Iconic Masters is just around the corner and it is full of exciting reprints for decks in eternal formats and beyond. If you are looking to purchase packs, newly printed singles, or cards that might be affected by this new set, look no further as we detail the impacts of this upcoming Master set.

Even before the official release of the set, we begin to see the impact of these reprints on cards.  Today we’ll take a look at IMA’s effect on (paper) card prices for some of the most played cards in all constructed formats and I’ll share my predictions on where many of these card prices may settle after the set’s release.

White Reprints

Some of the best mythic reprints in this set come in the form of two iconic angels. Avacyn, Angel of Hope and Archangel of Thune were both pushing $40 prior to their spoilers.  I predict that these will fall to about $20 with IMA’s release.

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a casual and commander staple that seems to hover around $30 consistently.  After IMA comes out, it would be a good time to pick up the copy you need as it has already started to drop to the $15 range.

Auriok Champion and Serra Ascendant desperately needed reprints as they provide access to the entry level Souls Sisters Modern deck and their price was over $35. Auriok Champion is now sitting at $15 and could drop even lower. Serra Ascendant is now $12, a far cry from it’s old $30 price tag.

Blue Reprints
  

One of the most powerful counterspells ever printed makes its appearance in this set with new art and a rare appearance in foil! Mana Drain is the chase mythic of the set and while it’s price has fallen from a previous high of $220, the $100 price it now sits at is nothing to scoff at. If you have been trying to get a copy for your cube or commander deck, now would be a great time. The foil is currently settling around $200 and should hopefully drop lower for those of you who are addicted to shiny things.

Flusterstorm has evaded reprints in previous masters and commander sets but finally shows up in Iconic Masters. The card is a staple for every blue legacy deck and is often needed in multiples. For that reason, it was roughly $80 before IMA’s spoiling and is now settling around $45. Foils should emulate that of the judge promo which can be acquired for $125.

Ancestral Vision is back on the scene in modern and control players need their playset. Its price skyrocketed once it was unbanned and reached nearly $60, making the desired playset backbreaking for new control players. Now Visions is sitting at about $25 and should hopefully drop further. The foils of this card will be highly desirable as there is only one other foil printing previously and that was pushing $200.

Black Reprints

Sheoldred, Whispering One is a commander powerhouse that has many applications. She is currently sitting around $12, down from her previous price point of $20. This set will also include at the mythic rarity, Nectropotence and Ob Nixilis, the Fallen which are much less valuable, so if you do open a black mythic, let’s hope it’s a praetor.

Bloodghast is an exciting black rare being reprinted as it has recently surged in popularity with modern decks like dredge and Hollow One Combo, but this reprint should hold its price in the range of $12.

Thoughtsieze is a multi-format all-star that has benefited from a previous reprint.  This time, however, the original Lorywn art is back. The discard spell should hold below the $20 mark.  I predict that this reprinting will effectively bring the coveted Lorywn-art foils back to a reasonable price. The original printing in foil is around $350.  When you look to acquire a playset of these, prepare to take out a loan.  This Iconic Masters printing should make that price point easier to swallow.

Red Reprints
 

Red didn’t get a whole lot of love in the mythic department as the king of masters set reprints, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, made yet another appearance. This should keep his price tag in the cool $10-$15 range.

Magus of the Moon coming in at rare is a relief for people looking to attack their opponent’s mana base in modern. The magus was at a previous price of $35 and now sits at $17.

Green Reprints

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger is a necessary green commander staple and will follow a similar trajectory to Elesh Norn as it settles in the $15 range. The foils of this popular hoser have also fallen to the $30 range.

Primeval Titan has lingered in the $12 range for a while, but this reprint has allowed IMA copies to reach $7, making the giant a good pick up.

Lotus Cobra being reprinted as a rare will make the snake an easy pick up for casual and commander players as it has already fallen close to $5.

Multicolor Reprints
  

The most exciting multicolor card being reprinted in this set has got to be the mill staple, Glimpse the Unthinkable.  This card has not been printed in TWELVE YEARS and the price shows. Glimpse was pushing $40 for a while but is settling around $15.

Some other notable multicolor rares are Knight of the Reliquary and Supreme Verdict.  Expect this reprinting to keep these two below $10.

Land Reprints

One of the most exciting rares to come out of this set is Horizon Canopy. The reprinting of this Future Sight land has been needed for a while, and Canopy sat at almost $100 for quite a while. This land sees play in many modern and legacy decks, serving as a source of mana OR card advantage in green decks. Horizon Canopy is now sitting at $45 with a new frame and art.

Similarly, Grove of the Burnwillows (also originally from Future Sight) is a great pickup as it is now below $25.

Artifact Reprint
  

Although Mishra’s Bauble is not exactly “iconic”, its price needed to be corrected. The small set uncommon was pushing $50 and is a necessary playset for B/G/x Death’s Shadow decks in Modern. Now, the artifact is roughly $12 and, at uncommon rarity, is poised to fall even lower.

Aether Vial was a surprising reprint, but it being a just a rare in its fourth printing should keep it below $30.

Oblivion Stone was reprinted with new art and is now settling around $10.

Should I Buy Iconic Masters?

The set is packed with great rares that should just mitigate the price of the pack. If you plan on buying a box of Iconic Masters, make sure you have some friends that want to draft so you can get playable value out of it. Normally, just buying singles is the smart financial move and this masters set is no exception. Be on the lookout for singles dropping to even lower prices after the set is officially released.

Some cards that were not reprinted in this set that you should be keeping an eye on include Goryo’s Vengeance, Through the Breach, Liliana of the Veil, Scapeshift, Chalice of the Void, Glimpse of Nature, and Mox Opal. As always, when a reprint set comes out and new interest is created in a format like modern or legacy, the basis of many decks can go up in price. Staples like fetchlands, shocklands, Snapcaster Mage, and Tarmogoyf will likely see a gradual increase once the set is released.

The interesting thing about this set is that it comes on the heels of another Standard set release later this winter and 25 Master coming out this upcoming spring. It is possible that, if Iconic Masters gets overlooked by consumers and fades into obscurity, the prices will only drop momentarily before climbing to their original prices or higher. Wizards of the Coast has somewhat learned their lesson with print runs for masters sets, so we can hope that there will be at least a second print run for this set. Regardless, the best time to buy singles will be a couple of weeks after initial release. The best time to buy sealed product will be as long as you have the financial means or a group to draft with. Here’s to all your packs being truly iconic.