Ever since the set was announced, MTG players could have expected that The Hobbit would focus on Dwarves and Treasures. As the central themes of the book, we were bound to get support for these archetypes in the set. Thankfully, the support we did get didn’t disappoint, as we’ve got plenty of new best-in-slot options for focused Commander decks.
Unsurprisingly, the new support and new Commanders have caused a wide array of price spikes since The Hobbit was released. Curiously, some of these spikes, like Magda, the Hoardmaster, have been very slow-going, but there’s no escaping it now. Should sales continue as they have been, this Magda may end up being surprisingly expensive before long.
MTG Magda, the Hoardmaster
Thanks to its ability to consistently create Treasure Tokens, it’s easy to see why Magda, the Hoardmaster is in demand right now. The Hobbit introduced tons of new Treasure-focused Commanders, and Magda works with them all. Alongside the new
Smaug the Magnificent
Smaug the Magnificent
Flying, haste
Whenever Smaug attacks, he deals damage equal to the number of Treasures you control to any target.
At the beginning of your upkeep, create a Treasure token.
, for instance, Magda boosts your Treasure-based damage, since Smaug is committing Crimes.
Unfortunately, while Smaug can easily commit a Crime per combat, that’s kind of where Magda stops each turn. Thankfully, extra support can make committing four Crimes per turn cycle trivial, which can really push Smaug over the edge. As if that wasn’t enough, you can even repurpose any spare Treasures into Dragon Tokens, though hoarding Treasures is usually better.
Speaking of hoarding Treasures, that’s exactly what
Thorin, King of Durin’s Folk
Thorin, King of Durin’s Folk
Whenever Thorin or another Dwarf you control enters, create a Treasure token.
Other Dwarves you control get +1/+0 for each artifact token you control.
wants to do. While Magda does need more support here to regularly commit Crimes, as a Dwarf, it’ll receive Thorin’s quickly scaling buff. Curiously, despite this stellar synergy, this Magda only appears in around 18% of Thorin lists so far.
Beyond these two especially synergistic legends, Magda, the Hoardmaster can also be found in
Smaug, Wicked Worm
Smaug, Wicked Worm
Flying
When Smaug enters, create X tapped Treasure tokens, where X is the number of artifacts your opponents control.
Whenever you cast a spell, if mana from a Treasure was spent to cast it, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
and
Smaug the Impenetrable
Smaug the Impenetrable
Flying, indestructible, haste
Whenever Smaug is dealt noncombat damage, create that many Treasure tokens.
lists. While the play rate isn’t as high here, the general Treausure focus still makes Magda a powerful inclusion. Hell, according to EDHREC, Magda is even being played in
Dáin of the Ancient Halls
Dáin of the Ancient Halls
Vigilance, haste
Whenever Dáin attacks, he deals damage equal to the number of Dwarves you control to each opponent.
decks, thanks to just being a Dwarf.
The Spike
Thanks to so many different decks wanting Magda, the Hoardmaster, it’s little wonder this card has spiked in price. Admittedly, it has taken a while, since there’s always been a fair amount of supply kicking around. Not only was Magda released relatively recently in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, but it has a handful of different variants, too.
Since supply was never an issue before, copies of Magda, the Hoardmaster used to sell for around $0.42. Sadly, this low point from back in late June is now long gone, as a near-mint non-foil copy will set you back $1.69. Thankfully, Magda is still a fairly budget card at this price, but it has still climbed 302%.
Notably, while there are still over 150 near-mint copies of Magda, the Hoardmaster on TCGplayer, prices increase rather quickly. All it’ll take is another handful of sales before it’s pushing closer to $3. While this does make the card’s future well worth watching, there are plenty of printings to keep an eye on.
As is often the case for extended art variants, this version of Magda is currently selling for $2.69. Curiously, however, the Buy-a-Box promo, which has unique art, can be picked up for just $1 for a near-mint copy. Notably, this printing is only available in foil, but if you don’t mind that, it’s arguably the one to get.
An Uncertain Future
When looking ahead, trying to predict the future of a card like Magda, the Hoardmaster isn’t exactly easy. On the one hand, there’s still decent supply left on the secondary market, and the initial demand wave should be over. In theory, this could cause prices to drop as sales slow, which is a real concern for any investors.
As much as this could be a problem, however, Wizards of the Coast routinely prints new Treasure-focused MTG cards. Should any of these new support options be compelling Commanders, then Magda, the Hoardmaster could see another popularity spike. Coming off the back of The Hobbit, this could push Magda’s price up dramatically, far higher than it’s ever been.
Even with this exciting potential in mind, however, there’s always the concern that Magda could be reprinted. While it does care about Crimes, Magda could easily pop up in a future precon or bonus sheet down the line. If this does happen, the price of Magda would surely tank back down to past lows, since demand could be easily sated.
Ultimately, as always, it’s impossible to know when, or if, a reprint or new support might be printed. As such, we can only really wait and see what happens in the coming months. Looking ahead, it does seem unlikely that Magda will be reprinted this year, but you can never say never with MTG.
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