While the Star Trek set might have some very spicy spoilers, MTG players haven’t been quick to forget Reality Fracture. Not only is this still the latest playable release, but it’s packed with fantastic new cards and insane Commanders, too. On top of these, the Multiverse Reforged precon has been proving particularly popular thanks to its unique playstyle.
As is often the case, thanks to its popularity, this MTG precon has caused a wide range of price spikes. In fact, new spikes keep popping up as Star Trek spoilers are revealed, with Divergent Transformations recently surging in price. Whether or not this Commander 2016 card will be able to maintain this price point, however, remains to be seen.
MTG Divergent Transformations
At its core, Divergent Transformations is a fairly simple MTG card, all things considered. Most of the time, this is a four-mana double polymorph spell that’ll ideally exchange two weak creatures for massive bombs. Ideally, with luck or topdeck sculpting on your side, this can easily lead to a blisteringly fast win.
Notably, like the original
Polymorph
Polymorph
Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. Its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card. The player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles all other cards revealed this way into their library.
, you don’t have to use Divergent Transformations on your own creatures. While it’s somewhat risky, it can be a way to take two threats from opponents off the board entirely. Realistically, though, since your deck will be built around this interaction, it’s almost always better to polymorph your own creatures.
Speaking of the original Polymorph, Divergent Transformations basically offers two triggers for the price of one over it. The only catch is that all your opponents need to be alive, and it’s in red. Since Proliferate is typically a blue-based ability, this has restricted its play somewhat, but it’s far from hated in Commander.
Appearing in a little under 17,000 decks, Divergent Transformations is occasionally played in
Ovika, Enigma Goliath
Ovika, Enigma Goliath
Flying
Ward—{3}, Pay 3 life.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create X 1/1 red Phyrexian Goblin creature tokens, where X is the mana value of that spell. They gain haste until end of turn.
and Kykvar, Wind’s Fury decks. Thanks to these Commanders creating 1/1 tokens easily, polymorphing off of them is a proven strategy. Recently, however, a new card has come along that blows these Commanders out of the water.
With
Jace, Multiverse Architect
Jace, Multiverse Architect
At the beginning of combat on each opponent's turn, they may pay {2}. If they don't, creatures they control can't attack Jaces you control this turn.
+1: Draw two cards, then put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library.
−3: Exile another target planeswalker or creature you control. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Jace, Multiverse Architect can be your commander.
being a true polymorph-focused Commander, Divergent Transformations has a fantastic new home. In fact, this card is already included in over 2,400 Jace decks, making it the most popular home. Due to this, it’s not too surprising that the price of Divergent Transformations has shot up following this deck’s reveal.
From Bulk Rare to Bomb
While it has seen play in some red-aligned polymorph decks, Divergent Transformations has long been a cheap MTG card. Since its release back in 2023, you’ve easily been able to find copies for around $0.34. Following the reveal of the Multiverse Reforged precon, however, this long-stagnant price point has been shifting quickly.
Once it was revealed that Divergent Transformations wasn’t being reprinted, demand absolutely shot through the roof. In the roughly five weeks since then, over 675 near-mint copies of this card have been sold. This has left just a little over 50 listings on TCGplayer, with prices ramping up to $4.96.
Thankfully, while the most recent Commander Masters printing of Divergent Transformations has increased by 1080% in price, it’s not the only option. The original Commander 2016 printing, for instance, is only up to $3.26, having spiked from $0.34. While this is currently the most affordable near-mint option, supply is incredibly low, and prices quickly increase to $5 and beyond.
Should you want to spend more money, for whatever reason, then there’s also a fancy foil-etched variant. Previously, near-mint copies of this printing were selling for around $1 to $2, but now it’s shot up to $52.60. This marks a miraculous 2310% price spike since the Multiverse Reforged precon was revealed.
A Fleeting Fancy
While Divergent Transformations can technically be used in a range of MTG decks, realistically, it is rather specific. Even with a bunch of tokens on the board, if you’re not a polymorph-focused deck with exclusively big threats, it might not be worth it. Due to this, the long-term financial prospects of Divergent Transformations do seem rather weak.
Should attention shift away from Multiverse Reforged and polymorph decks, Divergent Transformations’ days might be numbered. There’s no guarantee this will happen, of course, but it won’t be long before new precons are released. With MTG Star Trek decks launching in November and Nauctis: The Sunken Realm in February, it feels inevitable that attention will move elsewhere.
Notably, while the long-term future of Divergent Transformations might not be amazing, in the short term, it just received a glowing spotlight. In a recent video from The Command Zone, host Jimmy Wong declared that Divergent Transformations was the best card in the Open Hostility precon. Potentially, this could improve the demand for this card going forward, but that remains to be seen.
Ultimately, as is often the case with MTG finance, we can only really wait and see what happens going forward. Thankfully, we shouldn’t have to wait too long, as the four MTG Star Trek precons will be revealed next week. Once this happens, we’ll likely see a major shift in the MTG markets, which could easily influence past spikes.
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