Now that Murders at Karlov Manor is free to impact the world of Magic at its fullest, we’re seeing a much larger effect than many players previously expected. Leyline of the Guildpact ended up being absolutely busted, altering the landscape of MTG’s most competitive format and causing some major price spikes on the secondary market.
Otherwise, a big Karlov Manor sleeper quickly took off in price on the secondary market, bringing the hyped up Surveil Lands with it. These lands have been fantastic in almost every MTG format, seeing play in Commander, Standard, Pioneer, and even Modern!
That said, all of these price spikes have something in common: they were caused by competitive 60-card formats. Considering that Commander is largely regarded as the biggest format in Magic, a lack of price spikes from its influence may seem a bit strange. Well, Magic’s latest market shifts are in, and Karlov Manor Commander is the cause!
Hollowhenge Overlord
Of all the price spikes hitting the marketplace right now, Hollowhenge Overlord is the most aggressive. This Wolf only has one printing found in Innistrad: Crimson Vow. Outside of Collector Boosters, you can only find this powerful Wolf in Set Boosters, making supply a serious issue.
Why is Hollowhenge Overlord spiking in price? Three Prerelease exclusive cards were released alongside Murders at Karlov Manor. All of these are Standard legal, but thanks to them being Legendary creatures, they also stirred some interest in Commander players. Voja, Jaws of the Conclave is likely to blame for this price spike.
Synergizing with both Wolves and Elves, Voja grows your team for each Elf you control, and draws cards for each Wolf you control every time it attacks. Considering Hollowhenge Overlord essentially doubles the amount of Wolves you control on your Upkeep, Voja is going to draw you a ton of cards. To sweeten the deal, Hollowhenge Overlord even has Flash!
Whenever a Typal deck rises in popularity, big payoffs like Hollowhenge Overlord are bound to spike in price. Thanks to being the biggest Wolf payoff in the room, combined with having a little scarcity attached, Hollowhenge Overlord spiked from $4.50 to a market average of $13.38, but is already starting to push for $18 in sales. The extended art version of the Overlord experienced a similar spike, but the ceiling on this card is much higher, with some copies selling for as much as $28!
Notably, a foil copy of this card does not currently exist.
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Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer
Oh boy, Baeloth Barrityl supercharges a few Commander strategies offered in Murders at Karlov Manor. the most obvious use of this Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate card is to use it as an upgrade for the Blame Game Commander precon. That Commander deck is interested in continually profiting from your opponent’s Goaded creatures, and Baeloth Barrityl has a bizarrely powerful effect that will continually Goad any creatures that have less power than it. Of course, you’ll need ways to buff Baeloth Barrityl for this ability to truly shine, but the payoff is definitely worth it.
Even if you aren’t Goading too many creatures with Baeloth Barrityl’s first ability, the second one could make it worth running in your Goad decks regardless. As long as Goaded creatures are dying, you get to create Treasure Tokens, getting ahead of opponents even more.
Outside of Goad strategies, Baeloth Barrityl also happens to be a fantastic fit into… once again, Voja, Jaws of the Conclave. Baeloth Barrityl’s biggest flaw is its lackluster stats, and Voja fixes that by growing your creatures whenever it attacks as long as you control some Elves. Baeloth Barrityl just so happens to be an Elf, meaning that Voja can guaranteed grow its stats whenever it attacks. This can make Goading opposing creatures easier, and can create you a ton of Treasure Tokens. Even if they die blocking your creatures, you’ll get tokens.
Thanks to Murders at Karlov Manor having multiple strategies that intersect with Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer’s interests, the card has seen a rather explosive price spike. Worth only $1.88 at the beginning of February, Baeloth Barrityl is now consistently selling for $12.88 for its traditional foil copy.
The Extended Art version of Baeloth Barrityl has been slow to react in comparison to its traditional foil counterpart. Finding one of these for a decent price is not unheard of, but it appears that sales are starting to consistently hit $20 for nonfoil, and $25 or more for foils.
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Warleader’s Call
When we first looked at this card, our consensus was that this card needed to be in a focused deck to make it work. If you’re making a lot of tokens quickly, Warleader’s Call looks fantastic.
In Commander, archetypes definitely exist that want this card. Impact Tremors is already a somewhat popular card in Commander, and for just one more mana, Warleader’s Call does just that but with an added Anthem effect.
While certain Commander archetypes are definitely interested in this card, constructed formats are the main cause of this particular price spike. Standard Boros Convoke decks are popping up everywhere, and the strategy looks like it’s an entire step ahead of the rest of the metagame. Warleader’s Call is a very popular inclusion in that deck, which appears to be the main cause of this particular price adjustment.
Warleader’s Call hit a nadir of about $2.88 according to TCGplayer market values at the beginning of February. Since then, the card has rebounded past its initial market price, and currently demands anywhere between $7.50 and $10. Prices are leaning towards the higher end of that spectrum, with the current market average floating around $9.35.
Murders at Karlov Manor continues to impact a variety of MTG formats in a big way right out of the gate. At this rate, with all the expensive cards unexpectedly coming out of the woodwork, Murders at Karlov Manor could end up packing a lot more value than anyone expected it would.
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