For those that enjoy the competitive Magic the Gathering experience, chances are your journey starts at the Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ) level. Being able to compete at your local game store and earn an invite to the corresponding Regional Championship is nice, and if you perform well enough at the Regional Championship, you punch your ticket to the Pro Tour!
With the new season upon us, it appears that the first round of RCQs for 2025 will run from April 12 to July 20. This round will feature two new RCQ promos with gorgeous artwork.
On top of that, for those already qualified for their upcoming Regional Championship taking place between April 19 and June 1, you’ll earn a separate promo card that’s been a Modern staple for many years. Unfortunately, though, the promos this time around aren’t the most exciting from a financial perspective. Let’s see what each promo has to offer.
Prosperous Innkeeper
Kicking things off, we have a funky full art version of Prosperous Innkeeper. Starting April 12, anyone who participates in an RCQ at their local game store will receive a copy of Prosperous Innkeeper just for playing.
Prosperous Innkeeper isn’t the most widely utilized card anymore, as common homes of old such as Abzan Amalia combo in Pioneer aren’t around anymore. Nonetheless, the card does show up as a one-of in Golgari Yawgmoth decklists in Modern from time to time. The life gain makes it easier to combo with the namesake card, and the Treasure can help make Chord of Calling easier to cast.
As expected for a participation promo, the card also doesn’t hold a ton of reprint value. It’s a simple uncommon that has seen multiple reprints up to this point, including in a Secret Lair. Players can get their hands on a non-foil Bloomburrow Commander copy for under 15 cents.
Players generally don’t seem to be fans of the artwork, too. One player pointed out that it doesn’t look like a real MTG card, which they don’t like. Regardless, if you like this style, obtaining a copy is very simple.
Fauna Shaman
From there, if you manage to be one of the top finishers at your RCQ, you’ll also get a copy of this new Fauna Shaman variant. Those who go above and beyond and qualify for the Regional Championship will receive a foil copy in addition for their troubles. This card looks particularly beautiful in my opinion.
Once again, though, Fauna Shama isn’t exactly the most appealing card for Modern players. Considering that this round of RCQs happens to feature the Modern format (along with Limited), it’s understandable why some players are disappointed by the promo choices at hand.
Fauna Shaman does have EDH appeal at the very least and shows up occasionally in Pioneer Acererak the Archlich combo decks. Reprint value wise, this rare is worth just over $2 in its cheapest traditional form according to TCGplayer market price, which isn’t too exilerating.
Living End
Lastly, we have the promo for the Regional Championships that feed Pro Tour Edge of Eternities. All players who participate in a Regional Championship from April 19 to June 1 will receive a non-foil copy of Living End. Top finishers get an additional foil copy.
Living End is certainly the card with the most competitive applications of the bunch. Unsurprisingly, the Living End archetype took a huge hit from the banning of Grief and Violent Outburst. Regardless, Living End is still a viable deck choice in Modern.
Some players have gone as far as to feature the Splinter Twin combo in Living End shells, giving them another angle of attack. Others stick to a more traditional build, using Ardent Plea as a replacement for Violent Outburst. Either way, the deck still pops up from time to time.
The downside is that the value is lacking on this promo. Time Spiral Remastered copies go for under $3. Living End has already appeared in a Secret Lair with sweet art, so that aspect isn’t super exciting, either. Plus, as we will see, when compared to previous Regional Championship promos, Living End completely falls short.
A Poor Promo Choice
Since the Regional Championship series began back in 2022, there have consistently been promos awarded to the participants. In nearly every case, the promo of choice has been worth a decent chunk of money even in its cheapest traditional form.
The last three, for example, have been Nexus of Fate, Seasoned Pyromancer, and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. All three of these are worth significantly more than Living End. Nexus of Fate is just under $10, Seasoned Pyromancer is under $13, and Valakut is roughly $17.
As expected, some players have expressed their disappointment with the card selection this time around. This isn’t as bad as the decision to make Dragonlord Silumgar a Regional Championship promo, but it’s still a very poor choice when it comes to value.
The one thing to keep in mind, though, is that the Regional Championship promos tend to go for more money due to low levels of supply. This is especially true of the foils. The Valakut promos, for instance, hold a market price of $23, but the foils have a much heftier price tag of $220. So, expect Living End promos to still hold a reasonable price even if traditional copies aren’t worth a ton.
For more details on the upcoming range of Regional Championships, you can take a look here. Best of luck to all looking to make their Pro Tour dreams come true!