Why is the Scarab God So Expensive? A Deep Dive into a Magic: The Gathering Staple
The price of The Scarab God can often be a point of discussion, and sometimes, frustration for Magic: The Gathering (MTG) players. The card’s value isn’t a fluke; it stems from a combination of factors, making it a highly sought-after and, therefore, expensive card. In short, The Scarab God’s high price tag results from a perfect storm of high demand in multiple formats, its inherent power and versatility, limited supply from its original printing, and its continued relevance in the metagame. It’s not just a popular card; it’s a card that wins games, driving its cost skyward.
The Scarab God: A Breakdown of its Price Factors
Inherent Power and Versatility
The Scarab God isn’t just a flashy mythic; it’s a powerhouse card with incredible strategic depth. Its two abilities make it a menace on the board:
- Upkeep Trigger: At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses X life and you scry X, where X is the number of Zombies you control. This ability provides incremental advantage by slowly draining opponents while improving your future draws. A growing zombie board presence makes this ability increasingly more dangerous.
- Activated Ability: Exile target creature card from a graveyard. Create a token that’s a copy of it, except it’s a 4/4 black Zombie. This ability provides access to your opponent’s graveyard as well, turning their most powerful creatures against them, in zombie form. This is a massive threat that can quickly take over a game.
This combination of abilities makes The Scarab God a versatile threat suitable for various deck strategies, whether it be a dedicated zombie tribal deck, a midrange control deck aiming for attrition, or even as a general value engine. This flexibility contributes significantly to its widespread demand.
High Demand in Multiple Formats
The Scarab God shines in both Commander (EDH) and competitive constructed formats. In Commander, it serves as a popular commander itself due to its unique ability to reanimate creatures and generate advantage. Its abilities are particularly strong in multiplayer games, where the upkeep trigger can inflict substantial life loss across multiple opponents, and it allows access to multiple players’ graveyards.
Moreover, it sees consistent play within the main decks of other high-tier Commander strategies. In the competitive scene, The Scarab God is a mainstay in many black-based midrange and control decks in formats like Pioneer and Historic, further fueling demand and driving up prices. The combination of consistent play in both casual and competitive play ensures that the card is always in high demand, further impacting its price.
Limited Supply and Reprint History
The Scarab God was initially printed in Hour of Devastation, a set that is no longer in print and has been out of rotation for some time. While reprints can potentially decrease a card’s price, The Scarab God has had very few. Its status as a mythic rare in its initial printing further reduces the overall availability. The limited supply, juxtaposed with its high demand, is a significant factor in its high price. The scarcity is particularly acute since many players who want the card are constantly looking for copies, either for their commander decks or competitive constructed decks.
The “Scarab God Effect”
The term “Scarab God Effect” refers to a card’s ability to generate an overwhelming amount of value over time, usually through repeatable or recursive abilities. In the case of The Scarab God, the combination of life loss/scry and reanimation makes it a card that can snowball and dominate a game if left unchecked. This effect makes it highly sought-after, adding another layer to its high demand and price.
Market Speculation
Like all collectible markets, speculation plays a role. Some investors buy up copies of The Scarab God with the expectation that its price will rise further over time, further reducing the available supply on the market. This, coupled with its continued play in popular formats, keeps its value elevated.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is “The Scarab God” in Magic: The Gathering?
The Scarab God is a legendary creature from the Hour of Devastation set in Magic: The Gathering. It’s a 5/5 black god with two powerful abilities: one that drains opponents while scrying, and another that allows you to reanimate creatures as 4/4 black Zombies.
2. Why is The Scarab God so popular as a Commander?
It’s popular due to its versatility, ability to generate incremental advantage, its access to multiple graveyards, and the fact that it can be returned to hand if it dies, bypassing the commander tax in many cases, although not exile.
3. Can The Scarab God be a competitive Commander?
Yes, The Scarab God is considered a strong commander in competitive EDH (cEDH) circles, often piloting midrange and control strategies.
4. What is the “Scarab God Effect”?
The “Scarab God Effect” refers to the card’s ability to generate overwhelming value over time through repeatable and recursive abilities. This effect involves slowly draining opponents, scrying for better draws, and reanimating threats as 4/4 zombies.
5. How does the Scarab God’s activated ability work?
The Scarab God allows you to exile a creature card from any graveyard and create a token that’s a copy of it, except it’s a 4/4 black Zombie. This allows you to reanimate powerful creatures from any player’s graveyard.
6. What kind of decks is The Scarab God good in?
The Scarab God is strong in zombie tribal, midrange, and control decks. It fits well in any strategy where generating card advantage and reanimating creatures is beneficial.
7. Was The Scarab God ever reprinted?
The Scarab God has very few reprints and was only available in its original set, making its supply very limited. This scarcity has contributed to its high price.
8. Is The Scarab God a mythic rare?
Yes, The Scarab God is a mythic rare card, meaning it’s among the rarest cards in its original set, further reducing its supply.
9. What does the “DJ Scarab God” card refer to?
The “DJ Scarab God” is a promotional version of the card, available through specific promotional events. It is often foil and can add to the demand for the card. The standard version of the card is the more common and less expensive card, when comparing the two.
10. Is the DJ Scarab God Foil?
Yes, the promotional version of the scarab god, DJ Scarab God, is a foil card.
11. How does The Scarab God interact with the Command Zone?
If The Scarab God dies, you can return it to your hand at the beginning of your next end step, allowing you to avoid paying the commander tax. However, if it is exiled, it does go back to the command zone.
12. What other cards pair well with The Scarab God?
Cards that generate zombies, like Gravecrawler, or cards that mill or fill graveyards like Frantic Search pair well. Also cards that benefit from zombies or are just powerful threats can pair well.
13. How is The Scarab God different from other reanimation cards?
The Scarab God provides a continuous reanimation engine rather than just a one-time effect, and can create multiple copies of the same threat over time. It also uses graveyards of all players, providing more diversity.
14. Does the price of The Scarab God fluctuate?
Like most sought-after cards, The Scarab God’s price can fluctuate depending on market conditions, format popularity, and new releases, as well as speculation.
15. Is The Scarab God worth the cost?
Whether it’s “worth the cost” depends on your personal financial situation and play style. It is certainly a powerful and impactful card that is often crucial for several strategies, and if those strategies are ones that you wish to play, the price may be “worth it”. If you are a casual player, the card may not be “worth it”.
In conclusion, The Scarab God’s high price tag is a result of a potent combination of power, demand across formats, limited supply, and strategic depth. Understanding these factors allows MTG players to appreciate its value and determine if the card fits into their deckbuilding and financial goals.