Following the release of Magic: The Gathering--Theros, chase cards such as Stormbreath Dragon, Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, Thoughtseize, and Elspeth, Sun's Champion were the most sought after in the set.  These rares and mythics were the cards players were most interested in playing with immediately after Theros' release (see "Top 10 'M:TG--Theros' Cards Before and After the Pre-Release").

Since that time, however, we have a number of high profile events take place, undoubtedly the most notable being Pro Tour Theros in Dublin and the TCGplayer Fall State Championships. Both events took place on the 12th and 13th of October and managed to provide a springboard for innovation in card and deck selection within the Standard format.  The recent Theros sales at TCGplayer reflect this.

The latest sales trends look much different than they did a mere three weeks ago.  Take a look for yourself at this list of the current Theros best sellers:
 

Top 25 'Theros' Cards by Dollar Volume (10/14 - 10/22/13)
$ Vol. Rank	Card Name	Average Price
1	Thoughtseize	$18.10
2	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	$11.44
3	Thassa, God of the Sea	$21.08
4	Heros Downfall	$9.23
5	Master of Waves	$16.54
6	Elspeth, Suns Champion	$31.51
7	Stormbreath Dragon	$26.96
8	Xenagos, the Reveler	$15.35
9	Erebos, God of the Dead	$7.18
10	Purphoros, God of the Forge	$13.65
11	Sylvan Caryatid	$6.25
12	Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver	$19.72
13	Soldier of the Pantheon	$3.64
14	Temple of Silence	$5.50
15	Nylea, God of the Hunt	$9.24
16	Polukranos, World Eater	$8.03
17	Temple of Deceit	$4.69
18	Fleecemane Lion	$6.86
19	Mistcutter Hydra	$2.84
20	Boon Satyr	$4.78
21	Whip of Erebos	$2.89
22	Anger of the Gods	$4.93
23	Temple of Triumph	$4.72
24	Temple of Abandon	$3.82
25	Heliod, God of the Sun	$7.64

As we can see a number of cards have made way for a new group of frontrunners.  The new champions of the format?  None other than the three cards that singlehandedly enabled multiple archetypes: Thassa, God of the Sea, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, and Master of Waves.

While Thassa, God of the Sea and Master of Waves are the guiding forces behind the breakout deck at Pro Tour Theros--Monoblue Devotion--the second card on the list, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, manages to power up every other deck in the format looking to exploit the "devotion" mechanic (of which there are many).  The main Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx-powered deck out there now is the Monoblack version featuring Gray Merchant of Asphodel.
 
The entire list seems to have shifted downward for cards like Fleecemane Lion, Purphoros, God of the Forge and others.  Based on the results of not only the Pro Tour but the TCGplayer Fall State Championships--which offered us up over 400 competitive Standard decklists--it is clear that card sales have been responding in kind to the results of these massive events.
 
In a mere week the TCGplayer $50,000 MaxPoint Championship is taking place in Columbus, Ohio, on November 1st through 3rd, and I for one can't wait to see what the Standard format will look like in its wake.

Frank Lepore is the editor of Magic.TCGPlayer.com.  TCGPlayer.com is the largest collectible card marketplace on the web, with hundreds of brick and mortar sellers listed.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.