Despite Secrets of Strixhaven being one of the best-looking sets in years, it hasn’t set the MTG markets alight. Even with five precons to pick between, we’ve only seen a handful of spikes recently. In theory, MTG players might be waiting until the set actually releases. Either that, or this set simply might not live up to the tremendous hype online.
Curiously, instead of Secrets of Strixhaven taking the lead, a new take on a classic Modern deck is driving demand. Recently pushed into the spotlight by AspiringSpike, a new Affinity deck is causing a 20-year-old legend to spike in price. It’s still early days, but if this deck continues to perform, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant could end up being a real heavy hitter.
MTG Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
Released way back in 2005’s Saviors of Kamigawa, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant is a devastatingly powerful MTG card. While it takes some work to get it there, once flipped, this card can completely shut down opponents. Unless your opponent has extra spells to burn and removal to use, this card can end the game on the spot.
Thanks to this strength, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant has been banned as a Commander since 2011. Outside of Commander, the card has struggled to see play for a long time, since flipping it is troublesome. That said, as AspiringSpike proved recently, the card is actually insane within an Affinity shell.
Alongside tons of zero-cost artifacts and one-cost spells, flipping Erayo, Soratami Ascendant is remarkably easy. Play your hand right, and you can even do this on turn two, if you’re careful. If you manage this, depending on the matchup, the game is effectively over, as your opponent will be locked out of casting half their spells.
As devastating as this game plan is, the newly named Izzet Erayo deck is also just a compelling Affinity shell. With Pinnacle Emissary and the ever-reliable Emry, Lurker of the Loch, this deck doesn’t need Erayo to win. Interesting, AspiringSpike is also running April O’Neil, Hacktivist, to provide even more card draw.
Currently, while it does seem very powerful, it’s still very early days for Izzet Erayo. A couple of early Modern League wins are a promising start, but it’s difficult to say how it’ll hold up long term. Even without the guarantee of this being a new tier one deck option, however, demand for Erayo, Soratami Ascendant has still shot up.
The Spike
While Erayo, Soratami Ascendant hasn’t been played in Commander or constructed formats for ages, it has always been surprisingly expensive. Back in March, for instance, a near-mint copy of Erayo would set you back around $8. This unusually high price was thanks to a similar Modern Affinity deck that briefly performed in early 2025.
Despite this deck only being a flash in the pan, the price spike it caused miraculously stuck around. Thanks to this, there wasn’t much supply left on the market for Erayo, Soratami Ascendant’s latest surge in popularity. Even though just 25 near-mint copies have been sold since AspiringSpike’s first League win with Izzet Erayo, prices have still shot up.
So far, sales for Erayo, Soratami Ascendant have peaked at $20.97, marking a 152% price spike in one month. As if this wasn’t enough, new listings for near-mint copies are significantly more expensive, starting at $29.98. Considering Erayo only has its original printing providing supply, it might not be long before these expensive copies start selling.
Thankfully, if you don’t care about quality, moderately played examples of Erayo, Soratami Ascendant can be picked up for $20. With lightly played copies going for $22, it’s technically possible to get a few deals right now.
Plenty of Potential
In theory, even at $30, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant could still be a sound investment. If Izzet Erayo becomes a powerful and popular deck in Modern, the demand for this card would skyrocket. Even without Commander propping up the market, the scarcity of Erayo means it has huge potential.
Realistically, though, there’s absolutely no guarantee that this MTG card will be the next big thing. Not only is Modern not an easy format to break into at all, but Affinity arguably doesn’t need this card at all. As powerful as Erayo, Soratami Ascendant is at shutting down opponents, Affinity decks could just win, instead.
Thanks to Erayo, Soratami Ascendant essentially being optional, right now at least, its future is very much suspect. Even if it does end up being popular in Modern, however, a reprint could easily decimate this card’s price. While flip cards do look very different nowadays, there’s no reason Wizards couldn’t reprint this card eventually.
All of that said, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant is definitely an MTG card to watch right now. Even if it doesn’t end up becoming a mainstay in Modern, clearly, this card has potential. As such, it may only be a matter of time before it breaks out properly and Erayo becomes seriously expensive.
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