Top Trades: February 17 - February 24

Deceit | Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to Top Trades, the weekly series where we check in with the most popular cards here at Cardsphere. So, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the horizon as Magic's next release, how are things looking? Let's dive in.

Honorable Mention - Hexing Squelcher

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

You know it, you love it (or you hate it), it's the most busted card to come out of Lorwyn Eclipsed: Hexing Squelcher.

For , Hexing Squelcher is a 2/2 Goblin Sorcerer that can't be countered and has ward - pay 2 life. It grants all you creatures "ward - pay 2 life," and it makes the rest of your spells uncounterable, too. All in all, it's a huge annoyance to any player trying to interact with you, to say the least.

Hexing Squelcher has put up impressive showings in just about every format in which it's legal. From Standard and Commander to Legacy and event Vintage, this little Goblin is showing just how valuable the words "can't be countered" can be.

#5 - Blossombind

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Traded: 10

Coming in as our first main-list pick for the week is Blossombind, a fairly standard common with a neat trick up its sleeve.

For , this Aura enchantment has enchant creature and, when it enters, causes enchanted creature to become tapped. Additionally, so long as Blossombind is attached to a creature, that creature can't untap and it can't have counters put on it.

Blue is no stranger to cheap enchantments that neuter creatures; Frogify, for example, comes in at the same cost and basically removes enchanted creature from battlefield calculus (making it a 1/1 with no abilities). What's unique about Blossombind, however, is that text about counters. Very few cards prevent creatures from gaining counters, and that can really be a night-and-day difference in a card's usefulness, especially when compared against the backdrop of -1/-1 counter synergies currently prevailing in Lorwyn Eclipsed.

#4 - Deceit

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

Next up on our list is the first of two Elemental Incarnations from Lorwyn Eclipsed, one that has put in some pretty impressive work in the Standard meta as of late. It's Deceit.

For - or an evoke cost of - Deceit is a 5/5 Elemental Incarnation with "When this creature enters, if was spent to cast it, return up to one other target nonland permanent to its owner's hand," and "When this creature enters, if was spent to cast it, target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card."

The flexibility this card - and all the Elemental Incarnations in this cycle - offers is staggering. Cast it for either or in the early game to get either of its enters-triggers at a reasonable rate, or cast the whole creature later on for to maximize value. Either way, Deceit gets a whole lot done whenever you cast it.

#3 - Chomping Changeling

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

Here at the halfway point is a flexible include for any typal deck that wants to deal with artifacts or enchantments in a cost-effective way: it's Chomping Changeling.

For , Chomping Changeling is a 1/2 Changeling creature with changeling that, when it enters, destroys up to one target artifact or enchantment.

We've seen this kind of card plenty of times before, and every time we do it's met with open arms. Reclamation Sage, for example, is basically the same thing, except it's a 2/1 instead of a 1/2 and it is limited to just being an Elf Shaman. So, for any deck that cares about creature types, you just got an on-brand version of that effect! And, for all the Elf players out there, here's your second Reclamation Sage.

#2 - Ephemerate

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 13

Our penultimate pick may not work explosively well with the Elemental Incarnations from Lorwyn Eclipsed, but it can be an absolute blowout with any of the Elemental Incarnations from their previous cycle; that is, those printed in Modern Horizons 2.

For , Ephemerate is an instant with rebound that exiles target creature you control, then returns that creature to the battlefield under its owner's control. Paired with any of the evoke Elementals, Ephemerate is a great way to completely circumvent the sacrifice trigger that evoke puts onto the stack when the Elemental enters. When paired with any of the truly busted free-cost Evoke Elementals, i.e. Solitude, then things truly get out of hand as suddenly the investment of just and your exiled card nets you a creature that'll stick around plus double the enters-triggers. Make an opponent discard two cards with Grief, or deal a whopping eight damage with Fury...you get the idea.

#1 - Vibrance

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

Last but not least, we've made it to the second Elemental Incarnation of the week. It's our most traded card, Vibrance.

For - or an evoke cost of - Vibrance is a 4/4 Elemental Incarnation with "When this creature enters, if was spent to cast it, it deals 3 damage to any target," and "When this creature enters, if was spent to cast it, you may search your library for a land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand, then shuffle. You gain 2 life."

Tutors are always good. Removal is always good. For two mana, you have your choice of either, and for five mana, you get both, plus a 4/4 to help close out the game. It's as simple as that. Problematic creature? Shoot it for three. Need to fix your mana? Go find that missing land. Want to push yourself as far ahead as five mana can carry you? Vibrance has that option, too.

Wrap Up

Well, folks, it's our last week before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hits the street, so let's all take a moment to appreciate how good of a set Lorwyn Eclipsed has been. We got a powerful return to a fan favorite plane, complete with new iterations of popular cycles, the return of exciting mechanics, and a constructed staple as the cherry on top. Check back next week to see how things are shaking up, and thanks for reading!