From the moment the set was playable, multiple cards from Marvel Super Heroes made an immediate impact on competitive formats. As expected, one of these cards was so powerful that it was banned almost instantly. While nothing else is quite that powerful, the set still has a few heavy hitters that have been doing serious work.
In Modern, for instance, Hex Magic has been putting up some seriously impressive results since it became playable. Somewhat unsurprisingly, this has kept demand for the card high, resulting in an early price spike.
MTG Hex Magic
As soon as it was revealed, it was clear that Hex Magic was an incredible MTG card. Drawing you up to seven cards without support, while letting you play the exiled ones, is obscene card advantage. Even if you’re not pushing it to its limits, doubling your hand for a turn is really easy to exploit.
To top it all off, Hex Magic is an Arcane spell, which opens up synergies with cards like Desperate Ritual. Thanks to this and its card draw potential, Hex Magic was a natural inclusion in Modern Ruby Storm decks. Appearing as a four-of, this card has quickly solidified itself as a new staple within the archetype.
Curiously, despite being a serious boost to Ruby Storm decks, Hex Magic hasn’t made the archetype format warping-ly dominant. Instead, based on recent results, it’s failed to break into the top eight in many challenges. While it has no problems topping leagues, it’s still surprisingly fair for a Storm deck.
Notably, while it has found the most success in Modern, Hex Magic has also seen Legacy play. Appearing in the format’s own Storm decks, this card has strong multiformat potential, though it is still proving itself. Curiously, the same is also true in Commander.
Between Spellslingers lists like Ral, Monsoon Mage, and Exile-focused decks like Prosper, Tome-Bound, Hex Magic definitely has a place in Commander. That said, with bursts of card draw less needed in the format, it might not see widespread play. Even if this doesn’t happen, clearly there’s already enough demand to make this card compelling.
The Spike
Given how hyped Hex Magic was following its reveal, it’s remarkable that it used to be so cheap. When Prerelease events first kicked off, you could pick up a near-mint copy of this card for just $0.33. While prices did rise slightly ahead of the actual release date, it was still selling for just $0.58 before falling to $0.50.
As much as Hex Magic is an uncommon, for a card that was bound to see strong play, this price was a steal. With this in mind, it’s little wonder that it has been climbing following the lull after release. In fact, since release, over 3,300 near-mint copies have been sold, with around 170 copies changing hands each day.
Given this consistent demand, it’s little wonder that supply has decreased dramatically and prices have shot up. Currently, a near-mint copy of Hex Magic will set you back around $1.90 at the very least. While this marks a strong 280% price spike in just a few weeks, foil prices have been going ballistic in that time.
Thanks to slightly lowered pull rates for uncommons in Collector Boosters, this variant is surprisingly expensive. Currently, a foil Hex Magic will set you back $7.50, including shipping, which is nuts considering this is a competitive-focused card. With most major tournaments not tolerating foils due to pringling, it’s clearly scarcity that’s driving this price.
An Upcoming Test
Looking ahead, we’ll soon get to see exactly how powerful the Hex Magic-fuelled Ruby Storm decks are. In a couple of weeks, Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes will kick off using the Modern format. Should the newly empowered Ruby Storm decks perform well at this event, then demand for Hex Magic could skyrocket.
Considering the recent results that Hex Magic has been putting up, I somewhat doubt it’ll take the Pro Tour by storm. Even if this doesn’t happen, however, demand for the card is unlikely to die out overnight. Not only is the Ruby Storm archetype beloved, but there’s also demand from Commander.
All in all, Hex Magic feels like the kind of MTG card we’ll see a lot of in the future. For now, it’s still not that expensive, in the grand scheme of MTG, but that could easily change. With good results or new support potentially draining supply further, it won’t take much for prices to increase.
For now, since we can’t predict the future, it’s unclear what’ll happen to the price of Hex Magic going forward. Thankfully, given how close the Pro Tour is, we shouldn’t have to wait long for answers.
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