In an annual MTG tradition, Wizards of the Coast prints a collection of cards to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Themed after the animal being celebrated, this year’s collection of cards appropriately features a collection of Horses.
Of the bunch, one legend stands out as being an awesome choice for a major promo. The creature is an EDH staple, the art is gorgeous, and, financially, its reprint value isn’t too shabby either.
Emiel, the Blessed
Interestingly, the most exciting promo isn’t actually a Horse creature in the Magic universe, but is instead a Unicorn. Emiel, the Blessed debuted in the first Jumpstart product and has since become a household name. Unlike most blink effects, Emiel’s first activated ability returns the creature to play right away, not at the next end step. This enables you to get a ton of mileage out the ability in one turn, so long as you have a creature with a strong enters ability like Karmic Guide or Thragtusk to abuse.
While Emiel does make for a decent Commander, it’s at its absolute best in the 99 of other decks. There are plenty of legends like Aang, at the Crossroads with stellar triggers to maximize. On top of that, Emiel even synergizes with +1/+1 counter-themed decks thanks to its final ability.
For those who want to go above and beyond, Emiel even opens the door for some sweet infinite combos. When paired with Brood Monitor, for example, you get to infinitely blink out the Eldrazi by using the Scions to pay for Emiel’s activation. From there, any Soul Warden or Blood Artist-style effect should make it easy to win the game.
All of these uses help Emiel maintain a price tag of over $8 in its cheapest form. Given the track record of these Lunar New Year promos, this version of Emiel could easily be worth a lot more. After all, the Year of the Snake Xyris, the Writhing Storm promo from last year, is still selling for roughly $50 on TCGplayer despite traditional copies barely cracking $1.
Calamity, Galloping Inferno
Calamity, Galloping Inferno is another legendary card that synergizes with creatures that feature powerful triggered abilities. While Calamity has appeared in Standard decks alongside Terror of the Peaks in a one-shot combo shell, this Horse is undoubtedly best in an EDH environment.
As a Commander, your best bet is to pair Calamity with value engines like Trumpeting Carnosaur and Solemn Simulacrum. Alternatively, as a support element, Calamity is a nice addition to Obeka, Brute Chronologist shells or Neriv, Heart of the Storm decks with a Haste theme. That said, despite its potential, Calamity, Galloping Inferno has failed to cement itself as a Commander staple. Its price suffers as a result, with Outlaws of Thunder Junction copies barely cracking the $0.20 mark.
Caustic Bronco
Yet another creature from Outlaws of Thunder Junction, this two-drop Mount is a decent value engine that continues to accumulate card advantage so long as you can keep attacking. Caustic Bronco has a lot in common with Dark Confidant, but the upside of being able to Saddle up and force your opponents to lose life instead of you is massive. Caustic Bronco has appeared in Mono-Black and Dimir Midrange in Standard before over Dark Confidant as a result.
The Saddle clause also gives Caustic Bronco more EDH appeal, especially when you can manipulate the top of your deck with cards like Vampiric Tutor. Nonetheless, Caustic Bronco doesn’t see constant play anywhere at the time of writing. As a result, its secondary market value is a modest $0.30.
More Than Meets the Eye
The last two promos may be just a basic Plains and a Treasure token, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be cheap. It’s not uncommon for basic lands from Secret Lairs and other unique products to be worth a pretty penny depending on the art and design. The basic Forest from The Year of the Snake promotion in 2025, for example, currently sits at nearly $43, making it the second-most-expensive of last year’s promos after Xyris. With the artwork this time around being a hit with the players right out of the gates, there’s a real chance that the Plains will be worth a decent chunk of change. Even the Snake token from last year’s promo sits at $14.
For those interested in acquiring these promos, players in specific parts of Asia and Australia, will have a chance to obtain the Caustic Bronco and Treasure Token at their LGSs starting February 17th to March 15th. From there, throughout 2026, players will have additional opportunities to pick up promos at various CommandFests, Regional Championships, Spotlight Series events, and beyond.
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