Now that Lorwyn Eclipsed has been officially released for one week, it’s no secret that this set has been successful. MTG players have been praising it relentlessly online, and new cards have been popping up in every format. Commander players, in particular, have been blessed with tons of exciting new staples and impressive legends.
While the praises of Maralen and Morcant have been sung repeatedly, a few cards haven’t received that much attention. Doran, Besieged by Time, for instance, wasn’t given much of the spotlight, but he’s been doing work in the shadows. In fact, Doran has caused a pretty impressive price spike over the past few weeks.
MTG Doran, the Siege Tower
First released in the original Lorwyn set, Doran, the Siege Tower has always been a niche staple in MTG. While this legend’s single ability is rarely relevant for a lot of decks, it’s exactly what Toughness Matters decks need. This strength, in fact, has made Doran one of the go-to Commander options for this archetype, behind Arcades, the Strategist.
While Doran’s color identity prevents him from being played alongside Arcades, Abzan Toughness Matters decks are still fairly popular. Between Commanders like Felothar the Steadfast and Betor, Kin to All, plenty of decks can utilize Doran’s ability. Considering Doran turns all of your cheap and weak creatures into massive threats, this niche staple status isn’t too surprising.
Beyond just making your creatures with big butts a force to be reckoned with, Doran’s ability is notably symmetrical. Since each creature is affected by this, it can also serve as a handy piece of disruption against opponents, too. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that Doran is a shoo-in for any new on-color Toughness Matters deck.
Speaking of, that’s exactly what MTG players got in Lorwyn Eclipsed thanks to the new Doran, Besieged by Time. Providing impressive stat boosts while also reducing casting costs, this new Doran has quickly become a popular Commander choice. In fact, according to EDHREC, Doran, Besieged by Time is the third most popular Commander in the entire main set.
With Doran, the Siege Tower appearing in 75% of Doran, Besieged by Time lists, this card has seen a significant increase in demand. Somewhat surprisingly, considering Doran’s usual play rate and availability, this has caused a rather impressive price spike.
The Spike
Thanks to having three major printings and a trio of promos, Doran, the Siege Tower typically isn’t too expensive. Winding the clocks back a few months, near-mint non-foil copies from Double Masters 2022 were selling for around $2.50, for instance. Thanks to being naturally more scarce, equal condition copies from Lorwyn used to sell for closer to $4.50.
Curiously, while Lorwyn copies are unsurprisingly slow to sell, given their higher price point, Double Masters 2022 copies sell remarkably consistently. Over the past three months, 460 near-mint non-foil copies of this card have been sold, and demand hasn’t spiked sharply. That being said, there was a notable boost in sales, following Doran, Besieged by Time being spoiled in early January.
Thanks to this somewhat steady demand, and the new Doran, the price of Doran, the Siege Tower has been steadily climbing. Now, near-mint non-foil copies of this card are selling for an average of $10.91. Meanwhile, copies from the original Lorwyn set are still slightly more dear, going for around $14.
Unfortunately, The List variant of Doran, the Siege Tower is, miraculously, even more scarce at the moment. Currently, there are only three copies of this variant on TCGplayer in total, with prices starting at $12. For that price, you’ll only be able to pick up a lightly played example, too, which is hardly ideal.
Should you be in the market to spend, however, Wizards has you covered thanks to the promo variants. Out of these, From the Vault copies are currently the most affordable, with near-mint examples available for $15. After that, prices increase insanely quickly, as the Judge Promo now starts at $220, while the Champs and States Promo is going for $254!
99 Or Bust
While there is undeniable synergy between the new and old Doran, the Lorwyn Eclipsed variant is bad news for Doran, the Siege Tower. Simply put, the new Besieged by Time version of Doran is simply better, even if a touch more expensive. By offering basically the same effect, with extra goodness on top, there’s little reason to use the original Doran as a Commander anymore.
Due to this, it feels like Doran, the Siege Tower is destined to be relegated to the 99 from here on out. While this is bad news, it doesn’t mean this card will stop being played overnight. Thanks to the singleton nature of Commander, this Doran is bound to still be a staple in Toughness Matters decks for years.
In theory, this should keep demand for Doran, the Siege Tower fairly consistent, as has been the case for a while. With this in mind, it feels fairly likely that this Doran will end up settling above its usual price, once this spike calms down. Given the price of the original Lorwyn variant, a selling point of around $4 to $5 doesn’t feel unreasonable.
Ultimately, considering most Commander-based price spikes rise and fall over a few weeks, if not months, only time will tell what happens. In the meantime, it feels like there’s a good chance that other Toughness Matters cards will spike in the interim. Whether or not that will end up happening, however, remains to be seen for now.
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