Top Trades: Februrary 3 - February 10

Full Bore | Illustrated by Olivier Bernard

Howdy, folks, and happy Thursday. The week has just about wrapped up, and that means it's time Top Trades, the weekly series where we check in with the most popular cards from the week prior. So, what are folks picking up? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Sunderflock

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

Returning as our honorable mention is Sunderflock, a massive payoff for Elemental typal decks that, when timed correctly, can cheaply and quickly close out a game.

For , Sunderflock is a 5/5 Elemental creature with flying that costs less to cast, where X is the greatest mana value among Elementals you control. All this to say, Sunderflock usually costs a whole lot less than nine mana. Additionally, when Sunderflock enters, if you cast it, return each non-Elemental creature to its owner's hand.

In dedicated Elemental decks, Sunderflock can pretty easily cost around four mana, if not less. For that little, you get a an almost one-sided board wipe and a 5/5 flier. Not bad at all.

#5 - Full Bore

Number of Trades: 4 --- Number of Cards Traded: 15

Starting off our main list for the week is a card that invites us to return to the depths of Edge of Eternities: Full Bore.

For , Full Fore is an instant that grants target creature you control +3/+2 until end of turn. If that creature was cast for its warp cost, it also gains trample and haste until end of turn.

In most use cases, Full Bore is a slightly worse color-shifted version of Giant Growth. Certainly not a weak effect, especially considering green is the color known for the best one-shot pump spells. However, when slotted alongside enough warpable creatures, such as multi-format all-star Quantum Riddler, that marginal upside of haste and trample can really start to matter.

#4 - Accumulated Knowledge

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 15

Coming up in fourth place is a classic Magic card that's shown up everywhere form Pauper to DanDan: Accumulated Knowledge.

For , Accumulated Knowledge is an instant that rewards players for running as many copies of it as possible, as its one line of text reads "Draw a card, then draw cards equal to the number of cards named Accumulated Knowledge in all graveyards."

While not a competitive all-star in the same vein as Brainstorm or Ponder, Accumulated Knowledge is still a popular pick for some of Magic's more-restrictive eternal formats. The first one is always only okay, but by the time you're paying two mana to draw at least two cards, there's rarely a better feeling in the whole of blue magic.

#3 - Firdoch Core

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 20

Starting off our main-list parade of Lorwyn Eclipsed cards is Firdoch Core, a mana rock that also helps you fill out your creature types for all the typal decks out there.

For , Firdoch Core is a Shapeshifter kindred artifact with changeling, meaning that it has all creature types at all times (despite not being a creature itself). It has ": Add one mana of any color," and ": This artifact becomes a 4/4 artifact creature until end of turn."

Mana rocks that become creatures have always been decently playable, especially in lower brackets. The changeling ability, meanwhile, means that this rock can slot into just about any creature-type matters deck, like Dragons, Elves, etc. Couple that with the mana being of any color, and you've got the recipe for an all-around popular rock.

#2 - Oko, Lorwyn Liege

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

Here as our penultimate pick of the week is one of Magic's very few transforming planeswalkers: Oko, Lorwyn Liege.

For , Oko is a three-loyalty planeswalker with the triggered ability "At the beginning of your first main phase, you may pay . If you do, transform Oko." As for loyalty abilities, the front face has two: a +2 that gives target creature all creature types, and a +1 that gives target creature -2/-0 until your next turn.

On the reverse side, Oko, Lorwyn Liege becomes Oko, Shadowmoor Scion, and the card's color changes from blue to green. Here, Oko's triggered ability reads "at the beginning of your first main phase, you may pay . If you do, transform Oko." This side of Oko has three loyalty abilities. The -1 causes you to mill three cards, then you may return a permanent card from among them to your hand. The -3 creates two 3/3 green Elk creature tokens. Lastly, the -6 asks that you choose a creature type, then you get an emblem which grants creatures of the chosen type +3/+3, vigilance, and hexproof.

All in all, Oko's front face doesn't exactly do a whole lot, but the back side is a potent mix of abilities that are each pretty relevant and reasonably costed. The -1 is card advantage, the -3 creates a serious army of tokens and, especially if used in typal decks, that -6 can be a game-winning anthem effect.

#1 - Temple Garden

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

Last but not least, our most traded card for the week, Temple Garden.

Like all other shock lands, Temple Garden is a staple across the mana bases of just about every format it's legal in (save for Vintage and Legacy, where Magic's original dual lands outclass it). What makes it so good? It's a nonbasic land with two basic land types that puts the enters-tapped restriction entirely in its controller's hand. As Temple Garden enters, you can pay two life. If you do, you get it untapped. If you don't, it'll enter tapped. Simple, flexible, and available across the game.

Wrap Up

This week was a fairly diverse one, considering the continuing popularity of Lorwyn Eclipsed. We designs, Standard legal reprints, and classic Magic staples all made their way onto the list this week. Check back in next week for another Top Trades, and thanks for reading!