Double Masters 2022 is made of reprints, and hard as it is to top the original Double Masters (remember Force of Will, we believe Wizards of the Coast is doing a fine job. Whether you’re a player looking to add some of these cards into your Modern or Commander decks, or a collector looking to buy now and sell down the road, Double Masters has plenty of exciting cards that you can pull from booster packs.
But one thing about Double Masters 2022 is that it’s particularly top heavy, with 120 Rares and 40 Mythic Rares. This means it’s going to be harder to pull out the cards you want from buying booster packs. You could buy singles, but if you are planning to open some packs, we’ve highlighted 8 cards that you’ll wanna see pulled out.
All cards in this list have to fulfil requirements for both competitive players as well as collectors:
- High power level card used in multiple formats
- Good chance of price appreciation, price stability
Dockside Extortionist (Mythic)
The first ever reprint of Dockside Extortionist couldn’t come at a better time. With prices rising all the way up to $80 in recent weeks, there seemed to be no upper limit to this card. It was first introduced in Commander 2019, and didn’t seem all that broken at the time.
However it soon became apparent that high-level Commander games are heavily dependent on Artifacts, and a single Dockside Extortionist could easily net its owner 5 or more Treasures. If there’s a way to keep recurring that trigger via bounce effects, that infinite Mana can easily lead to the end of the game.
Although this reprint will bring the price down a little, we expect it to rise again simply because it is too good to ignore in the Commander meta. It being a Mythic Rare means that won’t be so many available either.
Mana Drain (Mythic)
Players were disappointed not to see a notable successor to Mana Drain in the other recent Commander Legends 2: Battle at Baldur’s Gate. But what a nice surprise to see it appear in Double Masters 2022!
Mana Drain is a strictly better Counterspell and is often included in high-level Commander or Legacy decks. Not only do you counter the opponent’s spell, you add free Mana for you to use in your next turn. It’s also especially iconic since it was first introduced in Legends way back in 1995.
There also haven’t been that many reprintings, which has kept supply low. As a Mythic Rare, Double Masters 2022 isn’t going to add that much more to the supply. Mana Drain may not be highly profitable to speculate, but its price stability is rock solid and it’ll be good for both players and collectors to get a hold of.
Consecrated Sphinx (Rare)
Consecrated Sphinx is a card built for Commander, as its text reads “each opponent,” which means you could be drawing at least 6 cards with 1 turn cycle around the table. It’s a scary card built for blue, already one of the more powerful colours in Magic, so giving it more fuel in terms of cards just makes it worse.
It’s been reprinted before in a Secret Lair, but you don’t see too many of these floating around, simply because every Commander player needs one in their deck. Regular editions from previous sets have reached as high as $55, so if a Double Masters copy goes for $25, that’s quite a bargain and something collectors will want to snap up.
It might take a while to reach those heights again, but Consecrated Sphinx probably offers the most potential uptick in terms of price.
Teferi’s Protection (Rare)
Despite multiple reprints in recent years (Strixhaven, Secret Lair, and Mystery Booster), the price of this get-out-of-jail white card has remained high and stable, simply because it’s one of the best cards in white. It keeps all your Creatures and other Permanents safe and alive in the event of a big wipe spell.
In any self-respecting white Commander deck, expect to see Teferi’s Protection in it, to keep the playing field level with the other colours. There are very few cards that do what Protection can (except maybe Platinum Angel) so it is unlikely that the price will ever fall too far.
Damnation (Rare)
As one of the best clear-cut board wipes in black for just 4 Mana, Damnation has always been a highly sought-after card in multiple formats. This new reprint in Modern Masters 2022 should bring the price down a little, but older editions are still holding strong at $30.
Why is Damnation so good? It’s a good-old “destroy all Creatures” much like Wrath of God. Many other black board wipes either cost more or have restrictions in place. For example, Crippling Fear can easily give -3/-3 to all Creatures, but what if the opponent had a 4-Toughness Creature on the board?
One thing great about most of the Double Masters cards in this list is that they all feature new art, and Damnation is no exception. The borderless treatment is the first ever being done for Damnation, so collectors might want to take note of that.
Mana Vault (Mythic)
This Mana rock has been a staple in the Magic: the Gathering scene since the very beginning. It costs 1 Mana but lets you immediately tap for 3. Sure you take 1 damage each turn, but in a Commander game with 40 life, that is often negligible. We’ve seen how Mana Vault can combine with Sol Ring and Mana Crypt to quickly get a Kozilek, the Great Distortion out on turn 2.
Furthermore, Mana Vault is a colourless Artifact that can go into decks of any colour, which mean you can be sure that it will always be in high demand. Its last reprint was in Ultimate Masters, a pretty distant 4 years ago. If Teferi’s Protection above can maintain a good price despite multiple reprints, rest assured Mana Vault will too.
Sensei’s Divining Top (Rare)
Another ubiquitous Artifact for many years is Sensei’s Divining Top for its ability to mould the top of your Library to whatever you need it to be. Similar to Scroll Rack, the Top goes one further by letting you tap to draw a card in exchange for putting itself on the Library. It’s almost like a Scry 3 for just 1 Mana, and if you don’t like what you see, there are many ways to shuffle those cards away (with Lands like Scalding Tarn for example).
There have also been very few reprints of Sensei’s Divining Top, the last being Eternal Master plus a short stint in The List. As with all other reprints, expect this to fall slightly before rebounding back, likely in the $50 range after a year or 2.
Wrenn & Six (Mythic)
One of the few 2-cost Planeswalkers out there, Wrenn & Six is also the strongest by a mile. Its ability to bring back Lands from the Graveyard means continuous use of your Fetch Lands like Misty Rainforest and Arid Mesa will help you thin your deck as well, ensuring you draw more interactive spells.
It’s only been printed once in Modern Horizons, meaning this 1st reprint will not be a damper on its value or supply. The original copy still goes for $80 and over time Wrenn & Six from Double Masters will also rise to that level, or maybe even more.
Force of Negation (Rare)
We had hoped Fierce Guardianship would be in Double Masters 2022, but alas we have its weaker cousin Force of Negation to make up for it. The alternate borderless art is especially gorgeous, and many players who use it in their Modern decks are sure to clamour for one.
Although it can be cast for free, there are limitations and costs, and we feel it still doesn’t sit on the same level as Mana Drain, but it certainly is another “force” to reckon with.
While $45 may not sound ‘cheap,’ remember that the original Force of Negation from Modern Horizons still lists for $70. It’s only been printed in 2 sets, and has never been on The List, so supply is guaranteed to be low.
End Step
If you’ve been paying attention, you’d noticed we excluded the most expensive card (based on preorder prices) from the set. This may be the first reprint of Imperial Seal in a long time, but as a clearly weaker card than Vampiric Tutor, we don’t feel particularly confident that its high price will hold.
Considering Vampiric Tutor is currently listed for around $40-50, don’t be surprised if Imperial Seal falls to that price point. Or at the very least, Vampiric Tutor will appreciate to a price closer to Imperial Seal’s.
We also didn’t include the Eldrazi reprints here because while they are almost guaranteed to retain good value, they aren’t always played across the formats because of their high casting cost. Do you agree? Feel free to share your thoughts by emailing us.
