Avacyn Restored's most expensive cards (as released thus far...)

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Avacyn Restored has some pretty pricey cards out there, but of course these are the mythic rares (and a couple of rares). Let's take a look at these. All prices shown here are from Star City Games and are the non-foil costs. Foil prices are around 2x the original price give or take, so just imagine those prices... Also, these expensive cards are the ones that are $10+, not anything less. Let's begin:


Ah, Avacyn, the card the set is named after... She comes in at about $15. She pretty much is a Darksteel Forge that is a creature, flies, has vigilance, and costs less to cast (but costs $3 more. Not that Darksteel Forge is legal in Standard or Extended of course...) Avacyn is definitely an important card to have for an angel deck or even as your commander for an all white EDH/Commander deck.


Cavern of Souls is next, coming in at a pricey $22.50. It looks to me like a Shimmering Grotto that instead of tapping another color to generate any color you want, it instead makes any color of mana you want to cast any creature type you chose when you played it. Not a bad card. I wouldn't buy it for that price, but I will hope to pull it from a booster pack. Price will probably come down after a couple of months anyway. I'd expect it to be around $18 or $15 by August or September.


Hey look! It's Avacyn's buddy from the Helvault! Anyway, an 8 drop with flying and lifelink is comparable to Avacyn, just with less power and lifelink instead of vigilance. The other ability, to effectively take seven damage from your own creature to draw a full hand, is good only if you have the life and/or really need the cards... Probably fits into a good Blue/Black deck with Jace's Erasure. Prices as a single at $10.


Sigarda, Host of Herons is next at $15. Makes you immune to sacrificing permanents, which sounds great, especially with Killing Wave (which is my new least favorite card to have played against me, even before I play a game with Avacyn Restored cards). So if you want to stop someone from using four spaces in their deck for Killing Wave, throw Sigarda into your deck (or maybe a couple. Can't have them on the battlefield at the same time, but you have a better chance of drawing one). Also useful against Melt Terrain since you can't sacrifice a land... Hexproof is also useful since the only way someone can destroy her is for her to block an attacking creature that can deal 5 or more damage.


Tamiyo is about $40 as a single card. I like her -8 ability right away. Takes away the need for a Venser's Journal, which cycles out in October from Standard Format, and also replaces the need for cards like Reclaim (which are useful still if you don't run blue). He +1 ability replaces Clinging Mist's fateful hour ability, so perfect if you want a touch of green without that beautiful color messing with your deck mechanics. -2 could be paired perfectly with a Jace's Erasure. So far, I'm seeing some great combos in just the expensive cards...


Temproal Mastery comes in at $40, and $100 as a foil card... Given the casting cost of this card, you will need the extra turn to do what you wanted to do the first turn. This is useful if you have powerful creatures you want to break down your opponent with and you'd like to attack twice and draw twice. Also useful for using Tamiyo's +1 ability, during your two turns, then using the -2 ability the turn after the extra one given to you by this card. Personally, if I have any intention of using this, I would want to play it after drawing it and use the Miracle cost to pay for it, otherwise I'm using mana that could have been used for something better. Depends on the circumstances I guess...


Ah, Tibalt... a very low costing (to cast that is) planeswalker that takes several turns just to use the final ability. I suppose the reason for the two drop and two loyalty counter is due to Tibalt being new to the planeswalker realm and thus not being overly powerful yet. I'm not a fan of his +1 ability, especially if I have a good hand, but it may be necessary if you want to use the -6 ability, but you have to keep him alive until then... Tibalt has good potential in his abilities, but I think the next rendition of him might be better. I'll be happy if I pull him from a booster pack, but I doubt I would go buy him if I didn't get him... -4 ability would be cool too, as long as your opponent has several cards in his/her hand. If I get him and I use him, it will be purely for bringing him up to 6, then sacrificing him for his -6 ability.


Last, but not least (unless I missed one) is Vexing Devil. Priced at $15 as a single, this is a cool card as it forces an opponent to either take the proverbial bullet or else feel the wrath later. If you have creatures that can deal with Vexing Devil, I wouldn't take the damage, but if I had no creatures, I would definitely take the four damage and sacrifice him just so I wouldn't be taking the damage from him in the event I can't get any creatures onto the field.