Overlooked 2018 Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker Jumps 400% Thanks to New Commander Deck

As if Jace Beleren hadn't already done enough damage to the Multiverse, he's now wreaking havoc on Magic: The Gathering's secondary market. The latest beneficiary is Aminatou, the Fateshifter, a delightfully bizarre planeswalker from 2018 whose price has suddenly skyrocketed thanks to Reality Fracture and its Multiverse Reforged Commander precon.

According to EchoMTG, the Double Masters 2022 printing of Aminatou reached $29.38 on Oct. 8, an extraordinary increase of more than 400% over the preceding week. Other printings have enjoyed similarly dramatic gains, with The List version climbing to $21.74 and the Secret Lair printing reaching $47.01.

That's a considerable premium for a card that was available for only a few dollars before Reality Fracture arrived on Oct. 2. However, considering what Aminatou can accomplish alongside Jace, Multiverse Architect, the sudden interest is hardly surprising.

Why Is Aminatou, the Fateshifter Suddenly So Expensive?

Originally released in 2018's Subjective Reality Commander precon, Aminatou is a three-mana Esper planeswalker sporting some particularly unusual abilities.

Her +1 allows players to draw a card before placing another card from their hand on top of their library. Her -1 exiles another permanent they own before immediately returning it to the battlefield, while her unhinged -6 ultimate sends nearly every nonland permanent around the table in a direction of your choosing.

It's that combination of library manipulation and blinking that makes Aminatou such a compelling addition to Multiverse Reforged. The deck's four-color Commander, Jace, Multiverse Architect, boasts a powerful -3 ability that exiles another creature or planeswalker you control before revealing cards from your library until you hit another creature or planeswalker, which goes directly onto the battlefield.

Aminatou's +1 removes much of the randomness from this process. Have an Archon of Cruelty or Darksteel Angel sitting in hand? Simply place it atop your library with Aminatou, activate Jace's -3, and watch your opponent's face contort into a rictus of horror as an enormous threat materializes out of thin air.

Her -1 is equally valuable, allowing players to blink Jace himself. Since the returning planeswalker is considered a new permanent, his loyalty resets, and another -3 activation becomes available immediately.

Aminatou Also Enables Some Rather Nasty Infinite Combos

Beyond helping Jace cheat expensive permanents into play, Aminatou has some thoroughly disgusting combo potential.

Felidar Guardian, the infamously banned-in-Standard Cat Beast from Aether Revolt, is one of her most interesting partners. Activate Aminatou's -1 to blink Felidar Guardian, then use its enters-the-battlefield ability to blink Aminatou herself. She returns with fresh loyalty and the ability to activate her -1 again.

Repeat the process indefinitely, generating unlimited Felidar Guardian enters-the-battlefield triggers. Of course, repeatedly flickering a 1/4 Cat Beast isn't exactly a win condition by itself, which is where cards like Impact Tremors and Purphoros, God of the Forge enter the equation by dealing damage to opponents whenever Felidar Guardian returns.

Neither red enchantment would ordinarily fit into Aminatou's three-color Commander decks, but Jace's four-color identity conveniently accommodates both. Throw one of those into the mix and the entire table can be dispatched in spectacular fashion.

There is one deckbuilding consideration, however. Felidar Guardian is a relatively unimpressive creature to hit with Jace's -3, potentially interfering with a strategy built around transforming expendable tokens into enormous threats.

Another Expensive Addition to Jace's Growing Collection of Collaborators

Aminatou joins a growing collection of older Magic cards experiencing substantial price increases thanks to Superfriends strategies. Oath of Teferi, Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, and Onakke Oathkeeper have all enjoyed renewed attention as players strengthen their planeswalker-heavy Commander decks. Beyond that, Kasmina, Enigma Sage saw some speculative attention before the set was released, but the deck doesn't seem to be performing as well as expected.

Still, Aminatou offers something particularly intriguing. Her abilities were already powerful years before Reality Fracture existed, but Jace's new Commander deck gives players a compelling reason to explore everything the creepy little planeswalker can accomplish.

Whether her nearly $30 valuation proves sustainable remains to be seen. Commander-driven spikes can retreat once the initial enthusiasm subsides, particularly for cards with multiple available printings. For now, though, Aminatou is enjoying a rather pricey second act, and Jace has found himself another exceptionally troublesome accomplice.