Unsurprisingly, the recent Commander announcement, including the much-anticipated unbans, has caused a huge stir. Not only are MTG players discussing the changes en masse, but the financial markets are also going wild. Each freshly unbanned card has seen a price spike overnight, some a lot more than others.
While we’ll be covering all the spikes in greater detail in the near future, the spotlight is very much on Braids today. As one of the most hated Commander cards in existence, this unbanning took a lot of MTG players by surprise. That shock, however, didn’t have players waiting around, as Braids, Cabal Minion has shot up by over 2604% in price overnight!
Braids, Cabal Minion
It’s no secret that Braids, Cabal Minion is a controversial MTG card. Wizards of the Coast even addressed this point when unbanning the card yesterday. Back in 2009, pre-game Rule 0 and bracket conversations weren’t nearly as prevalent as they are today. This allowed Braids to sneak her way into unassuming tables, blowing them up and creating an unfun experience.
Nowadays, however, MTG players are more confidently able to say what they do and don’t want to play against. Some of our readers were quick to stress this point on Facebook, upon hearing about the unbans. In Wizards’ eyes, this makes unbanning Braids not nearly as bad as it could otherwise be.
“If I see a Braids Commander I’m leaving the table, it’s not worth the hassle of dealing with it.” – Blake Wilson
In case you’ve not played against them before, Braids, Cabal Minion poses a real problem when ramped out early. A turn one or two braids can completely lock opponents down, potentially preventing them from playing at all. Later in the game, however, Braids is little more than an annoyance, as they’re hardly efficient at clearing boards.
Now that they’re on the Game Changers list, playing Braids incredibly early shouldn’t be a given. Ideally, by the time that Braids hits the board, one player, at least, will have removal to deal with her. Hopefully, this should mean that she’s not as much of an early game threat anymore, but that remains to be seen.
While Braids’ effectiveness will be determined over the coming weeks and months, one thing is clear right now. There’s no denying that MTG players are incredibly excited to play with her once again. The rush of demand and following price spike make that abundantly clear, if nothing else.
The Spike
To say that the demand for Braids, Cabal Minion has been explosive would be an understatement. Across the card’s three main variants, there have been over 2900 sales overnight. Remarkably, that’s only counting the near-mint copies of the card sold. Unsurprisingly, this has put a massive dent in supply across the board, however, Braids hasn’t been bought out entirely.
While there are still copies left available for purchase, you’ll now be paying a 2604% premium for most copies. This specific price spike comes from the Eternal Masters variant of Braids, which has seen the biggest spike overall. Back in March, this variant was selling for around $0.22, however, players have now been paying upwards of $5.95!
Currently, on TCGplayer, there are 16 near-mint Eternal Masters copies of Braids, Cabal Minion left available for purchase. Prices for this variant start at $7.50, so the current price may spike even further before too long. Similarly, the Modern Horizons 2 variant of Braids is also likely going to keep going up in the coming days.
As the variant with the most supply, most of the recent sales have been of this Modern Horizons 2 variant. While there are still 92 near-mint listings on the market, this hasn’t stopped the price spike at all. Formerly selling for $0.15, this variant is now going for $3.99, which is a 2560% increase!
Last, but by no means least, there’s also the original Odyssey printing, which has always been the rarest of the bunch. Only 36 near-mint copies of this variant were snapped up overnight, but that’s still caused a 2508% price spike. Originally selling for just $1.15, copies of this variant have now sold for upwards of $30!
The Future
For better or worse, there’s basically no chance that this current price spike will last. While Braids, Cabal Minion is now playable in Commander, this rush of demand certainly can’t be sustained over time. Like all price spikes we see, interest in Braids will fall once new spoilers get revealed and released.
Even before Final Fantasy spoilers get released, however, there’s a good chance Braid’s price will dip somewhat. While Commander is a massive format with tons of players, it’s impossible to forget that Braids has long been deeply unpopular. Due to this, demand over time may be a lot lower than expected, however, that remains to be seen.
While we’re doubtful that this current price spike will last or continue, we can’t rule out the possibility. Right now, most variants of Braids aren’t really that expensive, and the Odyssey variant is deservedly so. If everyone buying Braids actually wants to play her, then this spike could genuinely last, since she’s not prohibitively expensive.
Ultimately, as always, we can’t predict the future with any actual degree of accuracy. We can look at trends and manage our expectations, but there’s no telling which way the MTG markets will go. All we can do for the time being is wait and see while watching closely.