Magic’s Premodern format is a fascinating time capsule for the game. In particular, it’s an excellent showcase for how much creatures have changed over time. In contrast to the likes of Standard and Modern, Premodern is largely spell-centric, due to the much lower power level of creatures printed pre-2003. As a result, Arrogant Wurm, a mediocre creature unplayable elsewhere in MTG, has proven popular enough there to warrant a considerable price spike.
Arrogant Wurm MTG
At first glance, Arrogant Wurm looks like the definition of a bulk uncommon. Five mana for a 4/4 with Trample is deeply unexciting, and casting it for three with Madness isn’t very impressive, either.
As you’d expect, Arrogant Wurm sees very little play in the majority of MTG formats as a result. According to EDHREC data, a paltry 724 Commander decks in total run this 24-year-old uncommon. For the most part, these are discard decks, like Flubs the Fool, or rare Wurm Typal lists, like Baru, Wurmspeaker.
That said, Arrogant Wurm actually does see a good amount of play in Premodern. Because of its relatively shallow classic card pool, well-statted creatures are rare in the format. This makes Arrogant Wurm, when cast for its Madness cost, one of the most powerful creatures in the format in terms of its stats-to-cost ratio.
Arrogant Wurm’s most common Premodern home is in Selesnya Madness decks, where you can easily pitch it to Wild Mongrel or Tireless Tribe. It can also slot into Survival Infestation decks, where the titular enchantments Survival of the Fittest or Zombie Infestation serve as solid outlets for it. With these decks delivering solid results in recent Premodern events, and Premodern in general gathering steam after coming to MTGO, increased demand for Arrogant Wurm has led to a significant price spike on the card.
The Spike
Over the last month, the price of Arrogant Wurm has been climbing steadily. Around the end of January, near-mint copies of the card’s original Torment printing could be had for around $1.63. Today, the card’s most recent sale was for $8, representing a 390% price spike. As if this wasn’t enough, near-mint listings for the card now start at $11.49. Supply is fairly low on this printing as well, with only seven near-mint listings currently available on TCGplayer.
Arrogant Wurm’s other printings have seen similar action as well. The 2006 FNM Promo version, available exclusively in foil,has ticked up from around $3.48 to around $11-14. Meanwhile, The List version has jumped from $0.56 to $9 thanks to high shipping costs.
Thankfully, if you are in the market for a copy of Arrogant Wurm and don’t care about condition, there are decent discounts to be had. With moderately played copies going for around $5, you don’t have to break the bank. That said, with supply being so low across the board, it might not be long before these copies are bought up.
The Future
Looking forward, Arrogant Wurm’s financial prospects are unclear. If Madness and Survival decks continue to put up results in Premodern, it’s likely that the card will maintain its increased price tag, or perhaps even rise some more. Premodern is a ‘locked’ format, since no new cards will ever enter it. This means there are no better beaters coming along to replace Arrogant Wurm in the future.
On the other hand, if Madness and Survival drop out of the Premodern metagame, then Arrogant Wurm has nothing else to fall back on. Bans or new metagame developments could easily push the decks that run it out, and, in turn, push its price back down. Ultimately, since we can’t predict the future, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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