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Prices checked October 13. All prices are approximate US market prices for the cheapest regular (non-foil) printing unless noted. Prices change fast, and this article is information for players, not investment advice.

Two weeks after Reality Fracture and the five Foundations Commander decks hit shelves on October 2, the Commander market has a clear story. Players are building around Tam, the Possibility, Jace, Multiverse Architect and The Ur-Sphinx, and the support cards those decks want have gotten expensive in a hurry. Here is what moved, why it moved, and what it means if you just want to finish your deck.

Biggest risers

Card	Then	Now	Change	Why
Vronos, Masked Inquisitor	about $5	about $22	+340%	Superfriends demand, single printing
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God	about $6-9	about $31	+240% or more	Jace and Tam decks
Aminatou, the Fateshifter	about $5	about $20	+300%	Combo with Oath of Teferi
Oath of Teferi	about $1-4	about $8-17	+300% or more	Double loyalty activations
The Chain Veil	about $6	about $15-19	+150% or more	Extra loyalty activations
Azor, the Lawbringer	about $2-4	about $11-12	+200% or more	The Ur-Sphinx
Chandra, Legacy of Fire	about $6	about $10-16	+100% or more	Planeswalker payoff
Agatha of the Vile Cauldron	about $2	about $7-8	+250%	Infinite combo with Aerid Konstrari
Tivit, Seller of Secrets	about $4	about $10	+150%	The Ur-Sphinx
Magister Sphinx	about $2	about $5	+150%	The Ur-Sphinx

Vronos, Masked Inquisitor

Vronos, Masked Inquisitor was a few-dollar card at the start of the month and now sells for about $22, with some listings near $25. It helps your other planeswalkers climb toward their ultimates, which is exactly what Tam players want, and it has only ever been printed once, in a Commander Masters precon. Low supply plus a sudden wave of new decks is the classic recipe for a spike. If you are just testing a Tam list, start without it; it is a nice upgrade, not a must.

Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God

Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God went from about $6 in mid-September to roughly $15 at the start of October and about $31 today. Both the original War of the Spark copy and the Ravnica Remastered reprint now sit around $30. Jace, Multiverse Architect can squeeze extra value out of Bolas’s abilities, and Tam’s five-color identity means Bolas fits right in. Store prices vary a lot on this one, so compare a few shops before you buy.

Aminatou, Oath of Teferi and The Chain Veil

These three moved together. Oath of Teferi lets you activate each planeswalker’s loyalty abilities twice per turn, and The Chain Veil grants an extra activation too, so both are natural fits for any planeswalker deck. Aminatou, the Fateshifter forms a known loop with Oath of Teferi and Spark Double, and she also pairs well with the new Jace. Oath of Teferi was about $1 in mid-September; the Commander Masters copy now lists around $17, while the original Dominaria printing is closer to $8. If you need a copy, the Dominaria version plays exactly the same. For a budget option, Oath of Gideon (under $1) gives each planeswalker an extra loyalty counter, and Flux Channeler (about $3) adds proliferate to every noncreature spell you cast.

The sphinx wave: Azor, Tivit and Magister Sphinx

The Ur-Sphinx, the face of the Multiverse Reforged precon, makes your other sphinx spells cheaper, and players are digging through every sphinx ever printed. Azor, the Lawbringer went from under $2 in mid-September to about $4 at the end of the month and now sits around $11-12. Tivit, Seller of Secrets roughly doubled to about $10, since the cost reduction and the commander’s Treasures make the nine-mana sphinx much easier to cast. Magister Sphinx jumped from about $2 to around $5, with some listings higher; it shows up in most Ur-Sphinx lists. Sphinxes are a fairly small creature type, so players hit the same handful of cards at once. If prices sting, build with the cheaper sphinxes first and add these later.

Chandra, Legacy of Fire and Agatha of the Vile Cauldron

Chandra, Legacy of Fire rewards you for controlling lots of planeswalkers, so it got swept up in the same buying spree. It went from about $6 to somewhere between $10 and $16 depending on the store. Agatha of the Vile Cauldron is a different story: Reality Fracture’s Aerid Konstrari forms an infinite combo with her, since Agatha’s discount makes Aerid’s big ability cost one mana. She more than tripled, from about $2 to roughly $7-8.

Biggest drops

Card	Then	Now	Change	Why
Onakke Oathkeeper	about $19	about $11-14	-30% to -40%	Spike cooling off
Sphinx Ambassador	peak well above $60	about $50-60	roughly -30% from peak	Spike cooling off
Surrak and Goreclaw	about $18-22	about $6-8 (new printing)	-60%	Foundations Commander reprint
Darklight Phoenix	about $18	about $14-15	-15%	New-set supply
Emrakul, the Exigent Doom	about $24	about $20-22	-10%	New-set supply
Kwia Vigorbloom	about $12.50	about $9-10	-20%	New-set supply

Spikes that are settling. Onakke Oathkeeper was the first Superfriends card to explode, going from about $1 in the summer to roughly $19 in early October. It has since slipped to about $11-14 as more copies came back onto the market. Sphinx Ambassador, a one-time Magic 2010 mythic, climbed from about $15 to $50 right after The Ur-Sphinx was revealed and kept going for a while. It is now down about a third from its late-September high and sits around $50-60. If you missed these at their peak, patience is paying off. For a cheap way to protect your planeswalkers instead of Oathkeeper, Propaganda (about $2-4) taxes attacks against you.

Reprints doing their job. Surrak and Goreclaw was one of the most expensive cards in the Foundations Commander lineup, at about $22 before the decks were released. The new printing now sells for about $6-8, while older copies still list near $18. If you just want to play it, the new copy is the obvious pick.

New-set cooldown. Prices for brand-new cards usually start high and drift down as boxes get opened. Darklight Phoenix, Emrakul, the Exigent Doom and Kwia Vigorbloom all lost between 10% and 20% this week. If one of them is on your list and you are not in a rush, waiting a few more weeks has historically been the cheaper move for most new-set cards.

Cards to watch

Card	Then	Now	Change	Why
The Theorist, Jace Beleren	about $35-40	about $40-80 (wide spread)	Unsettled	Strong new planeswalker, unstable listings
Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign	about $1	about $11-14	Up big, then down from about $20	The Ur-Sphinx
Raffine, Scheming Seer	about $2.50	about $9-12	+250% or more	The Ur-Sphinx

• The Theorist, Jace Beleren: This Reality Fracture planeswalker is climbing, but prices are all over the place right now, from about $40 at some stores to near $80 on certain listings. That kind of spread usually means the price has not found its level yet. If you need one, shop around carefully.
• Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign and Raffine, Scheming Seer: Unesh went from about $1 to $20 overnight when The Ur-Sphinx was revealed, then settled around $11-14. Raffine has climbed steadily to about $9-12. Both still depend on how long the sphinx deck stays popular.
• Star Trek: The set releases November 13, with four three-color Commander precons (Jeskai, Bant, Mardu and Esper). Full previews are expected to start in the coming weeks. New commanders tend to lift older support cards the moment they are revealed, so expect another round of surprise spikes once decklists appear.
• Next ban update: The October 12 announcement only changed digital Brawl formats, so paper Commander and the Game Changers list stayed put. The next announcement is scheduled for November 30.

Why prices move

Most Commander price swings come from a few simple causes:

• New commanders: A popular new legend creates thousands of new decks overnight, all hunting for the same support cards.
• Low supply: Cards printed once, or long ago, have few copies available, so even modest demand clears out stores fast.
• Reprints: A new printing adds supply and usually pulls prices down, especially for the new version.
• Bans and list changes: Banning a card or adding it to the Game Changers list can cut demand quickly, while unbans can do the opposite.
• The hype cycle: Spikes often overshoot. Once sellers restock, many cards fall partway back, as Onakke Oathkeeper and Sphinx Ambassador show this week.

FAQ

Should I buy a card right after it spikes?

If you need it for a deck you play this week, buying is fine, but compare several stores because prices vary widely right after a spike. If you can wait, many spiked cards drift back down once more copies get listed. A cheaper substitute often does most of the same job in the meantime.

Did the October 12 ban announcement change Commander prices?

No. The update only touched digital Brawl formats. Paper Commander, its banned list and the Game Changers list did not change, so this week’s movement came from new cards and reprints, not bans.

Why are some reprints cheaper than the original printing?

Collectors often pay more for older printings, while new copies come straight from freshly opened product. For players, the card works the same either way, so the newest printing is usually the budget pick.