Top Trades: December 2-December 9

Welcome back to Top Trades, folks! It's Thursday, and that means its time to check in with Cardsphere to see what were the most popular picks from across the site this past week. So, what were people trading? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Floodfarm Verge

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 7

Kicking off Top Trades this week as our honorable mention is Floodfarm Verge, a key multicolor land in mana bases across Pioneer - from Azorius Control to Jeskai Creativity and beyond. So, what does it do, and what is it about this new cycle of rare lands that sets them apart?

This cycle of lands, of which Floodfarm Verge is a part, all have two key characteristics: first, they enter untapped and guarantee access to one color of mana; and second, once you control a land of either of two basic land types (those two depending on which member of the cycle you're looking at), you gain access to the ability to add an alternative color of mana. In Floodfarm Verge's case, this land can readily add regardless of your board state, and can add once you control an Island or a Plains. It may not be able to add two different colors of mana immediately all the time, but never underestimate the potential of an untapped land.

#5 - Demonic Counsel

Number of Trades: 4 --- Number of Cards Traded: 4

Coming it at number five on this week's list is another rare from Duskmourn, one of the more interesting takes on a black tutor effect we've seen in a while.

For , Demonic Counsel is a sorcery that allows you to search your library for a Demon card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you have delirium, meaning that there are four or more card types in your graveyard, then Demonic Counsel evolves into Demonic Tutor, albeit by a different name. Rather than searching for a Demon, now you can search for anything and you don't have to reveal it. Pretty potent stuff.

Duskmourn is full of ways to fill the graveyard, but that's only a limited perspective on Demonic Counsel's applications. Commander, Pioneer, etc - just about every format with a large card pool has some black deck that wants to fill the graveyard, and most of those formats don't have the original Demonic Tutor.

#4 - Sowing Mycospawn

Number of Trades: 4 --- Number of Cards Traded: 5

Speaking of formats with extensive cardpools, it's time for this week's Modern Horizons 3 contribution: Sowing Mycospawn.

For , Sowing Mycospawn is a 3/3 Eldrazi Fungus with devoid, a kicker cost of , and two on-cast triggered abilities. First, when you cast Sowing Mycospawn, you get to search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield, no restrictions - not tapped, not basic, just any land card, right into play. Gaea's Cradle, Wasteland, any missing piece of the Tron lands, the list of candidates go on and on.

Secondly, if you pay Sowing Mycospawn's kicker cost, then you also get to exile target land when you cast it. Is your opponent playing Tron? Well now you can take them off of their seven mana by knocking them off a key land. Alternatively, if an opponent is tight on color fixing, simply exile the most critical land. Regardless of what you hit, odds are it will be impactful - especially considering you've already ramped by at least one mana thanks to Sowing Mycospawn's first trigger.

#3 - Mockingbird

Number of Trades: 4 --- Number of Cards Traded: 7

Our third entry this week is one of the best clones Magic has printed in a long time, and that's none other than Mockingbird from Bloomburrow.

Clones typically come in two versions: those that cost four mana or more, and in return can clone anything and occasionally come with additional upside (such as Sakashima of a Thousand Faces); and those that cost three mana or less and come with some sort of limitation on what they can clone or another downside, like the vanishing on Flesh Duplicate or Phantasmal Image's sacrifice trigger. Mockingbird, however, lives in the middle; with a cost of , this creature enters as a copy of any other creature with equal or lesser mana value, plus it has flying and is still a Bird. Pay what you will, get what you can, plus flying as a little bonus!

#2 - Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Traded: 5

Our penultimate pick this week is an interesting commander contender and popular Standard aggro piece from Foundations, as well as a revisit to a fan-favourite character. Let's check back in with Tarkir's very own Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate.

For , Alesha is a 2/2 legendary Human Warrior with first strike and two triggered abilities. First, whenever Alesha attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Next, at the beginning of your end step, if you attacked this turn, return target creature card with mana value less than or equal to Alesha's power from your graveyard to the battlefield.

This one-two punch of an efficient attacker that grows each turn while simultaneously recurring threats combat-after-combat is a pretty impressive package, one which has readily made a name for itself in many Rakdos-based combat strategies in Standard. If you're ever facing one down, don't let it sit by for long; Alesha itself doesn't even need to attack in order to reanimate something, all that matters is that a creature does.

#1 - Leyline of Transformation

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Traded: 6

Finally, we've come to this week's most traded card from the week: Leyline of Transformation. This card packs three of Commander's favorite things all into one card: typal synergy, combo potential, and the ability to be in play without costing any mana. But first, the card itself.

For , Leyline of Transformation is an enchantment that has the hallmark of all Leylines: if it's in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it in play. When it enters play you'll chose a creature type, and it gives all creatures you control, creature spells you control, and creature cards you own that creature type in addition to their other types.

Immediately, Leyline of Transformation appears valuable to any blue creature-type-matters strategy as a way to bring other non-typal, but nonetheless perfectly useful, creatures further into a deck's game plan. One particular blue typal commander comes to light as particularly benefiting here: Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, and whatever red partner you pair him with.

Without getting too deep into it, Malcolm allows you to create Treasure tokens whenever one or more Pirates you control deal damage to an opponent. If, say, Reckless Fireweaver were to become a Pirate, then whenever you create a Treasure it would deal damage to each opponent, creating more Treasures, dealing more damage, and eventually winning the game. This combo already exists with targeted effects like Artificial Evolution, but not with potentially free ones like Leyline of Transformation.

Wrap Up

This week turned out to be a pretty varied one, with cards from all sorts of sets and formats. From combos in Commander to value swings in Legacy and racing the combat clock in Standard, it looks like folks were trading cards from across formats this week. Stay tuned for next week's installment of Top Trades, and thanks for reading!