Thanks to a series of recent reveals, a handful of underrated EDH tools have risen in price thanks to their synergies with new Universes Beyond cards. The popularity of Anti-Venom caused multiple spikes, and the reveal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles caused a surge in demand for Taeko, the Patient Avalanche.
Now, it appears that the value of an Assassin’s Creed God has been trending upward significantly in anticipation of the upcoming PlayStation Secret Lair drop. While it may not be the strongest card to put in the Command Zone, this card provides excellent EDH support alongside multiple new designs.
Surtr, Fiery Jotun
MTG Assassin’s Creed was far from the most impactful set, but it did provide a wealth of legends with intriguing abilities. In the case of Surtr, Fiery Jotun, being able to spread damage around as you choose whenever you play any Historic spell is extremely threatening. Historic spells are pretty easy to come by in EDH, too, considering that any mana rock like Sol Ring will trigger this beefy God.
While there are better mono-red Commanders out there, Surtr is a strong addition to any deck that’s heavily focused around legendary creatures or other Historic spells. It pairs quite well with Aegar, the Freezing Flame shells, and is a reasonable inclusion in decks centered around Jodah, the Unifier. What really helped the card garner extra attention in recent weeks, however, is its synergy with two new God of War legends.
Kratos, Stoic Father from the God of War: Norse Secret Lair drop heavily incentivizes you to play a high density of God cards. Surtr fits the bill while simultaneously rewarding you for every legendary God you follow up with. There aren’t that many God cards in Magic to begin with, so every potent option becomes even more important to the deck’s success. As a big Trampler, Surtr is also a prime candidate for where you should dump your +1/+1 counters you earn from Kratos.
Decks crafted around Kratos, God of War from the God of War: Greek Secret Lair should also make great use of Surtr. This version of Kratos is extremely aggressive, which only makes Surtr’s ability to send damage to each opponent’s face more threatening.
The Spike
In the month prior to the reveal of the PlayStation Secret Lair drop on September 26th, Surtr’s price consistently hovered between 72 cents and 83 cents according to TCGplayer. Following the preview of the God of War products, demand immediately saw an uptick, as 22 near mint copies of Surtr sold between September 27th and September 29th compared to three copies during the previous three-day stretch.
Surtr’s price continued to rise in the coming weeks before experiencing another burst in demand on October 10th, where 30 near mint copies sold. This was right at the time when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles spoilers were coming out of the woodwork.
Despite a drop in demand since then, prices have only continued to climb. At the time of writing, the current market average for Sutr sits at $3.19, representing a 278% spike over the last month from 81 cents. Part of this price is likely due to how limited this card’s printings are. Thanks to being a Starter Kit exclusive, Sutr, Fiery Jotun is not available in any core MTG sets, despite being part of the Assassin’s Creed product line.
The Future
While it’s impossible to predict the future, there is reason to believe Surtr’s price won’t plummet anytime soon. The PlayStation Secret Lairs go on sale tomorrow, and even though some EDH players have started deckbuilding, many more may start assorting their decks once they successfully order the God of War Secret Lairs.
On top of that, as more Universes Beyond sets that are jam-packed with legends continue to enter the Magic ecosystem, Surtr naturally becomes more and more intriguing. With four crossovers coming next year, all offering lots of legendary creatures, the influx of Historic spells isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
All that being said, the fact that Surtr isn’t a super popular Commander on its own does mean that demand could fluctuate depending on what Historic spells get spoiled over time. As God of War hype dies down, it’s possible Surtr’s price tag follows suit.
Stick with us at mtgrocks.com: the best place for Magic: The Gathering coverage!