Savvy Trader may not be a card that many MTG players are familiar with. This Commander card from Outlaws of Thunder Junction was easy to overlook. Despite this, the card has suddenly spiked from $1 to $4 throughout August. The card certainly has some powerful abilities attached to it, but new tech from Bloomburrow is inspiring players to flock to this seemingly unexciting Human Citizen.
Savvy Trader
- Mana Value: 3G
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 3/3
- MTG Set: Commander: Outlaws of Thunder Junction
- Card Text: When Savvy Trader enters the battlefield, exile target permanent card from your graveyard. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled. Spells you cast from anywhere other than your hand cost (1) less to cast.
You can find Savvy Trader in the Grand Larceny Commander Precon from Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Since this deck cares about stealing cards from your opponent and casting them, Savvy Trader will reduce a lot of spell costs of cards you steal from your opponent.
As for why Savvy Trader is going up now, it appears that the card is seeing play in Commanders released in Bloomburrow. Popular alongside Glarb, Calamity’s Augur and Flubs, the Fool, both of these Commanders want to cast cards in zones other than their hands. Glarb casts expensive cards from the top of your deck, which Savvy Trader can reduce the cost of. On top of this innate synergy, Savvy Trader can also recast a card that Flubs may have discarded.
Finally, Savvy Trader is also seeing play in Muerra, Trash Tactitian Commander decks, and that inclusion may make the most sense of all. Muerra acts as a card advantage engine, but you need to be constantly Expending eight mana to get its Impulse draw effect online. Savvy Trader can re-cast something from your graveyard while making expensive spells exiled by Muerra easier to cast in short order.
This may have shone a spotlight on Savvy Trader, encouraging players to try it in other Commander decks. The card seems incredibly powerful in Muldrotha, the Gravetide, for example. Not only can you re-cast this card should it die, but Savvy Trader will reduce the cost of everything that you cast from your graveyard.
Should You Consider This Card?
If your MTG Commander deck is casting a lot of spells from places other than your hand and can support the green color identity of Savvy Trader, it could be a strong inclusion. Four mana means that you really need this card to do a lot of work in order for it to be worthwhile. Otherwise, a simple Eternal Witness might be able to do a better job.
Sadly, a lot of the other cards that award players for casting spells outside of their hand are not in the green color identity. This certainly slows things down for Savvy Trader a bit, but as discussed in this article, the card has definitely found its home in the Commander format.
Read More: Bloomburrow Standard Staple Spikes By Over 300%
