In recent weeks, we’ve seen a variety of price spikes caused by all manner of different reasons. As usual, Standard and Modern have done a good deal of the heavy lifting alongside one of the new preconstructed Commander decks. Hashaton, Scarab’s Fist, in particular, looks scarily good and has been doing a lot of heavy lifting recently.
While the MTG financial markets tend to move in waves, occasionally, cards appear seemingly out of the blue. That appears to be the case for Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid, which has been steadily rising in price recently. The only real question is why prices have gone up so much.
Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid
There’s no doubt that Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid is a good Commander. Hailing from the Jurassic World Collection, which was released alongside The Lost Caverns of Ixalan this card is a dedicated Universes Beyond Commander. As usual, this means they’re pretty damn strong and feature a unique ability for some interesting deck building.
To put it lightly, Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid can get out of hand incredibly quickly. It can do this simply through its Bloodthirst X ability, which goes insanely hard in Commander. Just deal six damage to each opponent, give this bad boy Haste and you can realistically start one-shotting opponents with Commander damage.
Thankfully, Commander damage isn’t the only way that Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid can get the job done. The Enrage ability of this Dinosaur is fittingly monstrous as it’s either removal or a win condition. Coupled with Bloodthirst-based buffs and self-damage effects like Pyrohemia, Indoraptor can do no end of work.
So, it’s safe to say that Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid is a powerful card, but we’ve known that since it was first spoiled. Despite this, the card’s price has only started to climb over the past few weeks, and days especially. Given this Commander hasn’t gotten any new spicy toys in Aetherdrift, it seems content creators may be to blame.
Recently, on January 29th YouTuber MaldHound showcased Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid in a Short. At the same time, on TCGplayer, we could see a huge spike in the sales volume. While this may not be the only factor leading to this price spike, it certainly seems like there’s a clear connection.
The Spike
Speaking of this price spike, Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid is up around 270% over the past three months. As mentioned, much of this spike has happened more recently following the card receiving extra attention. Right now, near mint copies of Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid are going for around $14.73 according to TCGplayer’s market price.
As usual, there are a few copies of Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid available for slightly less than this market price. These copies, however, are quickly becoming few and far between. Right now, even a damaged foil copy of Indoraptor will set you back $12.98 including shipping. If you’re after a new near mint copy, prices start at $13.98 and quickly go up from there.
Currently, there are only 41 copies of Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid left available for purchase on TCGplayer. Out of these 31 are near mint, so it’s safe to say that supply is starting to drain fairly quickly. Should interest in this card continue, it might not be long before prices spike even more.
While another price spike is theoretically in the cards, the normal variant will surely never be the most expensive Indoraptor. Currently, that honor goes to the Emblem Foil variant which was only found within 1% of Collector Boosters. For context, this puts them at the same rarity as serialized cards. Currently, this version sells for $206 in near-mint condition.
The Future
Looking ahead, it’s difficult to predict which way the price of Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid will go. Given its strength as a Commander, $14 seems about right for it, but it seems unlikely it’ll settle there. Instead, we’re more likely destined for a second spike or a sudden slump.
To address the potential spike first, Indoraptor is obviously a Universes Beyond card which makes reprinting difficult. While it’s not explicitly a Reserved List card, it’s difficult to see where Wizards would reprint it. Due to this, we can sort of safely say that this is all the supply we’ll be getting for a long while.
Without any more supply, the price of Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid may be incredibly susceptible to spikes in demand. Considering how few copies are left available on the market, it’s very possible an eager investor could snap them all up very soon. This would likely cause a massive, albeit likely brief, spike in price.
On the other hand, it already seems that the spike to Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid may be coming to an end. Looking back at the sales graph from TCGplayer, we can see that sales volume has dropped off. If this is a sign that demand for the card is waning already, then the price may soon start to fall.
Ultimately, it’s next to impossible to determine which way the price of Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid will actually go. There’s no doubt that this card is a good Commander, but for the longest time, it’s been fairly unloved. Maybe Indoraptor is just getting the recognition that it deserved all along.
