Although MTG Star Trek’s official release date was just yesterday, we’re already seeing some new cards make a big splash. The Naked Time in particular has given rise to a brand-new archetype that emerged as the most-played deck at the World Championship.
Interestingly, though, this Boros Pixie deck also makes good use of Captain James T. Kirk, which has experienced a massive price spike.
MTG Captain James T. Kirk
Of all the Star Trek Captains, James T. Kirk is arguably the least flashy design. None of its modes are individually that exciting, and even if you manage to get down to zero cards in hand, the advantage you gain from choosing all three modes isn’t super high.
As such, it isn’t too shocking that the legend is hardly making a name for itself as a Commander, with only 63 decks to its name according to EDHREC. Captain Kirk does shine in the 99
Captain Benjamin Sisko
Captain Benjamin Sisko
At the beginning of your end step, create a 1/1 red Officer creature token for each dilemma you've faced this turn.
{2}{W}{U}{B}{R}{G}, {T}: Exile the top five cards of your library. You may cast any number of spells with mana value less than or equal to the number of Officers you control from among those cards without paying their mana costs.
decks as an Officer who faces a Dilemma each turn, but that speaks more to Sisko’s power than Kirk’s.
The one place where Kirk does shine, however, is in the new Boros Pixie Standard deck. This archetype’s goal is to land
The Naked Time
The Naked Time
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Search your library for a basic Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
II — Whenever a creature you control enters this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it gains haste until end of turn.
III — Sacrifice a land.
and use Chapter II to send a wave of attackers at the opponent, and Kirk helps on all fronts. Thanks to this deck’s popularity, Captain James T. Kirk is the second-most played Star Trek card at the World Championships, with 53 copies registered.
Right off the bat, you can make a token when Kirk enters, and immediately get five power worth of stats. Then, because Kirk can attack right away, you’ll have the opportunity to make another token or buff your whole team to deal more damage.
Even in games where you don’t draw The Naked Time, bouncing Kirk with Pixie to generate extra value still has appeal. Going wide with tokens also helps maximize
Practiced Offense
Practiced Offense
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature target player controls. Target creature gains your choice of double strike or lifelink until end of turn.
Flashback {1}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
, and the tokens even serve as Bargain fodder for
Torch the Tower
Torch the Tower
Bargain (You may sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as you cast this spell.)
Torch the Tower deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker. If this spell was bargained, instead it deals 3 damage to that permanent and you scry 1.
If a permanent dealt damage by Torch the Tower would die this turn, exile it instead.
.
While some Standard players have experimented with Kirk as a repeatable discard outlet for the Mardu Discard deck, too, Kirk’s impact elsewhere pales in comparison to its value in Boros. Still, Boros’ World Championship dominance was enough to get players in a frenzy, and Kirk’s price has skyrocketed since.
The Spike
Despite Star Trek’s inflated preorder prices, Kirk’s market value initially fell all the way down to $2.92 by November 10th. With World Championship decklists due November 11th and the official metagame breakdown revealed November 12th, demand didn’t take long to skyrocket.
Since November 11th, a whopping 568 copies of Captain Kirk have sold on TCGplayer, with the most recent going for $29.98. This represents a 927% spike in just a few days.
This massive demand increase has completely tanked the card’s supply, with only three near-mint, non-foil listings left, all starting at $29.98. Given how new the set is, there aren’t even any copies in lesser conditions to buy in hopes of saving money.
While there is technically a Showcase variant available, its price also ballooned to $30. The Surge Foil Showcase is already over $100, and the signed Borderless ‘Headliner’ version will inevitably cost far more.
Hard to Predict
While Captain Kirk’s value is extremely high right now, it’s very difficult to predict how its price will move from here. After all, so much of the card’s stock is tied to its impact in Standard, and we’re still in the early development stages of the format.
So far, Boros Pixie has lived up to the hype, boasting a 60% day-one win rate, which is remarkable given that it was the most-played deck in the room. Initial vibes for the deck are great, and its play rate could easily increase in the coming weeks.
Nonetheless, as players adjust to the new hotness and targeted hate, its metagame share could also decrease in the long run. Given that Captain Kirk is seeing minimal play outside of Standard, Boros Pixie losing traction could easily cause the legend’s demand to decrease significantly.
At the end of the day, guessing MTG spikes like this with any degree of certainty is nearly impossible. So, we’ll just have to wait and see how Captain Kirk’s price tag continues to move.
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