Whenever we return to a plane in Magic: The Gathering, it’s always assumed that the old cards will get better. Since there’s almost always some strong mechanical overlap, any card that doesn’t get reprinted should receive new support. This is kind of what’s happened to the original Strixhaven: School of Mages cards, thanks to Secrets of Strixhaven.
For better or worse, Wizards has tweaked each of the set mechanics this time around to keep things feeling fresh. While this has kept the set from feeling like an uninspired reprint, it’s also limited the potential of past cards. Thankfully, for Strixhaven fans, this hasn’t been enough to stop Sedgemoor Witch, as its synergy with new Commanders isn’t to be scoffed at.
MTG Sedgemoor Witch
As a Witherbloom card from the original Strixhaven: School of Mages, Sedgemoor Witch is all about pests. While the pests Sedgemoor makes are notably worse than the new variants, she can make an awful lot of them. Triggering both on casting and copying an instant or sorcery, Sedgemoor Witch can fairly quickly flood the board with pests.
Thanks to this rather potent ability and the card’s innate protection, Sedgemoor Witch has long seen strong Commander play. Appearing consistently in Judith, Carnage Connoisseur, and tons of black-aligned spell-focused decks, Sedgemoor Witch saw play in around 45,000 lists. Now, thanks to Secrets of Strixhaven, that already respectable number has been pushed up by another 5,000.
This impressive surge in demand is thanks to both Witherbloom, the Balancer and Silverquill, the Disputant. Both of these cards desperately want as many bodies in play as possible, making Sedgemoor Witch the perfect accompaniment. Alongside Silverquill, in particular, you’ll always have fuel for Casualty, making sure you’re exploiting the dragon’s full potential.
While each of these dragons is responsible for over 2,400 decks wanting Sedgemoor Witch, Blech, Loafing Pest has also been driving demand. Admittedly, this adorable pest is only responsible for 400 new decks using Sedgemoor Witch, but that’s still a decent bump. Combine this with both of the new dragons, and it’s no wonder that this card has spiked in price recently.
The Spike
Since Sedgemoor Witch has long been a fairly popular card in Commander, it has always retained a bit of value. Back in late March, for instance, this MTG card was selling for around $1.98 on TCGplayer. While this is already a jump from its $1 price tag last year, it’s only gotten more expensive recently.
In the past month, following the reveal of the new Secrets of Strixhaven elder dragons, over 530 near-mint copies of Sedgemoor Witch have been sold. Unsurprisingly, this demand has put serious strain on the market, especially since this card doesn’t have tons of printings. At best, this card was briefly reprinted via The List, but that variant is miraculously one of the most scarce right now.
Thanks to this low supply across the board, Strixhaven: School of Mages copies of Sedgemoor Witch are now going for $8.49, including shipping. This marks a 328% price spike in one month, which isn’t bad at all if you have copies lying around. Unfortunately, if you still need a copy of Sedgemoor Witch, prices are up across the board, but, technically, there are some cheaper options.
Despite having very little supply available on TCGplayer, near-mint copies from The List are actually the cheapest right now. Selling for $7.27, these copies aren’t exactly cheap, but it’s nevertheless better than the alternative. After this, your next best option is a lightly played extended art copy, but that’s barely a saving at $8.43.
Unfortunately, if you do like the extended-art variant of Sedgemoor Witch, near-mint copies are going for $10. Realistically, in the grand scheme of MTG, even this price point isn’t too outlandish. However, depending on how things go in the coming weeks and months, this could just be the start.
A Solid Spec?
Sadly, as much as we might try, we can’t predict the future of Magic: The Gathering. Not only is the game innovating like crazy nowadays, but predicting when a reprint will happen is practically impossible. While Sedgemoor Witch didn’t reappear in Secrets of Strixhaven, it could easily pop up in a bonus sheet or future precon.
With this in mind, it’s hard to truly invest in Sedgemoor Witch, as there’s little in the way of security. As far as this card’s gameplay potential goes, however, it does seem like a slam dunk. Not only has it been a popular card for a long while, but the new demand from Secrets of Strixhaven should have some staying power.
Unlike many precons, which players can jump between as new ones launch, Sedgemoor Witch’s demand comes from main set cards. These cards, in particular, are just really cool, and players will likely want to build around them for a long time to come. Should this happen as predicted, then the price of Sedgemoor Witch could remain high for quite some time.
Even with this in mind, however, it’s unlikely that the current heightened demand is entirely sustainable. Eventually, the people who need this card will get their fill, and interest will slow, likely bringing the price down. Given the potential of this card, however, it’s unlikely the price will bottom out completely.
Before that happens, it’s worth remembering that Secrets of Strixhaven hasn’t even been released yet. In theory, this could mean we’re due for a second spike before too long, but that remains to be seen. For now, Sedgemoor Witch is definitely an MTG card to watch.
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