverse Legends)
March Of The Machine: Multiverse Legends
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Market Price: $10.14
Originally printed in New Phyrexia, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a Legendary creature your opponents want to avoid seeing on the battlefield. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a seven-mana, 4/7 Phyrexian Praetor with vigilance that grants creatures you control +2/+2 and creatures your opponents control -2/-2. In Commander, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is one of the most-played White cards often found in decks focused on creature tokens and Legendary creatures.
Market Price: $10.26
Market Price: $9.71
Market Price: $11.25
Multiverse Legends versions of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite are available for around $15, a significant discount from prior printings. Secret Lair and Mystery Booster versions of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite had an average market price of over $40 in March 2023. Players who waited patiently to pick up a copy of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite will save considerable money.
#4 Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice (Multiverse Legends)
March Of The Machine: Multiverse Legends
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Market Price: $10.29
Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice is the most popular Commander on EDHREC, with over 21,000 decklists. For one White, Blue, Black, and Green mana nets you a 4/4 Legendary Phyrexian Angel Horror with flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink, and the ability to proliferate at the beginning of your end step. Before March of the Machine’s spoiler season, Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice’s average market price peaked at over $70. Since Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice became featured as a Mythic Rare in March of the Machine’s Multiverse Legends, the average market price of Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice fell considerably. If you want to grab a copy of Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice at a bargain price, March of the Machine copies are available for around $17 each.
#3 Sheoldred
March Of The Machine
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Market Price: $16.59
Sheoldred is a double-sided Phyrexian Praetor from March of the Machine. For five mana, you get a 4/5 with menace that forces each opponent to sacrifice a nontoken creature or planeswalker when entering the battlefield. If an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard, you may pay five mana and exile Sheoldred at sorcery speed to transform into a Saga. Sheoldred’s backside is a problem for opponents that will ultimately put all creature cards in all graveyards onto the battlefield under your control.
Unfortunately, March of the Machine’s Sheoldred does not achieve the power level of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse from Dominaria United. Transforming Sheoldred is hard to set up, and you don’t get to choose which nontoken creature or Planeswalker your opponent must sacrifice. However, transforming Sheoldred into a Saga will devastate each of your opponents, particularly in a Commander game.
#2 Elesh Norn
March Of The Machine
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Elesh Norn is the second most valuable regular version card in March of the Machine. Although Phyrexia: All Will be One’s Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines commands a higher price point, Elesh Norn is still foreboding. Elesh Norn is a 3/5 with vigilance and possesses an ability that says whenever a source an opponent controls deals damage to you or a permanent you control, that source’s controller loses two life unless they pay one mana. Also, Elesh Norn possesses an activated ability requiring three mana and sacrificing three creatures. Although the ability’s cost is high, you can transform Elesh Norn into a potent Saga that will likely destroy your opponent. Standard and Pioneer players are experimenting with Elesh Norn in Standard and Pioneer. Sacrificing low-mana creatures and creature tokens to transform Elesh Norn may be worthwhile. Elesh Norn shines best in Commander as one of the most-played cards from March of the Machine.
#1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer (Multiverse Legends)
March Of The Machine: Multiverse Legends
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Market Price: $40.11
Everyone’s favorite MTG Monkey Pirate, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer receives a much-needed reprint in March of the Machine. For one Red mana, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer enters the battlefield as a 2/1 with an ability that says whenever it deals damage to an opponent, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of their library. You may cast the card exiled by Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer until the end of your turn. Additionally, you may dash Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer into play for two mana.
Modern
Izzet Tempo
Market Price:$606.48
Maindeck, 60 cards
Sortsort deckCreature (14)
- 3Dragon’s Rage Channeler
- 4Ledger Shredder
- 3Murktide Regent
- 4Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Sorcery (4)
- 4Expressive Iteration
Instant (17)
- 4Consider
- 4Counterspell
- 3Lightning Bolt
- 2Spell Pierce
- 4Unholy Heat
Artifact (4)
- 4Mishra’s Bauble
Enchantment (2)
- 2Blood Moon
Land (19)
- 1Fiery Islet
- 4Misty Rainforest
- 1Otawara, Soaring City
- 3Scalding Tarn
- 3Snow-Covered Island
- 4Spirebluff Canal
- 3Steam Vents
Sideboard (15)
- 1Abrade
- 1Archmage’s Charm
- 2Dress Down
- 2Flusterstorm
- 2Mystical Dispute
- 3Ratchet Bomb
- 2Stormbreath Dragon
- 1Subtlety
- 1Unlicensed Hearse
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer sees extensive play in Modern’s Izzet Tempo, Rakdos Scam, and Jeskai Breach. Before March of the Machine, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer carried an average market price of around $70. Players can rejoice that regular versions of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer from March of the Machine are available for $50. It is hard to predict how low Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer’s price point may fall, but saving over 25% on a high-demand card is admirable.