MTG Merfolk are thriving as Vodalian Hexcatcher spikes over 200 percent in price

Merfolk Magic: The Gathering decks are rising in popularity once more across multiple formats following the release of Lost Caverns of Ixalan, with Vodalian Hexcatcher from Dominaria United spiking over 200 percent in price heading into December. 

The Merfolk archetype in MTG is one of the more popular typal builds across multiple formats and it’s seeing a resurgence in popularity, from causal Commander decks to first-place finishes at Modern tournaments like Modern Rumble in Japan that took place on Nov. 26, according to MTGDecks. Piloted by Koashi Hiroyuki, the Merfolk deck contains several Merfolk Lords like Lord of Atlantis, Master of Pearl Trident, and Vodalian Hexcatcher. 

Merfolk decks have also returned to the Standard format thanks to additions like Tishana’s Tidbinder from LCI, along with Cenote Scout, Nicanzil, Current Conductor, and Kitesail Larcenist. Vodalian Hexcatcher is in the build as well, causing the wizard to spike in price from barely over a dollar to almost $13 on the secondary market as of Nov. 28.

Tishana’s Tidebinder spiked in price too prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, rising from around $5 to around $25 at time of writing. But it’s not the Standard decks that are driving prices up. The success of Merfolk builds in Modern, Commander, and Legacy are the primary reasons why cards like Vodalian Hexcatcher and Tishana’s Tidebinder are spiking in price. Even lands like Caven of Souls have risen in price heading into December, with the LCI version valued at around $35. 

Other major MTG card price spikes that took place heading into December from the LCI set were Bonehoard Dracosuar and Chimli, the Inner Sun. From the Commander Precons, Wrathful Raptors spiked over 200 percent to around $13 and Broadside Bombardiers rose over 300 percent to around $18. 

All MTG card prices are subject to change daily. These prices were determined through echoMTG and TCGPlayer.