MTG Lord of the Rings is starting to have an impact on Magic: The Gathering card prices. In particular, a couple of MTG cards in the spider tribe have shot up in price, thanks to the existence of Shelob, Child of Ungoliant.
This spider demon has arachnid fans hyped to brew a spider tribal deck, as she’s easily the best spider MTG commander printed so far. As a result, one card in particular has been spiking. Arachnogenesis is up 100%, its price doubling from $30 at the beginning of June to the hefty $60.99 it sits at currently.
What makes this Arachnogenesis card so great for Shelob? Well, when you’re under attack, it lets you create a surprise board of spider tokens, and the horde is larger if you’re facing multiple threats. With Shelob, these tokens will all have deathtouch and be able to instantly block and kill every attacker, so Shelob can convert them into tasty treats.
It’s almost like Shelob was designed with this card in mind. The spider MTG creature type doesn’t typically get a lot of love, so it’s good to see it getting its dues now.
Other spider cards don’t seem to be spiking just yet, though Ishkana Grafwidow (arguably the second best spider commander) has just doubled in price from $1.20 to $2.20. Nyx Weaver and Arasta of the Endless Web, meanwhile, have seen very minor bumps.
These aren’t the only secondary market shakeups caused by MTG Lord of the Rings so far. Even weeks before release, the One Ring sent an old card soaring, after fans spotted a nifty infinite combo.
Check out our MTG Arena codes guide for all the freebies available. Or gawp and gasp at these horrifically expensive MTG cards.