Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s spoiler season has finally concluded, which means that players are fully ready to start building their new Tarkir-themed MTG decks. The financial markets are now reflecting what we’ve seen during Tarkir: Dragonstorm spoiler season. A lot of cards that synergize well with the various reveals between the Commander precons and the main set are going up in price.
Considering that, it’s no wonder Narset, Enlightened Exile is seeing some attention. Narset, as a character, appears not only in the main set but is also the face Commander of the Jeskai Striker Commander deck. It’s not a stretch to imagine that another iteration of Narset would support the Jeskai strategies appearing in Tarkir: Dragonstorm.
Narset, Enlightened Exile
Originating from March of the Machine: Aftermath, granting all of your creatures Prowess is something that the Jeskai Striker Commander precon is very interested in doing. From that perspective alone, Narset, Enlightened Exile’s increase in interest is justified. Narset can also recur spells from your graveyard, ensuring that value can be created with the creature, even with an empty hand.
Combine this with the multiple Prowess-related threats from Jeskai Striker, and any spell you cast can turn into a nightmare. Monastery Mentor, in particular, is a scary card when combined with Narset, Enlightened Exile. Your Mentor, alongside all the Tokens it creates, will have double Prowess. This means that each noncreature spell will grant your creatures +2/+2.
There are a lot of cards you can side out of the Jeskai Striker precon. Narset, Enlightened Exile, for example, is a much better payoff for the deck than Tempest Technique. That card is better suited for an enchantress deck.
The Price
Narset, Enlightened Exile’s base variant has had an impressive price spike over the last month or so. Rising from $1.68 to $7.17 throughout March, Narset’s price has increased by about 369%. This is just the market average for the card. Sales tell an even wilder story.
At the moment, the cheapest copies of Narset available on the secondary market are only worth about $3.50, a far cry from $7. This somewhat seems to reflect the nature of Narset’s pricing. There are two major sales groups for Narset: one retailing at around $3.50, the other at $10.
This suggests that TCGplayer Direct has had a hand in this particular price increase. Customers can pay a premium in exchange for getting their card as fast as possible. TCGplayer Direct currently has copies of Narset, Enlightened Master retailing for $10. There are also multiple sales for Narset retailing at about $5.85, as well as a few outlier sales retailing for $20.
This suggests that, as long as you’re willing to wait, you can acquire Narset for far cheaper than its market average. Looking at Narset, Enlightened Exile’s other variants supports this further. While the Showcase variant isn’t the most popular art in the world, it does go for $2.45, the cheapest available price for the card.
Difficult to Judge
Narset, Enlightened Exile seems like an incredible fit for the Jeskai Striker Commander deck. Slotting this in should lead to rather explosive turns if opponents choose not to remove Narset before your next turn. While the demand for Narset is clear, the price is not. At the moment, I wouldn’t expect this card to see further spikes. Narset, Enlightened Exile still has a decent amount of copies available on TCGplayer, which suggests demand isn’t destroying supply as of yet.
This price spike may be more of a result of speed vs demand. Tarkir: Dragonstorm precon preorders hit shelves on Friday, and players may be trying to get their upgrades so they can play an upgraded precon on release day.
As a result, this spike may be rather short-lived. Once demand for immediate shipping disappears, the outlier prices may go with it.