Thanks to Final Fantasy, Bird Typal Commander decks have been given a serious boost in power and popularity. Not only are there plenty of new Chocobo cards running around, but this archetype also got a brand-new best-in-class Commander. Offering all the right colors, a synergistic ability, and Final Fantasy flavor, Choco, Seeker of Paradise has it all.
Thanks to Choco and Final Fantasy’s other birds, we’ve seen a fair bit of movement in the MTG markets recently. Old Bird Typal support cards like Soulcatchers’ Aerie shot up in price during spoiler season. While a few other spikes followed, it seemed there were a lot of Bird Typal cards waiting in the wings. At long last, one of the cards we have been patiently watching has spiked, just as we suspected it would.
Flurry of Wings
First released in 2009’s Alara Reborn, Flurry of Wings isn’t exactly a hugely popular MTG card. According to EDHREC, just under 8000 Commander decks contain a copy of this niche card. That said, over 3000 of these decks are new, being helmed by Choco, Seeker of Paradise.
At its core, Flurry of Wings is a very simple and potentially very effective card. Able to be used defensively or somewhat aggressively, this card can do a ton of work for three mana. On the defensive side of things, Flurry of Wings gives you an army of chump blockers to keep you safe. Notably, you’ll get Bird Soldiers for the creatures attacking other opponents, so you can potentially get a ton of tokens.
That said, while the ceiling for Flurry of Wings is incredibly high against a go-wide token-based deck, synergy isn’t guaranteed. If you’re not playing against an opponent with a go-wide deck, you may struggle to get maximum value. Thankfully, to save Flurry of Wings from just sitting in your hand going stale, it can be used proactively in a pinch.
Since Flurry of Wings doesn’t specify who needs to be doing the attacking, you can swing in with your own board. While this is inherently a risky endeavour, it’s great to do with tokens, since Flurry effectively replaces them.
In a Bird Typal deck, this is exactly what Choco, Seeker of Paradise wants. By swinging in with a wide board of Birds you get to dig through your deck for the perfect answer. You’ll also get all the lands you find put onto the battlefield, pulling you ahead massively.
The Spike
Thanks to Choco’s love for going wide with Birds, it’s no wonder that Flurry of Wings has shot up in popularity. So far, over half of all Choco decks on EDHREC are choosing to run this synergistic board-building card. So long as Choco is in charge, Flurry has a great deal of potential for both ramp and finding answers.
Due to this, the price of Flurry has shot up over the past month. That said, this card still isn’t hugely expensive, even if the percentage seems spicy. Last month, on May 27th, near mint copies of Flurry of Wings were selling for around $0.71 on average. Now, copies are selling for around $3.57 on average; however, recent sales and new listings start at $5+.
So far, Flurry of Wings has seen a 593% price spike; however, it’s worth noting that near-mint copies are incredibly scarce. Due to this card’s age, there are a good deal more lightly played copies floating around. Even the supply of these copies has been drained significantly, however, as players rush to acquire this card.
Right now, you’ll struggle to pick up a copy of Flurry of Wings for less than $5, regardless of the condition. Considering lightly played copies used to be worth around $0.50, there was definitely money to be made. Now, however, it may be too late to jump on this latest price spike bandwagon.
The Future
As mentioned, there’s no denying Bird Typal decks have been given a major boost from the Final Fantasy MTG set. That said, while this archetype is popular at the moment, the tastes of Commander players can change in an instant.
Given how hyped MTG players are for Edge of Eternities, this may happen sooner rather than later. Even if this set doesn’t do the trick, however, there’s Marvel’s Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender later this year. Unless these sets are miraculously stuffed full of Bird support, it seems destined for them to fall out of fashion.
If, or rather when, this happens, the price of the recently spiked support cards is bound to fall. While it’s unlikely their value will bottom out completely, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be popular forever. That being said, it’ll depend on how many copies have been bought up by players, and how many investors hold.
Should investors be the moving force in the market, then prices should fall over time. Not only will tastes change, but there will be a point where cards like Flurry of Wings are too expensive to be viable. If players are the driving force in the market, however, then it’s likely the price won’t fall as hard. After all, most players want to use the cards they buy, and will keep them in their decks for longer.
Ultimately, while we can predict trends, there’s no guarantee of what will happen in the future. Subsequently, as always, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage!