The Magic: The Gathering card Seasoned Pyromancer has risen in value over the past few weeks. Priced at $3.30 in the run up to Christmas, this Modern Horizons 1 card has since gone steadily up to where it currently sits, at $8.10 as of January 2. You can still grab foils for $5 and these have not seen much movement at all, but the special art edition that came with Double Masters 2022 has gone from $5 to $15, and doesn’t seem to be slowing.
Seasoned Pyromancer was a fantastic card when it came out in the MTG set Modern Horizons, able to loot for card selection and produce several bodies, all for one mana. It’s since been a little outclassed by new additions to the format, but a meta shakeup has given this old wizard a new lease on life.
The reason for this spike is that Seasoned Pyromancer is a good fit for Boros and Mardu Energy decks, which have remained top tier despite being a primary focus of the recent MTG banlist changes. Seasoned Pyromancer works brilliantly with the go-wide elements of these decks. It synergizes particularly well with Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride, has a brilliant ETB to copy with Reflection of Kiki-Jiki, and provides lots of fodder for Chthonian Nightmare.
So why has it only just spiked now? Well, obviously Energy decks needed a new card to replace what was lost, but we have to look more closely at the cards that were banned to see why Seasoned Pyromancer in particular has benefitted.
The now-banned Amped Raptor fulfils a slightly different role to Seasoned Pyromancer, offering acceleration and an energy pay-off over card selection and tokens, but while it was in the deck, it was a slight disincentive to play Pyro.
Amped Raptor’s abilities meant decks had to limit their three-drops. This card produces two energy on the turn it comes down and lets you instantly spend that energy on a random card. While you might have extra energy from an Aether Hub or Guide of Souls, there would inevitably have been some feel-bad games where you hit a Seasoned Pyromancer with your Raptor, and were forced to let it go to exile.
I’ve buried the lede, however, because much more important than the Raptor ban is Jegantha, the Well-Spring. This busted companion meant that Seasoned Pyromancer couldn’t get a look in before, for the simple reason that the card has two red pips. While inefficient, a guaranteed extra card you always have access to is hard to beat, and any deck that could play it was forced to warp around Jegantha. Now she’s out, no such deck-building restrictions apply!
For more Magic stories, take a look at the most expensive MTG cards of all time. And, hey, it’s a new year, with a new MTG release schedule!
Source: Wargamer
