Decoding Triskelavus Market Signals Before Reprint Cycles

In TCG ·

Triskelavus card art: a gleaming, winged construct with golden accents hovering in a courtroom of gears

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Market Signals for a Classic Artifact: Triskelavus

MTG markets hum in odd rhythms, especially when a reprint cycle looms and players start dusting off old favorites that could see a future reprint. Triskelavus—the rare, colorless artifact creature from Commander Anthology Volume II—sits at an intriguing crossroads of power, novelty, and accessibility. With flying, an imposing early presence, and a distinctive token-generating engine, it’s the kind of card that vocal EDH players circle on the calendar. 🧙‍♂️🔥💎

Printed in 2018 as part of CM2, Triskelavus is a goldmine for collectors who track reprint cycles and deck-building trends. It’s a 7-mana artifact creature — a hefty price tag in mana terms, but one that pays off with a resilient threat and a modular engine. Its base stats start as a 4/4 thanks to entering with three +1/+1 counters on it, and the evergreen ability to fly keeps it relevant from the air against many ground-stomping boards. The real kicker is its activated ability: for 1 mana, you remove a counter to create a 1/1 colorless Triskelavite artifact creature token with flying, which can later sacrifice itself to deal 1 damage to any target. The loop is simple but oddly elegant, and it rewards thoughtful tempo as long as you protect the body long enough to leverage the token economy. 🧙‍♂️⚔️

Breaking down the card in plain terms

  • Mana cost and color identity: {7} colorless, artifact creature — Construct. This makes it eligible for a wide range of colorless or artifact-heavy decks, from single-color "artifact matters" builds to more ambitious ramp engines.
  • Power/toughness and evasion: 1/1 in base, but enters with three +1/+1 counters, effectively creating a 4/4 flying start. The flying keyword ensures it can pressure opponents early and often in Commander games where stalemates break in unexpected ways.
  • Activated token engine: For {1}, remove a counter to create a 1/1 Triskelavite with flying; sacrifice that token to deal 1 damage to any target. This creates a built-in snowball: counters fuel tokens, which in turn fuel burn or removal options, all while maintaining a respectable flyer body.
  • Rarity and reprint history: Rare in CM2, with a modern print history that makes it more accessible for players who missed older printings. The CM2 reprint matters for price dynamics and shelf presence in casual and Commander circles.
  • Legalities and lane of play: Legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander formats; nonfoil, with foil versions not printed in CM2. This broad compatibility helps it appear in many lists, even if its raw stat line isn’t the raw power of a top-tier finisher.
“When a reprint cycle approaches, the signal isn’t just price. It’s where players are looking to fill gaps in their commanders’ arsenals: cards that are fun, functional, and accessible in multiplayer formats.”

Market signals to watch before a major reprint

Triskelavus sits at an interesting junction because it’s a colorless artifact that’s playable across a broad spectrum of decks, yet its mana cost makes it a long-game proposition. Here are the threads to follow if you’re assessing market signals ahead of a reprint window:

  • Price momentum before a reprint: Non-foil prices hovering under a few dollars can creep upward as players anticipate reprints and seek to secure playset-ready copies for EDH. In CM2’s case, the card is accessible, but the rarity and the token-doubling engine give it a staying power that can trigger modest upticks in demand ahead of a recallable reprint.
  • Print counts and set scope: CM2’s Commander-focused approach means reprints are measured against the broader need for legendary artifacts, token generators, and commander synergy cards. The more a reprint cycle emphasizes reliable, multiplayer-friendly tools, the more Triskelavus benefits from being on the radar of commander players.
  • EDH popularity and recaps: With an EDHREC rank around the mid- to upper-twenties thousands (depending on the season and version), it’s not a top-tier staple, but it remains a recognizable pick for coin-flipping counters and token-centric engines. That balance helps it maintain a steady, modest resale floor even as speculation warms up elsewhere. EDH communities often swing toward cards that scale with the game’s tempo rather than those that shut the door on interaction, and Triskelavus fits that niche. 🧙‍♂️
  • Format cross-play: The card’s presence in Legacy and Vintage further anchors its value in certain formats, even if Modern remains a no-go. A reprint that targets commander and older formats can support a stable price ceiling even if modern demand is light.
  • Art, rarity, and collector interest: Mark Zug’s artwork and the CM2 collector appeal play a role in secondary-market appreciation. Collectors often weigh the aesthetics and set context when predicting a card’s trajectory through a reprint window. 🎨

In practice, savvy players watch price graphs, track how often a card appears in decklists in EDH circles, and gauge how much supply is likely to flood the market after the reprint lands. The trick is not to chase hype but to understand how a card’s utility—counters, token economy, and evasion—maps onto multiplayer goals. Triskelavus delivers both a flashy flyer and a flexible engine, a combo of swagger and usefulness that tends to weather supply increases with a steady undercurrent of playability. 🔥

Deck-building angles and how to value it in a table of needs

If you’re assembling a commander table with a token or counter theme, Triskelavus can slot into several archetypes without hogging the spotlight. In counter-centered stacks, it becomes a durable accelerant: you push out a 4/4 flyer early, then use counters to spawn a consistent trickle of 1/1 flying tokens. The token’s own sacrifice to deal 1 damage makes it a credible finisher or a strategic ping against stalled boards. In a more generic artifact-heavy build, it acts as a resilient beater that scales with your other mana sinks and counter-enhancers. The result is a card that rewards careful timing and multi-turn planning rather than brute force. ⚔️

For collectors and players chasing that “one more spice” in their deckbuilding, CM2’s Triskelavus offers a touch of nostalgia with a useful, budget-conscious footprint. It’s not the hottest new mythic, but its combination of flight, counters, and token-based flexibility makes it a quiet, dependable pick. And if you’re browsing the market while contemplating a reprint window, the ability to pop a token that can eventually deal damage gives you a tiny, reliable lever to pull when the battlefield isn’t ideal. 🎲

Speaking of practical access and crossover value, there’s a little cross-promotion to consider: if you’re in the market for accessories that celebrate tactile, high-utility play, check out this Neon Gaming Mouse Pad 9x7 Customizable Neoprene Stitch Edges. It’s a playful nod to the same collector energy that makes Triskelavus a magnet for fans who love functional, stylish pieces that hustle on the battlefield and off. Neon Gaming Mouse Pad 9x7 Customizable Neoprene Stitch Edges 🧙‍♂️🎨

Neon Gaming Mouse Pad 9x7 Customizable Neoprene Stitch Edges

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Triskelavus

Triskelavus

{7}
Artifact Creature — Construct

Flying

This creature enters with three +1/+1 counters on it.

{1}, Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: Create a 1/1 colorless Triskelavite artifact creature token with flying. It has "Sacrifice this token: This token deals 1 damage to any target."

ID: 899eb19e-9932-4066-9de6-dfdbbab5e769

Oracle ID: e958f7bf-3011-4175-b467-ca225a9b7ad2

Multiverse IDs: 446962

TCGPlayer ID: 166890

Cardmarket ID: 358869

Colors:

Color Identity:

Keywords: Flying

Rarity: Rare

Released: 2018-06-08

Artist: Mark Zug

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 17623

Penny Rank: 15301

Set: Commander Anthology Volume II (cm2)

Collector #: 226

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.39
  • EUR: 0.17
Last updated: 2025-11-14