Trading for cards in a commander deck puts you in a very advantageous trading position. As a noncompetitive format, it lets you trade without needing any one card. In addition, with little to no events that require you to have a streamlined deck, you are also in no hurry to pick up the cards you want. Cards that are popular in Commander are going up consistently over time.
Trade grinders look at most Commander players as easy pickings. Most casual players do not keep up to date with current price changes. Trade grinders grab cards from the Commander players and trade them to competitive players. The tactic here is to exploit the casual players during the time it takes for them to realize the price of a card has changed. Using this tactic requires a vast amount of time researching card prices and keeping up to date on the competitive trends. Trade grinders are like day traders. It is nearly a full time job to keep up with and predict market movements. You usually only make a small amount on each trade. Each trade is a risk. Trading with other grinders is a competitive activity.
As a Commander player, you can trade like a long term investor. The idea isn’t to make value at the time of the trade. The idea is to gain valuable assets for the long term. If the cards you get in a trade are effective commander cards, you will use them for a long time and they will go up in value over time. For example, a year ago, a Solemn Simulacrum was worth $1.50. Today that same card is worth about $4.00. This card is used almost exclusively in Commander. The only cards that are commonly used in Commander that have gone down or just maintained value are cards that were reprinted in Planechase or any of the Dual decks.
Once you realize that a card is exceptional in your deck, you can confidently trade for the card at its current value. Even if you lose a slight bit of value on your first trade, the long term gains will cover your losses. This goes double for foils. If you find a foil that is good in Commander that you can pick it up for 2x the non-foil cost, do it. Commander centered foils can reach over 10x the regular card cost.
For long term investments, I would suggest picking up the following cards;
Current Price: 3.99 (Sold Out)
This card doesn’t need to go into a Scarecrow deck to be good. It consistently reanimates artifact creature, without any other card engine required. It has a draw mechanic. It is cheap to cast. Most artifact decks could benefit from playing this card. The non-foil used to sell for .25. Its current value is only $1.50. The fact that the foil is already selling for 3x or more the non-foil should show that this card has started to get attention.
Current Price: .99 (Sold out)
The biggest combo that goes with this deck it Kikki-Jikki. But, it has proven to be more and more powerful as its usage has increased. The untap ability lets a general like Arcum combo off in a single turn, rather than multiple turns. When you combine this with a mana producing myr and the Thopter Foundry/Swords combo, you get infinite life and infinite creatures. The way this staff can be abused just goes on and on.
Current Price: 5.99
People have finally started catching on to this tech. A year ago, this was a dollar rare. As turn one mana accelerants go, this is one of the best. In decks that play it, they want to see it more than Sol Ring. As Commander gets more popular, expect this to rise. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this break $10 by the end of the year.
Current Price: 1.99
This is the best wrath in Commander. The foils are sold out at $7.99. This is one of the few ways to permanently rid you of a commander. It takes care of Eldrazi and Blightsteel annoyances. This hasn’t seen a price bump from the format yet, but don’t expect it to stay this low forever.
Current Price: 0.99 (Out of Stock)
Current Foil Price: 4.99 (Out of Stock)
I can’t believe that this card is still considered a dollar rare. I have seen stores selling this as low as $0.14. The cheapest mint foils are $2.99. This card gets rid of anything without shroud. This card shouldn’t be this cheap for how effective it is. I don’t see it becoming a $10+ card, but I would expect it to lift itself out of the dollar bin.
Current Price: 0.49
I thought this price was a joke when I first saw it. This guy searches equipment, puts it into play, and gives you additional combat phases. Make sure to read the card, it’s not just him and samurai that get the additional phase. If you have vigilant creatures, they get to swing again as well. Just grab Sword of Vengeance , whatever you equip gets 2 swings a turn.
I am positive there are many, many more cards to keep your eye on. This format has proven that it can drive prices. Just keep your trades fair, and your decks strong and you will end up gaining value in the end.
On another note, this blog will be tapering off for awhile. A twitter friend of mine is starting a website, and I have volunteered to write for the site. My articles will be about Commander tactics. More of my energy will be going into that site; this site will be used primarily to track projects I am working on. Follow me on twitter @swordstoplow or friend me on Facebook to get the link to the new site, as soon as it is fully up.
Thanks for reading!
