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It’s Finally Affordable! What Caused This OG Modern Staple to Fall From Favor?

Shamus Molony
2 min read
It’s Finally Affordable! What Caused This OG Modern Staple to Fall From Favor?

Tarmogoyf is a classic Magic: the Gathering card. The card originally came out in Future Sight in 2007. Since then, it’s been a mainstay of many of Magic’s older formats like Modern, Legacy, and Vintage. Naturally, this made Tarmogoyf an extremely expensive card.

But a lot has changed since 2007 and these days, Tarmogoyf is relatively affordable.

Tarmogoyf

There was a time when Tarmogoyf was a $200.00 card! But at the time of writing, the various versions of the card mostly fall between $20.00-$30.00.

Back in the day, paying just $20.00 for a Tarmogoyf was unthinkable. Its high prices gatekept many players from building the popular and powerful OG Modern Jund deck. Tarmogoyf’s new price will surely come as a relief to many players.

Price history for Tarmogoyf (Modern Masters 2015) | TCGPlayer

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Why Did Tarmogoyf’s Price Drop?

The primary reason for Tarmogoyf’s price decline is its number of reprints. Just look at all the different sets you can find the card in:

  • Future Sight
  • Modern Masters
  • Modern Masters 2015
  • Modern Masters 2017
  • Ultimate Masters
  • Time Spiral Remastered
  • The List

There are seven different printings of Tarmogoyf. That is a lot and each injection of supply dropped Tarmogoyf’s price lower.

But there’s another reason Tarmogoyf’s price fell. The Modern metagame is in a very different state than it was back in 2007. New creatures like Ragavan, Nimble PilfererRagavan, Nimble PilfererRagavan, Nimble PilfererWhenever Ragavan deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player's library. Until end of turn, you may cast that card.
Dash {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
, Dragon’s Rage ChannelerDragon’s Rage ChannelerDragon’s Rage ChannelerWhenever you cast a noncreature spell, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
Delirium — As long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, this creature gets +2/+2, has flying, and attacks each combat if able.
, and Kroxa, Titan of Death’s HungerKroxa, Titan of Death’s HungerKroxa, Titan of Death’s HungerWhen 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.)
contend with Tarmogoyf.

Additionally, there are new removal spells like Fatal PushFatal PushFatal PushDestroy target creature if it has mana value 2 or less.
Revolt — Destroy that creature if it has mana value 4 or less instead if a permanent left the battlefield under your control this turn.
and Prismatic EndingPrismatic EndingPrismatic EndingConverge — Exile target nonland permanent if its mana value is less than or equal to the number of colors of mana spent to cast this spell. that can efficiently deal with Tarmogoyf.

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Does Tarmogoyf Still See Play?

Yes! Tarmogoyf is still a good card.

While there are more cards that contend with Tarmogoyf in Modern, Tarmogoyf still sees play. Goyf is still a staple in decks such as in Jund, Death’s ShadowDeath’s ShadowDeath’s ShadowThis creature gets -X/-X, where X is your life total., Golgari Rock, and various other decks.

If you ever wanted to own a playset of Tarmogoyf but couldn’t because of its high prices, now is a good time to consider picking up some copies.

Read More: Are You Following The Market? All of These Modern Cards Are Rising in Price

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Shamus Molony
Written by Shamus Molony

Dedicated Magic: The Gathering writer covering competitive tournament metas, Commander deck tech, and card spoilers.

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