After a questionable standing, Standard seems to be back as one of MTG’s flagship formats. Tons of support and more Standard sets than ever before have made it clear that, for Wizards, Standard is a priority. While the current state of Standard is in dire need of repair, that’s not stopping MTG players from opening packs.
More often than not, especially with all of the great commons and uncommons being printed right now, there is more money in these packs than you may think. Here are the top 10 most expensive Standard legal Commons and Uncommons.
Not Included: Promo Printings, Foil Printings or Full Art Cards
Due to how powerful some of the commons and uncommons are in recent Standard sets, promo printings can fetch a pretty penny. Because these are premium printings of commons and uncommons you can already open in the main set, these will not be included.
While Bonus Sheet cards are technically found in Standard legal packs, since they aren’t legal for Standard play, we won’t be including those, either.
Foil printings are another way that prices can be manipulated outside of this article’s desired purpose, but this was a larger issue before the era of Collector Boosters. Regardless, we will be using nonfoil pricing for these cards only.
10 | Boltwave: $2.88
It’s rare that a new burn spell is printed that can compete with the established titans of the genre, but Boltwave is exactly that. One mana for three damage to your opponent is a solid rate, on par with classics like Lava Spike. As a result, the card sees play in Burn decks across a range of formats, including Standard, Modern, and Legacy.
Unlike its esteemed predecessors, Boltwave actually isn’t totally dead in Commander, either. Hitting every opponent at once is a big deal and allows the card to scale nicely into multiplayer. It’s especially good if you can recur it with Archaeomancer loops, or alongside Rakdos, Lord of Riots for a chunky nine-mana discount. However you slice it, Boltwave is the best burn spell we’ve seen in quite some time.
9 | Spelunking: $2.90
Spelunking is one of the most impactful cards on this list from a competitive standpoint. Revolutionizing lands decks across all formats, Spelunking now makes common appearances in Amulet Titan and Pioneer Scapeshift Combo. Spelunking otherwise appears in cEDH Lumra, Bellow of the Woods decks.
Allowing any land to enter untapped breaks a lot of cards that used tapped lands as a safety valve. Suddenly, Scapeshift turns into a massive ritual and tutor wrapped in one. Primeval Titan can combo off without its partner-in-crime Amulet of Vigor, and Aftermath Analyst can create infinite loops with its activated ability. Spelunking now creates some of the most convoluted infinite combos that Magic has ever seen. Pretty crazy for a Standard legal uncommon!
8 | Hare Apparent: $2.99
Magic’s ‘Relentless’ cards, or cards that you can run any number of in your deck, have always been popular, and Hare Apparent is no exception. Since its release in Foundations, its price has gone the way of its peers and far outpaced most other commons. This is due to needing significantly more copies of the card than usual in Commander and beyond.
As with every card in its category, Hare Apparent sees the bulk of its play in Commander. Token-centric decks like Baylen, the Haymaker make fantastic use of it as a way to pump out hordes of 1/1s. It’s also a great option in white Aggro decks for the same reason. While it’ll likely never make a mark in constructed, this relentless Rabbit easily earns its price through sheer casual appeal.
7 | Withering Torment: $3.23
It is very difficult for black to remove enchantments. At the time of writing, Withering Torment may be the best way to do so. This uniqueness causes Withering Torment to see lots of Commander, cEDH, and Duel Commander play in decks whose color identities don’t provide colors with strong enchantment removal attached.
The card otherwise sees fringe constructed play in black decks when bad matchups arise that utilize enchantments. The versatility of Withering Torment makes sure that you won’t get stuck with it in your hand, but if you’re just looking for creature removal, there are better options out there.
6 | Patchwork Banner: $3.40
Patchwork Banner offers two effects that are interesting for many Commander decks. Combine them together, and you have a slam dunk inclusion for any Typal deck. An anthem for your creatures for three generic mana is something that many Typal decks would consider running already, but add in its versatility as a mana-fixing mana rock, and you have a super staple for Typal Commander decks everywhere.
5 | Boros Charm: $3.53
Another unusual inclusion, Boros Charm is a classic card that commonly appears in Modern Boros Aggro decks. The card got reprinted in MTG Foundations, and now occasionally appears in Standard aggressive decks, as well. Burn isn’t a competitive archetype in any MTG format outside of Pauper at the moment, but Boros Charm does make occasional appearances in Standard, Modern, and Pioneer anyway.
Notably, because Boros Charm wasn’t printed in the main MTG Foundations set, its recent reprinting didn’t help supply much. That may have an effect on the card’s overall price. The price used is the cheapest market average of all Boros Charm’s copies, which currently originates from Gatecrash.
4 | Experimental Confectioner: $3.75
If you play a Food deck in Commander, chances are it either runs or should run Experimental Confectioner. This is one of the best engine cards the archetype has access to, giving you handy Rat tokens for doing what you want to be doing anyway. It also creates a Food itself on entry, which helps to get the ball rolling early or after a wipe.
On top of that, the card is also a stellar combo enabler, with Ygra, Eater of All in particular. Ygra turns your Rat tokens into Food, creating easy infinite loops with any sacrifice outlet. Ygra aside, Experimental Confectioner also lets you draw your entire deck with Peregrin Took. It may be a niche card, but Confectioner is so good within that niche that it more than earns its spot on this list.
3 | Sheltered By Ghosts: $4.22
Sheltered by Ghosts is one of the most powerful Auras ever printed. You get an absurd amount of value for two mana, but thanks to the nature of Auras, there is a downside attached. Exiling something in play while granting your creature Lifelink and protection is incredible against any aggressive deck, but if your opponent expects Sheltered by Ghosts and removes the creature you’re trying to enchant, you’ll get blown out.
Sheltered by Ghosts is currently seeing play in Duel Commander, Pioneer, Historic, and Standard. It sees most of its play in Standard, however, in decks ranging from Selesnya Landfall to Boros Dragons. Some decks splash white just to run this card, too, which should tell you all you need to know about its power level.
2 | Untimely Malfunction: $5.37
While the top card on this list is a no-brainer, Untimely Malfunction is a bit shocking. Despite seeing little competitive appeal, this card’s versatile toolbox makes it a hit in Duel Commander, cEDH, and casual Commander. Deflecting Swat needs little introduction to many Commander players, and Untimely Malfunction doubles as a two-mana target-switching effect that occasionally blows up a threatening artifact.
1 | Stock Up: $7.45
Considering how much Stock Up’s reputation precedes it, you may be surprised to find this card’s price so low. Stock Up’s market average currently looks like Mount Everest. While it had a massive peak at $12, the card has since come down to a price point somewhere between $7 and $8. This matches the card’s overall play rate, which, while still incredibly impressive for a Standard uncommon, has waned a bit.
Once upon a time, Stock Up saw play in every format from Standard to Vintage. Now, Stock Up is only seeing play in formats with small card pools, like Standard, and excellent fast mana, like Legacy and Vintage. Casting a Stock Up on turns 1-2 can easily and consistently set players up for a win on the next turn in faster formats. In other formats, however, the card is starting to be pushed out for Edge of Eternities’ Consult the Star Charts, and instant speed card advantage option that is a bit more flexible than the uncommon king.
Even though Stock Up has come down in price a bit, it remains an absolute monster in competitive Magic. Stock Up is a great example of not counting out a card just for its rarity.
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