Seasoned Pyromancer Exploded in Value Overnight

Seasoned Pyromancer is making a comeback!

Wizards of the Coast dropped an unexpected B&R announcement on March 7, banning Lurrus of the Dream-Den Lurrus of the Dream-Den Companion — Each permanent card in your starting deck has mana value 2 or less. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.)
Lifelink
Once during each of your turns, you may cast a permanent spell with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard. from the Modern format.

This announcement has major implications for the Modern metagame. But there are also financial side effects to come from this banning.

On the day of the banning, I discussed several cards with the potential for financial gains. One of them was Seasoned Pyromancer, and it almost immediately skyrocketed in price.

Seasoned Pyromancer

Seasoned Pyromancer | Wizards of the Coast

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Before Lurrus was banned, Seasoned Pyromancer was actually declining in price and reached as low as $23.00-$25.00. After the B&R announcement, Season Pyromancer leaped to almost $40.00. At the time of writing, only 56 listings remain on TCGPlayer.

Why Did Seasoned Pyromancer’s Price Rise?

Lurrus put a bottleneck on Modern. In order to play it as a companion, players couldn’t play permanents with mana values greater than two.

Normally, such a restriction would seem like a bad thing. But Lurrus was so good that, according to WOTC, nearly 1/3 of all successful Modern decks were playing the Cat companion. This pushed out many fun three drops in the format.

But with Lurrus gone, players have a reason for cards like Seasoned Pyromancer again.

What Modern Decks Will Pick Up Pyromancer?

Many Modern decks were affected when Lurrus was banned. Popular Lurrus decks included Jund, Hammer Time, Rakdos Midrange, Grixis Death’s Shadow, Burn, and Hardened Scales.

None of these decks are necessarily doomed after the banning. Instead, they’ll pick up new, higher costed cards. Rakdos Midrange, Jund, and some Death’s Shadow variants are likely to test out Seasoned Pyromancer.

Rakdos Midrange

This midrange deck focuses on a heavy discard package including Thoughtseize Thoughtseize Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life. , Inquisition of Kozilek Inquisition of Kozilek Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it with mana value 3 or less. That player discards that card. , and Tourach, Dread Cantor Tourach, Dread Cantor Kicker {B}{B} (You may pay an additional {B}{B} as you cast this spell.)
Protection from white
Whenever an opponent discards a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Tourach.
When Tourach enters, if it was kicked, target opponent discards two cards at random. .

After clearing out your opponent’s defenses, Rakdos Midrange decks will try to land a bigger threat like Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger When Kroxa enters, sacrifice it unless it escaped.
Whenever Kroxa enters or attacks, each opponent discards a card, then each opponent who didn't discard a nonland card this way loses 3 life.
Escape—{B}{B}{R}{R}, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.) .

Seasoned Pyromancer helps fuel your graveyard for Kroxa’s escape ability. It can also be used to help refill your hand.

Wizards of the Coast

Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger, Touch, Dread Cantor, and Thoughtseize, from left to right respectively

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Jund

When Lurrus was still around, Jund tapered their mana curve, cutting traditional Jund cards like Bloodbraid Elf Bloodbraid Elf Haste (This creature can attack and {T} as soon as it comes under your control.)
Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.) and Liliana of the Veil Liliana of the Veil +1: Each player discards a card.
−2: Target player sacrifices a creature.
−6: Separate all permanents target player controls into two piles. That player sacrifices all permanents in the pile of their choice. . It was better to grind value with Lurrus recasting Mishra’s Bauble Mishra’s Bauble {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Look at the top card of target player's library. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. each turn.

But with Lurrus gone, Jund has reason to include three mana spells like Seasoned Pyromancer Seasoned Pyromancer When this creature enters, discard two cards, then draw two cards. For each nonland card discarded this way, create a 1/1 red Elemental creature token.
{3}{R}{R}, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create two 1/1 red Elemental creature tokens. . I am also a fan of the “super-friends” package of planeswalkers like Lili, Wrenn and Six, and Grist.