A shifting meta and new card releases have conspired to create a huge price spike for the MTG card Scion of Draco. This is one of the biggest Magic: The Gathering price changes we’ve seen so far this year. This artifact creature has gone up in price by an incredible 471% in just one week, skyrocketing from a tiny $4.20 (and in January it cost half that much again) to a whopping $24.
Scion of Draco is a key card in the Domain Zoo archetype, an MTG Modern deck that relies on a five-color mana base, which is used to power up aggressive creatures. This MTG Dragon helps the game plan along by playing as a two-cost 4/4 flyer who powers up your board. The Zoo deck mostly runs green and red creatures, so Scion of Draco gives the whole lot of them first strike and/or trample. Efficient interaction like Lightning Bolt (removal, reach) and Stubborn Denial (one-mana counterspell) complete the package.
This deck has been around for a while, and is enjoyed for its relatively easy-to-learn playstyle which feels pretty fair alongside all the evoke elementals and MTG cascade nonsense of late. But, perhaps because of that fairness, Domain Zoo has not ever been considered a top-tier deck. It’s enjoyable but pretty weak, unable to compete with the ridiculous value of the Up the Beanstalk decks and Rakdos Scam.
The MTG Modern bans of late last year seem to have created a good gap for it, with Domain Zoo decks seeing more play in the aftermath. However, the real reason for this sudden spike is not the bans. It appears to be linked to the recent release of MTG Murders at Karlov Manor, and a particular card from that set, Leyline of the Guildpact.
This card works incredibly well with Scion of Draco, because it makes all your creatures all colors, giving the whole lot of them a load of abilities. As well as this, it makes all your lands all MTG land types, perhaps allowing players to get a little experimental with the mana base, or ensuring all your games are super consistent.
Whether or not Domain Zoo decks running Leyline will be leading the meta in a month remains to be seen. But there’s plenty of hype around it right now. Leyline has seen its own price spike too. One of the only Karlov Manor cards to go up beyond its predicted price point, it’s now sitting pretty at $25.
For more Magic price stories, check out this now-pricy artifact helping out a certain Mole God MTG Commander. And don’t miss our guide to the most expensive MTG cards.