The Modern format is a bit of a weird one that’s both somewhat stale and immensely creative at the same time. At the top, it’s common to see just a handful of decks ruling the roost, with little else that can touch them. Lower down the competitive order, however, things get really weird really fast.
They might not win a Pro Tour anytime soon, but Mill, Storm, Affinity, and Merfolk are viable decks in Modern. As if these weren’t strange enough, some absolutely baffling cards see play within Modern’s ranks. Goblin Lore, for instance, is a genuinely playable card in Modern, and it’s been seeing a significant price spike recently because of it.
Goblin Lore
At first glance, Goblin Lore seems like a pretty terrible MTG card, especially in Modern. Drawing four cards for just two mana may seem pretty sweet, but randomly discarding three is a killer. The fact there’s a chance you could discard the cards you need should completely kill any interest in this card.
For the Hollow Red archetype, however, Goblin Lore is a godsend. When the entire deck is built around discard effects a little randomness doesn’t matter. Sure, there might be some bad hits, but getting a free Blazing Rootwalla or Hollow One is worth the risk.
Admittedly, while it does come with an extra card draw, Goblin Lore is no Burning Inquiry. Even if Goblin Lore isn’t the best card in Hollow Red decks, it’s nonetheless an important extra discard effect. At the very least it provides fuel for Detective’s Phoenix and the new Marauding Mako which is spicing up recent lists.
In recent Modern League events, Hollow Red decks have managed 5-0 wins with surprising regularity. While this is certainly impressive, the deck is still rather lackluster in major events against tougher competition. The upgrades might have helped, but this archetype is still a long way from properly breaking the Modern metagame.
Nonetheless, this slight increase in strength appears to be the cause behind Goblin Lore’s price spike. The card certainly isn’t seeing play anywhere else. Even discard-focused decks in Commander aren’t making widespread use of this card. Once again, this is all thanks to that pesky randomness that really threatens to spoil the fun.
The Spike
Goblin Lore may not be the most powerful, or popular MTG card in existence, but it’s still managing to see a rather impressive price spike. Considering the amount it gets played, and the range of reprints it’s had, impressive certainly feels like the right word. It’s either that or remarkable, as this spike feels like it’s coming out of the blue.
Regardless of where it has come from, Goblin Lore’s price has undoubtedly increased. In particular, and somewhat surprisingly, the The List variant of the card has seen the biggest spike. In the past month, this variant of the card is up 1163% and is now selling for just over the $9 mark.
Back in early February, when sales started to pick up, a copy of Goblin Lore could be yours for around $0.72. In a few short post-Aetherdrift weeks, however, prices have now topped out at $9.10. While this is already rather impressive, as usual, The List printing of Goblin Lore isn’t the only version to see a sizable price spike.
Every variant of this card has been climbing over recent weeks and some have reached some pretty impressive prices. Unsurprisingly, the most expensive of the bunch, currently, is the original Portal Second Age printing. Even heavily damaged copies of this printing are now listed for $25! Here’s a quick breakdown of current prices for each variant of Goblin Lore.
| Printing | Starting Price | Current Price | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| The List | $0.72 | $9.10 | 1163% |
| Jumpstart | $2.10 | $8.38 | 299% |
| 10th Edition | $1.39 | $12.77 | 818% |
| Starter 1999 | $1.74 | $7.91 | 354% |
| Portal Second Age | $2.87 | $22.44 | 681% |
The Future
Looking ahead, while nothing is impossible, it’d be remarkable if Goblin Lore retains this current price spike. Admittedly, even though this card has had five printings to date, it’s not the most accessible game piece in the world. That being said, the current Modern demand doesn’t seem anywhere near enough to support this price long-term.
If Goblin Lore was better in Commander, or any other competitive format, this current spike might have long-term legs. Considering that fewer than 150 Modern decks are using this card, according to MTGDecks, however, this spike seems very suspect. Even the future prospects for this card seem grim at best thanks to the random element.
Should an amazing red-aligned discard-based Commander come along, Burning Inquiry will likely be the first choice synergy, not Goblin Lore. While Commander does like extra redundancy, the existence of this card nonetheless throws a spanner into the works. As a result, I really wouldn’t expect all too much from Goblin Lore looking forward.