MTG Weekly Price Spikes: 9/5 – 9/11

Last updated on September 11, 2026

Cut Down | Illustration by Dominik Mayer

Pauper usually prides itself on being Magic’s budget format… but Wizards of the Coast’s surprise decision to make The Zeta Set (which downshifted several cards to common) legal in Pauper sent two staples sharply higher this week.

Reality Fracture previews are also impacting the MTG card market, while we're apparently still in the middle of bear season. Let’s check this week’s biggest movers!

Baleful Strix

Baleful Strix is soaring sky-high this week, with pretty much all of its many printings exploding in price. The Adventures in the Forgotten Realms version, for example, has gone from roughly $1 to a market price around $7.  

As Andy reported earlier this week, the reason is very clear: Baleful Strix, already a multi-format powerhouse and extremely popular in casual Commander, is now also legal in Pauper. 

Source: MTGStocks

The Zeta Set, an unusual Secret Lair product sold in booster packs, printed 12 higher-rarity cards at common. Wizards and the Pauper Format Panel initially announced that those Secret Lair downshifts wouldn’t affect Pauper legality…

… but after some ardent community feedback, Wizards reversed course. As it currently stands, cards from The Zeta Set count exactly like common printings from any other MTG set. Narcomoeba and Price of Progress were banned on the spot, but Baleful Strix got away scot-free.

At least for now. WotC's Gavin Verhey called it “an extremely powerful card” and added that it would be kept “on a very short leash.”

Cut Down

Cut Down is riding exactly the same wave as the Bird of Death. After spending months in the $0.40-0.50 range, this black instant‘s regular printings have jumped over $2 as Cut Down received its first common printing in The Zeta Set.

Source: MTGStocks

Like the Strix, Gavin Verhey was pretty clear that Cut Down is a best-in-class removal spell, and they will be watching it very closely.

Interestingly, even after this week’s explosion, Cut Down still hasn’t reached its peak price: Back in 2024, when it was one of Standard’s premier black removal spells, the card briefly spiked to around $6. So it may still have room to go even higher!

Kasmina, Enigma Sage

Meanwhile, Reality Fracture preview season may have found its first old card to drag out of obscurity. Kasmina, Enigma Sage spent most of the year around $1. Over the last few days, its market price has jumped above $2.50, with some premium versions moving even higher.

Source: MTGStocks

The reason seems to be one of Reality Fracture’s main mechanics, empower Jace. Which is kind of amass, but for planeswalkers: When you empower Jace, you either put loyalty counters on a Jace planeswalker token you already control, or create a new blue Jace token.

The basic token is somewhat tame (it has just two abilities: −1 to surveil 1, and −3 to draw a card). But Kasmina, Enigma Sage gives other planeswalkers you control all of her loyalty abilities.

Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma

While Pauper is stealing most of the attention this week, Commander still refuses to take a Friday off. Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma has climbed sharply again, with the original Core Set 2019 printing now around $4.50 after spending the end of August closer to $2.

Source: MTGStocks

There are two reasons for Goreclaw spiking. The first culprit will definitely ring a bell if you've been paying attention to the MTG card market in the last few weeks: Beorn the Fierce. 

Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma is, guess what, a bear! The mythic Beorn from The Hobbit really likes bears, and is particularly fond of this one: Roughly 90% of current Beorn decks include Goreclaw. 

But there's a second angle here: The Muckslinger Gang from Mystery Booster Commander Edition, giving Goreclaw an even more amusing home.

The Muckslinger Gang gives +3/+3 to your creature cards in any zone besides the battlefield… meaning the Gang's buff does include your hand! Which, in turn, means that the Gang “turns on” Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma ‘s cost-reduction ability for most creatures you may want to cast from your hand.

In other words, The Muckslinger Gang turns Goreclaw from “make my big creatures cheaper” into “make almost every creature in my deck cheaper.”