Top Trades: January 20 - January 27

Mutable Explorer | Illustrated by Wayne Reynolds

Howdy folks, and welcome to Top Trades, the weekly series that looks at the most popular cards here at Cardsphere. So, what have players been grabbing this week? Let's find out.

Honorable Mention - Formidable Speaker

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

Coming back this week as our honorable mention is Formidable Speaker, a card that combines a powerful enters trigger with a potentially potent activated ability.

For , Formidable Speaker is a 2/4 Elf Druid that has ", : Untap target permanent." Additionally, when it enters, you can discard a creature card. If you do, you get to search your library for a creature card, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

While it may cost discarding a creature card, make no mistake, tutors are always powerful, and Formidable Speaker is no different. Plus, for all you reanimator players out there (or Hazel's Brewmaster combo players), there're plenty of instances why discarding a creature card is actually more of a benefit than a cost.

Secondly, don't ignore that activated ability. If you've ever played with a Gaea's Cradle before, you know just how powerful a single untap activation can be.

#5 - Adept Watershaper

Number of Trades: 10 --- Number of Cards Traded: 14

Starting off our main list for the week is Adept Watershaper, a white Merfolk Cleric from Lorwyn Eclipsed that synergizes with the set's return of convoke.

For , Adept Watershaper is a 3/4 with "Other tapped creatures you control have indestructible." While this immediately benefits any deck with creatures that want to attack (effectively granting non-vigilant attackers you control indestructible), Adept Watershaper performs a broader role when evaluated against the backdrop of Lorwyn Eclipsed. That is, you can now turn instant-speed spells with convoke into protection.

Facing down a board wipe? Now Harmonized Crescendo can save up to six creatures! Fearing spot removal? Tap your targeted creature to help cast Appeal to Eirdu.

#4 - Mirrormind Crown

Number of Trades: 11 --- Number of Cards Traded: 12

Next up on our list is Mirrormind Crown, an Equipment that enables some janky, but incredibly powerful, creature-copying shenanigans.

For , this Equipment has equip and "As long as this Equipment is attached to a creature, the first time you would create one or more tokens each turn, you may instead create that many tokens that are copies of equipped creature."

Mirrormind Crown may take a bit of support to get going, but once the engine is put together it can rapidly become insurmountable. I mean, using Krenko, Mob Boss to create a dozen Goblin Kings is one way to close out a game.

#3 - Mutable Explorer

Number of Trades: 12 --- Number of Cards Traded: 16

Coming in at third place is a creature that invites us to return to Morningtide via the ever-loved Mutavault: Mutable Explorer.

For , Mutable Explorer is a 2/2 Shapeshifter with changeling and "When this creature enters, create a tapped Mutavault token." (Mutavault is a nonbasic land with ": Add ," and ": This token becomes a 2/2 creature with all creature types until end of turn. It's still a land.")

Mutable Explorer is a card the rounds out just about every typal deck out there: it ramps, it represents up to two more creatures with whatever creature type your deck cares about, and it comes down early. Put it all together and, while it might not be broken or a game closer, it is exactly the kind of midgame play that typal decks are going to love.

#2 - Blood Crypt

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

Our penultimate pick of the week is a classic, powerful land newly made Standard-legal thanks to its Lorwyn Eclipsed reprint: Blood Crypt.

Like all other shock lands, Blood Crypt is a nonbasic land with two basic land types (in this case, Swamp and Mountain) that asks if you'll pay two life as it enters. If you do, you get it untapped. If you don't, it'll enter tapped. Simple, flexible, and totally within your control; all the hallmarks of a powerful enters-tapped restriction.

In practice, the shock lands are at their most valuable in formats with fetch lands in them as well, because shock lands can really abuse their basic land types by being searched up at a moment's notice. Without fetch lands, they're still incredibly powerful, but less immediately abusable.

#1 - Hexing Squelcher

Number of Trades: 17 --- Number of Cards Traded: 17

Last but not least, our most traded card for the week and (arguably) Lorwyn Eclipsed's most broken card: Hexing Squelcher.

For , Hexing Squelcher is a 2/2 Goblin Sorcerer that can't be countered and has ward: pay 2 life. Additionally, it grants both of those abilities to the rest of your creatures/spells, meaning your spells can't be countered and your creatures gain ward: pay 2 life.

In fairer formats (Standard, Pioneer, etc.), Hexing Squelcher is a powerful pick to grind out resilience against control and midrange decks, punishing your opponents for removing your creatures and flat out blocking them from fighting you on the stack. In faster, broken formats (like cEDH), Hexing Squelcher is effectively a Voice of Victory; once it resolves, you're free to push through with a nearly unpreventable win attempt.

Wrap Up

This week cemented Lorwyn Eclipsed as the hottest set at Cardsphere right now. No Avatar, no Final Fantasy, just Lorwyn Eclipsed all the way down. Check back in next week to see what's moving, and thanks for reading!