Over the years, plenty of MTG mechanics have missed the mark. While some examples like the Companion mechanic caused major issues in the competitive scene, others such as Cipher simply fell short of expectations. After all, it often requires jumping through hoops to maximize most of these designs.
Yet, one particular Cipher spell from the Grand Larceny Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander deck has started surging in price thanks to its synergy with a popular MTG Avatar legend. The payoff for this card is undoubtedly high if you put in the work.
Arcane Heist
On its own, Arcane Heist is a bit of a hit-or-miss card in Commander. Not every opponent is going to have huge instants and sorceries for you to cast from their graveyard, and copying a simple removal spell one time isn’t worth the four mana you spent. If you can reliably cast Arcane Heist multiple times over the course of the game, however, then you have a nice engine going.
Obviously, in order to do this, you ideally want to cast this sorcery when you already have a creature in play you can reliably connect in combat with. Any evasive or unblockable creature should do the trick, helping you set up a window where you cast two spells for free from opposing graveyards on the same turn.
While Arcane Heist and evasive creatures can technically fit into any blue Commander deck, players quickly realized after Fire Lord Azula got spoiled that the two cards pair unbelievably well together. Fire Lord Azula is still technically attacking even when the Cipher ability resolves. As such, not only will you get two copies of Arcane Heist to put on the stack targeting two different instants or sorceries, but each instant or sorcery you cast for free will also get copied by Fire Lord Azula. One free spell may not be enough for Arcane Heist to pull its weight, but four certainly will be!
Besides Fire Lord Azula, there are at least a few other Commanders that work in tandem with Arcane Heist. Felix Five-Boots, for example, provides some extra value by copying your Cipher triggers, letting you put multiple copies of Arcane Heist on the stack. Meanwhile, Don Andres, the Renegade pays you off every time you cast a noncreature spell you don’t own. Still, Fire Lord Azula is undoubtedly the new hotness, and it’s hard to find a legend that provides a higher ceiling for Arcane Heist.
The Spike
Given Arcane Heist’s miniscule Commander appeal in general, it’s no surprise that the card has held little value for most of its existence. Its lowest price over the last three months was just $0.31, well before Fire Lord Azula was spoiled.
Fire Lord Azula was officially revealed back on October 28, and demand begun to skyrocket just a couple days later. Arcane Heist’s price point began gradually climbing soon after, and it’s been steadily rising for the most part ever since. The cheapest current sales listing is $2.53, which represents a 716% price spike since Arcane Heist’s lowest point. This doesn’t even include shipping fees, which raise each individual purchase even higher.
For Commander enthusiasts who are looking to pick up a copy of Arcane Heist on a budget, the extended art variant is worth less than half the price of the original. This version has still risen over the last two months, but players can pick up copies for only $0.83 plus shipping. Supply seems to be healthier for the extended art variant, but that might not last long.
The Future
Despite the fact that Arcane Heist’s price tag has kept going up, there’s reason to believe that this trend won’t continue in the long term. While it’s impossible to predict the future, it’s extremely common for EDH cards that see a popularity spike following a new Commander’s printing to see their value decrease eventually. As new legends get released, hype for specific Commander build-arounds from the previous set tends to die down.
At the moment, according to EDHREC, Fire Lord Azula is not only the most popular Commander from MTG Avatar, but it’s also the most played Commander of the last month. Nonetheless, Lorwyn Eclipsed previews are only a couple weeks away, and there are sure to be some newly revealed legends, not to mention the preconstructed decks, that draw attention from the MTG community.
Things might be different if Arcane Heist were a popular Commander card to start with, but that simply isn’t the case. If there’s any reason we suspect this card will keep a higher price point beyond its synergy with Azula, it’s a potential lack of supply. All of that said, if you’re looking to pick up a copy or two for your Commander decks, you may be able to pick one up for cheaper down the line.
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