Sun-Dappled Celebrant | Illustrated by Steve Ellis

Howdy, folks, and welcome to Top Trades, the weekly series where we check in with Cardsphere's most popular cards. So, what are folks picking up this week? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Chomping Changeling

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 11

Kicking off our list is a little guy that just keeps on putting in work; it's Chomping Changeling.

For , Chomping Changeling is basically power-and-toughness-swapped Reclamation Sage that fits into any typal deck you could dream up. A 1/2 that destroys up to one target artifact or enchantment when it enters, Chomping Changeling is all creature types at all times thanks to its changeling ability, meaning every green Commander deck that cares about a particular creature type has a new toy to consider. Slivers? Check. Dragons? Check. Octopuses? Yes, Chomping Changeling works there, too.

#5 - Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm

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

Starting off our top five cards this week is another creature-type-matters card, although one with all the less flexibility in exchange for all the more raw power: Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm.

For , Ashcoat is a 3/4 legendary Rat Warlock creature with "When Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm attacks or blocks, other Rats you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of Rats you control." Additionally, Ashcoat also has "At the beginning of your end step, you may mill four cards. If you do, return up to two Rat creature cards from your graveyard to your hand."

Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm is a threat that cannot be left unchecked. In dedicated Rat decks (the only place this card is ever going to really be played), Ashcoat is both an engine and a closer. That combat trigger is devastating with large boards, giving your Rats unbounded benefits to their power and toughness, while the end step trigger is effectively card advantage that churns through your deck to provide you with all the Rats you need in order to maximize the combat trigger.

#4 - Sun-Dappled Celebrant

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Next up, we have a popular top-end pick in Limited environments, making headwinds across Cube while also making slow but steady progress in Pauper: Sun-Dappled Celebrant.

For , Sun-Dappled Celebrant is a 5/6 Treefolk with convoke and vigilance. That's it; simple and to the point, this common has just enough keywords on it to be a standout curve-topper in white decks which traditionally go wide, turning extra bodies into mana thanks to convoke. Pick up a copy for your Cube, Bracket One Commander, or Pauper.

#3 - Troll of Khazad-dûm

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 14

Next up is another common, although this one punches far above its rarity would suggest. It's Troll of Khazad-dûm.

For , Troll of Khazad-dûm is a 6/5 Troll that can't be blocked except by three or more creatures. On top of that, it has swampcycling , meaning you can pay and discard it to search your library for a Swamp to put into your hand.

Troll of Khazad-dûm is a surprisingly broken card, so much so that it was banned it Legacy. Why? Because it's essentially an enters-tapped fetch land that can be Reanimated later as a game-ending threat. A 6/5 that can't be blocked except for by three or more creatures is effectively unblockable in a lot of matchups, and that's a terrifying clock if brought into play for just .

#2 - Hare Apparent

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 21

Here at the number-two pick is yet another popular common, albeit one that has a much more Commander-centric fanbase. Let's look at Hare Apparent.

For , Hare Apparent is a 2/2 Rabbit Noble that allows you to run as many copies of it in your deck as you like. Why would you want to do that? Well, it has the wonderfully explosive enters trigger: "When this creature enters, create a number of 1/1 white Rabbit creature tokens equal to the number of other creatures you control named Hare Apparent."

Hare Apparent is an army in a can: play one, and you just get the 2/2. Play your second, and you get a 1/1 as a bonus. Play your third, and now you're getting three creatures: 2/2, and two 1/1s. The math is simple, but that doesn't mean the board state is any less potent.

#1 - Cast into the Fire

Number of Trades: 9 --- Number of Cards Traded: 31

Last but not least, our fourth common of the day: Cast into the Fire.

For , Cast into the Fire is a modal instant that presents two options to choose from: either deal one damage to each of up to two target creatures, or exile target artifact. So, why the demand? Pauper.

In Pauper, Cast into the Fire is a potent board sweeper, clearing away many of the format's pesky-but-powerful X/1 creatures. On the flip side, Affinity remains a powerful deck, one driven by a swath of indestructible artifact lands and wouldn't you know it, but Cast into the Fire's exile clause doesn't care about that otherwise absurd defensive mechanic. A sinkhole that can also hit creatures? Yes, please!

Wrap Up

Aside from Ashcoat and our honorable mention, this week's list really was dominated by the commons that make up the bulk of Magic's card pool. From Commander to Pauper to Cube, this week was a love letter to the common rarity. Tune in next week for more Top Trades, and thanks for reading!