Innistrad: Midnight Hunt brings along with it a long-awaited Standard rotation. Rotation only happens once a year to make room for the following year’s upcoming sets.
On September 17, 2021, four sets will be leaving the Standard format. This includes Throne of Eldraine, Theros: Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, and Core Set 2021.
But what happens to all the cards leaving Standard? Well, the best of them will continue to see play in various, older formats like Commander, Pioneer, Modern, and if they are good enough, all the way back to Legacy.
And perhaps more importantly, what happens to the prices of the cards leaving Standard? As they are no longer viable in Standard, there will be some drop in demand for them. But in the long run, because they are no longer in Wizards of the Coast’s printing circulation, that means their supply is capped. Barring reprints, top-performing cards have the potential to rise in price long-term due to scarcity. That makes now the perfect time to buy these cards while the prices are low.
This article is going to look at some all-stars from the set Throne of Eldraine and where they will continue to see play post-rotation.
Brazen Borrower
The Adventure mechanic, while flavorful and unique, also turned out to be an absolute powerhouse. Brazen Borrower is one of the best of them.
Both Petty Theft and Borrower itself can be cast at instant speed making Brazen Borrower an absolute champion of tempo. Right now, it sees play in the Pioneer format in Izzet Phoenix decks and in the sideboards of various blue decks in the format. It also pops up in Modern from time to time, like in some lists of the new Murktide Regent decks.
Brazen Borrower simply provides a lot of value, and we can expect to see it and various older formats moving forward. That makes now a good time to buy them.
Bonecrusher Giant
Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast
Bonecrusher Giant terrorized Standard for the time of its legality. Serving as both removal and threat, it was common to see it in any red deck.
Moving forward, the efficiency of Bonecrusher Giant has proved effective enough for both Pioneer and Modern. In Pioneer, the giant shows up in Mono-Red Aggro decks, Izzet Dragon decks, and various red midrange decks like Rakdos. Bonecrusher even shows up in Modern decks like Gruul Ponza and Mono-Red Obosh.
The reign of Bonecrusher Giant may not end as soon as some would like. But as it will be a key player moving forward, so now is a good time to pick up a few copies.
Kenrith, the Returned King
Kenrith is on this list for less competitive reasons. He makes a really cool commander. All 5-color commanders are interesting to build around because they provide more deck-building options.
The Returned King has so many abilities, that you can lean into any one of them for a unique commander deck: Group-Hug, Reanimator, Lifegain. He can even be used as an infinite card drawer.
Kenrith was not technically in the Throne of Eldraine Standard set. It was the box topper and was also available in Collector’s packs. This makes its supply even lower than other Eldraine cards. It could be worth it to pick up one copy soon.
Emry, Lurker of the Loch
Emry, Lurker of the Loch has proved to be a great enabler for artifact strategies. It may not have seen as much play in Standard as some of the aforementioned Adventure cards, namely due to the smaller pool of artifacts available for play in Standard. But since its printing, it has definitely been a contender in older formats.
She is often seen alongside her pal Urza, High Artificer in Modern. Plus she’s a queen in Commander artifact strategies.
Emry saw a recent price spike in July, jumping from around the $2.00 mark to about $9.00. It has since settled to approximately $3.00-$4.00 but it’s only a matter of time before Wizards of the Coast prints a new, crazy artifact that will make Emry even more powerful.
Rankle, Master of Pranks
This aggressive faerie rogue shall continue to prank us in Pioneer for a while longer. Since the format’s inception, Rankle has been a key card in Mono-Black Aggro strategies, a major contender in Pioneer.
The Master of Pranks is also a great Commander card as its attack triggers affect each player. Rankle can be a good general himself, but he is also a noteworthy inclusion for decks like Tergrid, God of Fright and Athreos, God of Passage
A Special Mention: The Great Henge
The Great Henge is a fantastic commander card and for that reason had to be included on this list. It is, however, about $40.00.
Commander players are going to want this card, both now and for a long time coming. This makes it a good target to get reprinted in the future.
Although, because of the Great Henge’s power and deserved demand by players, even if it does get a reprint, it will likely still hold a pretty good price tag. And there’s no telling how long it will take for Wizards of the Coast to reprint it. For these reasons, it may still be worth getting a copy or two now, because if it doesn’t see a reprint, its price may only go up.