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MTG Finance Guide: 15 Ixalan Cards You Should Buy, Sell, or Hold


We've already seen some drastic swings in card value for Ixalan. Hostage Taker has risen the ranks from a $3 rare, and is now soaring close to $20 a pop! What's next to rise, and which cards will fall from grace? We will cover it all in this guide.

PREFACE: It is important to know that whenever a new set comes out there is always a shortage of supply of new cards. While a set is still being sold, the longer a set has been out, the greater the supply becomes. As supply increases, prices usually fall. This means, that the general trend for the overall value of a set, usually will decline over time. Obviously, there are some exceptions to this rule, but in general, this is true for new sets.

That being said, here are 15 cards from Ixalan you should Buy, Sell, or Hold:  

  1. Carnage Tyrant

    Recommendation: SELL IMMEDIATELY!

    This card is going to sink quicker than the Titanic! Sell your copies while you still can! Yes, this card is extremely powerful, but it just isn't seeing play. Carnage Tyrant is really an anti-meta card to keep control in check. The only Top 8 control deck being played now is U/W Approach, which runs Fumigate and Settle the Wreckage. Those cards don't care about Carnage Tyrant's evasive text box. Carnage Tyrant is going to follow in Gisela's footprint. You can see how Gisela was spotted as an early powerful mythic rare. Its stats are strong, but it just never fit the meta, except for some niche conditions. (They are not similar in stats, but in that they are niche mythics that need the right deck and meta-conditions to see play).Stats via mtggoldfish.comWith 0 copies appearing in last weekends SCG Top 8, I expect Carnage Tyrant to mirror Gisela's fall from grace. Sell your copies now, because if it follows in Gisela's footsteps, you are going to lose over half your value in the coming weeks. Even if I'm wrong, it is unlikely Carnage Tyrant would rise much in value over the next few weeks, so you can always rebuy them later... as no card can maintain $25+ premium status without seeing any form of top tier play.

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  2. Vona, Butcher of Magan

    Recommendation: Hold or Sell

    With 2 copies appearing in a Top 8 SCG deck, Esper Gifts, Vona is in an interesting position. Currently, it is resting at about $5. If this mythic becomes an essential part of the deck, you could see this card rise potentially to $10+. But right now, that doesn't appear to be the case. Numerous 5-0 online decklists favor running The Scarab God instead. For this reason, I don't recommend buying this as an investment, and there isn't much to gain by selling it either. Vona is in a solid hold and wait to see position. If you think Esper Gifts will exclusively play The Scarab God, you will want to sell this off, as it would likely sink in value.

  3. Deathgorge Scavenger

    Recommendation: Buy

    Deathgorge Scavenger is one of the most versatile and powerful 3 drops we have seen in a long time. I'd call this the Tireless Tracker of Ixalan. It is drawing comparisons to Kitchen Finks, although I would compare it more to Scavenging Ooze. Deathgorge is seeing a lot of SB play in green decks, and I wouldn't expect that to end anytime soon. With Ramunap Red and Esper Gifts being Top Tier decks with many 5-0 showings on Magic Online, and Top 8s at the SCG level, there is a need for life gain and graveyard removal. Scavenger fits the bill perfectly and can lay a beatdown as well.

    Pick up your copies now, and don't sell what you have. I don't expect this guy to be dropping in price much until it rotates from Standard.

  4. Gishath, Sun's Avatar

    Recommendation: Sell

    Outside of brews, Gishath isn't seeing any play. One of the indicators that a card is a dud, is the Magic Online price. This guy is currently under $1 on Magic Online, which is a really bad sign for the paper value (currently at $7-8).

    Some people may be willing to speculate on this card for future set synergies, so sell it to them while you still can. If you want to speculate on Gishath, sell them now and rebuy it just before Explorer's of Ixalan comes out. It will save you a good bit of $$$.

  5. Rampaging Ferocidon

    Recommendation: Hold or Sell

    Ferocidon already sees sideboard play in 5-0 Magic Online Ramunap Red decks. This card is a nice hoser to the life-gain in Approach decks, is hard to block, and provides a continual source of direct damage against creature based builds. While the 3 drop position is already filled by Ahn-Crop Crasher, it doesn't completely outclass Ferocidon, and it is possible to run 2 more 3 drops in the deck. So why am I recommending you hold or sell it? Because it is not mythic, and mostly a SB card with lots of competition. I would classify this as slightly better tech than Pia Nalaar was, which saw its own fair share of SB play. You can see how Pia is doing right now...

    Stats via mtggoldfish.com

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  6. Jace, Cunning Castaway

    Recommendation: Sell

    Three mana planeswalkers have a track record of being undervalued. Remember all the underwhelmed fans when Liliana, the Last Hope was spoiled? Here's the thing though, Liliana actually had a way to protect herself, and her ultimate was game-winning. Jace, on the other hand, is built purely for aggro, in a color that doesn't really want to be aggro. Alright, so many of us are unimpressed with Jace. But maybe it is a sleeper too, just like Liliana was? Doubtful. You can see how Liliana spiked in price immediately after release, once players realized how good she actually was. This is not the case for Jace, which is spiking in the opposite direction (straight down). You can expect Jace to continue its decline in value over the coming months.

    Stats via mtggoldfish.com

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  7. Huatli, Warrior Poet

    Recommendation: Sell

    Hualti is in a bad spot. 5 CMC is a premium place for red decks, which already have Glorybringer. In a creature based deck, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship is also an option. All of Hualti's abilities are relevant and impactful, so Hualti could certainly see play in the future, but there aren't any Red/White decks right now that are very competitive, and if there ever is, they might prefer other 5 drop options anyway.

  8. Regisaur Alpha

    Recommendation: Sell

    I like this card, but it suffers from the same problem as Hualti. It competes with too many other amazing 5 drops. Verdurous Gearhulk, Glorybringer, and even Scarab God in 4 Color Energy decks. Unlike Hualti, Regisaur is not a planeswalker, and not a mythic, which means it will fall in value quicker.

    Don't get me wrong, Regisaur Alpha is a great value card, and could certainly see some play... but the current $7 premium cost is unjustified.

  9. Ripjaw Raptor

    Recommendation: Sell

    I can see the potential in this card. But, that's all it is right now. Potential. This is a decent rare, but it is currently commanding premium pricing at $10. Right now, green decks that are top tier are running Hostage Taker instead at the 4 drop spot (Sultai) and they also have the option of Bristling Hydra. While Ripjaw is a good value card, it doesn't match the board state swing that Hostage Taker can present.

    There is no reason for this card to be valued at twice the level of Deathgorge Scavenger, a card which is seeing great play in Sultai Energy sideboards. Even when Bristling Hydra was in every Temur deck, it only commanded a $5 price tag. Ditch the Raptor while you still can get some value!

  10. Vraska, Relic Seeker

    Recommendation: Buy

    Pick up Vraska now, while it is still a reasonable price. There aren't a lot of chase rares in Ixalan, but Vraska is going to be one of them. With the ability to destroy almost any permanent on the field, and create creatures, a devastating ult, and high loyalty, Vraska is everything you want in a 6 drop. She saw play as a SB option in last weeks SCG winning decklist, and when she was on the battlefield, she won games.

    If you only pick up one mythic rare from Ixalan, Vraska is one to get. In a month's time, I expect this to be the highest valued mythic from the set (sorry Carnage Tyrant). You can see demand for the card on Magic Online. This is a good sign the paper value will start increasing soon.

    Stats via mtggoldfish.com

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  11. Hostage Taker

    Recommendation: Sell (or play it)

    If you are using Hostage Taker in your deck, of course you should play it! Everyone else should sell it. Yes, Hostage Taker is an amazing card. Yes, it will see lots of play. So why do I recommend selling it? Because it is close to $20 in price as a two-color rare that is not relevant to Modern. Even an all-star rare like Walking Ballista that can fit in multiple decks since it was released had a max price of about $15 and spent the majority of its time around $10.

    Because cards have a short supply when they are first released, Hostage Taker is rightly commanding a premium price. As supply increases, you can expect Hostage Taker to adjust to a more modest cost, perhaps in the $7-15 range, as Walking Ballista previously did.

    Stats via mtggoldfish.com

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  12. Search for Azcanta

    Recommendation: Sell

    Search for Azcanta is a good 1-2 of in certain blue decks. Right now it is seeing relevant play in U/W Approach builds and Esper Gifts. Just like Hostage Taker, once this card sees more circulation, you should see its price go down. I would expect this to rest anywhere between $2-$5.

  13. Settle the Wreckage

    Recommendation: Hold

    This is about as close to a 4 mana board wipe as you can get in the current Standard (ok, there is also Bontu). Against a Red deck, that one mana can make a lot of difference, especially when you are mana screwed. One reason Settle the Wreckage is strong, is that it doesn't care about text boxes. Hexproof creatures like Bristling Hydra and Carnage Tyrant get exiled. The downside to this card is pretty big, but there aren't a lot of alternatives for white control decks. You are still going to run Fumigates. This is more a replacement for the Blessed Alliance type cards that previously let you deal with Bristling Hydras and Hazorets.

  14. Dowsing Dagger

    Recommendation: Sell

    I hate to disappoint you, but Dowsing Dagger is a few Doubloons short of a Black Lotus. A deck that runs equipment, is usually an aggro deck. And an aggro deck doesn't want to pay 4 mana for +2/+1. It also doesn't want to create two free blockers for an opponent. AND, it also doesn't have too much use for a black lotus land (since an aggro deck should have a lower curve).

    This card is pretty much the least synergistic combination of abilities you can find. Sell off your copies while people are still impressed it flips into a re-usable Black Lotus. The online community has already determined it is worth 2 cents, ouch...

    Stats via mtggoldfish.com

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  15. Growing Rites of Itlimoc

    Recommendation: Sell

    I was unimpressed when this card was first released, and I am still unimpressed. This is not Gaea's Cradle. While people are still trying to figure out how to break this card, (which is doubtful), now is your chance to sell it for value. The price on paper has been slow to decline, but once people exhaust all playtesting options and discover its playability levels, I expect it to tank. You can see the Magic Online community has already set its value at $1. Sell this now, or chances are you will be left with a bulk rare.

    Stats via mtggoldfish.com So what cards do you think will increase or decrease in value? Leave us a comment below!

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