Another MTG card is spiking, but this time it’s not the Modern format to blame, it’s cEDH. The card is Dosan the Falling Leaf, a legendary human monk with the ability ‘players can play spells only during their own turns’. This card cost $13.60 two weeks ago, and has since shot up to $40. Foil copies, meanwhile, are going for as much as $90.
It may not be the Modern format, but it is Modern Horizons 3 that has triggered this rise. Cutting to the chase, the card has become popular to play in the terrifying new Simic MTG commander deck, Nadu, Winged Wisdom.
Not enough time has passed to see where Nadu fits on our cEDH tier list, but it’s definitely going on there soon. This deck can combo off at the drop of a hat, digging through your entire deck and allowing you to play all the key pieces you need to enable a win. There are loads of tricks to pull off and cheap ways to target your creatures to keep the chain going.
It’s hard to stop a Nadu deck in full stride. Once the commander is out, even counterspells have limited usefulness because the likes of Sea King’s Blessing and Sylvan Paradise don’t actually have to resolve to trigger Nadu’s effect.
So why play Dosan, the Falling Leaf? Well essentially it’s to protect the deck’s weak points when you’re trying to win the game in one turn. Dosan can prevent all interaction in the turn you get him out, letting you combo off in peace. You’re not likely to see this card in a chill, casual Nadu deck – I have serious doubts that such a thing even exists – it’s pure, unfiltered cEDH that’s driving this spike.
Now, Dosan has downsides. You don’t want to be passing the turn with a Dosan on the field because this symmetrical effect is just as good for your opponents as it is for you. But in a properly constructed Nadu deck, one turn is all you need.
Dosan is a must-answer card, since it usually threatens the end of the game. And the more cards that require answers a Nadu player can slot in, the more likely they are to actually resolve Nadu which, as a buildaround commander, is a lightning rod for MTG counterspells and removal.
Only printed in the Champions of Kamigawa MTG set in 2004, Dosan was probably particularly susceptible to a price spike. Nadu is causing loads of price spikes partly because it works so well with lots of weird, niche cards that have never seen a reprint. Sea King’s Blessing is a prime example.
This week we’re seeing other Nadu cards like Umbra Mantle rising in price, too, but this is a less interesting case. It’s just another cheap equipment with zero equip cost, like Shuko, which spiked before.