Top Trades: January 26-February 3

Welcome back, everyone! Another week, another Thursday, another Top Trades - the weekly column where we check in to see which cards traders have been the most excited to get their hands on. So, what cards are seeing the most action this week? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Tortured Existence

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

Continuing its run from last week, the story of Tortured Existence is one inextricably linked to a new commander, specifically Hashaton, Scarab's Fist. So let's break it down.

First, Hashaton. This Zombie Wizard is a 1/3 for , with the incredibly powerful triggered ability of "Whenever you discard a creature card, you may pay . If you do, create a tapped token that's a copy of that card, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie." So, how do we break this? Simple - something that lets you loop discarding creatures, enabling you to create token after token. Enter: Tortured Existence.

For , Tortured Existence is an enchantment with the activated ability of ", Discard a creature card: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand." With Hashaton in play, this effectively allows you to play any creature as a 4/4 for . Not bad, especially when you're getting that discount on things like Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur.

#5 – Conjurer's Closet

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

Kicking off our list proper for the week is Conjurer’s Closet, an artifact beloved by blink decks the Commander-world over.

For , Conjurer’s Closet is an artifact with an ability that triggers once each turn. At the beginning of your end step, you may exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control.

Conjurer’s Closet triggering in the end step may seem a bit weird at first – it feels like most of Magic’s best effects all happen in the upkeep these days – but it’s actually a pretty important bonus. The problem with blink (one of several names for abilities which exile a permanent only to bring it right back) effects is that they reset summoning sickness, so by triggering in the end step Conjurer’s Closet lets you have a full turn’s worth of impact from your permanents before resetting them. If it triggered in the upkeep, players would have to balance the desire to attack with a creature against the benefit from flickering it. No such problem here!

Plus, it also means you’ll get an extra turn’s worth of value out of Conjurer’s Closet, since it’ll trigger the same turn you play it. No need to wait around for another turn cycle.

#4 – Mausoleum Wanderer

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Traded: 7

Next up on our list is one of the premier Spirits of all time, Mausoleum Wanderer. But first, a bit of context.

Like Merfolk and Humans, Spirits is a deck that always has someone trying to make it work in Modern, but never quite cracking the higher tiers. Humans got pretty up there in years past, and Merfolk is making progress, but of the three, Spirits is the most fringe by a good margin. That being said, it does win games, and one of the cards that routinely helps it do that is Mausoleum Wanderer.

For , Mausoleum Wanderer is a 1/1 Spirit creature with flying, and gets a +1/+1 bonus until end of turn whenever another Spirit enters under your control. Last but certainly not least, you can sacrifice it to counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays , where X is Mausoleum Wanderer’s power.

All in all, Mausoleum Wanderer contains three key traits that made it relevant beyond it’s time in Standard: its minimal costs (both cast and activation), its evasion, and its ability to counter high-impact spells. It may be pretty intuitive, but it’s worth saying out loud: creatures that care about seeing other creatures of the same type get a lot better when each creature you are playing costs as little as possible, allowing you to rapidly cash in on the synergy by amassing a large contingent of relevant threats. Mausoleum Wanderer’s mana cost of fits that perfectly, carving out a permanent role for it in Spirits since its debut.

#3 – Westvale Abbey

Number of Trades: 5 --- Number of Cards Traded: 7

Coming in at number three on our list is a very rare sight in Magic: a land that transforms. So, what’s going on with Westvale Abbey, and what’s on the back?

First off, the front side. Westvale Abbey is a land with three important activated abilities that, get this, doesn’t enter tapped (that’s how you know it’s exciting). In terms of mana, you can tap it to add . Beyond that, though, we get into the two more interesting activations: “, . Pay 1 life: Create a 1/1 white and black Human cleric creature token.” and “, , Sacrifice five creatures: Transform this land, then untap it.”

On the back, we get Ormendahl, Profane Prince, a black 9/7 legendary Demon with flying, lifelink, indestructible, and haste – something which, need I remind you, comes in untapped.

Westvale Abbey brings a bit of everything with it: mana production, token generation, and an end-game win con which, even if you have no other creatures out, it can gradually reach all on its own. Token decks, control decks, anything and everything can check this card out. Play it and immediately sacrifice your whole board, or wait it out and make a token on end step after end step.

#2 – Cryptolith Rite

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

Our penultimate pick for the week is our fourth-and-final card hailing from the plane of Innistrad, and that’s Cryptolith Rite.

For , this enchantment does one thing and it does it really well: make mana. It’s all thanks to its one line of text, “Creatures you control have ‘: Add one mana of any color.’”

This isn’t exactly an exciting or unique ability – we’ve seen it as recently as Duskmourn thanks to Enduring Vitality, but it's really impactful when played in the right decks. These days, Cryptolith Rite’s biggest home is in go-wide strategies in Commander, where casting it usually pays off immediately thanks to tapping your newly-dorkified Squirrels or the like for a million mana to cast something much scarier. Tap thirteen Squirrels for an Eldrazi? Yes please.

#1 – Flare of Duplication

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

Here we are, folks, the end of the line. It’s time for our most traded card of the week – a potent pick from Modern Horizons 3. Let’s talk about Flare of Duplication.

For , Flare of Duplication is an instant with two important parts: an alternative cost, and the main effect. With regards to cost, Flare of Duplication hails from the Flare cycle in Modern Horizons 3, each of which allow you to sacrifice a nontoken creature of the Flare’s color to cast the spell for free.

Moving to the effect, here we’ve just got two lines of text, “Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.” Copy spells are up there with countermagic in terms of the list of things that most benefit from having a free cost, as the flexibility here is significantly reinforced thanks to your ability to tap out – either to cast your own massive instant or sorcery spell to copy, or to do other things while you sit back and wait for your opponents to cast something worth the duplication.

Additionally, I can’t mention Flare of Duplication without talking about the commander creature that breaks it the hardest: Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh. This little red creature – get this – costs , meaning you always have access to Flare of Duplication. In competitive Commander, that usually means duplicating tutors, or counterspells, or snagging a Borne Upon a Wind to win on top of somebody else’s instant-speed victory. All in all, two simple cards that, when put together, reinforce some of cEDH’s best decks.

Wrap Up

Despite no new synergies emerging (pun intended for those of you that remember Eldritch Moon), things this week really were all about Innistrad. We saw a land that transforms, a hallmark enchantment, the return of a popular creature type, and plenty of Commander favorites.

Check back in next week to see what’s new in Top Trades, and thanks for reading!