While it took some time to get going, since its release, Secrets of Strixhaven has dominated the MTG financial markets. At first, it seemed MTG players couldn’t get enough of the Silverquill Influence precon; however, hype around this has died down somewhat. Now, it’s seemingly the time for Golgari cards to shine, as cards like Enduring Tenacity are on the up and up.
MTG Enduring Tenacity
Released not too long ago in Duskmourn: House of Horror, Enduring Tenacity is, mostly, a very simple card. Essentially, it’s a cheaper Sanguine Bond on a stick that comes back after being removed. Thanks to this, it’s arguably a better Sanguine Bond, too, and it’s seeing tons of play as a result.
According to EDHREC, Enduring Tenacity currently appears in around 144,000 Commander decks. While this play rate is hardly to be scoffed at, it’s technically a long way off from where it could be. With Sanguine Bond appearing in 233,000 decks, Enduring Tenacity definitely has room to grow.
Speaking of its growing play rate, Secrets of Strixhaven is responsible for Enduring Tenacity finding around 4,700 new homes thanks to Blech, Loafing Pest and Dina, Essence Brewer. With both of these cards leaning into Golgari’s tendency for lifegain, Enduring Tenacity becomes a consistent source of damage.
On top of easily dealing damage each turn, Enduring Tenacity also enables plenty of classic combos. Just like Sanguine Bond, it can go infinite with Exquisite Blood or Bloodthirsty Conqueror. Considering these cards are also easy additions to Blech and Dina decks, it’s no wonder Enduring Tenacity is so popular right now.
The Spike
Despite being a staple in Commander and an auto-include within lifegain decks, Enduring Tenacity used to be surprisingly affordable. Back in early March, for instance, near-mint non-foil default frame copies were going for just $4.60 on TCGplayer. While this isn’t exactly a budget price point, this past price is definitely a fond memory now.
Thanks to over 1700 near-mint non-foil copies of Enduring Tenacity being sold in the past month, its price has shot up dramatically. Now, if you’re after a default frame copy, it’ll set you back $15.45, including shipping. With only 55 listings left for this variant, too, there’s a real chance it’ll keep climbing.
Unfortunately, while there are some slight savings with the extended art variant, the price difference isn’t significant. With near-mint extended art copies starting at $13.90, you’re only saving a little over a dollar. Even lightly played copies are going for around $14, so you won’t have much luck there, either.
As you’d expect, the showcase and fracture foil variants of Enduring Tenacity are even more dear right now. With near-mint foil showcase copies going for $47 and fracture foils starting at $200, these variants have also jumped dramatically in price.
The Future
As a price spike that’s driven by Commander, usually we’d expect the price of Enduring Tenacity to fall off eventually. While demand is high right now, it’s rarely sustainable for long, especially as new decks come out. In theory, with Marvel Super Heroes on the near horizon, this should happen sooner, rather than later.
Despite this being a well-established trend, Enduring Tenacity is a hugely versatile card. Right now, it’s somewhat scarce, too, as it has only one printing, unlike Sanguine Bond. Sadly, since it’s better than the previous card, it’s definitely worth paying more for it. Potentially, this could mean that Enduring Tenacity just keeps climbing in the short term.
Realistically, considering how useful this card is, it might take a reprint to bring the card’s price down dramatically. Sadly, there’s no telling when this might happen, since Wizards has cut down on the sources for reprints recently. As a result, we could theoretically be waiting for years, giving Enduring Tenacity plenty of time to get truly expensive.
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