Even though the MTG Stat Trek spoiler season is now in full swing, Reality Fracture is still hanging on valiantly. Considering the sheer number of fantastic Commanders and incredible new staples, this isn’t hugely surprising. Just how much of an impact this set has had, however, is definitely impressive, as tons of cards have popped up all over.
While it’s not uncommon for existing decks to pick up upgrades, only the cream of the crop see multiformat play. This is exactly what’s been happening to Dark Matter Manipulator, however, as it’s been on quite the success streak. Due to this, it’s little wonder that this card’s price has shot up so much recently, spiking by 845%!
MTG Dark Matter Manipulator
Despite not being able to Mill as much as
Stitcher’s Supplier
Stitcher’s Supplier
When this creature enters or dies, mill three cards. (Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.)
, Dark Matter Manipulator is still a very capable MTG card. Within a Self-Mill-focused deck, it can easily turn into a respectable beater, allowing it to go the distance. With this in mind, it’s little wonder that the card has proven so popular, easily finding a home within Self-Mill decks.
In particular, Dark Matter Manipulator is seeing steady play within Rakdos Moonshadow decks in Modern. Here, the card works alongside Stitcher’s Supplier to flood the graveyard while
Moonshadow
Moonshadow
Menace
This creature enters with six -1/-1 counters on it.
Whenever one or more permanent cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere while this creature has a -1/-1 counter on it, remove a -1/-1 counter from this creature.
is out. Either card can easily remove a counter from the titular creature, quickly scaling it up.
Thanks to being a decent beater on top of this, Dark Matter Manipulator has pushed Rakdos Moonshadow to multiple top Modern Challenge finishes. As if this wasn’t enough, this card is also seeing play in Legacy’s Dimir Moonshadow decks. Following a similar game plan, this deck can also utilize
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
You can't spend mana to cast this spell.
Convoke, delve (Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color. Each card you exile from your graveyard pays for {1}.)
You may cast this card from your graveyard.
Trample
, as well as additional counterplay.
While Dark Matter Manipulator has been cropping up in Dimir Moonshadow, admittedly, it’s not always an auto-include. The same is also true for Dark Matter Manipulator in Standard Dimir Oculus and Sultai Reanimator lists. While these aren’t totally dominant archetypes right now, they can still pick up League wins, so there’s definitely potential.
On top of all of this, there are technically also Commander applications for Dark Matter Manipulator. With larger deck sizes, it can go hard in Self-Mill strategies, although it’s not seeing much play right now. According to EDHREC, fewer than 3,000 Commander decks are using this card, so it’s by no means a staple.
A Sharp Spike
Even without steady demand from Commander, Dark Matter Manipulator has done more than enough to prove itself. As a result, it’s no wonder that its price has been ramping up recently as more and more players pick up copies. On TCGplayer, this card has seen over 2,150 sales, which has almost entirely cleared out the market.
Currently, there are just 42 listings for near-mint copies of Dark Matter Manipulator on TCGplayer. With prices starting at $7.06, as well, this is a pretty expensive rare that could easily pay for your Play Booster. Considering Dark Matter Manipulator used to be selling for $0.75 on October 7th, this is a massive price increase.
Notably, while Dark Matter Manipulator does have a showcase variant, this doesn’t offer any savings. Currently, a near-mint copy of this variant will set you back $7.77, and there aren’t any worse-condition alternatives available. Thanks to this, there’s no escaping this price spike right now, but that doesn’t mean it’ll last forever.
The Competitive Conundrum
For better or worse, the financial future of Dark Matter Manipulator is inherently tied to its ongoing competitive performance. If it continues to thrive in Modern and picks up steam elsewhere, it could easily get more expensive. Alternatively, if the metagame shifts or a new card pushes it out, its price could plummet.
While it’s difficult to predict the future with any degree of accuracy, Dark Matter Manipulator does feel somewhat solid. Even without Commander being a big demand driver, this card is seeing play across multiple formats already. With time, it could easily continue to establish itself and maintain a healthy chunk of its price tag.
Ultimately, even if we don’t expect Dark Matter Manipulator to drop off overnight, the future remains to be seen. As such, we’ll just have to see what happens over the coming weeks and months. Thankfully, we certainly won’t be bored in the meantime, as MTG Star Trek spoilers give players plenty to digest.
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