For better or worse, Secrets of Strixhaven hasn’t completely upended the Standard metagame as we know it. Last weekend’s Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven was evidence of that, as it was dominated by two very familiar archetypes. Thankfully, while Izzet and Landfall decks are nothing new at this point, there have been some innovations within them.
In particular, Landfall decks have been given a major boost by an unexpected Secrets of Strixhaven card. When it was first spoiled, Erode looked like a shoo-in for Commander; however, it turns out it’s got competitive appeal, too. Not only is Erode a compelling bit of removal, but it’s also a sneaky synergy piece.
MTG Erode
Like quite a few Secrets of Strixhaven cards, Erode is a clear throwback to one of the most iconic cards in MTG. Mimicking Path to Exile, Erode is incredibly well-costed removal, albeit with a pretty significant downside. This downside is so severe, in fact, that many assumed Erode would just be confined to Commander.
Even in Commander, Erode is a serious step down from how good Path to Exile is. Exiling a major threat is just so much better than putting it in the graveyard that, despite being almost identical, these cards are leagues apart. That being said, this is still one mana removal in white, and having another option for that slot is no bad thing.
Thanks to this, Erode is already the fifth most-played Secrets of Strixhaven card in Commander, appearing in around 13,800 decks. As if this wasn’t cause enough for Erode to be expensive, the card has just seen a massive competitive breakout. Appearing within Selesnya Landfall decks at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven, Erode helped Nathan Steuer to win the entire tournament.
Not only is low-cost removal important against the various Izzet decks in Standard right now, but Erode can pull double duty. If you target one of your own Earthbent lands with this card, then you can double up on Landfall triggers. This can easily turn a Mossborn Hydra or Mightform Harmonizer into a game-ending threat.
Considering this interaction took many MTG players by surprise, it’s little wonder there’s been a surge in demand for Erode. This, in turn, has caused the card’s price to jump dramatically in the past few days. Depending on this card’s continued performance, this could just be the start of a truly impressive spike.
The Spike
Like the vast majority of Secrets of Strixhaven cards, the initial pre-sale prices for Erode were a long way off. Once prerelease events started and the set officially launched, the market price for Erode crashed down to $4.96. Even this, however, isn’t terrible for a recently released rare in the grand scheme of MTG.
Unfortunately, while it briefly looked like Erode might stick at this middling price point, the Pro Tour has quickly changed that. After appearing in a ton of decks during the event, including the winning Selesnya Landfall list, demand for this card has absolutely skyrocketed. In the past five days alone, just shy of 750 near-mint copies of this card have been sold on TCGplayer.
Unsurprisingly, with sales happening this quickly, it didn’t take long for prices to skyrocket. While the market price has dipped in the past day, near-mint listings currently start at $10.31, including shipping. Thanks to this, Erode is now a fantastic pull from a Secrets of Strixhaven Play Booster.
Sadly, as is to be expected, the extended art variant of Erode has spiked up to a similar price, thanks to the incredible demand. With near-mint extended art copies selling for $11.94, including shipping, there aren’t any discount deals available. Even foil copies, which aren’t ideal for high-level tournament play, are selling for $10 at the moment.
Up or Down
Sadly, without a crystal ball to ponder, it’s impossible to accurately predict the future of any price spike in MTG. While there are expected short and long-term trends for many cards, others, like Erode, are much more mysterious. Realistically, this card could go either way, depending on Wizards of the Coast’s plans in the future.
The main problem with Erode in the long term is the possibility of it being reprinted. While cards like Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares are no strangers to being reprinted in precons, Erode could easily replace them. Even if it doesn’t replace it all of the time, it feels like this card is destined to be reprinted a ton in Magic’s future.
If Erode doesn’t get reprinted, however, it could very quickly become prohibitively expensive. Even if its stint in Standard is short-lived, Commander demand is bound to increase over time. If, or rather when, this happens, its price is bound to climb too, even if there are a ton of copies in circulation.
Ultimately, as always, we’ll have to wait and see what happens over the coming weeks and months with this MTG card. Personally, I can’t say I’m optimistic about its long-term future; however, Erode could easily surprise me.
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