In Magic: The Gathering, typal decks are usually pretty isolated affairs, outside of a few type-mashing exceptions. Even then, support rarely crosses over beyond the archetype-boosting super staples that are everywhere.
This makes Uchuulon a bit of a novelty in MTG, as it’s surprisingly solid in a range of decks. In particular, two new Commanders from Mystery Booster: Commander Edition have been adopting this card, leading to increased demand.
Now that this much-anticipated set is finally available, we’re seeing the price of Uchuulon reach a new peak. Climbing over 380% in the past few months, it’s worth checking your bulk bin to see if you’re sitting on this gem.
MTG Uchuulon
Released as part of the Mind Flayarrrs precon from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, Uchuulon is a rather unique hybrid. Technically, it does work without support, denying cards from an opponent’s graveyard while steadily copying itself over and over.
Naturally, this effect works wonders with token doublers, but realistically it’s best in dedicated typal decks. So long as you’ve got tons of Crabs, Oozes, and/or Horrors, each Uchuulon can pack a real punch.
Thanks to this potential power, Uchuulon has long been included in Horror Typal decks like
Umbris, Fear Manifest
Umbris, Fear Manifest
Umbris gets +1/+1 for each card your opponents own in exile.
Whenever Umbris or another Nightmare or Horror you control enters, target opponent exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile a land card.
. Unsurprisingly, it’s also incredibly popular in its home precon, helmed by
Captain N’ghathrod
Captain N’ghathrod
Horrors you control have menace.
Whenever a Horror you control deals combat damage to a player, that player mills that many cards.
At the beginning of your end step, choose target artifact or creature card in an opponent's graveyard that was put there from their library this turn. Put it onto the battlefield under your control.
.
More recently, however, Uchuulon has become a staple in
Homer, the Hermit
Homer, the Hermit
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, any number of target players each mill X cards, where X is twice the number of Crabs, Lobsters, Nautiluses, Starfish, and/or Trilobites you control.
, and
Uugguu, the Omniplasm
Uugguu, the Omniplasm
Whenever another nontoken Ooze creature you control dies, create two tokens that are copies of that creature, except they're 2/2 and they aren't legendary.
decks. Combined, these decks are responsible for over 7,000 new decks using Uchuulon, and it’s not hard to see why.
In Homer decks, the more Crabs, Lobsters, Nautiluses, Starfish, and/or Trilobites you have in play, the better. Since Uchuulon ticks the first box here, it’s already a solid inclusion, but disrupting graveyards is great in a Mill-focused deck, too.
As if that wasn’t enough, Uchuulon copying itself lets it go the distance, only getting better with time. The same is also true in Uugguu decks, as splitting Uchuulon right off the bat helps to get it going.
Since both decks have tons of their associated types, making Uchuulon massive is practically effortless. This makes it a genuinely game-ending threat, especially when empowered by other lords or buffs.
A Not-So-Consistent Climb
With so much strong synergy on offer, it’s little wonder that MTG players have been picking up Uchuulon. Once these two Commanders were revealed back in early August, sales for Uchuulon spiked dramatically, but they didn’t stop there.
Since these Mystery Booster Commanders surfaced, just under 750 near-mint copies of Uchuulon have been sold. Somewhat unsurprisingly, this has had a significant effect on the market, with just 17 listings remaining on TCGplayer.
Notably, while supply is now much lower and prices are up significantly, it did take a while to get there. Even after the initial sales surge that pushed it to around $5 from $1.59, it eventually slumped to $3.28.
Since then, consistent sales for Uchuulon have pushed prices back up once more, with near-mint listings now starting at $7.79. This marks a 384% price spike over a few months, which is solid, but admittedly not groundbreaking.
Thankfully, if you like the synergy that Uchuulon offers but don’t want to spend as much, there are some other options. Right now, lightly played examples can be picked up for around $5.77, while moderately played cards are under $5.
Curiously, the best bang for your buck right now is actually the extended art variant of Uchuulon. Despite only being found in Collector Boosters, near-mint copies of this variant are currently going for $5.94.
While there is a fair bit of supply around this price point, it’s still thin, so prices may move quickly. While no price spike in MTG is guaranteed to last forever, this one is definitely worth watching.
New Support Coming Soon?
Considering Homer and Uugguu are two of the most expensive Mystery Booster: Commander Edition cards right now, it’s hard to believe MTG players have had their fill. Over time, as more supply gets released, these cards should get cheaper, making them more affordable and playable.
While this alone could keep the demand for Uchuulon steady for quite some time, there’s another potentially promising MTG set on the horizon. With Nauctis: The Sunken Realm having a deep-sea theme, getting more Crab-based support feels inevitable.
Should we end up getting this hypothetical support in the new set, Uchuulon could see a fresh demand wave. Considering that supply is already low, this could push prices up to the extreme.
That being said, while this is a possibility, Uchuulon could equally be reprinted in the next few months. Should any of the four Nauctis precons have a Mill theme, the chances of a reprint happening would feel rather strong.
If Uchuulon ends up being a missed reprint, though, we could see prices absolutely explode in the near future. Sadly, it’s currently unclear whether this will happen, so we can only wait and see.
Thankfully, while a full reveal is a ways off, we will see some Nauctis: The Sunken Realm spoilers soon. With the First Look scheduled for later this week, we’ll soon learn about the set’s themes. This, in turn, could cause another jump or dip in Uchuulon’s price, so it’s well worth watching.
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