Top Trades: February 10-February 17

Howdy folks! I hope the past week has been a good one for you. Once again, it's Thursday, and that means it's time for another edition of Top Trades, the weekly column where we check in with the most popular cards here at Cardsphere.

So, what's on the move? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Monument to Endurance

Number of Trades: 9 --- Number of Cards Traded: 10

Continuing its run from last week is our honorable mention, Monument to Endurance. A valuable piece of discard synergy made all the more impactful by the return of cycling in Aetherdrift, Monument to Endurance can do a little bit of everything.

For , this artifact has a triggered ability which allows you to pick from one of three modes whenever you discard a card, provided that you don't pick a mode which has already been picked that turn. Those three modes are: draw a card, create a Treasure token, and each opponent loses three life.

All of Monument to Endurance is useful, regardless of where you are in the game. Running out of cards because you discarded too greedily? Well Monument of Endurance will help give you more fodder for later discard attempts. Finally cycle into that haymaker but don't have the mana to cast it? Just stock up on Treasure! Grinding out the game in a slow matchup? Erode life totals with the last mode. A little bit of anything and everything, whenever you need it.

#5 - Prophet of Kruphix

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 16

Kicking off our main list for the week is a card that's making moves because of some pretty big news in the Magic world, and that has to do with this week's Commander shake ups. But first, what is Prophet of Kruphix?

For , Prophet of Kruphix is a 2/3 Human Wizard with two abilities. Its first line of text is eerily reminiscent of Seedborn Muse, causing you to untap all creatures and lands you control on each other player's untap step (in addition to your own). The second line further capitalizes on this, as Prophet of Kruphix also allows you to cast creature spells as though they had flash.

Seems pretty good, right? I'd say so, considering that it was good enough to be banned in Commander. So, why are players grabbing copies again? Well, tucked away in Magic's newest Commander announcement - in which the Bracket system was detailed, along with Game Changers (more on that here) - was a little line hinting at the possibility of unbans as early as April 2025. While I certainly wouldn't imagine Prophet of Kruphix being the first thing to come off the banlist, Wizards has warmed up to flash enablers recently, such as High Fae Trickster, so it isn't impossible.

#4 - Grim Bauble

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 19

Next up on our list is Grim Bauble, a versatile little artifact from Aetherdrift that has been pulling a lot of weight - and drawing a lot of attention - in Standard right now.

For , Grim Bauble is an artifact that, when it enters, gives target creature an opponent controls -2/-2 until end of turn. Additionally, you can pay and sacrifice it to surveil 2.

Now, -2/-2 at sorcery speed isn't the best removal that black has to offer, but the upside of late-game card selection is a legitimate one, especially when that card selection can come at any time (this activated ability has no timing restrictions). Plus, Aetherdrift has a handful of cards with the notorious "affinity for artifacts" text on them (such as Gearseeker Serpent), so the artifact card type is pertinent, too.

#3 - Ketramose, the New Dawn

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

Speaking of popular (and powerful) cards from Aetherdrift, our third pick for the week is none other than Ketramose, the newest three-drop inspired by the plane of Amonkhet which is absolutely tearing up Modern.

For , Ketramose, the New Dawn is a 4/4 legendary God creature with menace, lifelink, and indestructible. Like most Gods, however, Ketramose comes with some conditions attached - it can't attack or block unless there are seven or more cards in exile.

On top of being a rather...interesting creature when it comes to combat math (a 4/4 with all those keywords is nothing to scoff at, provided there are actually enough cards in exile), Ketramose of course comes with more incentive to put cards into exile; "Whenever one or more cards are put into exile from graveyards and/or the battlefield during your turn, you draw a card and lose 1 life."

In Modern, this makes Ketramose an absolute powerhouse when it comes to card draw. Backed up by the likes of Solitude, Prismatic Ending, and Psychic Frog, it isn't hard to reliably draw an extra one, two, or even as many as three cards a turn, readily turning Ketramose into a combat-ready threat in the process.

#2 - Willowrush Verge

Number of Trades: 9 --- Number of Cards Traded: 11

Another slot in the Top Trades roster, another Aetherdrift card ready to rear its head. Next up, Willowrush Verge - a standard bearer for Aetherdrift's rare color fixing land cycle.

Initially debuting in Duskmourn, the Verge lands all enter the battlefield untapped and can add one color of mana immediately (in Willowrush Verge's case, that would be ), while their second mana ability is only available once you control a land that matches at least one of two basic land types. For Willowrush Verge, this second color is , and since Willowrush Verge can add both blue and green mana in theory, the matching land types necessary for its second mana ability are Forest and Island.

Overall, these lands do an excellent job at keeping the pace of the game smooth and steady. They aren't the strongest when it comes to color fixing in the early turns (playing back-to-back Verges won't unlock any mana abilities unfortunately), so running them does come with a real opportunity cost, but for many players the upside of entering untapped is just too good to pass up - especially in Standard.

#1 - Sylvan Primordial

Number of Trades: 11 --- Number of Cards Traded: 18

Here we are folks, our most traded card of the week, a card which brings us right back to where it all started this week - speculation based on the recent Commander announcement. Let's take a look back at the banned-in-Commander card Sylvan Primordial.

For , this 6/8 Avatar creature with reach enters the battlefield and immediately brings with it a whopper of a triggered ability. When it enters, for each opponent, destroy target noncreature permanent that player controls. For each permanent destroyed this way, search your library for a Forest card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.

Sylvan Primordial was banned for being too much of a, well, game changer, to borrow some of Magic's new language. Once a Sylvan Primordial resolved, the game turned into a race to see who could clone it the most. That being said, seven mana is a lot these days, especially for a card that doesn't immediately do something game-ending, so (unlike Prophet of Kruphix), this card makes a bit more sense to me as a speculation target. Pick one up now if you'd like; it certainly isn't an expensive card to guess on.

Wrap Up

That does it! This week continued Aetherdrift's absolute tear through the leaderboards, only eclipsed briefly by some wild speculation on cards coming off the Commander banlist in April. Check back in next week for another edition of Top Trades, and thanks for reading!