A lot of players are hyped about what Tarkir: Dragonstorm has in store for us. There’s a lot to look forward to, and for Dragon enthusiasts, this set is especially great. As players gear up for the set’s release, many popular Dragon Commanders have spiked in price. From Tiamat to Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm, demand for the best Dragon legends is growing.
Over the last few days, The Ur-Dragon has also risen in price significantly, with sales eclipsing the $50 mark.
The Ur-Dragon
The Ur-Dragon is one of the scariest Commanders to see across the table, but, it’s also one of the clunkiest. You need a high density of Dragons in order to maximize it, and Dragons tend to be a bit on the expensive side generally.
Fortunately, The Ur-Dragon provides value even when it’s not in play. For those who have had the luxury of playing against Edgar Markov, you know just how much value a Commander’s Eminence ability can add to the table. Making all your other Dragons cheaper helps make up for this spell’s enormous cost.
With enough ramp and efficiently costed Dragons, The Ur-Dragon serves as the perfect piece of top-end. Once you have a board built out, all you need to do is play The Ur-Dragon and attack to get a big advantage.
We’ve already seen several Tarkir: Dragonstorm spoilers that make The Ur-Dragon a more reliable finisher. Mox Jasper, for example, acts as a free way to bridge the gap between your filler Dragons and The Ur-Dragon.
Meanwhile, Dracogenesis pairs perfectly with all the card advantage The Ur-Dragon provides. Notably, unlike Omniscience, Dracogenesis isn’t restricted to only making the spells in your hand free. This means that landing Dracogenesis lets you sidestep The Ur-Dragon’s massive mana cost. It’s no wonder players are excited about The Ur-Dragon’s potential.
The Spike
Prior to the release of Commander Masters, The Ur-Dragon was only printed in foil, as it debuted in Commander 2017. Its reprint in Commander Masters brought the price down by a pretty big margin for years. As players brace themselves for the upcoming release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, however, The Ur-Dragon is climbing in value.
Back in mid-January, non-foil Commander Masters versions of The Ur-Dragon sat at roughly $23 market price. Throughout the last week, The Ur-Dragon saw a particularly massive jump in price up to $44. By itself, this is a big step up, but even this doesn’t tell the full story.
Currently, most of the recent sales of near-mint, non-foil Commander Masters copies of The Ur-Dragon went for over $50. Furthermore, the lowest price listing on TCGplayer is $56.40. This suggests that demand has risen a bunch in recent days.
Interestingly, the borderless variant of The Ur-Dragon from Commander Masters is selling for a bit less. Non-foil copies have consistently sold for just under $45 over the last two days. Still, the lowest price listing is at $49.99, once again showcasing how increased demand has inflated these prices.
This high level of demand is also reflected in the number of sales that have occurred recently. In the last week alone, over 100 separate sales of traditional non-foil Commander Masters copies went through on TCGplayer. For reference, this is more than double the number of sales made the week prior.
Ballooning Foils
Unsurprisingly, the price of foil copies of The Ur-Dragon have spiked even more by comparison. For Commander 2017 copies of The Ur-Dragon that are only available in foil, the lowest price listing is $65. Considering that the market price for Commander 2017 foils was down at under $28 on March 17th, this is a massive jump.
Similarly, even though the current market price for traditional Commander Masters foils is only $36.88, the lowest listing is $69.99. The latest sale went for $72.08.
The Ur-Dragon has also appeared in a previous Secret Lair exclusively in foil. The lowest price listing for this version is $90, and the most recent sale matches that number. By contrast, many sales went for under $50 before the beginning of March.
Until the hype for Tarkir: Dragonstorm dies down, I’d expect the Ur-Dragon to maintain a hefty price tag across the board. The card has shown no signs of slowing down in any capacity. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any other spikes to elite Dragon Commander cards, as this is unlikely to be the last.