Best MTG Cards to Buy From Standard Rotation: Core Set 2021

Alongside the release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, the Standard format is going to rotate on September 17, 2021. This happens only once a year, and this time around Throne of Eldraine, Theros: Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, and Core Set 2021, will all be leaving Standard.

Rotation is often a good time to buy cards that are leaving Standard. They will see a drop in demand as they are no longer viable in the format, causing prices to typically dip. But in the long run, as these cards are no longer in Wizards of the Coast‘s printing circulation, they can end up spiking in price because of their supply scarcity.

This article will look at some of the best cards to buy from Core Set 2021 when rotation happens. While Core Sets are generally designed as introductory sets to help newer players get into the game and thus have some underpowered cards, Core Set 2021 has some fantastic pick-ups, especially if you play Commander. Wizards of the Coast also uses Core Sets to reprint classic cards back into the Standard format, of which Core Set 2021 has several amazing cards.

Mangara, the Diplomat

In Commander, the color white is almost notoriously the worst of Magic’s 5 color mana system. This is because Commander focuses heavily on two things, mana-ramp and card draw. Neither of these qualities is exactly white’s forte.

That is why Wizards of the Coast made an announcement to change their design philosophy for the white portion of the color pie in order to incorporate more Commander viable cards. Mangara, the Diplomat is one such card.

Compared to its predecessor, Mangara of Corondor Mangara of Corondor {T}: Exile Mangara and target permanent. , the Diplomat has two instances of conditional card draw built-in. The first disincentivizes opponents from attacking you, and the second discourages opponents from playing too many spells. If they do either of those things, you draw a card.

Mangara, the Diplomat will continue to be a key inclusion in white Commander decks moving forward who struggle to draw cards. If you like playing white in Commander, pick up your Mangara’s soon while the prices are low.

Terror of the Peaks

Terror of the Peaks is good at one thing: damage output. This is essentially a Warstorm Surge Warstorm Surge Whenever a creature you control enters, it deals damage equal to its power to any target. stapled on a flying 5/4 body. And if your opponents try to remove it via any targeted spells, the dragon deals them even more damage.

While in Standard, Terror of the Peaks was used in two primary ways. The first was as a top-end finisher for aggressive decks, and the other was as a combo piece when used alongside cards such as Genesis Ultimatum Genesis Ultimatum Look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of permanent cards from among them onto the battlefield and the rest into your hand. Exile Genesis Ultimatum. .

After Standard, Terror will mostly see play in Commander. It naturally fits into dragon decks like The Ur-Dragon The Ur-Dragon Eminence — As long as The Ur-Dragon is in the command zone or on the battlefield, other Dragon spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Flying
Whenever one or more Dragons you control attack, draw that many cards, then you may put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield. and Scion of the Ur-Dragon Scion of the Ur-Dragon Flying
{2}: Search your library for a Dragon permanent card and put it into your graveyard. If you do, Scion of the Ur-Dragon becomes a copy of that card until end of turn. Then shuffle. . But don’t be surprised if you find it popping up in all kinds of creature-focused red decks throughout the format.

Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Aside from its appearance in Modern decks like Amulet Titan, Azusa, Lost but Seeking is mostly a Commander card. That’s not much of a surprise, as Commander decks love to ramp. Azusa can make a fun commander herself but is also commonly included in various green decks and “Lands Matter” decks like Titania, Protector of Argoth Titania, Protector of Argoth When Titania enters, return target land card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Whenever a land you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, create a 5/3 green Elemental creature token. .

There was a time when Azusa was a $45.00 card. In fact, there were several times that it was. It was originally printed in Champions of Kamigawa. It was reprinted in Masters 25 and naturally dipped in price. But then its price recovered. It’s unlikely the Core 2021 version of the card will see prices that high, (because of a much larger supply injection), but it will certainly continue to see play moving forward, and there’s a good chance that its price will reflect such.

Read More: Best Cards to Buy From Rotation – Theros Beyond Death

Elder Gargaroth

Elder Gargaroth is a beefy stat-stick. A 6/6 vigilance, reach, trample creature for only 5 mana is no laughing matter. Not only that, but it also generates card advantage, creature-tokens, or life gain every time it attacks and blocks. For all these reasons, it soaked up plenty of limelight during its stay in Standard.

This is one card that will likely see a big dip in price after rotation. Elder Gargaroth just doesn’t see as much play in older formats. That doesn’t mean it sees no play, however. It still pops up in Mono-Green Stompy decks in Pioneer and is a good sideboard inclusion against any small creature decks, because it can block and attack through just about anything.

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

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Before it was reprinted in Core Set 2021, there was a time when Ugin, the Spirit Dragon was pushing $80.00, and for good reason. It is a bomb. It rampaged the Standard format when it was first printed in Fate Reforged, and it did it again when it was reprinted in Core Set 2021. Right now Ugin is about $24.00, but it won’t stay that way for long.

Ugin has several homes outside of Standard. The first is as a finisher in Modern Tron decks alongside Karn Liberated Karn Liberated +4: Target player exiles a card from their hand.
−3: Exile target permanent.
−14: Restart the game, leaving in exile all non-Aura permanent cards exiled with Karn. Then put those cards onto the battlefield under your control. and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger When you cast this spell, exile two target permanents.
Indestructible
Whenever Ulamog attacks, defending player exiles the top twenty cards of their library. . Ugin can be played as early as turn 4, wipe the board with his -X ability, and then proceed to close out the game by dealing 3 damage to anything every turn after that.

Ugin is colorless, therefore it can fit into any Commander deck. Whereas in most 60-card formats, getting to 8 mana can be a bit of a struggle, in Commander it’s no problem at all. Some notable decks that include it are Kozilek, the Great Distortion Kozilek, the Great Distortion When you cast this spell, if you have fewer than seven cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.
Menace
Discard a card with mana value X: Counter target spell with mana value X. , Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) , and Carth the Lion Carth the Lion Whenever Carth enters or a planeswalker you control dies, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may reveal a planeswalker card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Planeswalkers' loyalty abilities you activate cost an additional [+1] to activate. . But to reiterate, it can go in every deck!

They may drop a little bit in price after rotation, but if it does, it won’t be by too much. And over the long term, Ugin should be a worthwhile investment.

Read More: Best Cards to Buy From Rotation – Ikoria Lair of Behemoths