Top Trades: November 11-November 18

Happy Thursday everyone, and welcome to Top Trades, the weekly series where we check in with the most popular cards from the past week here at Cardsphere. So, what cards are being traded the most? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Hare Apparent

Number of Trades: 33 --- Number of Cards Traded: 69

This week's honorable mention is also the card with the greatest number of cards traded in a single week ever in a Top Trades article, and that card is none other that Foundations' very own Hare Apparent.

Hare Apparent is the newest addition to a very select group of cards that break deckbuilding limitations by allowing you to include any number of them in your list. Others on this list include Dragon's Approach, Rat Colony, and Shadowborn Apostle, each of which have gone on to spawn a plethora of dedicated, self-synergistic Commander decks running dozens of the same card. Now, it looks like Hare Apparent is quickly following suit.

So, what do you get for playing a deck full of Rabbits? Well, other than a 2/2 for , Hare Apparent also brings with it a number of 1/1 white Rabbit creature tokens equal to the number of other Hare Apparents you control. Now that's a recipe for a lot of Rabbits.

#5 - High Fae Trickster

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

If our honorable mention this week kicked things off with a foray into the casual Commander world, then its up to our first main-list pick to take the lead as we explore Commander's competitive side. Let's talk about High Fae Trickster.

For , High Fae Trickster is a 4/2 Faerie Wizard with flash, flying, and the incredibly powerful static ability "You may cast spells as though they had flash."

In competitive Commander (cEDH), games are frequently decided by players finding ever-unstable windows of opportunity. Moments where things line up just right so that the odds are greater than the natural 25% that they will be the player to win that game. Did the opponent before you in turn order go for a win attempt and get foiled, baiting out all the interaction in one fell swoop? Well now it's your window to jam a win. Windows are how you settle games of Magic with four people constantly battling against each other.

So, why is High Fae Trickster relevant? Because flash opens up windows with significant ease. Yes, four mana is a prohibitively high investment for many decks, but for some - like top-format contender Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy - this effect is more than worth the cost.

#4 - Blasphemous Edict

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

Next up on our list is a black board wipe that gives Damnation a real run for its money in terms of its ability to indiscriminately clear a board, and that's Blasphemous Edict.

For , Blasphemous Edict is a sorcery that makes each player sacrifice thirteen creatures of their choice. But wait, there's more! As long as there are thirteen or more creatures on the battlefield, you may cast Blasphemous Edict for just instead. Now that's value.

Unless things are going particularly sideways (maybe you're facing down your thirteenth Hare Apparent, perhaps), it's pretty rare for a single player to have more than thirteen creatures in play, so Blasphemous Edict is effectively a board wipe that clears everything and manages to get past indestructible, regeneration, and all other sorts of shenanigans. That being said, it isn't terribly uncommon for thirteen total creatures to be in play - especially in Commander - so I'm sure that there will be plenty of games where this will just be cast for . Not bad...not bad at all.

#3 - Nine-Lives Familiar

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Coming in at number three is a Cat that just keeps coming back! And no, it's not Cauldron Familiar - it's Nine-Lives Familiar.

For , Nine-Lives Familiar is a 1/1 Cat that enters the battlefield with eight revival counters on it and, whenever it dies while having one or more revival counters on it, you return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with one fewer revival counter at the beginning of the next end step.

Overall, Nine-Lives Familiar isn't a terribly powerful card, but it sure is a fun one that will most certainly garner a casual audience. For what it's worth, it definitely feels like one of the most "cat-esque" cards of all time, right alongside Nine Lives.

#2 - Loot, Exuberant Explorer

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 10

Alright folks, the list is just about wrapped up. Let's check in with our penultimate pick of the week - Loot, Exuberant Explorer.

For , Loot is a 1/4 legendary Beast Noble that allows you to play an additional land each turn, an effect which goes hand-in-hand with his activated ability, ", : Look at the top six cards of your library. You may reveal a creature with mana value less than or equal to the number of lands you control from among them and put it onto the battlefield. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order."

At just about every point in the game, Loot offers some handy value to help speed up your victory. Sure, its not as fast as a turn-one Llanowar Elves, but once you hit your stride you'll be ramping an incredible amount just the same. Plus, once things start to grind out and you have too much mana but nothing to do with it, just activate Loot and dig for something potent. Standard's full of big creatures, just pick one and get to it.

#1 - Boltwave

Number of Trades: 9 --- Number of Cards Traded: 12

Here we are! The most traded card of the week, Standard's newest...burn spell? That's right, Standard Aggro in all its forms (well, every version that plays red) just got a new toy, and Cardsphere's traders have noticed.

For , Boltwave is a sorcery that deals three damage to each opponent. It can't hit creatures, and it's not even an instant, but despite these restrictions its still putting in plenty of work. Aggro is already an incredibly efficient clock in Standard right now which can quickly close out games, so paying to guarantee those last few points of damage and end a match a turn early is an opportunity many lists aren't passing up. It's been a while since Magic has gotten a proper new burn spell, and this one has been welcomed with open arms.

Wrap Up

If this week shows us anything, its just how widespread the appeal - and competitive impact - of Foundations has been. For the first time since Modern Horizons 3, we had a week where every pick came from the same set. Tune in next week to see if the Foundations streak continues, and thanks for reading!