MTG’s newest Lord of the Rings crossover has created much hype for the community. Many of the cards revealed over the past week have majorly impacted the secondary market. The One Ring, for example, caused Mind Over Matter, an MTG card from Exodus, to surpass the $50 mark. Among the new cards revealed was a Modern-legal character that many who are familiar with the LOTR franchise may not know. Tom Bombadil did not appear in the Lord of the Rings movies, but the card is going to make a significant impact in MTG. This five-colored card seems to be designed to helm a Saga-based Commander deck, and a ton of MTG Sagas are going up in price in response to its reveal. Let’s take a look!
Tom Bombadil
We’ve already talked about Tom Bombadil extensively, so if you’re interested in reading more about his character in the Lord of the Rings franchise, you can check that out here.
Outside of Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil looks to provide Saga-enjoyers with a fantastic Commander. Once Bombadil finishes a telling a story (the final ability of a Saga resolves), Bombadil will go through your deck to find another MTG Saga. If you manage to have enough Sagas on the battlefield at once, Bombadil gains Hexproof and Indestructible. You’ll generally need 3-4 Saga cards in play to trigger this effect.
Since a new incredible MTG Saga Commander has been spoiled, it’s not too surprising to see some Saga cards explode in price. We talked about Urza’s Saga and Power Conduit recently regarding this card. Power Conduit, in particular, has seen a spike in price and interest regarding Bombadil, so taking a look at that card is likely important if you want to take Bombadil for a spin. Otherwise, here are some price spikes in regards to Bombadil that we have not looked at quite yet.
Kiora Bests the Sea God
The Sealed format nightmare from Theros Beyond Death is making a return. Kiora Bests the Sea God has many incredibly devastating effects that will end Limited games in a heartbeat. These aren’t as powerful in Commander, but it is, nonetheless, one of the most impactful Saga cards in all of MTG.
Firstly, this MTG Saga allows you to create an 8/8 Kraken with Hexproof. This is pretty difficult to get rid of and can easily deter opponents from attacking into it. The second ability is much better in Limited since it only targets one opponent. Still, if an opponent starts getting out of control, which is pretty common in the Commander format, Kiora Bests the Sea God’s second chapter can slow them down immensely. Finally, the Saga’s final ability ensures that you will always have the scariest thing on the board.
In terms of financials, Kiora Bests the Sea God’s spike is still pretty fresh. According to TCGplayer sales, demand started increasing for this card on the 14th of March (the day that Bombadil was revealed), and while there has not been a considerable price spike for the card, the average price has risen from about $2 to $3. Some sales for the card have crept to around the $4 mark, but Kiora Bests the Sea God is still selling for a large variance of prices. That said, the increase in interest around this card does suggest that there’s a good chance that the card will increase in value more in the future.
The First Tyrannic War
Tom Bombadil’s reveal caused many MTG players to buy up all of the Surge Foil Saga cards from the Warhammer Universes Beyond collaboration as they could. The First Tyrannic War is one of them.
Because this card is only spiking in its Surge Foil variant, the demand for the foil iteration of the card may be driving the price more than its viability. Either way, The First Tyrannic War can still cheat a powerful card onto the battlefield and double other counters on Saga permanents.
Regarding financial value, The First Tyrannic War in its Surge Foil variant saw a meteoric skyrocket from its $1.50ish just a few weeks ago to copies selling for $10 as of today. That said, the $10 copies seem to be heavily inflated compared to what the card has been selling for the past few days, which is closer to the $3–$4 range.
Read More: MTG Lord of The Rings Is the One Ring Actually A Good Card?
The Horus Heresy
Another Warhammer 40K Surge Foil card joins the fray. Notably, unlike The Tyrannic War, The Horus Heresy sees an increase in value for both its foil and non-foil iterations, but the foil one is spiking much more significantly.
The Horus Heresy has a pretty interesting function when combined with effects like Power Conduit. You’ll be able to steal your opponent’s creatures and, essentially, never give them back. Tom Bombadil’s ability can still trigger since your Sagas also do not need to die for their final triggers to resolve. You can do this by waiting for the Saga to hit the ability of the third chapter, then take a Lore counter off the Saga with Power Conduit. You can do similar things with The Akroan War.
The Horus heresy has only increased from about 15 cents to a dollar in its non-foil iteration. The foil version of this card, however, has from $1.75 to $5.50.
The War in Heaven
The War in Heaven has had the largest spike among all of the Surge Foil sagas. This card, comfortably around 75 cents pre-Bombadil reveal, is now $10. This is still a bit of an outlier price but is much more consistent than the other Surge Foil sagas. Other common prices seem to group this saga around the $6–$7 mark.
The War in Heaven both refills your hand and brings back a massive threat in its final chapter. You can even use this to bring back Bombadil, avoiding paying Commander tax if the card dies, as this Saga is in play. Admittedly, there is a massive risk deciding to leave Bombadil in your graveyard since killing The War in Heaven after that decision could lock you out of your Commander.
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Birth of the Imperium
Birth of the Imperium is the only card among the Surge Foil Sagas that is not seeing a fluctuation in selling points. This card seems set on about a $9 pricetag (up from $1 earlier this month) and has seen that consistent price rise to $10 over the day that this article was written.
Unlike the other Sagas, Birth of the Imperium is a solid card offering reliable value. This will always create some bodies on its first mode, will always strip your opponents of some resources on its second mode (if they have any), and will, generally, draw cards on its third mode.
Read More: MTG Top 10 Best Sagas for Commander
Enchantment Support Also Seeing Increases
Foil enchantment-support staples also seem to be seeing an increase collectively as a result of Bombadil’s spoiling. A ton of MTG cards fit under this umbrella, and not all of them are necessarily being affected. For that reason, we will stick to only one example, but keep in mind that these cards could be seeing a more general increase in interest.
Sterling Grove, in its foil iteration, has seen a massive price spike recently. The card had quite the secondary market value before its reprint in Modern Horizons Two. Since then, the card has plummeted to a very affordable $1–$2, which is fantastic. While the card’s foil version mirrored this until recently, its price has spiked to about $6, according to TCGplayer. This should indicate a larger interest in Saga support cards that players should watch out for in the coming days.
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