Top Trades: December 30-January 6

Welcome back to Top Trades, folks! This is the weekly column where we check in and see what cards have been moving around the most here at Cardsphere. It sure has been a bit since we last took a look, and I hope everyone has had a happy holiday season! So, what cards are starting off the New Year hot? Let's take a look.

Honorable Mention - Fear of Missing Out

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Trade: 7

Fear of Missing Out has had players excited about potential ways to break it since it first came out in Duskmourn.  for a 2/3 enchantment creature that rummages when it enters (causing you to discard a card and then draw another) is already a decent rate as far as stats are concerned, and that's before you even think about its Delirium-locked ability to untap a creature and gain an additional combat step each turn. All in all, this is certainly an efficient threat, but that's not why it's on our list this week.

Since our last installment of Top Trades, a fan-favorite card was unbanned in Modern (along with others): Splinter Twin. Guess what - Fear of Missing Out combos with it.

Assuming that you have Delirium, a Splinter Twin-enchanted Fear of Missing Out allows you to take (theoretically) infinite combat steps. Tap Fear of Missing Out to active Splinter Twin, move to combat and attack with the copy, then use the copy's post-combat Delirium trigger to untap the original enchanted Fear of Missing Out, allowing you to rinse and repeat. Splinter Twin, meet 2025.

#5 - Priest of Titania

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

Speaking of old favorites, our first card on the main list this week is none other than Priest of Titania - a mana dork that frequently makes the most mana of any Elf ever printed.

For , Priest of Titania is a 1/1 Elf Druid with the ability ": Add to your mana pool for each Elf on the battlefield." Sure, at base rate this costs nearly twice what Llanowar Elves will give you, but then you realize that whatever deck is playing one of these cards will probably play the other, and now you start to see how Priest of Titania can readily become a Gaea's Cradle on a stick.

#4 - Green Sun's Zenith

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Trade: 6

And the green powerhouses just keep coming, except now they're jumping off the Modern banlist and straight into some powerful competitive decks. Let's reacquaint ourselves with Green Sun's Zenith.

For , Green Sun's Zenith is a sorcery that allows you to search your library for a green creature with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle Green Sun's Zenith back into your library. So, what are we going to grab? Some of the most important creatures in Modern.

Primeval Titan, Delighted Halfling, Young Wolf, etc. - the list goes on and on, and it spans dozens of decks. From Amulet Titan to Yawgmoth Combo, Green Sun's Zenith is a card that easily slots into a myriad of strategies, so it's no surprise how popular it is.

#3 - Rings of Brighthearth

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Trade: 6

Next up on our list is a popular combo card that's formed a two-card powerhouse capable of being added to just about any Commander deck out there: Rings of Brighthearth.

For , Rings of Brighthearth is an artifact that allows you to pay whenever you activate a non-mana activated ability. If you do, then you copy that ability, and you may choose new targets.

Rings of Brighthearth is a perfectly decent card on its own, allowing decks with excess mana to capitalize on valuable activated abilities. But by and large most of this card's notoriety comes from its interaction with Basalt Monolith. Simply copy the Monolith's untap ability, respond to it by tapping Monolith for mana gain, and rinse and repeat. At each point in the loop you'll net , and from there the game is probably yours.

#2 - Tolarian Terror

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Trade: 9

Our penultimate pick for the week is a big creature that can usually be cast for much less than its power and toughness would lead you to believe, making it the perfect top-end threat for its now-namesake deck in Pioneer: Tolarian Terror.

With a base mana cost of , Tolarian Terror is a 5/5 Serpent with ward . However, this mana cost is usually significantly discounted, as Tolarian Terror has the ability "This spell costs less to cast for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard." The best part is, you don't have to exile those cards in order to receive the discount. Delve is certainly good (*cough* Gurmag Angler *cough*), but it sure would be better if it didn't partially reset with every spell you cast off of it.

#1 - Stormchaser's Talent

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Trade: 7

Last but not least, here we are folks - 2025's inaugural most traded card of the week: Stormchaser's Talent.

Starting off, a bit of a refresher on the Talent cycle - these enchantments all have the subtype of Class, and as such have multiple stages that can each be unlocked by a one-time, sorcery-speed payment of their next Level cost. Classes start at level 1 - so, what does that mean for Stormchaser's Talent? It means that, for a mana cost of , you get a 1/1 blue and red Otter creature token with prowess. Not bad at all.

With a cost of , Stormchaser's Talent can be brought to level 2, where it gains "When this Class becomes level 2, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand." Not efficient by any means, but the flexibility here is worthwhile, especially in long games.

Finally, with a cost of , we reach level 3, at which point Stormchaser's Talent gains another ability, "Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, create a 1/1 blue and red Otter creature token with prowess." For any of you out there who remember Monastery Mentor, I'm sure this last ability brings back a lot of excitement - and fear. The gradual amassing of a synergistic token army is nothing to second guess, especially when those tokens can all grow on a moment's notice.

Wrap Up

While it may not have impacted every card this week, the effects of Magic's most recent unbannings are certainly visible across our list. From combo pieces like Fear of Missing Out to versatile value cards like Green Sun's Zenith, this week was packed full of interesting cards that have the potential to take on new roles as the formats settle.

Check back in next week for another installment of Top Trades, and thanks for reading!