The spoiler season for MTG’s TMNT set may have some and gone, but Lorwyn Eclipsed is still moving the markets. Considering the sheer number of fantastic new Commanders and constructed staples in the set, this isn’t at all surprising. Commander players, in particular, are still digesting all of the new typal support cards, as tons of archetypes got new toys.
In particular, archetypes like Elves gained a ton of extra support, and players have been flocking to these strategies ever since. As such, it’s no surprise that some elite Elves have seen a significant uptick in demand recently. This has caused some major price shifts in the market, and Lathril, Blade of the Elves is the latest Elf to have its price surge upwards.
MTG Lathril, Blade of the Elves
Following its debut in Kaldheim Commander, Lathril, Blade of the Elves quickly emerged as one of the most popular Elf Commanders out there. While none of her abilities are all that impressive on their own, it doesn’t take much before this legend can run away with games.
Right off the bat, any effects that buff Lathril, including Elf Lords and pump spells, help you create a wide board of tokens in a flash. From there, thanks to her activated ability, you don’t even need to rely on entering combat to close games. Alongside a card like Seedborn Muse that untaps your team each turn, you can emerge victorious surprisingly quickly.
As heavily played as Lathril was prior to the release of Lorwyn Eclipsed, though, her popularity has grown thanks to all the new tools available. Between new Lords like Morcant’s Loyalist, Champions of the Perfect, and High Perfect Morcant, Elf Typal has never been stronger.
At this point, over 30,000 decks utilize Lathril at the helm according to EDHREC. Since the printing of High Perfect Morcant and Maralen, Fae Ascendant, Lathril has gained a ton of extra appeal as an option for the 99. After all, pumping out tokens is a great way to maximize both of these new legendary creatures’ enters abilities. Of the 22,400 decks making use of Lathril in the 99, Morcant and Maralen shells make up over 12,300 of them.
The Spike
Thanks to this uptick in Commander play, Lathril’s demand has risen considerably. With demand consistently high, Lathril’s market value has been steadily climbing upward from a low of $0.56 in January. Now, the lowest listing for a near-mint, non-foil copy from MTG Foundations is $2.90, representing a 418% price spike. This comes in spite of the fact that there are 118 non-foil, near-mint listings still available for MTG Foundations copies.
Notably, while there are other printings available, they have followed a similar pattern. The cheapest listing for a near-mint, non-foil copy of Lathril from Kaldheim Commander sits at $2.81, for instance. Even the etched-foil promo printing that was available in MTG LOTR tins has risen in price and sits near the $3 mark. Notably, supply for these variants is also lower, since players can’t find them in Play Boosters.
The Future
As a whole, predicting exactly how Lathril’s price tag will fluctuate moving forward is a daunting task. On one hand, it’s very common for support cards that spike following the release of a new set to have their value fall back down over time. While Lorwyn Eclipsed is the new hotness, it’s only a matter of time before hype dies down and players turn their attention to different themes. With Prerelease events for MTG TMNT right around the corner, it’s only natural for new legends to get more love.
On the flip side, though, Lathril isn’t just an average support card for the Elf archetype. This Elf is a top Commander option and a near-automatic inclusion in High Perfect Morcant decks that continue to be on the rise. As such, it’s hard to imagine demand completely plummeting.
At the end of the day, it’s impossible to predict the future of price spikes with a high degree of accuracy. While it seems reasonable for Lathril’s price tag to drop in the long run, given how many sales listings are still available, we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.
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