The release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm is less than a month away, and there’s a lot to be excited about. After all, Dragons are the focal point of the upcoming set, and they’re one of MTG’s most beloved creature types.
Only a handful of spoilers have been revealed thus far, but that’s been enough to get players hyped up. In fact, we’ve already seen some popular Dragons and Dragon support cards spike in price as a result. Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm saw a large price increase earlier in the month.
Today, we’ve got another price spike to share. This time, it’s a card that pairs nicely with one of the Dragon Commanders from the Sultai Tarkir: Dragonstorm Precon.
Gilt-Leaf Archdruid
The card that’s been spiking considerably over the last few days is Gilt-Leaf Archdruid. Gilt-Leaf Archdruid is a pretty unique design but is rather simple in practice. If you’re playing a deck with a bunch of Druids in it, chances are you’ll be playing Gilt-Leaf Archdruid. The card acts as a card advantage machine and a scary finisher. Stealing all of your opponent’s lands is no joke.
The problem is that Druid Typal doesn’t have much support. As a result, many Commander decks won’t have enough Druid fuel to maximize Gilt-Leaf Archdruid properly. Seton, Krosan Protector decks act as the primary home for Gilt-Leaf Archdruid. Outside of that, though, it’s tough to get to the seven Druid threshold necessary to take over the game with this card.
Funnily enough, however, one particular Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander legend synergizes perfectly with the scary Elf Druid. Teval, the Balanced Scale was recently spoiled, and the card’s a doozy.
For four mana, Teval provides a ton of value. Its most impactful ability is its final ability, which can flood the board with 2/2s. One unique thing players quickly realized is that these 2/2s are Zombie Druids, so it won’t take long before you get enough tokens and Gilt-Leaf Archdruid threatens to steal all opposing lands.
Making seven tokens is easier than it sounds. You just need access to cards like Titan’s Nest that can exile cards from your graveyard at will. Throw in some self-mill effects, and the combination of Teval and Gilt-Leaf Archdruid will end the game on the spot.
The Spike
Teval was officially spoiled on February 21 during a preview panel at MagicCon: Chicago. In the week prior, near mint, non-foil Morningtide copies of Gilt-Leaf Archdruid consistently stayed at $1.48 according to TCGplayer market price history, as shown above.
Following Teval’s reveal, however, Gilt-Leaf Archdruid began rising in price. The most notable jump came in the last four days, climbing from $2.40 to $4.30, where it rests at the time of writing this article.
By itself, this represents a 191% spike, which isn’t too exciting. However, recent sales and current price listings suggest that demand has driven the price up even further. The cheapest current listing of Gilt-Leaf Archdruid in lightly played or better condition is at $12.99, which represents a 778% price spike.
Meanwhile, the latest sale on TCGplayer went for $18.28. This is a massive step up from what the card was selling for even a few days ago.
Gilt-Leaf Archdruid has only been printed in Morningtide and on The List up to this point. While recent sales of lightly played and near mint copies of Gilt-Leaf Archdruid from The List have gone for under $10, there are currently only five listings available for copies from The List in any condition. The three listings in near mint condition are all valued over $24, showcasing that supply of this version is quite low.
No Signs of Slowing Down
Ultimately, the price spikes to both Morningtide and The List variants don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. On March 14 and 15 alone, there have already been nearly 40 separate Morningtide sales and just under 35 copies from The List sold. In both cases, this is a big step up from weeks prior.
This immense rise in demand could mean Gilt-Leaf Archdruid’s price continues to soar in the coming days. The card’s lack of reprints doesn’t help. It’s possible there’s a reprint in the Sultai Precon, though that seems pretty unlikely considering Gilt-Leaf Archdruid probably won’t synergize as well with the other Commander.
With Tarkir: Dragonstorm spoiler season nearly upon us, there’s bound to be more price spikes in the near future. Make sure to tune in and see all that the new set has to offer.