The MTG Wilds of Eldraine set has seen one of its chase cards skyrocket in price over the last three days. According to MTGGoldfish, the Borderless Anime Confetti Foil version of Rhystic Study was valued at an eye-watering $390 (£319.71) on September 24, and this leapt to $626.80 (£513.83) by September 27. A similar (but much less dramatic) jump can be seen on TCGPlayer, where the estimated price climbed from $327.97 (£268.82) to $339.79 (£278.51) in the same time period.
It’s not clear why the card has spiked by 60% in the last three days specifically, but we do know why this card is so pricey overall. Firstly, Rhystic Study was fairly expensive before MTG Wilds of Eldraine added foil and anime art. Most reprints of the card will set you back at least $30 – meaning a rarer version is going to be worth something.
Like most expensive MTG cards, Rhystic Study gets a lot of its value from its perceived power. It’s a blue three-mana enchantment that lets you draw a card every time an opponent plays a spell – unless they pay one mana, that is. In an MTG format like Commander, where you’ve got plenty of opponents firing off spells, this becomes an excellent card draw option.
Rhystic Study has a lot in common with Smothering Tithe, which has also been reprinted in borderless anime foil form for Wilds of Eldraine. Price is one of those things both cards share – a Borderless Anime Confetti Foil version of Smothering Tithe is currently valued at $261.65 (£214.38) on MTGGoldfish.
Anime art consistently does wonders for an MTG card’s price. Scarcity has the same effect – only 2.8% of Eldraine boosters are estimated to contain a borderless anime foil from the Enchanting Tales bonus sheet. Confetti versions of these cards (read: the ones going for big, big prices) are also estimated to appear in 2.8% of collector boosters.
While our thoughts are still full of Eldraine, we’re also keen to see what’s up next on the MTG 2023 release schedule. We’re also always keeping an eye on the best MTG Arena decks and MTG Arena codes to recommend.