Reprints throughout 2023 for Magic: the Gathering have, for the most part, been incredible. Some cards got reprinted more than they needed to be, but a ton of high-demand MTG singles did see reprints at some point in the year, making them a lot easier to access for players. Commander giants like The Ur-Dragon certainly got a lot more affordable. Worth over $80 in February, the card has dropped to just $17 following a reprint in Commander Masters back in August. Capture of Jingzhou from the same set may be the most drastic drop of 2023. You can now find these for only $17, while prices easily eclipsed $200 before the August reprint.
Unfortunately, not every scarce high-demand Commander card saw a reprint this year. Commander 2017’s exclusive cards have traditionally demanded quite a lot of money, and one of the last cards that has yet to see a reprint has steeply increased in price. Edgar Markov is more expensive than ever.
Edgar Markov
Edgar Markov may be the best Vampire Commander available in Magic: the Gathering. Despite its high mana value of six, this card is cEDH viable. It’s rare to see such an expensive Commander even be eligible at this level of play, and the biggest reason for its eligibility at even the most competitive tables is due to a keyword the card possesses.
Eminence works from the Command Zone, which ironically makes the problem of Edgar Markov’s massive mana value somewhat obsolete. You don’t even need to cast this card for it to start generating a nauseating amount of value.
That said, Edgar Markov really does need to be at the helm of a Vampire typal deck for Eminence to pay dividends since it only triggers when you cast another Vampire spell. Should you do so, Edgar Markov rewards you with a 1/1 black Vampire creature token.
There are a ton of different ways to take advantage of this, and just one example is the new face Commander of the Blood Rites preconstructed deck from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Whether Clavileno, First of the Blessed is good enough for cEDH is a different question, but Clavileno can make your Vampire tokens into something much more threatening. A 1/1 that turns into a 4/3 on death and draws a card is a massive upgrade, and a dangerous engine in a majority of Edgar Markov decks.
Aside from creating a board in the Command Zone, Edgar Markov also functions as a win condition. Edgar as a threat is definitely below rate at some Commander tables, but a 4/4 with First Strike and Haste that buffs your team can be quite formidable, especially considering that Edgar makes your team as well.
Read More: Rakdos Artifacts Archetype Crushes Meta Decks in 260+ Player Event!
Price History
Edgar Markov has not been seeing huge spikes overnight, but all current variants of the card legal for sanctioned play have been seeing massive price spikes over the last three months. Both the Judge Foil and the Commander 2017 variant have spiked by at least $70, meaning that the price of the Commander 2017 Edgar Markov has doubled in price.
Over the past three months, according to TCGplayer market values, Edgar Markov’s 2017 printing has increased from $74 to $159, more than doubling in price. Condition and language of the card affect its price quite heavily, with recent sales ranging anywhere between $75 and $200. That said, most prices hover around the $130-150 mark depending on condition.
The Judge Foil Edgar Markov is even more expensive, but has spiked about the same amount over the past three months. This card, according to TCGplayer market value, has risen from about $151 to $228, with some sales for the card exceeding $300. That said, the current market value is a much better indicator for the Judge Foil Edgar Markov’s current value.
Read More: MTG Ixalan Commander Deck Upgrades Spike 279% for the Holidays!
Other Vampires Spiking in Price
Much like the Merfolk finance we talked about a few days ago, Vampires are also seeing some price spikes across the board thanks to renewed interest via The lost Caverns of Ixalan. The new Blood Rites Vampire Typal Commander preconstructed deck, and some new Vampire support in the main set, has reignited interest for the archetype.
Captivating Vampire has been a popular Vampire over the past three months. Notably, this card did not see a reprint in the recent Blood Rites deck, but it remains an incredibly powerful payoff for Vampire Typal strategies. Able to gain control of opposing creatures, five untapped Vampires may seem like a steep cost to do this, but it’s not that difficult to line up with Edgar Markov’s Eminence ability. Otherwise, Captivating Vampire is also a lord, making it a premium pick in go-wide Vampire strategies.
Captivating Vampire saw a price spike shortly after the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, jumping from $7.87 to $18.63 in market value from the beginning of November to mid-December. The card has mostly retained this spike.
Another card that’s seen a price spike over the past three months is Baron Sengir. Despite this card’s price spike, it is definitely not a Vampire that’s going to make it into every deck. Eight mana for a Vampire that slowly grows and can regenerate itself as well as other Vampires is just not worth it. For less mana, a Vampire that can Regenerate itself as well as other ones is very powerful, but eight is too much.
Regardless, the market value of Baron Sengir has increased from $4 to a bit under $9 over the last three months, with a majority of the spike happening back in October. If players are willing to settle for a Baron Sengir in worse condition, it does not appear too difficult to grab a copy for a bargain. Only near mint copies tend to be worth something, while cards in worse condition may not even break a dollar.
Expensive Vampires Losing Value
Two new Vampire cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan have some pretty impressive secondary market values. That said, despite their popularity, they are actually going down in value.
Charismatic Conqueror looks fantastic for Commander. An easy addition to go-wide Vampire decks, Charismatic Conqueror forces your opponents to make the difficult choice of slowing down their artifact deployment, or allowing you to generate a ton of tokens. If Dauntless Dismantler’s newfound popularity in the cEDH format indicates anything, tapping artifacts with all the fast mana in the format can be pretty powerful.
That said, despite how popular this card is, Charismatic Conqueror is still trying to find its price point. The card may have dropped from $21 to $13, but it remains one of MTG’s most expensive Vampire cards.
Bloodletter of Aclazotz has seen a similar trend. Slowly losing value after its initial prerelease price of $28, the Vampire is only worth about $10 at the moment. That said, the card does see some fringe play in Standard, which could raise its price as the format becomes more popular thanks to the current Regional Championship Qualifier season.
Either way, if you’re in the market for an Edgar Markov right now, prepare to pay big. Considering what happened to The Ur Dragon, who held a very similar financial position before its reprint, it’s hard to encourage buying this card unless you really want it. If Edgar Markov does not see a reprint, it could just keep increasing in value, but the moment it does, it may crash to the ground, just like The Ur-Dragon did. For the sake of accessibility, Edgar Markov direly needs a reprint, which could make its appearance in an upcoming reprint set just that much more likely.
Read More: Newly Discovered Multi-Format MTG Staple Increases 299% In Price!
