The Magic: The Gathering card Determined Iteration is spiking in price. Exactly one month ago, this card was valued at $8.30. Now, according to MTG Goldfish’s price tracker, its cost has shot up to a cool $35. That’s an increase of 322%.
Printed once in a Commander precon deck accompanying the MTG set Streets of New Capenna and then never again, Determined Iteration is an interesting little red enchantment card that works great in aristocrat-y, token-based decks. At the beginning of combat it lets you create a copy of a creature token you control and attack with it immediately. Then you sacrifice that copy at the end of the turn.
This card was cheap as chips until the Universes Beyond Doctor Who set came along and raised it from $2 to $8. It’s fantastic alongside the Master Multiplied, who stops tokens being sacrificed and wants you to create as many copies of him as quickly as you can. Determined Iteration helps this MTG commander’s exponential growth get out of control that much faster, making an extra Master to be cloned with Myriad each and every turn.
The reason this card is spiking now is how well it synergizes with The Master, and in turn how well The Master Multiplied works with one of the most hyped up cards of the month, the exciting new Deadpool, Trading Card card.
I explained exactly how this devilish duo worked when The Master Multiplied shot up in value last week, so to keep it short and sweet, I’ll just say that targeting The Master when you first cast Deadpool, Trading Card lets you make a bunch of Deadpool tokens on subsequent turns and borrow all of your opponents’ best creatures. Crucially, his ‘Mirror Box’ effect also prevents them all dying to the legend rule.
In red and black MTG colors there are only limited ways to make copies of Deadpool, Trading Card, and that seems to be the main strategy for transforming Deadpool from an annoying but ultimately non-threatening deck into an absolute nightmare. Saw in Half is another one; fortunately that card was included in the Deadpool Secret Lair.
Determined Iteration pairs well not only with Deadpool and The Master, but also with any other methods for making Deadpool tokens you might have – especially non-legendary clones that won’t immediately die. Some of these copying cards, like Blade of Selves and Delina, Wild Mage are definitely worth keeping an eye on, while others, like Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink, have already shot up in price.
With so many people grabbing the Deadpool Secret Lair when it dropped on April 1, 2025, it seems like this drop has had a greater impact on card prices than the Marvel cards from last year (though if I remember rightly, Wolverine did create some waves).
It also helps that Deadpool’s effect is so unique, meaning it’s boosting a bunch of weird and underplayed cards. Being so niche, many of these cards have had limited printings, making them even more susceptible to spikes. Determined Iteration falls firmly into this category.
It’s also worth noting that Determined Iteration is good alongside Zurgo, one of the best Commanders in Tarkir Dragonstorm – which meant it was already trending upwards a little before Deadpool was announced. Hopefully you were super prompt picking up your upgrades for that Commander deck!
For more Magic: The Gathering stories check out our guides to the MTG release schedule and best MTG Arena decks. And be sure to visit our Discord, where right now we’re running an awesome competition for some lovely Tarkir Dragonstorm boosties.
Source: Wargamer
