Between the recent bans and release of MTG Avatar, the Standard metagame has been in a state of constant flux. We’ve seen new, seemingly ban-worthy decks rise up repeatedly, only to be beaten by a new innovation. Remarkably, given the sheer volume of games being played digitally, the Standard metagame still hasn’t been solved just yet.
Thanks to ever ever-evolving Standard metagame, we’ve seen a range of MTG prices happening recently. Powerful cards like Boomerang Basics and Monument to Endurance have all shot up in price. Now, the same thing is happening to Splash Portal, thanks to its powerful potential as a cantrip with extra upside.
MTG Splash Portal
Released last year in MTG Bloomburrow, Splash Portal is, situationally, a very powerful MTG card. So long as you’re targeting a Bird, Frog, Otter, or Rat, this one mana flicker spell is a cantrip. In theory, this makes it very easy to get value out of the card, as not only can you exploit enters effect, but it replaces itself too.
Despite this impressive value potential, Splash Portal’s restriction is significant. Only being able to hit four creature types for maximum value has kept this card from running amok in every bounce deck. That said, if you’ve got an ETB effect that’s strong enough, then it can still be worthwhile to play Splash Portal.
Currently, Splash Portal is seeing play alongside Quantum Riddler as a way to cheat this sizable Sphinx in early. Simply Warp it in on turn three, hit it with a Splash Portal, and you can keep it around for good. Not only does this give you a 4/6 flyer, but you’ll also draw at least two cards for your trouble. You can even do this on turn two if you play Momo, Friendly Flier first.
On top of seeing play alongside Quantum Riddler, many Izzet decks in Standard are also playing Thundertrap Trainer. Thanks to being an Otter, this card has extra synergy with Splash Portal, as it’ll always replace itself while you dig for an extra card. Despite this extra benefit, however, Riddler is definitely the main target for this uncommon sorcery.
Outside of Standard, Splash Portal is fairly popular in Commander, especially within the relevant typal decks. On top of this, this card is also useful in Exhaust decks, like those helmed by Loot, the Pathfinder. Even without the extra cantrip effect, having a one-mana flicker spell is always useful.
The Spike
Despite seeing play in Standard and Commander, Splash Portal is by no means a multiformat staple in MTG. Due to this, the card has long been fairly cheap, bordering on being draft chaff. Until recently, you could easily pick up a copy of this uncommon for just $0.30 on average. Now, however, with demand increasing, prices have been on the up and up.
Following the Standard bans back on November 10th, there’s been a steep uptick in sales of Splash Portal. This was due to the card being needed to keep the Izzet Prowess dream alive after bans killed off Vivi Cauldron. Thanks to this, on average, around 30 copies have been sold each day since then, which has put a real dent in supply.
Unsurprisingly, the recent rise of Izzet decks has exacerbated this problem, causing prices to finally spike. Currently, near-mint non-foil copies of Splash Portal start at $1.69 on TCGplayer. While this is already a 463% price spike, TCGplayer Direct sales have pushed the current market price even higher, to $2.15.
Notably, while sales for Splash Portal have been fairly consistent without issue, it isn’t the most common MTG card. As an uncommon, in fact, non-foil copies are fairly scarce, and there aren’t any fancy alternative art variants to boost supply. Due to this, there’s not much supply left on the market, with only 75 near-mint listings offering 399 copies in total.
Typal or Bust
As much as we can’t predict the future, I don’t expect Splash Portal to become a $5-$10 format staple anytime soon. The card does have its uses, of course, but it either needs an insane enters effect to exploit, a loophole like Warp, or strong typal cards. Even though this is a pretty good spread of possibilities, only Warp is really enough to break parity and make this spell worthwhile.
Should the spell-slinging archetype that this pair excels in fall out of favor, Splash Portal’s price will likely falter. Currently, whether or not this will happen is up in the air, but it’s definitely a distinct possibility. Since the Standard metagame is still slowly stabilizing, it’s unclear which way it may end up going.
Between Mono-Red Aggro surging in popularity once more and Golgari Roots utilizing tons of graveyard hate, Izzet is having a tough time. In theory, these decks, alongside Badgermole Cub-based ramp lists, may all balance each other out into a perfect ecosystem. Whether or not this will happen, however, very much remains to be seen.
Realistically, unless Izzet Prowess or Splash comes out on top, there shouldn’t be a second explosion in demand. This, in turn, should keep prices in check, especially with sales slowing down. Should the remaining sales continue for long enough to drain the available supply, however, an additional price spike is possible. Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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