The MTG card Metamorphic Alteration has seen a huge price spike in the last week, thanks to its role in the Pioneer format. While the Magic: The Gathering card is now on the comedown, it’s currently sitting at $6.50, still worth 1500% more than the $0.40 it cost on Friday. While it’s not exactly close to being one of the most expensive MTG cards, this is still one of the most dramatic Magic card price spikes we’ve seen in months.
Metamorphic Alteration is an aura enchantment that can turn creatures into copies of other creatures. The secret behind the clone card’s rise to stardom is a neat interaction that lets you destroy an opponent in dramatic fashion.
Archfiend of the Dross is an impressive creature, a flying 6/6 that only costs four mana, it even has an additional useful life drain ability. However, it comes with a severe downside, and that’s key to the combo. When Archfiend enters the battlefield it comes in with four oil counters, and then gradually loses these over time. Once you’re all out of gas, you automatically lose in your upkeep phase.
So here’s where the combo comes together. Play Archfiend of the Dross, then use Metamorphic Alteration on one of your opponent’s creatures, and hey presto: they lose the game next turn. Because you’re transforming an existing creature into Archfiend of the Dross, the opponent’s Archfiend doesn’t enter the battlefield, so it doesn’t get any oil counters. Unless they have a way to kill or sacrifice their own creature, they’re about to immediately lose.
This deck is the new hot thing for Pioneer players, and copies of Metamorphic Alteration are flying off the (metaphorical) shelves. It may just be a flash in the pan however, since the deck didn’t beat out the competition in the Dallas Dreamhack tournament last week.
Pioneer is currently making all kinds of waves in the secondary market – it wasn’t long ago that Boros Convoke sent this knight card flying sky high.
Check out our MTG Pioneer guide to find out the all-around best decks in the format right now. And if you want to get some digital cards – they won’t appreciate in value – but you can pick up some freebies anyway with all these MTG Arena codes and our guide to the MTG LOTR release date.