Seeing Tarmogoyf (#1) at the top of the list of singles out of Modern Masters 2015 should be no surprise to Magic: The Gathering insiders.  The most expensive card in the set by an order of magnitude, 'Goyf is one of the few threats in the Modern format whose versatility and impact on a game can’t really be replicated by any other card.  It is, to use a precise business term, a no-brainer.  The other cards on the list have a little more nuance to why they’re there and are infinitely more interesting to discuss.

Top 10 'Modern Masters 2015 Edition' Cards by Dollar Volume
$ Vol. Rank	Card Name	Average Price
1	Tarmogoyf	$153.54
2	Noble Hierarch	$34.03
3	Vendilion Clique	$47.09
4	Cryptic Command	$30.42
5	Dark Confidant	$40.11
6	Mox Opal	$35.00
7	Spellskite	$16.12
8	Karn Liberated	$31.93
9	Fulminator Mage	$17.57
10	Bitterblossom	$28.26

Two years ago, Modern Masters was originally designed to depress bloated prices for Modern singles, and make the Modern format more accessible to players.  It was successful at this for about six months, but as newer players enjoyed a lower entry point to the game, Modern Masters' limited print run started to come into play; prices started climbing right back up.  Sure, there were more of the expensive Modern cards floating around, but there were now more Modern players, too, and the demand once again exceeded the supply.

Modern Masters 2015 is Wizards of the Coast's second attempt to curb climbing prices and pump some fresh blood into Modern.  Not that Modern's going anywhere anytime soon; the format has a sizeable grassroots following.  After WotC's Organized Play announced that they were taking Modern off the Pro Tour, the Modern community banded together on social media and successfully got Modern back on the PT.

Each card in the top 10, with the exception of Bitterblossom (#10), is a major player in the top decks in Modern.  You could possibly lump Spellskite (#7) in with Bitterblossom since it doesn't see much maindeck play, but the truth is that Spellskite is a highly sought-after sideboard card.  Its low mana cost means that any deck along the aggressive to control spectrum can play it, and since it’s colorless, you can slot it in anywhere and cast it using any color.

While we’re on colorless cards from Scars of Mirrodin block, we can touch on Mox Opal (#6) and Karn Liberated (#8), a pair of mythic rares that see play in fringe Modern decks: Affinity and 'Tron, respectively.

Dark Confidant (#5) is an interesting case.  One of the best decks in Modern, if not the best deck choice, is Jund Midrange, a Black/Red/Green deck that also features Fulminator Mage (#9), as well as the aforementioned Tarmogoyf. Dark Confidant, or "Bob," as it's otherwise known, also has the honor of being inspired by a Pro Tour Hall-of-Famer, Bob Maher.  In addition, you could also lump Bob in with other cards that see play in multiple formats: Vendilion Clique (#3), Noble Hierarch (#2), and of course Tarmogoyf.  This means that the prices of the #1, #2, #3, and #5 cards are buoyed by something other than Modern alone, which means their values can be more easily predicted to steadily rise.

The upcoming Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifiers and Regional Pro Tour Qualifiers are all Modern, and I expect singles prices to follow the same trend as they did post-Modern Masters 2013: Prices take a precipitous dive, and as players need singles and more players decide to pick up Modern, prices will steadily climb up.  The effect of Modern Masters 2015 on prices and players will be exciting to watch, and definitely something to keep an eye on.

--Jon Corpora is the Magic: The Gathering Content Producer at 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.