Modern Horizons 3 was a set with no shortage of powerful cards. Most sets have an obvious chase mythic or two, while MH3 had a good 10-20 cards that could easily fit into that category. Most of these were flashy free spells or colossal Eldrazi Titans, but nestled among them was a sneaky sleeper hit. Now that the dust has settled and the cards have seen time in Modern, that card is claiming its rightful place at the top of the heap. That card, of course, is Ocelot Pride: the little MTG one drop that could.
The Rise Of Ocelot Pride
As is often the case with powerful cards, this 1/1 Cat proved to be a divisive force during spoiler season. Some thought it was fantastic, some thought it was too vulnerable to removal to ever fulfill its potential upside. Those in the latter group, myself included, are all eating thick slices of humble pie right now. Ocelot Pride isn’t just showing up in Modern, it’s a four-of in multiple competitive archetypes.
Boros Energy is the big one here, currently the third most popular deck in Modern according to MTGGoldfish. For the most part, this is just a very efficient Aggro deck, and Ocelot slots in nicely thanks to its synergy with Ajani, Nacatl Pariah. It also wears the +2/+2 and Flying buff from a Guide of Souls particularly well, owing to its Lifelink ability. The card sits proudly alongside Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer in the deck’s one drop suite, and may actually be the better card overall.
Beyond this, Ocelot Pride has also found homes in many other Modern MTG decks. Orzhov Midrange, Domain Zoo, Mardu Scam; if it’s an aggressive deck and running white, chances are this card is in there. Naturally, the price has jumped up as a result. You could get Ocelot Pride for around $20 a week ago, but now it’s up around $40. There are listings as high as $60, too, so I doubt this is as high as the card goes. Given how similar it is to Ragavan power-wise, and the fact that it’s much better in Commander than that meddling Monkey, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this card hit $80 or above.
Ob Nixilis, The Adversary
For the most part, the other cards seeing play alongside Ocelot Pride are all pricey staples themselves. Flip Ajani, Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury, Ragavan; are all established powerhouses in their own right. Thanks to the card’s unique token duplication ability, however, a long-forgotten planeswalker has returned to the fray. That planeswalker is New Capenna’s Ob Nixilis, the Adversary.
This card was a bit of an experimental design on WotC’s part, combining the Casualty mechanic, otherwise reserved for instants and sorceries, on a permanent. And not just any permanent, but a planeswalker; the most complex permanent type in MTG’s arsenal. The result was a very interesting card that saw little play, in Standard or elsewhere.
The beauty of formats like Modern is that a card’s fortunes can change overnight. With the addition of Ocelot Pride, players are starting to dust off this version of Ob Nixilis and jam it in various Mardu lists. Be it Energy, Midrange, or Scam, Ob Nixilis is showing up. This is because of his token generation capacity, which pairs well with Ocelot Pride’s duplication effect. If you line things up right, you can get an extra 1/1 Devil and an extra Ob Nixilis each turn. At that point, the card is more than a little bit good.
Ob Nixilis, the Adversary hasn’t spiked like Ocelot Pride has quite yet, but it is trending up. Copies have gone from around $3.50 to around $4.50 over the last week, and sellers are starting to list it much, much higher; around $20 in some cases. Seeing cards like this spike is bittersweet; it’s sad to see them priced out of player’s hands, but great to see them get their day in the sun.
Read More: Seven-Mana Secondary Commander Jumps to $40 Thanks to Assassin’s Creed
