Magic: The Gathering's upcoming set, Theros: Beyond Death, is just a few weeks away which means hype is at an all time high for the return to one of MtG's most popular planes. The new Theros: Beyond Death mechanics have been revealed and players now have a solid idea about how the limited and constructed formats will play out. That means it's time to start figuring out how much money everyone will be spending on cards.
Whether players are fans of Magic's Standard format, casual formats, or something like Modern or Legacy; each set always brings at least a handful of new resources to stock up on. Although prices are guaranteed to fluctuate again after the set actually drops, some players prefer to do their shopping ahead of time by pre-ordering Magic: The Gathering singles.
Keep in mind that these prices are based on pre-orders only and will definitely change once the set releases. Some cards will go up in price, but many will also go way down. If you think something seems too expensive, it's definitely not a bad idea to wait it out and see how things look closer to the end of January 2020... Unless you're planning to run these cards in a competiti ve Magic: The Gathering tournament right away, in which case you are a bit at the mercy of pre-order prices.
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse
As always, planeswalkers are going to be an expensive pre-order. The potential to have a major impact on the metagame and the general popularity of the card type both help to put the new version of Ashiok at right around $20. Five mana is a little expensive (she's no Oko, right?), but in a blue black control or mill deck players probably aren't in a big rush to speed up the game anyway.
Calix, Destiny's Hand
Calix isn't quite as pricey as Ashiok, but this planeswalker is currently sitting at $10 for pre-orders. The four-mana enchantment-themed planeswalker is certainly interesting, but is much more of a build-around than a typical powerful planeswalker that could easily slip into any deck of the matching colors. The conditional requirement of the -3 ability in particular seems like a bit of trouble.
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
It doesn't take much to see why players who prefer the green slice of the color wheel are excited about this Nymph. The Dryad is currently about $10 to pre-order and it will be very interesting to see if that price changes after the first major tournament or two. The ability to play additional lands per turn is massive and this card brings back serious memories of some of the most popular Theros cards during the last phase of the original Theros standard metagame.
Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis
Look out sun, here comes a new Elspeth. The reincarnation of the iconic white planeswalker is currently available to pre-order for around $18. Not only is Elspeth a very popular character with fans, but this is also just a very solid white planeswalker. The lack of a plus ability is definitely a limiting factor on Elspeth's power, but recasting it from the graveyard makes that a little less painful.
Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
The gods are back and players should prepare to pay the price for them. Erebos is availabe for $10 at most pre-order locations and is sure to be a fan-favorite. Hopefully devotion to black doesn't dominate the metagame in the same way it did a few years ago...
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Players who want access to this two-card infinite combo potential are going to have to drop $20 on the pre-order. That is a pretty expensive, but the mythic rarity combined with the potential implications on Pioneer are definitely going to put this card in high demand until players figure out how real its threat is.
Klothys, God of Destiny
This god is going to cost shoppers around $20. The card has some amazing impact on both the early and late game and does just about everything players could want it do. It's causing damage, ramping mana, gaining life; and that's all before it even becomes a 4/5 indestructible creature.
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
At $15 Kroxa is a bit cheaper than a few of the other gods, but that's still an expensive mythic rare. This card does have a powerful effect, but don't be surprised if it drops down to a more reasonable price a few weeks after the set launches and the dust settles.
Nylea, Keen-Eyed
The god price gets even cheaper once players take a look at green. Nylea is only $8 and offers a bit of creature cost reduction and a good way to fill up the graveyard and filter through your deck in a hurry.
Nyx Lotus
As always, Magic players like to get excited anytime the word 'Lotus' is in a card title. With that in mind, Nyx Lotus is currently going to cost shoppers about $10. The ability to ramp up mana and also take advantage of Devotion is very powerful and it will be exciting to see what players are able to pull off with this card on the battlefield.