The Lords of Atlanta's Heat Index — September 2026
The Lords of Atlanta's Heat Index
May 2026 June 2026 July 2026 August 2026 September 2026

The Heat Index is a monthly ranking of spicy old school cards, powered by the Lords of Atlanta's proprietary play-state algorithms, a rigorously engineered, data-driven, peer-reviewed system that is definitely not just two guys naming old school Magic cards. These are cards that have seen recent play, cards that consistently show up in spicy decks, or cards that should be considered for more play.

This Mo. Last Mo. 2 Mo. Ago Mos Card
Edition
Peak
1 94 N/A 4
Rabid Wombat 
Legends
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Rabid Wombat

In a huge surprise, Rabid Wombat leaps from #94 all the way to #1. A 0/1 body on its own, it gets +2/+2 for every Aura attached to it and keeps vigilance no matter how big it gets — stack a couple of auras on it and it becomes a genuine threat that can still hold back on defense.

1
2 16 35 16
Knowledge Vault 
Legends
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Knowledge Vault

Climbing from #16 to #2, Knowledge Vault lets you quietly stash cards off the top of your library for later, then cash them all in at once by discarding your hand and drawing everything you've saved up. It rewards patience: the longer you let it sit, the bigger the card-advantage swing when you finally pull the trigger. There's a rumor it can do even more.

1
3 61 N/A 3
Instill Energy 
ABU
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Instill Energy

Up from #61 to #3, Instill Energy is a cheap enchantment that untaps its creature every upkeep and lets it attack the turn it comes down. On an attacker that's already doing work, it effectively doubles your combat math; on a mana creature or a tapper, it doubles your utility instead. There are powerful creatures out there whose effects can be doubled, or even tripled.

3
4 51 23 11
Juxtapose 
Legends
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Juxtapose

Rising from #51 to #4, Juxtapose forces an exchange of your biggest creature and artifact for your opponent's biggest of each — which is either a huge blowout or a total non-event depending on what's actually on the battlefield. Best held until an opponent has already overcommitted their best threat, so you're the one walking away with the better end of the trade.

4
5 N/A N/A 1
Lifeblood 
Legends
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Lifeblood

New to the index at #5, Lifeblood turns every Mountain your opponent taps into a single point of life for you. It's slow and does nothing on its own turn, but against a red-heavy table leaning on Mountains for burn and aggression, the life just keeps trickling in and can outpace their clock over a long game.

5
6 21 N/A 2 Killer Bees 
Legends
6
7 19 N/A 7 Skull of Orm 
The Dark
7
8 59 N/A 2 Word of Command 
ABU
8
9 82 N/A 3 Eye for an Eye 
Arabian Nights
9
10 45 6 4 Farrel's Mantle 
Fallen Empires
6
11 84 28 4 Lesser Werewolf 
Legends
11
12 66 N/A 6 Colossus of Sardia 
Antiquities
12
13 40 N/A 2 Fallen Angel 
Legends
13
14 42 10 3 Triassic Egg 
Legends
10
15 72 N/A 4 Inferno 
The Dark
15
16 67 N/A 5 Nova Pentacle 
Legends
16
17 95 43 9 Ashnod's Altar 
Antiquities
14
18 25 50 16 Living Plane 
Legends
1
19 78 3 3 Voodoo Doll 
Legends
3
20 100 N/A 2 Candelabra of Tawnos 
Antiquities
20
21 15 N/A 3 Eater of the Dead 
The Dark
15
22 22 N/A 7 Aisling Leprechaun 
Legends
22
23 38 N/A 2 Xenic Poltergeist 
Antiquities
23
24 7 N/A 7 Diamond Valley 
Arabian Nights
7
25 58 2 11 Primordial Ooze 
Legends
2
26 17 27 13 Enchantment Alteration 
Legends
1
27 85 N/A 4 Aerathi Berserker 
Legends
27
28 37 N/A 5 Power Surge 
The Dark
28
29 83 N/A 3 Artifact Possession 
Antiquities
29
30 62 N/A 7 Land's Edge 
The Dark
30
31 81 N/A 4 Titania's Song 
Antiquities
31
32 10 13 17 Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore 
Legends
6
33 11 N/A 2 Sorrow's Path 
The Dark
11
34 55 N/A 6 Drop of Honey 
Arabian Nights
34
35 70 N/A 5 Amnesia 
The Dark
35
36 57 49 15 Gauntlets of Chaos 
Legends
2
37 27 N/A 6 Banshee 
The Dark
27
38 31 24 4 Powerleech 
Antiquities
1
39 47 14 19 Personal Incarnation 
ABU
7
40 5 N/A 7 Elephant Graveyard 
Arabian Nights
2
41 2 36 3 Reset 
Legends
2
42 8 N/A 2 Bone Flute 
The Dark
8
43 43 N/A 3 Gaea's Liege 
ABU
43
44 92 N/A 2 Khabal Ghoul 
Arabian Nights
44
45 89 N/A 5 Planar Gate 
Legends
45
46 53 N/A 6 Martyr's Cry 
The Dark
46
47 29 47 5 City of Shadows 
The Dark
21
48 71 N/A 6 Tracker 
The Dark
48
49 46 9 12 Bottle of Suleiman 
Arabian Nights
9
50 75 48 25 Illusionary Mask 
ABU
2
This Mo. Last Mo. 2 Mo. Ago Mos Card
Edition
Peak
1 29 18 3
Reincarnation 
Legends
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Reincarnation

Jumping from #29 to #1, Reincarnation sets up a nasty bit of insurance: target a creature, and if it dies this turn, its owner gets to bring back any creature card from their graveyard instead. Used offensively it's removal with a mean little rider; used on your own guy, it's a way to trade up when you know a fight is coming. Either way, it rewards players who are already thinking a full turn ahead of the board.

1
2 36 N/A 2
Reset 
Legends
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Reset

Climbing from #36 to #2, Reset is the kind of card that rewards patience: for two blue mana, cast it during your opponent's turn after their upkeep and untap all your lands. That means you can hold up your full mana on their turn to threaten a trick or a counterspell, and still walk into your own turn with every land ready to go. It's a way to play as if you had double the mana available, which is exactly the sort of quiet efficiency this format keeps rediscovering. Some decks like this one a little too much, allegedly.

2
3 32 32 5
Fungal Bloom 
Fallen Empires
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Fungal Bloom

Settling in at #3 after sitting at #32 the past two months, Fungal Bloom lets you pump spore counters onto any Fungus you control for two green mana. It's a build-around piece more than a standalone threat — pair it with Thallids or other spore-synergy creatures and it turns into a genuine engine, but on its own it's just a very patient enchantment waiting for its moment. Some players swear this does more than it looks like it does.

1
4 40 40 3
Disharmony 
Legends
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Disharmony

Rocketing from #40 to #4, Disharmony is a combat trick with teeth: cast it before blockers are declared, and you rip an attacking creature away from your opponent entirely, untapped and under your control until end of turn. The catch is that "until end of turn" part — you have to give it back, so the real skill is picking a target that won't survive to be returned, not just grabbing the biggest thing swinging at you. Trade it into a blocker, point it at your opponent's face, or better yet, feed it to a sacrifice outlet before the turn ends and suddenly "borrow" becomes "keep." Some players swear this trick does more than it looks like it does.

4
5 N/A 46 6
Elephant Graveyard 
Arabian Nights
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Elephant Graveyard

Rounding out the top 5 is a bit of a sleeper: a colorless-mana land that doubles as insurance for your pachyderms, letting you regenerate a target Elephant on demand. It cracked the top 5 this month after showing up back in June, proving that sometimes a build just needs the right elephant to justify running it. It's not going to headline any decklist, but as a free inclusion in an Elephant-heavy shell, the upside costs you nothing.

2
6 34 14 14 Sword of the Ages 
Legends
2
7 N/A N/A 6 Diamond Valley 
Arabian Nights
7
8 N/A N/A 1 Bone Flute 
The Dark
8
9 17 11 9 Takklemaggot 
Legends
5
10 13 6 16 Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore 
Legends
6
11 N/A N/A 1 Sorrow's Path 
The Dark
11
12 N/A N/A 3 Nightmare 
ABU
12
13 N/A N/A 2 Adun Oakenshield 
Legends
13
14 N/A N/A 2 Rukh Egg 
Arabian Nights
14
15 N/A N/A 2 Eater of the Dead 
The Dark
15
16 35 35 15 Knowledge Vault 
Legends
1
17 27 22 12 Enchantment Alteration 
Legends
1
18 19 43 5 Energy Tap 
Legends
3
19 N/A N/A 6 Skull of Orm 
The Dark
19
20 5 3 7 Stone Calendar 
The Dark
2
21 N/A N/A 1 Killer Bees 
Legends
21
22 N/A N/A 6 Aisling Leprechaun 
Legends
22
23 16 12 7 Land Equilibrium 
Legends
1
24 37 17 9 Hell's Caretaker 
Legends
15
25 50 45 15 Living Plane 
Legends
1
26 N/A N/A 6 Jacques le Vert 
Legends
26
27 N/A 33 5 Banshee 
The Dark
27
28 4 25 4 Forethought Amulet 
Legends
4
29 47 23 4 City of Shadows 
The Dark
21
30 N/A N/A 1 Ley Druid 
ABU
30
31 24 49 3 Powerleech 
Antiquities
1
32 45 30 5 Raging River 
ABU
30
33 22 26 8 Ifh-Biff Efreet 
Arabian Nights
22
34 46 50 5 Martyrs of Korlis 
Antiquities
34
35 N/A N/A 5 Stone Giant 
ABU
35
36 1 N/A 2 False Orders 
ABU
1
37 N/A N/A 4 Power Surge 
The Dark
37
38 N/A N/A 1 Xenic Poltergeist 
Antiquities
38
39 41 31 3 Manabarbs 
ABU
31
40 N/A N/A 1 Fallen Angel 
Legends
40
41 N/A N/A 1 Cyclopean Tomb 
ABU
41
42 10 N/A 2 Triassic Egg 
Legends
10
43 N/A 29 2 Gaea's Liege 
ABU
43
44 44 48 4 Master of the Hunt 
Legends
44
45 6 16 3 Farrel's Mantle 
Fallen Empires
6
46 9 15 11 Bottle of Suleiman 
Arabian Nights
9
47 14 7 18 Personal Incarnation 
ABU
7
48 15 5 20 Ali From Cairo 
Arabian Nights
2
49 26 38 3 Yawgmoth Demon 
Antiquities
26
50 39 N/A 2 Orgg 
Fallen Empires
39
This Mo. Last Mo. 2 Mo. Ago Mos Card
Edition
Peak
1 N/A N/A 1
False Orders 
ABU
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False Orders

Debuting at #1, False Orders is a pure combat trick: played only during the declare blockers step, it rips a blocking creature out of combat entirely, and any attacker it was blocking alone becomes unblocked. Better yet, you can redirect that same blocker onto a different attacker of your choosing, turning one bad block into a much better one. It's a cheap, surgical way to blow out an opponent who committed to the wrong block.

1
2 44 17 9
Primordial Ooze 
Legends
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Primordial Ooze

Climbing from #44 to #2, Primordial Ooze is a one-drop that grows a counter every upkeep and forces a decision: pay the mana equal to its counters, or take that much damage yourself. Left unanswered, it turns into a serious clock on both players at once, since eventually neither side wants to keep paying. It rewards decks that can close the game before the math turns against them.

2
3 N/A N/A 1
Voodoo Doll 
Legends
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Voodoo Doll

New to the index at #3, Voodoo Doll is a slow-burn artifact that stockpiles pin counters every upkeep, then lets you unleash all of that stored damage at any target for a steep but flexible activation cost. It's a ticking clock in both directions — wait too long and it detonates on you for free, tap it down at the right moment and it's a repeatable Lightning Bolt to the face.

3
4 25 11 3
Forethought Amulet 
Legends
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Forethought Amulet

Jumping from #25 to #4, Forethought Amulet asks for a steady stream of mana to stick around, but the payoff is a hard cap on burn: any instant or sorcery that would deal 3 or more damage to you gets knocked down to 2. Against a red-heavy table that leans on direct damage, this quietly turns their best removal and reach spells into a non-issue.

4
5 3 12 6
Stone Calendar 
The Dark
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Stone Calendar

Sliding from #3 to #5, Stone Calendar is unglamorous but efficient: every spell you cast costs up to 1 less, no restrictions on card type. It won't win the game on its own, but stacked into a deck full of cheap spells, that discount adds up fast and lets you consistently do just a little more than your mana would otherwise allow.

2
6 16 N/A 2 Farrel's Mantle 
Fallen Empires
6
7 1 27 15 Kormus Bell 
ABU
1
8 2 N/A 4 Indestructible Aura 
Legends
2
9 15 14 10 Bottle of Suleiman 
Arabian Nights
9
10 N/A N/A 1 Triassic Egg 
Legends
10
11 4 38 3 Ichneumon Druid 
Legends
4
12 37 N/A 2 Hazezon Tamar 
Legends
12
13 6 25 15 Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore 
Legends
6
14 7 26 17 Personal Incarnation 
ABU
7
15 5 2 19 Ali From Cairo 
Arabian Nights
2
16 12 1 6 Land Equilibrium 
Legends
1
17 11 5 8 Takklemaggot 
Legends
5
18 9 9 10 Righteousness 
ABU
9
19 43 49 4 Energy Tap 
Legends
3
20 10 N/A 2 Season of the Witch 
The Dark
10
21 19 8 6 Arena 
Promos
8
22 26 44 7 Ifh-Biff Efreet 
Arabian Nights
22
23 21 39 9 Juxtapose 
Legends
22
24 49 37 2 Powerleech 
Antiquities
1
25 13 10 9 Argivian Archeologist 
Antiquities
10
26 38 N/A 2 Yawgmoth Demon 
Antiquities
26
27 22 19 11 Enchantment Alteration 
Legends
1
28 28 N/A 2 Lesser Werewolf 
Legends
28
29 18 N/A 2 Reincarnation 
Legends
18
30 N/A N/A 1 Breeding Pit 
Fallen Empires
30
31 N/A N/A 1 Petra Sphinx 
Legends
31
32 32 N/A 4 Fungal Bloom 
Fallen Empires
32
33 20 4 4 Dwarven Catapult 
Fallen Empires
4
34 14 3 13 Sword of the Ages 
Legends
2
35 35 7 14 Knowledge Vault 
Legends
1
36 N/A N/A 1 Reset 
Antiquities
36
37 17 15 8 Hell's Caretaker 
Legends
15
38 8 6 8 Worms of the Earth 
The Dark
6
39 N/A N/A 1 Orgg 
Legends
39
40 40 N/A 2 Disharmony 
Legends
40
41 31 N/A 2 Manabarbs 
ABU
31
42 41 28 4 Pyramids 
Arabian Nights
28
43 39 32 7 Ashnod's Altar 
Antiquities
14
44 48 48 3 Master of the Hunt 
Legends
44
45 30 35 4 Raging River 
ABU
30
46 50 N/A 4 Martyrs of Korlis 
Antiquities
37
47 23 21 3 City of Shadows 
The Dark
21
48 47 29 23 Illusionary Mask 
ABU
2
49 36 16 13 Gauntlets of Chaos 
Legends
2
50 45 34 14 Living Plane 
Legends
1
This Mo. Last Mo. 2 Mo. Ago Mos Card
Edition
Peak
1 7 15 4
Land Equilibrium 
Legends
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Land Equilibrium

Holding steady at #1, Land Equilibrium is a quiet tax on greedy mana bases: if an opponent controls at least as many lands as you and tries to play another, they have to sacrifice one of their own instead. It doesn't do anything flashy, but against decks trying to ramp past you, it turns every extra land drop they take into a wash.

1
2 5 6 17
Ali From Cairo 
Arabian Nights
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Ali From Cairo

At #2, Ali From Cairo keeps you at 1 life instead of letting damage kill you outright — a small piece of insurance that buys you an extra turn against decks that expect to close the game in one big swing. It's easy to forget it isn't legendary, so a board with two or more copies can make you nearly impossible to burn out.

2
3 2 2 11
Sword of the Ages 
Legends
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Sword of the Ages

At #3, Sword of the Ages is a one-shot Fireball built into an artifact: sacrifice it along with any number of your own creatures, and it deals damage equal to their combined power to any target. It's a great way to turn a board of creatures that are about to die anyway into one enormous finishing blow.

2
4 13 45 2
Dwarven Catapult 
Fallen Empires
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Dwarven Catapult

Sitting at #4, Dwarven Catapult splits X damage evenly across every creature an opponent controls. It's tailor-made for punishing go-wide strategies — against a handful of small creatures it can wipe the whole board for a fraction of what dedicated removal would cost.

4
5 6 12 5
Takklemaggot 
Legends
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Takklemaggot

Rounding out the top 5 at #5, Takklemaggot is an aura that slowly kills whatever it's attached to, and when that creature finally dies, it can jump straight onto another one instead of just falling off. Stick it early and it becomes a recurring problem an opponent can't easily get rid of without giving up a creature outright.

5
6 16 16 6 Worms of the Earth 
The Dark
6
7 3 1 12 Knowledge Vault 
Legends
1
8 14 37 4 Arena 
Promos
8
9 16 19 9 Righteousness 
ABU
9
10 22 14 7 Argivian Archeologist 
Antiquities
10
11 N/A N/A 1 Forethought Amulet 
Legends
11
12 9 9 4 Stone Calendar 
The Dark
9
13 30 N/A 2 Smoke 
ABU
13
14 50 43 8 Bottle of Suleiman 
Arabian Nights
14
15 26 29 6 Hell's Caretaker 
Legends
15
16 2 7 11 Gauntlets of Chaos 
Legends
2
17 17 30 7 Primordial Ooze 
Legends
17
18 19 22 8 Cyclopean Tomb 
ABU
18
19 1 5 9 Enchantment Alteration 
Legends
1
20 7 13 16 Gaea's Liege 
ABU
7
21 N/A N/A 1 City of Shadows 
The Dark
21
22 10 11 5 Martyr's Cry 
The Dark
10
23 11 N/A 2 Nova Pentacle 
Legends
11
24 33 21 8 Cleansing 
The Dark
21
25 25 20 13 Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore 
Legends
25
26 18 24 15 Personal Incarnation 
ABU
18
27 15 17 13 Kormus Bell 
ABU
15
28 49 N/A 2 Pyramids 
Arabian Nights
28
29 4 8 21 Illusionary Mask 
ABU
2
30 29 32 19 Word of Command 
ABU
11
31 20 28 21 Skull of Orm 
The Dark
20
32 N/A 14 5 Ashnod's Alter 
Antiquities
14
33 48 N/A 2 Rabid Wombat 
Legends
33
34 12 3 12 Living Plane 
Legends
1
35 45 N/A 2 Raging River 
ABU
35
36 N/A N/A 1 Instill Energy 
ABU
36
37 19 32 4 Powerleech 
Antiquities
19
38 N/A N/A 1 Ichneumon Druid 
Legends
38
39 49 31 7 Juxtapose 
Legends
22
40 40 41 9 Colossus of Sardia 
Antiquities
40
41 22 N/A 2 Banshee 
The Dark
22
42 8 4 8 Candelabra of Tawnos 
Antiquities
4
43 24 10 14 Khabal Ghoul 
Arabian Nights
1
44 26 33 5 Ifh-Biff Efreet 
Arabian Nights
26
45 50 49 4 Living Artifact 
ABU
45
46 44 44 17 Lich 
ABU
31
47 50 N/A 2 Planar Gate 
Legends
47
48 N/A N/A 1 Master of the Hunt 
Legends
48
49 N/A 50 2 Energy Tap 
Legends
49
50 N/A N/A 1 Bartel Runeaxe 
Legends
50
This Mo. Last Mo. 2 Mo. Ago Mos Card
Edition
Peak
1 27 15 14
Kormus Bell 
ABU
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Kormus Bell

Kormus Bell reclaims the top spot this month after sitting at #27 in May. Its ongoing effect that turns all Swamps into 1/1 black creatures opens the door to synergy with anthem-style effects like Bad Moon, and in Singleton formats it can quietly assemble a wide, hard-to-answer board of creature-lands.

1
2 N/A N/A 3
Indestructible Aura 
Legends
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Indestructible Aura

Coming in at #2 is a fresh entry: Indestructible Aura, a new addition to the index. Players are catching on that it makes for a sneaky combat trick immune to blue or red counterspells — and there's a bit of irony baked in, since despite the name it doesn't stop destroy effects and isn't technically an aura.

2
3 12 9 5
Stone Calendar 
The Dark
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Stone Calendar

At #3, Stone Calendar jumps up from #12. The mana savings are small on their own, but since the effect stacks over time it can add up fast — decks built around Titania's Song have reportedly started leaning on it as a payoff piece.

2
4 38 N/A 2
Ichneumon Druid 
Legends
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Ichneumon Druid

#4 is a big riser: Ichneumon Druid climbed all the way from #38. It's still under the radar for a lot of players, and while its mana cost is on the steep side, its ability to punish opponents for stacking up instants gives it real teeth against counterspell-heavy decks.

4
5 2 5 18
Ali From Cairo 
Arabian Nights
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Ali From Cairo

Rounding out the top 5 is Ali From Cairo, sliding down from #2 to #5. It's still a formidable threat — plenty of players forget it isn't legendary, so a board with more than one copy can spiral out of control fast without access to mass removal.

2
6 25 25 14 Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore 
Legends
6
7 18 14 16 Personal Incarnation 
ABU
7
8 6 16 7 Worms of the Earth 
The Dark
6
9 16 19 9 Righteousness 
ABU
9
10 N/A N/A 1 Season of the Witch 
The Dark
10
11 6 12 7 Takklemaggot 
Legends
5
12 1 7 5 Land Equilibrium 
Legends
1
13 10 22 8 Argivian Archeologist 
Antiquities
10
14 3 2 12 Sword of the Ages 
Legends
2
15 14 50 9 Bottle of Suleiman 
Arabian Nights
14
16 N/A N/A 1 Farrel's Mantle 
Fallen Empires
16
17 15 26 7 Hell's Caretaker 
Legends
15
18 N/A N/A 1 Reincarnation 
Legends
18
19 8 14 5 Arena 
Promos
8
20 4 13 3 Dwarven Catapult 
Fallen Empires
4
21 39 49 8 Juxtapose 
Legends
22
22 19 1 10 Enchantment Alteration 
Legends
1
23 21 N/A 2 City of Shadows 
The Dark
21
24 13 30 3 Smoke 
ABU
13
25 11 N/A 2 Forethought Amulet 
Legends
11
26 44 26 6 Ifh-Biff Efreet 
Arabian Nights
26
27 33 48 3 Rabid Wombat 
Legends
27
28 N/A N/A 1 Lesser Werewolf 
Legends
28
29 20 7 17 Gaea's Liege 
ABU
7
30 35 40 3 Raging River 
ABU
30
31 N/A N/A 1 Manabarbs 
ABU
31
32 N/A N/A 3 Fungal Bloom 
Fallen Empires
32
33 41 22 3 Banshee 
The Dark
22
34 22 10 6 Martyr's Cry 
The Dark
10
35 7 3 13 Knowledge Vault 
Legends
1
36 16 2 12 Gauntlets of Chaos 
Legends
2
37 N/A N/A 1 Hazezon Tamar 
Legends
37
38 N/A N/A 1 Yawgmoth Demon 
Antiquities
38
39 32 N/A 6 Ashnod's Alter 
Antiquities
14
40 N/A N/A 1 Disharmony 
Legends
40
41 28 49 3 Pyramids 
Arabian Nights
28
42 47 50 3 Planar Gate 
Legends
42
43 49 N/A 3 Energy Tap 
Legends
3
44 17 17 8 Primordial Ooze 
Legends
17
45 34 12 13 Living Plane 
Legends
1
46 N/A N/A 6 Elephant Graveyard 
Arabian Nights
22
47 29 4 22 Illusionary Mask 
ABU
2
48 48 N/A 2 Master of the Hunt 
Legends
48
49 N/A N/A 1 Powerleech 
Antiquities
1
50 N/A N/A 3 Martyrs of Korlis 
Antiquities
37
up since previous month down since previous month new this month