As is considered a normal part of an MTG set’s lifecycle, Final Fantasy singles are, for the most part, plummeting in price. Prerelease highs for many MTG cards are rather ridiculous, and once players have a chance to figure out which cards are strong or not, prices commonly fall back to earth.
It’s also normal, however, for an overlooked MTG card to see a massive price jump directly as a result of its playability. That seems to be the case for Astrologian’s Planisphere, a card that we thought would see play from day one.
Astrologian’s Planisphere
From very early MTG Final Fantasy results, it’s clear that Astrologian’s Planisphere is one of the most powerful cards from the new set. This card has seen play in multiple Legacy archetypes, in Modern Affinity, and Standard Prowess, and it’s only been online for a few days. While some successful lists are gingerly testing one copy, others have put up promising results with an entire playest.
Astrologian’s Planisphere basically functions in all of these decks as a body that continually grows when you cast noncreature spells. Unlike Prowess creatures, the creature equipped to Planisphere gains permanent bonuses. Since Planisphere creates and attaches to a body on entry, it essentially functions as a creature.
Notably, the card also pumps out +1/+1 counters when you’ve drawn your third card, something that is very easy to do in Legacy. Between multiple cantrips like Ponder, and Brainstorm that draws three cards all on it’s own, Planisphere grows even faster in older formats.
In addition to this, Astrologian’s Planisphere is also an artifact, which helps Delirium costs in Legacy Delver and adds to the number of artifacts in play for Modern Affinity. The equip cost for Planisphere is rather small, as well, allowing players to reequip the Planisphere to anything, turning them into massive potential threats. Scaling a Kappa Cannoneer with this, for example, can close games out quickly.
Since Astrologian’s Planisphere is putting results across formats out of the gate, many MTG players are scrambling to get their own playset to try. Thanks to this massive increase in demand, a card overlooked in prerelease season is seeing a significant price spike.
Astrologian’s Planisphere Price Spike
Early prerelease prices for Astrologian’s Planisphere were, like many cards, rather inflated, or at least it seemed that way. Prices quickly came down about a week before MTG Final Fantasy hit shelves across the globe, and once players started using the card, prices quickly started to climb back up.
Astrologian’s Planisphere has climbed from about $1.22 to $9 over the last few days. Demand for the Sphere hit its zenith on June 4, with 221 copies changing hands, but it held steady for the next week, with 150+ copies being sold on multiple days.
Because Planisphere’s main interest comes from competitive players, there is very little sales information for foil copies of the card. Foils can commonly cause marked card issues in competitive play, meaning that competitive MTG players generally prefer nonfoil cards.
There is also very little sales data for the Prerelease foil and Surge foil variants of Astrologian’s Planisphere, but the little that exists suggests that Prerelease foils are worth somewhere between $18-$24, while Surge Foils could be worth $100+. Due to the lack of information, unlike the card’s nonfoil variant, we recommend taking these price values with a grain of salt.
The Future
Astrologian’s Planisphere certainly has a lot of early competitive hype, but it’s tough to tell for sure if this card’s the real deal. Legacy is currently the MTG format that this card is seeing the most success in, and if that’s the only format that truly adapts the Planisphere, it might not end up being worth that much.
That said, if Astrologian’s Planisphere is good enough to see Legacy success, it’s probably good enough to see success in other formats. Planisphere notably plays quite well in tangent with Cori-Steel Cutter, another Standard-legal MTG card seeing success in Standard, Modern and Legacy.
It’s difficult to know for sure where this card’s long-term price will fall, but I would expect this current spike to continue in the short-term. Once bigger tournaments start hitting the scenes, if Planisphere’s play drops off, so will its price. Pro Tour Final Fantasy is notably just a few weeks away. If this card shows up in large amounts at that event, it will probably be more expensive than its current $9 pricetag.
If you’re just looking for a growing body for Commander, Astrologian’s Planisphere might not be worth it at its current pricetag, but for competitive players, this might be a tool you need to stay current.