The MTG card Court of Locthwain has seen a pretty dramatic price spike. Previously valued at $3.50, this black enchantment card was slowly rising in value in recent weeks, and by April 11 had reached $5. Then, it shot up in the last couple days, jumping to $19: a price spike of 280%.
There’s a very simple and straightforward reason Court of Locthwain, a Commander-only card from the MTG set Wilds of Eldraine, would be rising in price. It’s the same cause as about half of the recent price spikes we’ve seen, the popular new MTG commander, Obeka Splitter of Seconds.
Obeka’s upkeep-doubling shenanigans have proven so popular, that she’s not just the most popular commander in MTG Thunder Junction, she’s swiftly becoming one of the most popular commanders in years, and seems sets to rival other popular new creatures like Mr House, President and CEO. It remains to be seen if Splitter of Seconds can top Obeka, Brute Chronologist, who currently sits in EDHREC’s top 100.
As for the court cards, Locthwain is rising for pretty much the same reason Court of Vantress did. Not only do these cards come with powerful upkeep triggers, which are great for tripling with Obeka, they get a bonus if you’re the Monarch when that ability goes off.
So in this case, for instance, you get to steal a card from the top of an opponent’s library and cast it whenever you like. Doing that twice is very nice, but even better, if you’re the Monarch when the ability triggers, you can cast any cards exiled with Court of Locthwain without paying their mana cost.
Without Obeka, that could be quite challenging. Players will see the danger of Court of Locthwain, and try and hit you to take your Monarch status away. But with Obeka, you can hit an opponent to regain the Monarch and then you go into additional upkeeps – the order of events if very convenient for you. This pretty much guarantees you’ll get two to three extra free spells a turn!
So that I don’t have to write another article just to cover it, we should note now that the final Court option for this deck, Court of Embereth is also spiking, but is currently at a lower price point than its blue and black brethren. Previously valued at $2, this card has had a price increase of almost 500% and now sits at $11.80.
Court of Embereth creates creature tokens, and applies burn damage to all opponents if you are the Monarch. With Obeka around to ensure that – and triple the ability for good measure – this card is likely to end the game in short order.
For more Magic content, check out the best MTG Arena codes – a couple new ones came with Murders at Karlov Manor. And don’t miss our rundown of the best Outlaws of Thunder Junction cards – Obeka’s on there of course, but there are plenty more to pore over.