Unfortunately for anyone hoping for some quiet after Lorwyn Eclipsed’s release, this has been an incredibly busy week for MTG. On Tuesday, Wizards suddenly revealed tons of Secrets of Strixhaven and Marvel Super Heroes details. Debuting new cards, preconstructed decks, and Commanders, there’s tons to pore over.
While none of these newly revealed cards are coming out for months, it’s still hard not get excited about them. This is especially true for the pair of main set Secrets of Strixhaven cards that were revealed. Debuting utterly insane abilities, these cards make the set look like it’ll certainly be one to remember.
In particular, Lorehold, the Historian has already caught the attention of MTG players thanks to insane synergy with a 33-year-old artifact.
MTG Library of Leng
Originally released in Magic’s very first set, Limited Edition Alpha, Library of Leng is a real blast from the past. Despite being somewhat underplayed in Commander, this ancient artifact is actually surprisingly useful. Offering an interesting counter to discard-based decks, and unlimited hand size at worst, it’s hard to knock this one mana artifact.
While uncapping your hand size is already worth one mana, Library of Leng’s discard effect is absolutely exploitable. Alongside Wan Shi Tong, All-Knowing and Sage of the Falls, for instance, Library of Leng can create infinite 1/1 Spirits. The same is also possible with Intruder Alarm and any basic Looter, giving the card surprisingly consistent utility.
As if this wasn’t enticing enough already, Library of Leng is exceptionally powerful alongside Lorehold, the Historian. Since this artifact is capable of putting discarded spells onto the top of your library, it perfectly sets up Miracle. Lorehold even feeds further into this, allowing you to discard and then draw any spell from your hand each opponent’s upkeep.
Essentially, this two-card combo makes each instant and sorcery in your hand cost two mana. Since this happens three times per turn cycle, the value you can get from this synergy is obscene. Thanks to the timing rules of Miracle, you’re even able to cast sorceries in this window, making the pair even better. The only slight downside is being locked to Boros with Lorehold as your Commander, although that’s hardly the end of the world.
Despite this slight downsides, MTG players have still been hugely excited by this synergy. As a result, we’ve seen a rush of sales in the past few days, pushing the price of Library of Leng up dramatically.
The Spike
Even though almost every printing of Library of Leng is over 30 years old, sales have been remarkably strong recently. In the past few days, over 300 non-foil copies of Library of Leng have been sold. Not only is this a miraculous spike in demand, but it’s also impressive that this many near-mint copies have been preserved for so long.
With so many good-condition copies sitting on digital store shelves, it’s no surprise that Library of Leng has long been fairly cheap. Across the most widely played and printed variants, the average price tends to be around $1.20 to $1.50. The latter is what Fifth Dawn copies of Library of Leng have been selling for, until a couple of days ago.
Following MTG players rediscovering this card and spotting the new synergy, prices have skyrocketed up to $9.99. Despite this sudden 522% increase, copies have still been selling at this price point. That being said, while prices are up across the board, not every copy of Library of Leng is so dear.
Copies from Fourth Edition and Revised Edition, for instance, are currently selling for between $6 and $7. While this is an enticing slight saving, there’s very little supply left at all. Due to this, prices could quickly increase from this point, should sales continue. The only real saving grace is that worse-condition copies are still available for as little as $2.16.
Should you want to spend even more money, for whatever reason, Limited Edition Alpha copies are the best bet. Currently, a near mint example from this set will run you $300, while copies from Limited Edition Beta are only $125.
Positive Potential
Currently, while Library of Leng isn’t exactly the cheapest card post-price spike, it’s not a terrible deal either. Between existing infinite combos, discard synergy, and now the new Lorehold, there are plenty of places it can see play. Given this, it could stick as a $5 or even a $10 MTG card long term.
While this could end up being the settling price for Library of Leng in the long term, this spike is unlikely to immediately stop here. With supply at an all-time low and demand soaring, prices may well continue to surge in the coming weeks. That being said, while there’s theoretically still potential in this card, there’s a non-zero chance its price could crash completely.
Despite being printed in Alpha, Library of Leng was one of the many original MTG cards reprinted in Fourth Edition, so it’s not on the Reserved List. Theoretically, this means Wizards could reprint this card in Secrets of Strixhaven, or another upcoming 2026 MTG set. Admittedly, while this is possible, it doesn’t seem very likely.
Ultimately, since we can’t predict the future of MTG, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. While early specs are happening now, this card will be one to watch when Secrets of Strixhaven releases in April. With the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set releasing before then, however, the current hype will die out long before then.
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