Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

War-Name Aspirant's Market Pulse: Price, Rarity, and Raid-Driven Demand

In the colorful tapestry of Khans of Tarkir, War-Name Aspirant represents the precise moment where speed meets pressure. A red (or R) mana investment of {1}{R} rewards you with a two-mana body that can surge into a larger threat the moment you swing, thanks to the Raid ability. This uncommon creature enters with a +1/+1 counter if you attacked this turn, becoming a 3/2 landmine of tempo that also carries the signature Mardu edge: it won’t let itself be blocked by anything with power 1 or less. For collectors and players watching the secondary market, Aspirant offers a telling snapshot of how Raid-focused red staples trend in price, supply, and casual demand. 🧙‍♂️🔥

The card’s market story is anchored in a few simple facts: it’s a red creature from Khans of Tarkir (set code ktk), printed in 2014. It’s an uncommon with foil availability, so the nonfoil and foil price trajectories diverge—foil foibles and scarcity push foil value higher relative to its nonfoil sibling. Scryfall’s data paints the classic penny-to-dime arc for many uncommon red attackers: USD prices around the low pennies for nonfoil, with foils hovering in the quarters to low-dimes range depending on the print run and demand in Commander circles. In Euros, you’ll see similar patterns, with a smaller, steady premium on foil for collectors chasing the tactile sparkle. This is a card that thrives in the long tail of MTG economics: not flashy, but perceptive players know its potential when Raid triggers line up in a tempo-rich game. 💎⚔️

From a gameplay perspective, the Raid clause is the spark that makes War-Name Aspirant sing in the right deck. If you attacked this turn, this creature comes down with the counter, turning a modest 2/1 body into a confident 3/2 threat. And once it lands, the built-in protection—“cannot be blocked by creatures with power 1 or less”—ensures you punch through lean boards that rely on small blockers. This is the kind of card that shines in aggressive Red decks or Mardu shell strategies that leverage early pressure and radiate damage across the battlefield. It’s not just about raw power; it’s about tempo, momentum, and forcing your opponent to commit to blocks they may regret later. The flavor text—No battle means more to a Mardu warrior than the one that earns her war name—reminds us that speed and status in the Mardu world come from seizing the initiative, not waiting for perfect conditions. 🎨🧭

In the broader market, War-Name Aspirant sits at an intriguing crossroads. As an uncommon with a playable foil, it often lands in the “worth a look” category for players who want that occasional Raiders-style tempo payoff without breaking the bank. The EDHREC rank sits relatively modestly at 24,147, which is a nod to its presence in Commander decks but not a centerpiece for most lists. That combination—timeless nostalgia for Khans of Tarkir and practical utility in red-leaning strategies—helps explain a market toehold that can endure through years of standard twists, reprint cycles, and shifting commander trends. If you’re scanning the market for value plays, Aspirant’s value tends to be stable, with occasional lift in Commander circles or during flash-in-the-pan Raid decks in Modern legal formats. 🧙‍♂️🎲

Raid — This creature enters with a +1/+1 counter on it if you attacked this turn. This creature can't be blocked by creatures with power 1 or less.

For builders aiming to leverage secondary market dynamics, Aspirant is a good example of how a card’s niche mechanics can sustain value without skyrocketing into “must-have” territory. The force multiplier here is tempo; a single Raid trigger can swing a game’s momentum, which in turn can nudge the card from a 6-cent base to something more resilient in a go-to red suite. Yet the risk remains: Khans of Tarkir reprint windows can trim prices on nonfoils, while new sets that embrace the red aggro archetype can pull attention away from older rares and uncommons. If you’re thinking long term, stacking a couple of nonfoils for casual play and a few foils for collection can be a low-risk hedge, especially given the card’s clear play pattern and its place in Mardu flavor. 🔥💎

In practice, if you’re building around Raid triggers in a modern-legal or timeless-legal Dauntless-red deck, War-Name Aspirant offers a reliable way to push through blockers and keep the pressure on. Its mana cost keeps it within reach for early double-pumping strategies, and its ability to threaten more damage while deterring small blockers gives you a strong tempo engine for a reasonable price. For collectors, the foil version remains the more attractive option, not just for aesthetics but for the potential resale premium in higher-grade bundles. The card’s mix of utility, niche flavor, and affordability makes it a noteworthy study in how a single mechanic can shape a card’s market trajectory. 🧙‍♂️💥

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