Fittingly, as a capstone set that ends a three-year story arc, MTG Reality Fracture is an all-around slam dunk. Not only was the story on point, but the set contained tons of soon-to-be staples as well. To top it off, this set also had plenty of new and exciting Commanders, thanks to a rather unique precon.
As if all this somehow wasn’t enough, this set also contained plenty of exciting new support pieces for the 99. Thanks to some of these, we’re now seeing some seriously impressive price spikes, as classic legends get an upgrade.
MTG Commodore Guff
First released as the face Commander of the Planeswalker Party precon, Commodore Guff has long been a popular Commander. Thanks to offering a similar Proliferate-esque passive to
Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice
Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice
Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
, Guff can easily support a Planeswalker-filled Jeskai deck. Since he can also ramp, refill your hand, and burn opponents, it’s little wonder that he’s so popular.
While Commodore Guff is already plenty powerful, new additions from Reality Fracture have made Planeswalkers stronger than ever. New cards like
Way of the Pyromancer
Way of the Pyromancer
When Way of the Pyromancer enters, empower Jace 2. (Put two loyalty counters on a Jace token you control. If you don't control one, first create a blue Jace planeswalker token with "[−1]: Surveil 1" and "[−3]: Draw a card.")
Planeswalkers you control have "[+1]: Add {R}."
are a huge speed-increasing addition to the archetype, for instance. Similarly, Way of the Mind Sculptor[/tooltips] is another stellar addition that can easily trigger multiple times per turn.
Alongside the new “Way of the” cards, Reality Fracture also gave us new Planeswalkers like
Ajani Unrelenting
Ajani Unrelenting
Whenever you activate a loyalty ability, create a 2/2 colorless Wizard Soldier creature token named Cadet.
+1: Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain haste until end of turn.
−2: Discard your hand, then draw a card for each creature you control.
−3: Ajani deals 4 damage to each creature except for tokens you control.
. With this Ajani triggering whenever you use a Loyalty ability, it quickly helps Guff build a healthy board. Beyond this, on EDHREC, MTG players are also running
The Theorist, Jace Beleren
The Theorist, Jace Beleren
At the beginning of each opponent's draw step, you draw a card.
+1: Create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token.
−2: For each opponent, return up to one target artifact or creature that player controls to its owner's hand.
−6: Draw three cards. Then put X +1/+1 counters on each creature you control, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
with Commodore Guff, as it’s just a strong and interesting card.
A Strong Sudden Spike
Because players want to play these new support cards, Commodore Guff has seen a sharp price increase recently. Curiously, while prices have spiked over 1,150%, Guff’s sales and play rate increase aren’t nearly as impressive. On TCGplayer, only a touch over 150 near-mint copies have sold in the month. Meanwhile, EDHREC shows only a couple hundred Commodore Guff decks are using the new cards.
Despite this modest uptick, it’s still been enough to push prices up, since Commodore Guff is rather rare. Unlike many modern face Commanders, Commodore Guff can’t be found in Collector Boosters or anywhere else. As such, supply is lower than expected, especially since most precons get played rather than pulled apart.
As a result, it hasn’t taken much to push prices up from their past lows of around $1.30. At this price, Commodore Guff really was a steal, given they’re one of the best choices for a Superfriends deck. Now, however, a near-mint traditional foil will cost a staggering $16.50.
Notably, if you’re in the market for a copy of Commodore Guff, traditional foil or etched foil are your only options. Sadly, the latter of these technically isn’t a legal choice, as it’s printed on thicker card stock. While this does dampen this variant’s appeal, it should be fine for casual Commander, and it’s a steal at $0.34, too.
The Price of Performance
Looking ahead, Commodore Guff is a bit of a weird one to pin down. In theory, the limited printing of this Commander could easily keep its price high, especially since it’s consistently in-demand. In theory, even post-Reality Fracture, demand should be fairly stable, given it’s one of the better Superfriends Commanders.
That being said, having Commodore Guff consistently sell for $16 and beyond is potentially a bit much. Since this Planeswalker is only really played in Superfriends decks, the demand, while stable, isn’t hugely high. Compared to more versatile options, like
Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice
Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice
Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
, Guff is a bit simple, so it makes sense to be significantly cheaper.
Beyond that, since scarcity drives Commodore Guff’s price, it’s worth noting that a reprint would be devastating. Any new reprint, from a bonus sheet, Secret Lair, or even as a Special Guest, would meaningfully increase supply. While this could easily cause Guff’s price to tank, there’s no telling when or if it’ll happen.
Ultimately, with the future of MTG, price spikes especially, being rather fickle, we can only wait and see what happens. Given MTG Star Trek isn’t eons away, Commodore Guff’s price could drop sooner rather than later. Whether this set will be enough to change Commander players’ interest, however, remains to be seen.
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