Outlaws of Thunder Junction is a very interesting set with regard to how the cards are distributed. Obviously, when players open play boosters of the new set, they can expect to open lots of cards from the main set. However, the fun doesn’t just end there. First, there are Breaking News cards to find that are all reprints of some of MTG’s most iconic Crimes. Second, there are Special Guest cards that act as part of The List, representing yet another group of reprints.
Third, and definitely most intriguing, is the fact that players can open cards from The Big Score. The Big Score is similar to the March of the Machine: the Aftermath expansion, but rather than being its own separate entity, is released along with the rest of the Thunder Junction set. Despite having their own expansion symbol, these cards will indeed be Standard legal.
Every single one of these cards has mythic rarity, and many of them are quite pricy. Today, we are going to focus on the most expensive cards of the bunch. Notably, we will be looking at each card in its cheapest form, so no Vault or Showcase frames here. We will also be using TCGPlayer market price to determine our rankings. Without further ado, here are the top five most expensive MTG Big Score cards.
5 | Lotus Ring
Price: $11.95
At the top spot, we have Lotus Ring by a pretty wide margin. This card directly references
Black Lotus
Black Lotus
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color.
and offers a pretty similar ability. Well, assuming you’re willing to jump through some hoops. You have to Equip a Creature for three mana, then sacrifice the Creature to get your Black Lotus effect.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways to abuse Lotus Ring. From infinite combos associated with
Fervent Champion
Fervent Champion
First strike, haste
Whenever this creature attacks, another target attacking Knight you control gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Equip abilities you activate that target this creature cost {3} less to activate.
to neat synergies alongside
Puresteel Paladin
Puresteel Paladin
Whenever an Equipment you control enters, you may draw a card.
Metalcraft — Equipment you control have equip {0} as long as you control three or more artifacts.
to negate the Equip cost, Lotus Ring has some exciting Commander applications.
Of note, currently, the market price listed for the Extended Art version of Lotus Ring is $50, while the market price listed for the traditional variant is roughly $76. Once again, we will have more of a sense of this card’s price point as we get closer to the release date for Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Either way, though, the sales data suggests that Lotus Ring is far and away the most expensive MTG card on The Big Score, earning it the top spot on this list.
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4 | Lost Jitte
Price: $13.41
Lost Jitte kicks off this list. This powerful Equipment is clearly reminiscent of
Umezawa’s Jitte
Umezawa’s Jitte
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, put two charge counters on Umezawa's Jitte.
Remove a charge counter from Umezawa's Jitte: Choose one —
• Equipped creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
• Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
• You gain 2 life.
Equip {2}
, a card that is banned in Modern and can singlehandedly ruin Limited games. Having the ability to quickly accrue charge counters simply by engaging in combat would make it extremely difficult for the opponent to block favorably.
While Lost Jitte has some similarities, it is clearly a fixed version when it comes to being able to dominate combat. You only get one charge counter on Lost Jitte when you deal combat damage, and you can’t use Lost Jitte to remove opposing Creatures. Still, being able to pump your Creatures is strong, you can fetch Lost Jitte off
Urza’s Saga
Urza’s Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — This Saga gains "{T}: Add {C}."
II — This Saga gains "{2}, {T}: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost {0} or {1}, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
, and you can even untap Lands, which is a nice bonus.
It’s unclear how strong this card will be from a Constructed standpoint, as there’s a lot of controversy surrounding its potential. Regardless, it’s receiving a lot of hype and currently sits at roughly $13. For a more in-depth analysis of Lost Jitte, take a look here.
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3 | Vaultborn Tyrant
Price: $13.90
Unlike many cards from The Big Score, the price of Vaultborn Tyrant is already on the up and up. After hitting a low of $10, copies of this card are now selling for around $15 on TCGplayer! That being said, the market value, which we’re using today, currently has Vaultborn Tyrant sitting at just a $13.78 valuation.
As a card, Vaultborn Tyrant is unsurprisingly rather good, considering their price tag. Providing a powerful body, life gain, and situational card draw, Vaultborn Tyrant does it all. As if all that wasn’t enough, they’re also fairly difficult to remove as they replace themselves once.
Right now, the most obvious place Vaultborn Tyrant will see play is Commander. Considering the immense popularity and creative freedom of Commander, this is hardly a surprise at all. Beyond this, Vaultborn Tyrant could also see play within competitive mono-green lists, thanks to them dodging removal somewhat.
While Vaultborn Tyrant is rather expensive at the moment, it’s currently unclear where the price of the card will settle. For now, this card is certainly one to keep your eye on.
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2 | Simulacrum Synthesizer
Price: $16.59
As one of the best cards from The Big Score, it’s no surprise that Simulacrum Synthesizer is high up on this list. Capable of providing insane value in any Artifact-focused deck, Simulacrum Synthesizer has become an auto-include in many lists. Paired up with Affinity staples like
Frogmite
Frogmite
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each artifact you control.)
, Simulacrum Synthesizer can create an incredibly deadly army.
Beyond synergizing with existing Affinity decks in Commander, there’s also potential that Simulacrum Synthesizer will see competitive play. Specifically, many MTG players have been eying up this card in Modern as it potentially heralds an Affinity renaissance. Currently, the re-emergence of this archetype hasn’t come about just yet, but many MTG players are nonetheless keenly interested in this card.
In terms of value, Simulacrum Synthesizer is currently selling for around $16.77 on TCGplayer. For better or worse, there’s no telling right now how long this value will last, as the card has yet to properly prove itself. Should it become the Modern-playable Affinity redeemer then there’s a good chance prices could climb even higher. Alternatively, if Simulacrum Synthesizer flops, so too will its price…
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1 | Sword of Wealth and Power
Price: $31.18
Sword of Wealth and Power is an interesting take on the various three-mana Swords out there, like
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Fire and Ice
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from red and from blue.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, this Equipment deals 2 damage to any target and you draw a card.
Equip {2}
. Rather than giving your Equipped Creature Protection from two distinct colors, your Creature gains Protection from Instants and Sorceries. This makes it tougher for the opponent to remove your threat but does not hinder their ability to block it.
Meanwhile, when you connect, you get to copy your next Instant or Sorcery spell and get a Treasure token. This takes a bit of building around to make useful but getting to copy spells like
Time Warp
Time Warp
Target player takes an extra turn after this one.
can be quite strong.
This card has Commander written all over it. It has a price tag of roughly $41, further showcasing the power of Equipment from The Big Score.
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