At long last, Secrets of Strixhaven has finally been released today. While this doesn’t change much in the grand scheme of MTG, we have seen the financial markets picking up recently. Curiously, despite Secrets of Strixhaven having five precons to pick between, it’s the main set that’s now driving demand.
Admittedly, considering the fantastic new legends from the set, it’s no wonder MTG players are hyped to build around them. There’s so much hype for this set, in fact, that even some of the most dubious legends are getting a lot of love. Blech, Loafing Pest might not be the best Commander in MTG, but it’s still capable of causing a price spike.
MTG Blex, Vexing Pest
Released as part of the original Strixhaven: School of Mages set, it’s easy to see why Blex, Vexing Pest is currently spiking. Not only is Blex the flavorful predecessor to Blech, but they both support the same archetype. Realistically, if you’re building a pest, bat, insect, snake, and spider-themed deck, you’re running both of these cards together.
Thanks to technically supporting a wide range of archetypes, Blex, Vexing Pest does see decent Commander play already. According to EDHREC, Blex appears in around 13,400 decks, 1,400 of which are new Blech lists. For the most part, Blex’s other homes are all individual typal decks, like spiders with Shelob or insects with Zask.
While a simple +1/+1 buff is useful in most typal decks, the real strength of Blex is actually in its Search for Blex side. Admittedly, paying four mana and 15 life for five cards isn’t the best deal in MTG. What matters, however, is the flexibility that this side offers, especially along a lifegain-focused Commander like Blech.
In decks like Blech, any amount of life spent can be easily recovered, allowing Search for Blex to just be decent card draw. Realistically, this is the mode you’ll want to be casting most of the time, but it’s hard to go wrong either way. Thanks to this and the flavor that makes it an extra-fun addition, it’s no wonder Blex is in demand right now.
The Spike
Despite seeing a decent amount of play in Commander, Blex Vexing Pest has long been a budget card. Even as recently as last month, copies of Blex were commonly selling for $0.85 on average. Thanks to almost 150 near-mint sales happening since the start of the month, however, prices have jumped dramatically.
Currently, a near-mint non-foil copy of Blex Vexing Pest will set you back $4.50 on TCGplayer. Notably, this is a smidgen behind the $4.81 market price, which has been pushed up by some ludicrously expensive sales. Through TCGplayer Direct, some copies of Blex have sold for as much as $19.45.
For better or worse, these high-priced sales appear to have pulled up the price of Blex faster than normal. Unlike slower spikes, there’s still a lot of supply available, with 60 listings offering 185 total copies. Unfortunately, while supply is surprisingly plentiful, there aren’t any discount deals, as even worse condition copies have spiked up to $3.84.
Sadly, the extended art variant of Blex doesn’t offer any savings either, as prices begin at $15 for this version. Notably, despite this high price tag, the most an extended art copy has sold for so far is $7. Given how much demand has been ramping up recently, however, that could easily change soon.
Price to Performance
As much as we might try, predicting the future of MTG, let alone price spikes, is more art than science. The natural ebb and flow of demand, not to mention the threat of reprints, can crater the price of potential specs. Even with this in mind, however, Blex, Vexing Pest is an especially difficult card to pin down.
On the one hand, supporting five different typal archetypes gives Blex huge potential going forward. Anytime Wizards makes a new pest, bat, insect, snake, or spider Commander, Blex will get a new home. Should this happen, the already seemingly strained supply could be stretched even further, leading to a massive spike.
While this potential seemingly makes Blex, Vexing Pest a great investment, realistically, this card is just okay. Drawing five cards or a bunch of life isn’t amazing, and a +1/+1 buff isn’t stellar either. Due to this, Blex could eventually end up being cut from the 99 when enough new support comes along.
Even before this happens, there are realistically better options for the 99 than Blex in many cases. Blech decks may be the exception to this, but that demand surely won’t last forever. Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see where the card ends up settling, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it falls below where it is now.
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