Sphere of Influence: May 30, 2025

Welcome to Sphere of Influence, a pre-FNM look at some potential movers and shakers that are worth picking up before their prices increase.

Final Fantasy Commander is set to include a number of pricy reprints and reduce the value for eager Commander players who can finally grab some power for not much dough. Here are a few from that set worth picking up, and some other recent reprints to grab.

Bane of Progress - $4

This most excellent artifact and enchantment board wipe pops up in a set here-and-there, but not with enough regularity to reduce its price below $5. Until now. The upcoming version from the Final Fantasy Commander precons is priced at around $4 and dropping a bit every day, which means it'll likely continue its descent after release.

Keep an eye on this one and be ready to pick one up in a week or two. Any creature-based or reanimation-based graveyard Commander deck will thank you.

Conqueror's Flail - $3.50

Commander players must really hate interaction because cards that limit your opponents' actions during your turn, including Voice of Victory and Myrel, Shield of Argive, remain quite pricy. Conqueror's Flail outlasts most of them and has, therefore, fetched a high price owing to few reprints and high demand.

Final Fantasy Commander includes the card, though, and its price is far below other versions—at least half, if not less. Keep your eyes peeled and grab one when the set releases.

Staff of Compleation - $1.50

This jack-of-all-trades mostly serves as a glorified mana rock but holds additional utility in any Proliferate deck or as a glorified sac outlet, as well. Still, its versatility means the card, printed in All Will Be One, fetched a price of at least $5 if not higher. Its reprint in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander helped its price start declining, and now you can pick one up for a song and start paying four life to draw cards, Sylvan Library-style.

Divine Visitation - $1.50

More fun than effective, Divine Visitation requires a hefty mana investment followed by an effect that creates tokens, but can produce Serra Angels en masse afterwards, making it an almost auto-include in any white token deck. It appeared in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander and, for the moment, can be picked up for the price of a few bulk rares. This is a great deal for a mythic rare with limited reprints.

Rot Hulk - $1

What was once north of $20 is now a card you can grab quite easily after it appeared in Aetherdrift Commander. I'm glad Wizards has started reprinting the sorts of cards that appear in side products like Game Night whose price is more a product of scarcity than actual power. To wit: the original version of Rot Hulk is still running at $20, while $1 feels like a much more fair price.

Reprinting Press

Are there any Commander cards you're dying to have reprinted so you can finally pick one up? Let me know!