Despite being a smaller set, The Hobbit has been incredible for MTG Commander players. With lots of themes like Dwarves, Treasures, and Bears to build around, plenty of old cards have jumped in price. Even among these, however, Cadric, Soul Kindler, is particularly synergistic with multiple new Hobbit Commanders.
MTG Cadric, Soul Kindler
Able to temporarily copy any legendary permanent in play, Cadric is absolutely incredible alongside legends with entry effects like Loran of the Third Path. Due to granting the temporary token Haste, Cadric is also fantastic with Commanders like Djeru and Hazoret.
Thanks to its synergy with a wide variety of strategies, Cadric sees play in over 29,000 99s according to EDHREC, with Jodah, the Unifier being its most popular home. That said, thanks to its creature types, Cadric is also popular with a fair few new Hobbit Commanders. Among those, Thorin, King of Durin’s Folk is the most popular at 1,140 copies, and it’s easy to see why.
Creating a Treasure whenever another Dwarf enters, Cadric not only triggers Thorin itself, but any Dwarf tokens he makes will create Treasures, paying for future Cadric triggers. With such a focus on tokens, cards like Anointed Procession
Outside of Dwarf Typal, Cadric also happens to be a Wizard, making Gandalf, Party Guest another notable home. Despite being less popular than Thorin, Cadric’s synergies are even stronger here, letting you cast two instants or sorceries that cost six or less for free just by copying Gandalf. Since this Commander specifically cares about legendary Wizards, Cadric should be able to make token copies of every creature in this 99.
With two very powerful new Commanders creating about 1,840 new homes for Cadric, it’s no wonder why this card’s price has shot up. Sadly, if you want to grab Cadric for your own Hobbit Commander decks, the card is no longer a budget addition.
The Spike
Over the past three months, Cadric, Soul Kindler’s rise in popularity has caused a rather significant price increase. While the card saw a few spikes in demand before the release of The Hobbit, Cadric’s demand became a lot more consistent after the set’s official release on August 14th. This is where Cadric’s price truly began to soar, making his previous near-mint market value of $4.13 a thing of the past.
Nowadays on TCGplayer, near-mint copies of Cadric, Soul Kindler are repeatedly selling for about $19.25 or more, but the cheapest near-mint copy currently available sits at $17.80, representing a 330% spike. If you’re looking to save some money, extended art copies of Cadric are slightly cheaper, starting at about $16.
A New Expensive Staple?
While most Commander-related spikes tend to fall back down once MTG players move on to a new release, that may not be the case for Cadric, Soul Kindler. With the increase in demand being gradual rather than sudden, this is likely a player-driven spike, giving it considerable legitimacy.
On top of being a reliable-looking spike, Cadric plays well across a lot of different archetypes. Whether you want Cadric in a legends matter deck, or are just running an entry effect Commander, this card should be quite powerful. If that weren’t enough, Cadric’s sudden highlight may also inspire players to add Cadric to the 99 of other existing strategies.
Because of this, Cadric, unfortunately, seems worth the new $19 price tag. That said, telling the future in MTG is impossible, as Cadric could drop in price after players are done building their Hobbit decks. While we’ll have to wait and see what happens to Cadric in the future, Cadric’s previous prices returning seems unlikely.
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