With MTG Star Trek just one week away, and prerelease events kicking off tomorrow, it’s not long before fans will be getting their hands on Magic: The Gathering’s latest Universes Beyond set. If you’re planning to crack packs and want to know what cards constitute a big hit, this guide will break down the highest value pulls you can find in a Play Booster.
That’s right, we’re only looking at the regular cards and treatments available in Play packs. We’re a publication by the people, for the people, so if you want to know what the top cards you can pull in a Collector Booster are (It’s almost definitely a Patrick Stewart signed card) then you’ll have to look elsewhere.
One last note, I’ve left off the exact prices for these cards, since at this early stage they’re likely to fluctuate wildly and would be instantly outdated. For the stardate reprint cards, which make up much of this list, I’ve included the price of the cheapest version currently available.
Dr. Beverly Crusher
It’s a new type of doubler effect – the life gain triggers doubler. This three mana card is absolutely perfect for lifegain decks, making stuff like Ajani’s Pridemade twice as good. However, Bev hangs out at the bottom of this list because she’s a lot narrower than she actually appears and likely to drop in price.
The effect doesn’t double life gained, nor abilities that check whether life was gained in a turn. It’s specifically abilities that trigger when life is gained that this creature cares about.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
One of the best mono-white commanders I’ve seen in a while, Captain Picard creates crew members, and when you have enough of them he can tutor spacecraft into play already stationed. There’s some neat synergy with the Edge of Eternity card, The Seriema – theoretically if Picard was hit with removal you could tap him and six officers to pull it into play and make him indestructible – neat.
There’s another likely reason this card is looking popular currently – Patrick Stewart’s sad death last week. Whether you see it as a touching tribute or just a bit ghoulish, the fact remains that a card’s connection to a recently deceased celebrity gives it a significant popularity boost – as we last saw with Optimus Prime.
LCARS Shocklands
These powerful lands have come down in value a long way since I first got into Magic, with reprint after reprint making them more accessible. Still, they are always in extremely high demand, and these full art versions are bound to be even more so. Especially since they’re textless, so you’ll have to be eagle-eyed to stop folks bringing them in untapped and not paying their two life!
Shizo, Death’s Storehouse
Cheapest version: $37
If your deck is black and wants to attack it can use Shizo, Death’s Storehouse. Since that’s an enormous number of decks, this utility land is understandably pricey. This version, reskinned as the Terran Throne Room, shows off a location from Star Trek’s own evil Echoverse.
Bruvac, the Gradiloquent
Cheapest version: $45
Spock appears here as probably the best mill creature of all time. Bruvac has only ever been released in limited numbers – in Jumpstart, Ravnica Remastered, and Secret Lair – which has kept the price surprisingly high.
Minamo, School at Water’s Edge
Cheapest version: $60
One of the best utility lands Magic has, School at Water’s Edge is king of combos, a cEDH staple and also just really, really useful with any Commander that has a tap ability.
Sheoldred, The Apocalypse
Cheapest version: $88
While Benedict Cucumberpatch, The Apocalypse has generated a ton of memes, you’re kidding yourself if you think the mirth surrounding this card means it’s going to be any less expensive. Hilariously, this is the most valuable MTG Star Trek card you can pull from a regular booster.
If you’re going to a prelease tomorrow, come tell us about it over on the Wargamer Discord.
Source: Wargamer
