Over the past few weeks, a multitude of common and uncommon Standard staples have spiked in price. From Torch the Tower to Anoint with Affliction, well-positioned cards of low rarity have been poised for price increases.
Today, we’re going to talk about a potent one-drop that sees extensive play in Standard and Pioneer. Thanks in large part to its synergy with both Enduring Curiosity and Gleeful Demolition, this card has become one of the most played cards in Standard. We are, of course, talking about Spyglass Siren.
Spyglass Siren
- Mana Value: U
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Stats: 1/1
- Card Type: Creature – Siren Pirate
- Card Text: Flying.
When Spyglass Siren enters the battlefield, create a Map token. (It’s an artifact with “1, Tap: Sacrifice this artifact: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.”)
Spyglass Siren is more than your average one-drop. A 1/1 flier for one mana is nothing special, but the Map token provided is a lot more valuable than it looks. We mentioned how important Spyglass Siren is at enabling Gleeful Demolition out of Jeskai Convoke. On top of that, the Map token comes in handy alongside Warden of the Inner Sky‘s activated ability.
Even without any other major synergies, the Map token can make your Spyglass Siren much more threatening if you hit a nonland card. Of course, the cheap, evasive body of Spyglass Siren helps ensure your copies of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares don’t get stranded in your hand.
Given how popular Dimir decks have gotten in Standard, it makes sense that Spyglass Siren would spike in price due to increased demand.
In Pioneer Dimir tempo shells, Spyglass Siren does a great job setting up Moon-Circuit Hacker in the same way. It’s easy to rack up lots of Map tokens by replaying Spyglass Siren or copying the powerful one-drop with Mockingbird. Spyglass Siren is much more than a one-trick pony.
The Spike
Spyglass Siren has seen some rather large fluctuations over the last few months when it comes to price. Back in September, there was a point where Spyglass Siren didn’t even crack the 25-cent mark, according to TCGplayer market price history. In the last month, the card’s lowest point came in late November, where it sat at 53 cents.
Over the next couple weeks, Spyglass Siren began to rise steadily as Dimir Tempo and Jeskai Convoke became more and more popular. It reached its peak on December 13 at $2.60, which is roughly a 360% price spike.
Importantly, though, this number is already starting to drop. In just two days, the $2.60 mark has been reduced to $1.78. It’s quite possible that $2.60 may be the peak price for Spyglass Siren for quite some time.
Regardless, Spyglass Siren joins a long list of low-rarity cards to see a major price shift thanks to increased demand. Don’t underestimate the power of this pesky Pirate.
