Aminatou, the Fateshifter, a planeswalker from Magic: The Gathering's 2018 Commander set, has experienced a dramatic price increase of over 400% in the past week. This surge is directly attributed to its inclusion in the new "Multiverse Reforged" Commander precon deck, which features Jace, Multiverse Architect as its four-color commander.
According to EchoMTG data, the Double Masters 2022 printing of Aminatou reached $29.38 on October 8th. Other versions of the card also saw significant gains, with The List printing climbing to $21.74 and the Secret Lair version reaching $47.01. Prior to the release of the Reality Fracture Commander deck on October 2nd, Aminatou was available for only a few dollars.
Aminatou's Role in the New Commander Deck
Aminatou, a three-mana Esper planeswalker, offers a unique combination of abilities that synergize effectively with Jace, Multiverse Architect. Her +1 ability allows players to draw a card and then place another card from their hand on top of their library. This helps set up Jace's powerful -3 ability, which exiles a creature or planeswalker and then reveals cards from the library until another creature or planeswalker is found, placing it directly onto the battlefield. Aminatou's +1 mitigates the randomness of this process, allowing players to ensure high-impact permanents like Archon of Cruelty or Darksteel Angel are ready to be deployed.
Furthermore, Aminatou's -1 ability, which exiles a permanent the player owns and returns it to the battlefield, can be used to "blink" Jace himself. This resets Jace's loyalty, enabling another -3 activation immediately. This synergy makes Aminatou a valuable enabler for deploying large threats and resetting planeswalker abilities.
Combo Potential and Market Trends
Aminatou also possesses significant combo potential within the four-color identity afforded by Jace. The card Felidar Guardian, an Aether Revolt creature, can be blinked by Aminatou's -1, which in turn can blink Aminatou herself, resetting her loyalty and allowing for infinite activations. This loop can be combined with cards like Impact Tremors or Purphoros, God of the Forge to deal lethal damage to opponents.
This surge in Aminatou's price mirrors a broader trend of older Magic: The Gathering cards experiencing increased value due to "Superfriends" strategies, which focus on multiple planeswalkers. Cards like Oath of Teferi and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God have also seen renewed interest. While Aminatou's current price may not be sustainable in the long term, especially given multiple printings, her inclusion in the new Commander deck has undeniably given the 2018 planeswalker a significant and costly second act.
