Top Trades: October 21-October 28

Welcome back, everyone! It's Thursday, and that means it's time for Top Trades - the weekly series where we take a closer look at some of the past week's most popular cards here on Cardsphere. So, which cards are folks looking for the most? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Untimely Malfunction

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 10

This week's honorable mention is a versatile uncommon from Magic's most recent Standard set, and that card is Untimely Malfunction. For just two mana (), this instant provides flexible access to three effects, each of which commonly appear as standalone spells in the one-to-two mana range. Take your pick from among destroying target artifact, changing the target of target spell or ability with a single target, or making it so that one or two target creatures can't block this turn. All of these effects are useful somewhere, often changing in value over the course of the game, and it's thanks to Untimely Malfunction's flexibility as a modal spell that we can pick and choose what we need, when we need it.

#5 - Kaito, Bane of Nightmares

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

Alrighty folks, starting off our main list of the week is Duskmourn's best ninja: Kaito, Bane of Nightmares.

First off, let's talk about this card's costs, or more specifically its alternative cost. At base rate, Kaito costs for a planeswalker with a starting loyalty of four, numbers that'll continue to seem sensible when we get to his loyalty abilities. Where things really start to get interesting, however, is when you pay Kaito's ninjutsu cost, bouncing an unblocked attacking creature you control and spending . Do this, and Kaito will enter tapped and attacking. That's right, this planeswalker can also be a creature.

As long as it's your turn and Kaito has a loyalty counter on him, he's also a 3/4 Ninja creature with hexproof. Not bad, especially considering that it forces your opponents to interact with him only on their turns (Kaito loses hexproof when it's not your turn). These numbers start to get much bigger, however, when we look at Kaito's first loyalty ability. "Add one loyalty counter: You get an emblem with 'Ninjas you control get +1/+1." Not only does this grow Kaito's creature form perpetually, but it's also self-synergistic with multiple copies. If your Kaito dies, then the next one you play continues to benefit from any emblems the first may have created.

Kaito's next loyalty ability, one which neither costs nor adds loyalty, may not buff your Ninjas but it sure will provide support in other ways. "Surveil 2. Then draw a card for each opponent who lost life this turn." Since Kaito himself is a pretty sizable creature on your turn, this will often result in at least one card being drawn per activation, possibly more in Commander.

Finally, we come to Kaito's "ultimate" ability. I put that in quotes because, unlike the gamebreaking final abilities like Ugin, the Spirit Dragon or Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Kaito here is much more modest. "Remove two loyalty counters: Tap target creature. Put two stun counters on it." Not quite removal, but certainly an effective way at clearing blockers...perhaps to make way for creature-Kaito?

#4 - Up the Beanstalk

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

Next up is a card that I suspect is only this low on our list due to being banned in Modern, and that card is Up the Beanstalk.

Don't be surprised at how powerful Standard-era uncommons can be; for just , this enchantment draws a card when it enters and whenever you cast a spell with mana value five or greater. This might not sound like much in formats where players have to pay mana for most of their spells, but in formats where pitch spells are legal - think Force of Will or Solitude - a single Up the Beanstalk can readily make these already-powerful free spells go from card-disadvantage to card-neutral. Resolve multiple copies of Up the Beanstalk, and now you're talking about Force of Wills being cast for zero mana that are also card-positve. That's absurd value - the kind of absurd that gets a card banned.

#3 - Valgavoth's Lair

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

Coming in at number three is Valgavoth's Lair, not quite Magic's first enchantment land (that goes to Urza's Saga), but certainly the first normal-feeling enchantment land. No Saga abilities, just good, old-fashioned mana fixing.

Valgavoth's Lair is an enchantment land that has hexproof, enters the battlefield tapped, and prompts you to choose a color as it enters. Valgavoth's Lair can tap for mana of that color.

Overall, there's nothing particularly spectacular about this card, other than the potential for synergies in cards that care about enchantments entering the battlefield, like the eerie mechanic from Duskmourn (which triggers off of enchantments entering and Rooms being unlocked), or constellation from Journey into Nyx. Not being a legendary land certainly helps Valgavoth's Lair in that regard, as it means you can stuff a deck full of them without having to worry that your lands will need to be sacrificed to the Legend Rule.

#2 - Ghost Vacuum

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

Our penultimate pick for the week is just in time for Halloween, and that's Ghost Vacuum! Coming in at , this handy artifact is here to exile all the spooky cards in graveyards...and bring back the creatures to aid you when the time is right.

First up, the way we're collecting ghosts. ": Exile target card from a graveyard." Simple and effective graveyard hate to help keep Reanimator strategies in-check, as well as keeping the flexibility neccessary to deal with noncreature cards.

Next, what big finish. ", , Sacrifice Ghost Vacuum: Put each creature card exiled with Ghost Vacuum onto the battlefield under your control with a flying counter on it. Each of them is a 1/1 Spirit in addition to its other types. Activate only as a sorcery." You might not be resurrecting the exiled creatures in full power-and-toughness glory, but an army of 1/1 flying Spirits with useful abilities sure can close out a game if you play your cards right.

#1 - Raffine's Tower

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

Alrighty everyone, here we are with our final pick for the week - the most traded card: Raffine's Tower.

Just like Valgavoth's Lair, Raffine's Tower being atop our list simply comes down to the age-old importance of good lands across formats. Sure, Raffine's Tower may not be propping up Esper in Standard right now, but it certainly is an important color combination for Pioneer and beyond, making it an ever-important card in many of the formats where it's legal. Carrying three basic land types (Plains, Island, and Swamp), plus the ability to change it out for another card thanks to its cycling cost of more than makes up for the fact that this card will always enter tapped. Good lands stay good, and good lands stay popular.

Wrap Up

This week was a diverse set of picks from across Magic sets and formats, plus (at least one) on-theme card for Halloween this week. Tune in next week for another installment of Top Trades, and thanks for reading!