Reality Fracture Prerelease is almost upon us, meaning players will finally get the chance to crack some cards from this absolute banger of a Magic set. Between its deep suite of multi-format playables and its many new staples for Commander, there’s no shortage of hits to be had here.
Naturally, plenty of these powerful cards have price tags to match, paying for your pack several times over in many cases. If you’re heading to MTG Reality Fracture Prerelease this weekend, these are the most expensive cards in the set to watch for.
10 | Craterclaw Colossus
Price: $20.46
Given how expensive both Craterhoof Behemoth
Craterhoof BehemothHaste
When this creature enters, creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control. and Moonshaker Cavalry have been in the past, it’s not surprising to see a hefty price tag on the red version of this effect. In any artifact-heavy Commander list, be it Treasures or traditional Affinity, Craterclaw Colossus is a sensational new finisher. Though you do technically need both a wide board and a pile of artifacts here, it’s so easy to make the latter these days that it’s barely even a downside.
Craterclaw even has some advantages over its formidable predecessors, too, perhaps most notably its discounted mana cost of seven. For many decks, this won’t be relevant, since cheating it out with cards like Goblin Welder, or even Magda, Brazen Outlaw will likely be the norm, but it’s still a notable edge. Thanks to these various advantages and the proven power of its base effect, Craterclaw Colossus is sitting pretty at $20.46 right now.
9 | Omnipresence
Price: $20.95
Omnipresence is one of the more intriguing new offerings in Reality Fracture. It feels like a mash-up of Aluren and Omniscience, giving green a new way to sling spells for free, thus enabling a huge array of combo lines. You can win on the spot by looping Acererak, the Archlich, for example, or just cast Enter the Infinite
Enter the InfiniteDraw cards equal to the number of cards in your library, then put a card from your hand on top of your library. You have no maximum hand size until your next turn. to draw and cast your entire deck.
The caveat here, of course, is that Omnipresence only functions if you have a wide board, which is far from a given in Commander. Post-board wipe, this is essentially a do-nothing enchantment, meaning it’ll likely struggle at lower-bracket tables where those run rampant. Though it is in green, meaning you can ramp it out or cheat it in with Kona, Rescue Beastie, these issues remain glaring. That said, players clearly have faith in the card’s potential in Commander, as it’s currently going for $20.88 on pre-order.
8 | Kwia Vigorbloom
Price: $21.51
As one of the clear best Commanders in Reality Fracture, it didn’t take long for players to identify the huge potential for Kwia Vigorbloom in the format. Making a token version of Black Lotus potentially every turn is a big deal, after all, to the point that it was one of the headline teasers for the set as a whole. In any Lifegain list where you can trigger it consistently, Kwia can make you more mana than you know what to do with, fueling massive early plays.
Even better, Kwia also has some spicy combo lines up its sphinxian sleeves. Pair it with a Soul Warden
Soul WardenWhenever another creature enters, you gain 1 life. effect and Emiel, the Blessed, for example, and you can gain infinite life for a Aetherflux Reservoir win. Factor in a surprisingly scary body in the air, and Kwia will undoubtedly be lighting up the EDHREC charts come October 2nd, more than warranting its current $21.51 price tag.
7 | Stingcaster Mage
Price: $21.97
As the first color-shifted MTG classic we saw from Reality Fracture, Stingcaster Mage set the bar high right out of the gate. While it’s clearly far worse than the original Snapcaster Mage
Snapcaster MageFlash
When this creature enters, target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.) because it lacks Flash, being a Hasty red creature could still earn it a home in constructed. In Pioneer, in particular, it seems like an easy fit in both Izzet Prowess and Mono-Red Prowess, providing an impactful threat that also recycles Burst Lightning
Burst LightningKicker {4} (You may pay an additional {4} as you cast this spell.)
Burst Lightning deals 2 damage to any target. If this spell was kicked, it deals 4 damage instead. and the like.
In Commander, Stingcaster Mage will likely fare worse, but it still has a few potential niches. Plenty of green cEDH decks have started running Cryptolith Rite
Cryptolith RiteCreatures you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color." and Enduring Vitality
Enduring VitalityVigilance
Creatures you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color."
When Enduring Vitality dies, if it was a creature, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It's an enchantment. (It's not a creature.) thanks to Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
Shang-Chi, Master of Kung FuYou may activate abilities of creatures you control as though those creatures had haste.
{T}: Add two mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to activate abilities of creature sources.. Stingcaster feels great with these cards in mind, tapping for mana thanks to Haste that can then be spent to re-cast something like Vampiric Tutor or a countered Demonic Consultation.
Whether any of these potential homes pan out or not remains to be seen, but for now players are plenty hyped for Stingcaster Mage regardless. The card’s current price tag, a not-inconsiderable $21.97, certainly reflects this.
6 | Darklight Phoenix
Price: $21.98
Darklight Phoenix might be the most-hyped constructed card from Reality Fracture so far, with players giving it real consideration for both Standard and Modern. In Standard, we’ve already had some success with the card in a spicy Early Access Orzhov Sacrifice brew, easily powering it out thanks to newcomers Dark Matter Manipulator and Liliana the Repentant
Liliana the RepentantWhenever another creature or planeswalker you control enters, mill two cards.
Exhaust — {5}{B}: Return target creature or planeswalker card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Put a +1/+1 counter on Liliana. Activate only as a sorcery. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.). In Modern, players like Aspiringspike are already talking about its potential in Mono-Black shells alongside Flare of Malice and Phyrexian Tower
Phyrexian Tower{T}: Add {C}.
{T}, Sacrifice a creature: Add {B}{B}..
While Darklight Phoenix feels considerably less exciting for Commander, it’s by no means a dud in the format. The condition is easy to meet for decks like Aristocrats, giving you consistent access to a recursive fodder creature for all your synergies. Since it has three power, it works well with Greater Good and Tom, Bert and William, too, unlike other recursive creatures like Gravecrawler. As a mythic with clear multi-format potential, it’s not too surprising to see Darklight Phoenix sitting at $21.98 currently.
5 | Ajani Resolute
Price: $22.97
As a two-mana planeswalker with the capacity to gain loyalty far quicker than most, Ajani Resolute is one of the more eye-catching cards in Reality Fracture. In Commander, it’s very possible for this to ultimate in just a turn or two in Lifegain lists, massively increasing your pressure for the rest of the game. For decks like Ragost, Deft Gastronaut, which often pair a Lifegain theme with a go-wide token plan, this is a superb new option.
Over in constructed, Ajani’s new two-mana variant could have some legs, too. Orzhov Lifegain decks have been putting in work in Standard recently, and Ajani seems like a slam-dunk addition there. Beyond that, it could potentially see testing in Modern Boros Energy, where it works well with Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride
Ocelot PrideFirst strike, lifelink
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained life this turn, create a 1/1 white Cat creature token. Then if you have the city's blessing, for each token you control that entered this turn, create a token that's a copy of it., but that’s much more of a long shot. In any case, Ajani Resolute has plenty going for it, and a juicy $22.97 price tag to match.
4 | Samut, Tyrant of Naktamun
Price: $32.40
Blue Samut is, on balance, probably the most-hyped card in Reality Fracture. Given that it topped both our best overall cards list and our best Commander cards list for the set, clearly we agree. It’s simply impossible to deny the impact that adding Split Second to all of your instants and sorceries will have, especially in Commander. Whether you’re playing at lower brackets or in cEDH, this makes countermagic useless against you, and lets you mess with the stack to shut down opposing combos to boot.
As we saw with Hexing Squelcher, many players are already calling Samut a problem for Commander, and they may well be right. The card has real potential in other formats too, however, as extra combo protection in decks like Modern Neoform or Legacy Doomsday. Overall, Split Second is such a rare ability, and Samut is such an efficient granter of it, that it’s not hard to imagine the card’s current $32.40 price being accurate, despite us still being pre-release.
3 | The Theorist, Jace Beleren
Price: $32.97
While Samut is definitely the most talked-about card in Reality Fracture for competitive Commander, all other brackets are looking forward to The Theorist, Jace Beleren far more. I don’t think it’s a reach to say that this will be a new blue staple in pretty much every blue deck outside of cEDH going forward.
By itself, this is a planeswalker that bounces three threats on entry, and outperforms The One Ring in terms of card advantage for its first few turns. Though Jace is obviously much easier to remove than that broken Game Changer, the comparison still feels fair to make.
Outside of Commander, this new flagship Jace could actually see some Standard play as well. Decks like Dimir Midrange and Izzet Spellementals may find room for it, as a sideboard piece in grindy matchups at the very least. While Commander demand will likely keep its current $32.97 price level for now, any action on the constructed front could see it spike even higher.
2 | Hexhaven Invigorator
Price: $35.99
With text that feels scarily similar to multi-format menace Primeval Titan
Primeval TitanTrample
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, you may search your library for up to two land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle., it’s no surprise that Hexhaven Invigorator is turning heads during this pre-release period. In Commander, this is an absolutely terrifying new land tutor option, turning the already-great Blasphemous Act
Blasphemous ActThis spell costs {1} less to cast for each creature on the battlefield.
Blasphemous Act deals 13 damage to each creature. into a game-winning ramp spell. It also plays perfectly with fight-focused Commanders like Wayta, Trainer Prodigy, letting you dominate the board while abusing all your favorite lands.
As if being a possible new Commander staple wasn’t enough, Hexhaven Invigorator also looks to have serious potential in Modern, too. Players are already discussing several potential combo lines with the card, some even including notoriously bad removal spell Mine Collapse. With current Amulet Titan lists already running most of the support Invigorator needs, it’s not a stretch to imagine it seeing play in the format. If it does, the double-demand from both Commander and Modern should more than warrant its sizable $35.99 price tag.
1 | Emrakul, the Exigent Doom
Price: $38.06
It’s not every day that we get a new Eldrazi titan in Standard, especially not one with as much potential as Emrakul here. The big draw with this incarnation of Emmy is that activated ability, which essentially ramps you for one colorless mana for three. While this isn’t hugely impressive on its face, as an ability it’s incredibly difficult to counter, and you can use it at instant speed while holding up interaction, too.
For colorless-heavy Commander decks, or those that rely on land untappers like Magus of the Candelabra, new Emrakul feels like a worthy inclusion for its ability alone. Once your ramp engines get properly going, however, you can also cast it for 10 as a nigh-unkillable 12/12, which gives you a whole turn’s worth of mana to play with.
Though not as immediately devastating as most Eldrazi titans, this is still a game-winning threat, and one that feels far better to run than the others due to its early utility. Even if it sees no play at all in constructed formats, the Commander demand for this new Eldrazi alone could well support its $38.06 price tag long-term.
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