Last updated on April 24, 2026

Witherbloom, the Balancer (Secrets of Strixhaven) - art by Chris Rahn

Witherbloom, the Balancer | Illustration by Chris Rahn

This week’s biggest movers in the Magic card market all point back to the same culprit: Secrets of Strixhaven (SOS). Which shouldn't come as a surprise for a new MTG set that officially releases… today!

But unlike last week, in which the commanders from the new Commander precons were taking the lead, it's now SOS dragons behind the spikes.

Let’s take a look at the week’s biggest standouts!

Sedgemoor Witch

Sedgemoor Witch

Sedgemoor Witch, which was already on the rise earlier this month, more than doubled in price over the last seven days, climbing from about $3.50 to well over $8. This black creature was already very popular in Judith, Carnage Connoisseur decks, but seems to be in extremely high demand for three different new SOS commanders.

Source: MTGStocks

Witherbloom, the Balancer

The biggest driver appears to be Witherbloom, the Balancer, who's by far the most popular Secrets of Strixhaven Commander right now. The synergy here is pretty clear: Sedgemoor Witch floods the board with Pest tokens whenever you cast instants and sorceries, which helps make Witherbloom, the Balancer cheaper to cast. Then, once Witherbloom is on the battlefield, your instants/sorceries start getting cheaper too. That’s a pretty tidy loop!

Silverquill, the DisputantBlech, Loafing Pest

On top of that, Sedgemoor Witch also fits well in Silverquill, the Disputant decks, which can really appreciate a board full of cheap creatures. And, to a lesser extent, also in Blech, Loafing Pest decks. The Witch's tokens are pests, so they'll get Blech's buff, and will easily get you a ton of Blech triggers.

Afterlife Insurance

Afterlife Insurance

Afterlife Insurance is another card that started moving as Secrets of Strixhaven preview season got underway, but its price action really accelerated this past week.

At the start of the month, copies were available for around $3.50. By last Friday, that had already climbed to about $5. Now the card has shot up again, landing around $8.50 thanks to how well it lines up with Silverquill, the Disputant.

Source: MTGStocks

That makes sense. Silverquill, the Disputant wants a board full of expendable creatures and a steady flow of value from combat and death triggers, and Afterlife Insurance fits that kind of game plan nicely. It’s the sort of card that probably wasn’t on many players’ radar a few weeks ago, but looks a lot more attractive once a new commander gives it a clear home.

It's a pretty scarce card, too, having only been printed in Ravnica: Clue Edition. At the time of writing, there are very few copies listed, and the prices for near-mint copies on TCGplayer are currently above $13.50.

Blex, Vexing Pest

Blex, Vexing Pest

Blex, Vexing Pest is pretty mediocre in the command zone… and SOS doesn't seem to be about to change that fact.

In the 99, on the other hand, it looks like good ol' Blex will see a lot of play with Blech, Loafing Pest as its Golgari commander. They both buff the same type of creatures (and Blex's itself a Pest), plus the obvious lifegain synergy. Looks like Blex'n'Blech's gonna be a thing!

Source: MTGStocks

That has been enough to send the card sharply higher. Near-mint copies of the regular version were selling for around $1 two weeks ago. By last Friday, they had doubled to roughly $2, and yesterday some copies traded for more than $4. The trend seems to be cooling off a bit, though, with some copies listed below $4 at the time of writing.

Diabolic Revelation

Diabolic Revelation

Diabolic Revelation is strong enough to make the cut into cEDH, usually in Rowan, Scion of War decks.

But it looks like it's going to be a terrific tutor in Witherbloom, the Balancer decks, with nearly half of the new Witherbloom brews packing a copy.  

Source: MTGStocks

The synergy here is that Witherbloom's cost reduction does work with X spells. So if you have 10 creatures on your board, you can pay just to put in your hand 7 of your cards… and if they happen to be instants or sorceries, Witherbloom will discount them too, of course!

Hasbro's Stocks Up, Thanks to Magic!

Revel In Riches - Illustration by Eric Deschamps

Revel In Riches – Illustration by Eric Deschamps

This week’s last “price spike” isn’t about a single card, but about the whole game… or, rather, the companythat owns the game!

As Andy reported today, Hasbro stock jumped 6.59% on Thursday following the company’s Q1 report, closing at $96.58 per share. And once again, Magic was a major part of the story. Hasbro has leaned heavily on Wizards of the Coast for growth over the past year, and that trend doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon.

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