Despite expectations for no changes all around, we’re still reeling from Monday’s banned and restricted announcement. With two major bans and surprising unbans in Modern, the format’s metagame has been thrown into a state of flux. While things should settle down before too too long, it’s a brewer’s paradise right now.
Not only have Amulet Titan and Boros decks been taken down a peg, but MTG players have some new toys to enjoy, too. Cascade decks have already made their mark on the format, as have decks empowered by Umezawa’s Jitte. While its future in the format might be somewhat dubious, this long-banned Equipment has now seriously spiked in price.
MTG Umezawa’s Jitte
Originally released way back in 2005, Umezawa’s Jitte has been banned since Modern first became an MTG format. This isn’t massively surprising considering this card can dictate the flow of a game almost singlehandedly. All you need to do is keep connecting turn after turn, as your opponent will seriously struggle to keep up.
While it’s not a universal answer against everything, Umezawa’s Jitte is remarkably effective against both big and small decks. Any deck running small creatures can have them picked off by Jitte, leaving your opponent defenseless, so you can keep adding counters. Even against bigger decks, the +2/+2 buffs you can force bad blocks to clear the board.
Thanks to this insane potential, Umezawa’s Jitte has been banned in Modern for almost 15 years; however, that changed on Monday. Now, this equipment is back in Modern, and it’s already been putting up semi-compelling results. Boros, Izzet, and Dimir decks are already trying out Umezawa’s Jitte in the format, securing 5-0 League victories.
That being said, while League wins are nothing to be scoffed at, Umezawa’s Jitte hasn’t done so well in Challenge events. Only reaching the top 32 with a 4-3 record, it’s hard to say this card is anything close to metabreaking right now. Even then, however, it is still early days, so it remains to be seen which way the meta will go.
Even before the Modern metagame settles down, the price of Umezawa’s Jitte has shot up dramatically. This isn’t surprising, given it has just been unbanned, but the highs it has reached definitely are. Considering Umezawa’s Jitte is considered a safe unban, the fact that it’s now selling for almost $40 is wild.
The Spike
For better or worse, the prices on copies of Umezawa’s Jitte are all over the place right now. Demand is through the roof across the board; however, supply for the card’s many variants is a mixed bag. Due to this, some variants of Jitte aren’t too expensive, but the same can’t be said for the Betrayers of Kamigawa printing.
Thanks to appearing in over 49,000 Commander decks, the original printing of Umezawa’s Jitte has never been that cheap. Before the ban, near-mint copies would easily set you back $12.50, but this price point has long gone. Now, recent sales have hit $39, while new near-mint listings start at $53.62, including shipping.
Thankfully, for anyone in the market for a copy of Umezawa’s Jitte, other variants are much more affordable. The TMNT-themed Source Material reprint, for instance, is still selling for $12 at the moment. Considering this variant used to be priced at just $2.42, however, it has spiked by 395% so far.
If you’re not a fan of the TMNT flavor, The List reprint of Umezawa’s Jitte is also a fair bit more affordable. With copies currently selling for $19.15, this is definitely the near-mint version to pick up for tournament play. Should you be in the market for fancy art, however, there are a couple of Secret Lair printings that are now selling for roughly $25 each.
Too Soon to Tell?
While there will always be demand for Umezawa’s Jitte thanks to its utility in Commander, its future in Modern is uncertain. This card might have deserved a ban a decade ago, but Modern has come a long way since then. There are still plenty of cheap threats to kill, of course, but instant value is the name of the game nowadays.
Since most Modern staples provide instant value whilst also having long-term potential, it’s unclear if Umezawa’s Jitte is good enough anymore. Wizards clearly saw that this card was safe to unban for good reason, and many players feel the same. Even though the card is seeing successful testing at the moment, that’s only natural after a once-exciting card gets unbanned.
Ultimately, it’s currently unclear which way Umezawa’s Jitte will end up going in Modern, as the metagame is still settling. It does feel likely that this card won’t be good enough, but MTG players could find a home somewhere. Even if that does happen, however, a $40 to $50 price tag does seem like a lot.
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