Budget Buys for the Sets of 2025 - Bulk Up!
There's a lot of excitement, and trepidation, about the upcoming year of Magic! If you're like me, each new set brings the thought of "can I make a deck around any of the latest set's commanders?" The issue that I always seem to run into is that, by the time I'm ready to throw the deck together, I realize that a lot of the cards I wanted to buy climbed in price as their demand grew.
That's where I come in: I'm Tyler 'Savesya' Bucks, and here is a list of cards at bulk prices that might not stay there once the first three sets of the year are released!
First, let's take a minute to define something: bulk rares. When people think of "bulk" they usually think of the commons and uncommons that have been relegated to big cardboard boxes, destined to collect dust. However, sometimes bulk cards can be found in rare binders.
These cards are often overly specific, and/or too janky to fit into most decks, so, moving forward, when I highlight bulk rares, I'm going to try to stick to this definition: a rare, usually under $1, that often gets overlooked during deck building, and by default doesn't see much play.
Zombies, Vampires & Werewolves Galore!
Undead Augur
The third most played kindred type on EDHREC is Zombies, and honestly I'm not too surprised. Their ability to create an engine that dominates the board can quickly make them the table's top target, but even when you remove them it doesn't seem like enough. Undead Augur is a prime example of this creature type's ability to fuel their gameplan in the face of adversity.
Drawing a card for each of your Zombies that die will ensure your hand stays full, all while your creatures go to their favorite place: the graveyard!
Something that's easy to overlook with Undead Augur is that it triggers on every Zombie you control that dies, and that includes tokens, so while you will need to keep an eye on your life total (since you're losing a life for each card you draw), you can still build up a strong undead horde with the knowledge that any member of your army can be turned into a new card when you need it. Also, Zombie decks are already known for their sacrifice outlets, which is the perfect tag team partner with the Auger! Be sure to grab one of these before the price goes up.
Champion of Dusk
Vampire decks are known for a lot of things: draining life, building scary boards, and discard synergies. A card that takes advantage of all those strengths is none other than Champion of Dusk, drawing you cards equal to the number of Vampires you control! Since your life total is usually a bit higher than most, its life loss isn't too big of a drawback. If your board is sizable and your hand is light from all that discarding, you'll have a full grip to help propel you into the late game.
Many Vampire decks play around with their graveyard, so even if you cast Champion of Dusk early in the game and it gets removed, there's a chance you can reanimate it later. Reusing that enters ability is strong, but even just getting that trigger once might make the difference in whether you win or lose a game. Cards like this are always useful, since they reward you for playing the game well.
"Hey, did you pop off and cast all the Vampires in your hand? Well, here's some new cards for being a good bloodsucker" is what I assume the Champion would say... Maybe I should have kept that to myself...
Werewolf Pack Leader
Up next is one of the only Werewolves that doesn't hail from Innistrad: Werewolf Pack Leader. Adventures in the Forgotten Realms brought us this two-mana 3/3 that doesn't transform like the Werewolves we're accustomed to.
In this case, you just pay four mana to have it lose that Human type until end of turn, no flipping the card around in your sleeve. It also has Pack tactics, which means that when it attacks, if your total power is six or more, you'll draw a card!
Werewolf decks are historically aggressive, so having an early game creature to drive damage forward, as well as fill your hand back up is incredibly valuable. Since Werewolf Pack Leader is so cheap, it can be a threat as early as turn two.
Laying the groundwork for the rest of your creatures to come down and start pushing damage through. Also, that second mana ability to pump its power and gain trample, could be your reason to hold off casting a spell on your turn, if you really need it to turn from day to night (oof... the day/night mechanic is so confusing!)
Vehicles go VROOM VROOM!
Sram, Senior Edificer
Getting this out of the way now, Sram, Senior Edificer is a must-have for any Vehicle deck. Allowing you to draw a card for casting the main card type of your deck is the thing dreams are made of. Sram came out during a time in Magic where white didn't get many card draw effects, so for a long period of time, it was highly sought after. Seeing it now hovering around the $1 mark is a welcom sight to behold, but if Aetherdrift brings more great Vehicles into the format, it might not stay that price.
On top of the card draw, you also get a creature that can easily crew some of the Vehicles you're casting. An issue a lot of decks in that strategy tend to struggle with is having enough bodies to cram into the driver's seat. Sram is more than willing to get behind the wheel, all while digging you deeper into your deck. There's not much more I can say about this card, it's a certified staple for a reason!
Mech Hangar
Vehicles need all the help they can get, so finding that support on a land is a welcome surprise! Mech Hangar comes in untapped and taps for a colorless or a mana of any color to cast a Vehicle or Pilot spell. Not only that, for three mana and tapping it, you can basically crew one of your Vehicles. That ability can help you bounce back after a board wipe, since the creatures you use to crew your Vehicles are gone, you can surprise your opponents with an attack out of nowhere!
Finding lands that support your main strategy can sometimes be a struggle, but when it does happen it can be just another reason your deck goes from good to great! While Mech Hangar won't blow you away every game you have it on the battlefield, it will still come in clutch when the time is right!
Need to cast that Parhelion II but don't have two white mana? The Hangar is here with the assist! Oh no, do you need help ensuring that Parhelion II can attack? Well, look at that, the Hanger is there for you again!
Luxurious Locomotive
This next inclusion is a bit of a head-scratcher. Luxurious Locomotive allows you to make Treasures when it attacks for each creature that crewed it this turn, which sounds very powerful! However, its crew ability says "activate only once each turn", so does that mean you can only throw one creature behind the wheel? Apparently not!
Crewing a Vehicle is something that happens all at once, so you can choose five creatures to jump in the Locomotive all at the same time if you wanted to, which would give you that many Treasure tokens on attack. (You can read up on the rules here)
Even if Luxurious Locomotive makes you a modest one to two Treasures a turn to keep your deck's engine running. Plus, you'll be swinging in with a large 6/5 body, pressuring your opponent's life totals. While five mana may seem steep, I can tell you from experience that Vehicle decks are usually filled with artifact cost-reducers.
Etherium Sculptor and Foundry Inspector are mainstays in this archetype, and of course your mana rocks can help get this train on the tracks a few turns early! Hopefully clearing the air about this card has you checking your bulk for this hidden gem.
It's Raining Dragons and More Dragons
Temple of the Dragon Queen
First up we have a land that can tap for a specific color of mana, and enters untapped if you control a Dragon or reveal a Dragon from your hand. Temple of the Dragon Queen truly is a powerhouse in multicolored Dragon decks since it can assist in fixing your mana at any stage of the game. The drawback of possibly having to show one of the big threats in your hand is something you might be able to turn to your advantage. Say someone is already becoming the main threat at the table, showing the other players a Scourge of Valkas in your hand can give you some political sway by saying "I can do something about their board..."
Dragon decks tend to require efficient mana, so Temple of the Dragon Queen's ability to enter untapped puts it right up there with the best lands in the format. Since it is such a specific card, the price should still stay low, but if Dragon Storm brings more and more sought after Dragon legendary creatures, its value might rise. Picking this up before that happens could be a good idea, but if you opened packs of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms back in the day, chances are that you have it sitting in a box somewhere!
Firespitter Whelp
Look who's back, back again! Firespitter Whelp was featured in a Bulk Up! last year (which you can read here) and continues to prove its worth! For three mana, you get a 2/2 flyer who deals a damage to each opponent whenever you cast a noncreature or Dragon spell! Dragon decks usually want to put pressure on their foes, and this creature helps that gameplan on two fronts. Not only does it turn all your big threats into little pings, it also can fly over your enemy's defenses to drive the aggression forward as early as turn three.
Firespitter Whelp also has value in its cheap mana cost, allowing you to get a Dragon on the board as soon as you can. As an example, looking back at Temple of the Dragon Queen, we can see that it would enter untapped if you already control a Dragon. Similarly, in a Zurgo and Ojutai deck, you could get their benefit right away if you already have the Whelp on the board!
Minion of the Mighty
Let's close things out with a small, but dangerous Dragon support card! Minion of the Mighty is a one-mana 0/1 Kobold that brings back the ability Pack tactics we first saw with Werewolf Pack Leader. When this creature and anything else attacks with total power six or greater, you can put a Dragon card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. The best part here is that you don't have to sacrifice the Dragon you put onto the board, like Sneak Attack would have you do, in this case you get to keep that big flyer!
Minion of the Mighty might seem like a silly card to put in a Dragon deck, but let's think about a pretty common play pattern here. You build your board, get out a bigger threat with a lot of power, as well as deploy this Kobold, then when the time is right, you move to attacks. Even though it's not likely your minion will survive combat, it will still serve its purpose. Getting a mighty threat onto the board out of nowhere is just the kind of splashy effect Dragon decks love!
The Wrap Up!
I hope this list was helpful for you, and if anything, got you excited for these upcoming sets! New decks are always fun, but sometimes that joy can slowly slip away once you see the pricetag on some of the cards you want. So, get ahead of the curve, and pick these up while you still can. Or... Don't! Listen, I'm not a financial expert, even though my last name is Bucks; I just hate when my wallet keeps me from my ultimate dream: to build every deck in the world!
