MTG Unban Speculation Bumps Up Price of Fortnite Card!

Partially due to a lack of other news, one big announcement has rocked the MTG community. Yesterday, it was announced during WeeklyMTG over on Twitch that the ban announcement next week will not feature the mundane ‘no changes’ that erects endless groans from the MTG community. Something is actually going to change.

The affected formats have been confirmed to be Pioneer and Modern. While players do not know exactly what is changing in those formats yet, we do have a few cryptic hints. Geological Appraiser in Pioneer appears to have a target on its back, and Karn, the Great Creator Karn, the Great Creator Activated abilities of artifacts your opponents control can't be activated.
+1: Until your next turn, up to one target noncreature artifact becomes an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its mana value.
−2: You may reveal an artifact card you own from outside the game or choose a face-up artifact card you own in exile. Put that card into your hand. , despite the namesake deck being rather harmless at the moment, may also get the boot.

In Modern, Rakdos Scam and Up the Beanstalk Up the Beanstalk When this enchantment enters and whenever you cast a spell with mana value 5 or greater, draw a card. strategies have been identified to be a concern. Orcish Bowmasters Orcish Bowmasters Flash
When this creature enters and whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. Then amass Orcs 1. keeping one toughness creatures out of the format is also on Wizards’ radar.

What will ultimately be banned? Will anything be unbanned? No one really knows. That said, this hasn’t stopped players from speculating, and one speculation has a particular Universes Beyond card spiking in price. The Fortnite Battle Bus may soon become a competitive staple.

The Fortnite Battle Bus may soon become a competitive staple

Soon, you may be knocked out of your competitive bouts by a goofy Battle Bus held up by an even goofier hot air balloon. It was only a matter of time until Spider-Man and Captain America swung into older formats anyway thanks to the upcoming Marvel crossover, so this may be less unrealistic than you think.

Getting serious for a moment, the Fortnite Battle Bus is not a mechanically unique card. This is instead a sort of ‘skin’ for Smuggler’s Copter. Smuggler’s Copter is an incredibly powerful MTG card that has ended up on a few ban lists. Right now, the card is banned in Pioneer.

If Pioneer sees an unban, many players speculate that Smuggler’s Copter is the most realistic thing to come back. The card does seem powerful enough to see play in Pioneer’s current state, but does not seem to be overpowered in any way, shape or form. Multiple decks in the format, including Hidden Strings Hidden Strings You may tap or untap target permanent, then you may tap or untap another target permanent.
Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.) , Rona Combo, Jeskai Ascendancy Jeskai Ascendancy Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn. Untap those creatures.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card. and the infamous Discover combo are all able to end games as early as turn three. What the heck is this vehicle going to do about that?

Smuggler’s Copter, however, would undeniably give some consistency to creature-based decks. An early clock combined with Looting potential helps you find the cards you need to maximize your curve. Alternatively, you can find your hate pieces for specific strategies that may be attacking from an angle that you cannot handle.

In preparation for a potential unban of Smuggler’s Copter, many MTG players are starting to load up on copies of the card. The Fortnite Battle Bus just so happens to fit under that umbrella.

As a result, Smuggler’s Copter has increased in price. Even though the spike has picked up in recent times, the Battle Bus iteration of Smuggler’s Copter has been spiking since September. Initially worth about $4.25 and $5 for its nonfoil and foil variations respectively, the Battle Bus is now going for between $6 and $7 for both variants according to recent sales. That said, outliers have these cards selling for much more, floating around $15.

If the novelty of smacking the opponent with a tricked out school bus doesn’t appeal to you, it appears that a lot of money can be saved. The normal variants of Smuggler’s Copter Kaladesh and Commander: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty are all going for a dollar or less, but are beginning to peak over a dollar. If Smuggler’s Copter does end up getting unbanned in Pioneer, these prices aren’t likely to stay the same.

Read More: Upcoming MTG Ban Announcement is the Perfect Opportunity for Much-Needed Change!

What About Other Unban Speculative Cards?

While many players pin Smuggler’s Copter as the most likely to see an unban in the Pioneer format, that’s not the only card getting some financial attention as a result of speculation. Kethis, the Hidden Hand Kethis, the Hidden Hand Legendary spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Exile two legendary cards from your graveyard: Until end of turn, each legendary card in your graveyard gains "You may play this card from your graveyard." , Inverter of Truth Inverter of Truth Devoid (This card has no color.)
Flying
When this creature enters, exile all cards from your library face down, then shuffle all cards from your graveyard into your library. and more are seeing higher levels of attention thanks to unban speculation. Whether they will (or even should) get unbanned, however, is a very different story.

Over in Modern, similar things are starting to happen. Splinter Twin Splinter Twin Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has "{T}: Create a token that's a copy of this creature, except it has haste. Exile that token at the beginning of the next end step." , in particular, goes through a cycle every time a ban announcement comes up, and the promising of changes to Modern and Pioneer has not exactly moderated this.

Many players think that Splinter Twin could harmlessly be unbanned in Modern, and I am inclined to agree. A four mana sorcery speed Aura is rather difficult to utilize in the current state of Modern, especially with multiple zero mana answers like Force of Negation Force of Negation If it's not your turn, you may exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target noncreature spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. and Solitude Solitude Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature. That creature's controller gains life equal to its power.
Evoke—Exile a white card from your hand. available for opponents to squander your win attempt.

Green Sun’s Zenith Green Sun’s Zenith Search your library for a green creature card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Shuffle Green Sun's Zenith into its owner's library. is another MTG card that some players speculate could be unbanned over in Modern. This is following some discussion from Wizards of the Coast, where they suggest that the card could be unbanned with little consequence.

Personal Thoughts

For any who are curious about what I would advise for bans or unbans, here is what I would suggest: just buy the cards you’re getting really excited about for unbans and, unless you’re preparing for the upcoming Regional Championship in the U.S., don’t worry about the rest of it. Even if your cards don’t get unbanned next week, who’s to say they won’t get unbanned some time down the road?

Mono Green may not be as good as it once was, but the deck will likely still function in some way or another. If you bought into the Discover hype, you may be out of luck.

I do think, however, that Wizards of the Coast should consider banning Treasure Cruise Treasure Cruise Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Draw three cards. in Pioneer. It’s not what I personally want to see, as it would impact my deck’s good graces by weaking its best matchup, but Phoenix is absolutely everywhere at the moment. Alternatively, while I really hope Lotus Field Lotus Field Hexproof
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, sacrifice two lands.
{T}: Add three mana of any one color. doesn’t kick the bucket, it’s not an entirely unrealistic option if the objective of this ban announcement is to shake up the format.

I also want to see Kethis get unbanned in Pioneer, but would advise against it for the sake of the format’s health. Combo players would be in paradise, but it may be at the expense of the rest of the format.

I am also of the opinion that, while Discover is an incredibly unhealthy play pattern for Pioneer, the deck is not overpowered. The issue instead is what strategies that a one-card turn three combo pushes out of the format. The deck is very beatable, but at what cost?

If you want to read more about our ban and unban thoughts coming into the next ban announcement, you can do so here.

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