Top Trades: January 13-January 19

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Top Trades, the weekly series where we check in with Cardsphere’s most popular picks from the past week. So, with another week just about over, what cards have been moving around the most? Let’s take a look!

Honorable Mention – Nowhere to Run

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Traded: 8

Kicking things off as our honorable mention this week is Nowhere to Run, a potent removal spell that also double dips on the value for all those enchantment-matters decks running around at the moment. So, how does it work?

For , Nowhere to Run is an enchantment with flash, meaning you can cast it whenever you like – something that makes it feel a whole lot like casting your typical removal spell. However, since it’s a non-aura enchantment, there’s no need to declare a target when you cast it, meaning it’s up to your opponents to try and guess what the most likely target is for this card’s triggered ability – granting -3/-3 until end of turn to target creature – until the actual card resolves, that is.

Once resolved, Nowhere to Run also comes with an important static effect that significantly ups the value by maximizing the range of potential removal targets. Not only does Nowhere to Run effectively remove hexproof from opposing threats, but it prevents ward abilities of creatures your opponents control from triggering, too.

#5 – Ripples of Undeath

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

Speaking of powerful enchantments with a mana cost of , our first proper pick for the week is a personal favorite of mine and a bit of a sleeper hit from Modern Horizons 3 – Ripples of Undeath.

For two mana, you get a black, Modern-legal knockoff of Sylvan Library with one potent triggered ability: “At the beginning of your precombat mainphase, mill three cards. Then you may pay and 3 life. Put a card from among those cards into your hand.”

At its very worst, Ripples of Undeath is a way to consistently mill three of your own cards a turn with no resource investment required – beyond the initial cast, that is. That’s not an insignificant boost; play enough Commander and you’ll certainly run into someone using their graveyard. At its best, however, Ripples of Undeath is a machine the puts cards in your graveyard and cards in your hand each turn, granting selection and resource advantage across multiple zones. Dredge, delve, escape, delirium, whatever you can think of – Ripples of Undeath has got you covered.

#4 – Leyline Axe

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

Next up on our list is an enjoyably funky but nonetheless simple next-installment in the Leyline cannon, Magic’s ever-expanding roster of cards which can start the game in play at no cost to you, provided that they’re in your opening hand.

Until now, Magic’s Leylines have been enchantments – Leyline of Abundance, or Leyline of Anticipation, etc. – but Leyline Axe is something altogether unique (so far): a turn-zero equipment. So, what does it get you?

Well, assuming Leyline Axe isn’t in your opening hand, you’ll almost certainly be casting it for its mana cost of . Once you do, you’ll have an Equipment with an equip cost of which grants equipped creature +1/+1, double strike, and trample. That’s a pretty nasty stat buff, especially if you’re lucky enough to see this thing put into play for free.

#3 – Ephemerate

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 8

Alrighty, we’re just about halfway through our list for the week, so let’s talk about a card that packs double the value – Ephemerate, many a Magic-player’s favorite rebound card.

For , Ephemerate is an instant that allows you to exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control. Not a bad effect, especially given its instant-speed nature, but the real powerhouse here is that Ephemerate always strikes twice, thanks to rebound.

For those unfamiliar, rebound is a combined replacement effect and triggered ability found across some of Magic’s most infamous instants and sorceries. It reads, “If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.”

So, say it with me now, what’s better than blinking a creature once? Blinking it twice.

#2 – High-Society Hunter

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Now it's time for our penultimate pick, a new casual favorite courtesy of Foundations. Let's meet High-Society Hunter.

For , this 5/3 flying Vampire creature has just about everything a big, threatening creature in black could ask for. Relevant creature type? Check. A sacrifice outlet? Check. (Whenever High-Society Hunter attacks, you may sacrifice another creature. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on it.) A triggered ability which goes off whenever any (nontoken) creature dies? (You'll draw a card whenever a nontoken creature dies.) Check again!

It may not be overly complex, but there's so much to love here in this straightforward epitome of what a Vampire can do, and boy oh boy does High-Society Hunter do it well.

#1 – Sheltered by Ghosts

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 8

Well folks, here we are, our final card of the week. Nowhere to Run was black's two-mana piece of Duskmourn removal stapled to an enchantment, and now it's time for white's turn. Let's check in with Sheltered by Ghosts.

For , Sheltered by Ghosts is an Aura that gives the enchanted creature +1/+0, lifelink, and ward . But wait, there's more!

That's right, folks - beyond just being a pretty shield that can help you gain back some life, Sheltered by Ghosts is also an...Oblivion Ring? Well, just about. That's because, when Sheltered by Ghosts enters, you can exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until Sheltered by Ghosts leaves the battlefield. Buff a creature on your side and take out one of your opponent's? That's not bad, especially for two mana.

Sheltered by Ghosts trades flexibility for raw power. Unlike previous Oblivion Ring-esque effects, Sheltered by Ghosts is an Aura requiring you to control a creature already. So, while it can help you leapfrog ahead or catch up from behind, this card won't be your saving grace when you're facing a threat with an empty field. That being said, granting ward to the creature it enchants provides you with a bit of insurance, making it all the more likely that whatever Sheltered by Ghosts gets rid of stays gone.

Wrap Up

Well folks, this week sure has been a lot of enchantments, and two-drops at that. From Duskmourn to Modern Horizons 3, this often under-appreciated card type got some time to shine. Check back in next week to see if the trend continues, and thanks for reading!