While spoiler season for Secrets of Strixhaven is looming ever closer, we’ve hardly been starved for content recently. Not only was a new ban announced yesterday, but we also got the Dandan Secret Lair precon last week. As if this wasn’t enough to get excited about, a shipping snafu caused the upcoming Goblin Storm precon to be revealed in its entirety.
As the name somewhat suggests, this currently unannounced precon blends Goblin Typal and Storm strategies with tons of Secret Lair flair. While the deck itself has tons of high-value reprints, a few iconic and powerful Goblins didn’t make the cut. Thanks to this, we’re now seeing some of these missed cards spike significantly in price.
MTG Muxus, Goblin Grandee
Originally released back in 2020’s Jumpstart set, Muxus, Goblin Grandee does a lot of work in Goblin Typal decks. Essentially, for six mana, you can cheat in any Goblins from the top six cards of your library into play, which isn’t bad at all. While there is technically a cap on the cost of these Goblins, there are only seven on-color Goblins that cost more than five mana.
On top of this, Muxus, Goblin Grandee is one hell of a beater when attacking. Since Goblin Typal decks usually go wide, Muxus can easily buff itself to an insane degree, becoming a properly scary threat. Thanks to this, it’s little wonder that Muxus is a staple within Goblin Typal decks, according to EDHREC.
While Muxus is arguably at its best in Commander, this mana-intensive Goblin is even Legacy playable. Frequently appearing in Rakdos and Jund Goblins decks in the format, the demand for Muxus has long been fairly high.
Despite having staple status within Goblin decks, Muxus, Goblin Grandee seemingly didn’t make the cut for the Goblin Storm precon. While it doesn’t help out the Storm side of things, the card is still a natural upgrade for the precon. Even if you’re not just focusing on Goblins, cheating a bunch of potential support into play is always useful.
Unfortunately, if you like the sound of this upgrade, Muxus, Goblin Grandee, has been steadily climbing in price recently.
The Spike
While Muxus, Goblin Grandee technically has a lot of printings, none of them have been particularly high-volume. Even after reprints in Jumpstart 2022 and the List, fairly low supply has left Muxus susceptible to demand spikes. This is exactly what we’ve seen recently, as demand has been ramping up ever since the Goblin Storm precon was leaked last month.
Looking back a few months, Muxus used to sell for around $5, but it’s been steadily climbing since mid-January. Now, original Jumpstart copies of Muxus, Goblin Grandee start at around $13, including shipping. Unfortunately, with prices up across the board, even the cheapest copy of Muxus is $12 right now.
Sadly, if you’re after something that better fits the aesthetic of Goblin Storm, the Secret Lair printing is obscenely expensive right now. Non-foil Secret Lair copies are currently selling for $40, up from $22. The foil variant, meanwhile, is currently selling for a staggering $69, up from $26 a few months ago.
While this is a huge $43 price spike, it’s easy to see the appeal behind the Secret Lair variant specifically. It might not be a perfect match, but the Goblin & Squabblin’ Secret Lair both have the same artist, after all. On top of this, since the Secret Lair reprints in the Goblin Storm precon are foil, that’s the most fitting variant.
A Long Wait?
Combining all of this, there’s basically a perfect storm for Secret Lair demand. Whether or not this will last, however, is another question entirely. For now, we don’t even know when the Goblin Storm precon will be officially released, as Wizards hasn’t mentioned it at all. At best, maybe this recent post on socials alludes to it, but even that feels like a stretch.
As a result, there’s a high chance MTG players will have to wait a while for this precon. Sadly, this could cause the price of Muxus, Goblin Grandee to go either way. Since it’s unofficial right now, this could be the calm before the storm, or it could be all we’re getting. Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Before then, it’s also worth noting that most other Goblin & Squabblin’ cards have been spiking in price, too. The foil Secret Lair printing of Goblin Recruiter, in particular, has jumped from $20 to $45, as it makes a fantastic upgrade. Curiously, the foil Goblin Lackey has also spiked significantly, from $24 to $75, despite being reprinted in the precon.
With foil copies of Goblin Matron having also spiked up to $45, unsurprisingly, sealed copies of the Secret Lair have gone insane. If you want to pick up the Goblin & Squabblin’ drop in Rainbow Foil now, it’ll set you back $268. Considering this Secret Lair drop used to sell for around $95, it’s safe to say that prices are up considerably.
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