Sphere of Influence: January 16, 2026

Pinnacle Emissary | Illustrated by Alejandro Pacheco

Welcome to Sphere of Influence, a pre-FNM look at some potential movers and shakers that are worth picking up before their prices increase.

My local game store (shout out Chicagoland Dice Dojo) mentioned the other day that packs for Edge of Eternities are now more expensive than those from Avatar: The Last Airbender, which surprised me. I'd assumed Universes Beyond sets would always edge out normal Magic sets in pricing, but apparently it's been difficult for LGSs to acquire enough Edge to keep up with demand, which is a huge bummer.

Edge is one of the most refreshing sets in recent memory, chock-full of Commander goodies delivered at warp speed. Still, just because packs are less affordable doesn't mean all singles are suffering from inflation. There are still plenty of fantastic cards from Edge you can pick up, then pretend you scored a sweet pack pull.

The Endstone - $2.50

"Draw a card" are words every Magic player is psyched to read, particularly on a colorless artifact that can run in any Commander deck. It's even better when those words are attached to "Whenever you play a land or cast a spell", like they are on The Endstone, because those events occur in Commander quite frequently. Even for a seven-mana card, The Endstone spells quick defeat for your opponents; even if it doesn't, we can rest assured our life total will reset every turn to 20, even if we're at 1. Frankly, it's surprising The Endstone hasn't reached double digits.

Pinnacle Emissary - $1.50

Modern players rejoiced when this card was printed: finally, all those decks full of Mox Opals and Mishra's Baubles would have an army of 1/1 tokens at their disposal. The hype has largely died down, but Pinnacle Emissary still rocks in Commander. Play it on curve or plop it down for its warp cost and go ham later in the game.

Kavaron, Memorial World - $0.75

The activated ability on this planetary land is the worst of the cycle, but don't discount it entirely. Yes, it requires the sacrifice of a land, but buried in its text box, the card says it provides haste to all of your creatures, not just the one it creates. This can be a devastating effect after a board wipe, when other players are still recovering. Don't sleep on this one.

Lightstall Inquisitor - $0.50

What else can we expect from a one-drop? This comes down as a Savannah Lions with vigilance and slows our opponents ever so slightly. Later in the game, this card does very little, though a one-drop might trigger abilities of cards we've already played, but it can be devastating early in the game, particularly turn one. It forces opponents to make tough decisions and play cards down in an order they may not have anticipated.

Consult the Star Charts - $4

If Stock Up can become an $8 card, surely Consult the Star Charts isn't far behind. The card has found homes across multiple formats: two mana is a great rate for the level of card selection it offers, and four mana for two cards is a steal even with a handful of lands on the battlefield. Grab these while they're priced affordably.

Price Drops

Are there cards from Edge you could see start lowering their prices? Or do you anticipate Lorwyn Eclipsed will set the affordability of Edge back in its proper place? Let's figure it out!