Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Seasonal Trends in MTG Card Pricing: Kytheon's Irregulars
Seasonal price movements in Magic: The Gathering aren’t just about new set releases or flashy promo rares. They’re often a reflection of supply shifts, casual demand, and the quiet churn of older cards finding homes in new decks. Kytheon's Irregulars, a white creature from Game Night 2019 (gn2), is a perfect lens for this phenomenon. Its price trajectory—historically modest, subject to the occasional blip around reprints or Commander play, and tempered by its role in a box set—offers a microcosm of how seasonal cycles shape the market for “fun but not flashy” rares 🧙♂️🔥💎⚔️.
What the card is and why it matters beyond the rarity label
- Name: Kytheon's Irregulars
- Mana cost: {2}{W}{W}
- Type: Creature — Human Soldier
- Power/Toughness: 4 / 3
- Set: Game Night 2019 (gn2) — a box-driven release that aimed to deliver approachable but flavorful cards for casual play
- Rarity: Rare
- Keywords and text: Renown 1 (When this creature deals combat damage to a player, if it isn’t renowned, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes renowned.) and {W}{W}: Tap target creature.
- Flavor text: “Kytheon and his irregulars worked outside the law to bring justice to the streets of Akros.”
The card’s hybrid of power and evergreen removal makes it a thoughtful inclusion in white tempo or midrange shells, especially in Commander where Renown can push a board presence into a late-game threat. The art by Mark Winters captures that street-level justice vibe, a reminder that the Phyrexian-scale battles aren’t the only ones worth solving with wit and grit 🎨. Its ability to tap a creature for {W}{W} offers niche tempo plays that can swing a race in your favor, while Renown rewards a few clean combat pushes with a lasting, slightly beefed-up body. It’s not the most explosive piece in a metagame, but it’s exactly the kind of card that creates delightful, “oh, I forgot this interaction” moments in a casual table 🧙♂️.
Renown adds a scaly thread to its design: first time you land damage on a player, you’re rewarded with a bigger threat on the board—without needing a dedicated +1/+1 counter engine elsewhere. That economy of growth, paired with its tap ability, makes it a tidy anchor for white’s toolbox in various formats, from casual multiplayer to modern-leaning Commander lists.
Seasonal pricing as a narrative: supply, demand, and reprint cycles
Kytheon's Irregulars sits in that sweet spot where supply is steady but not abundant. The Game Night 2019 (gn2) set was a box product with a curated pool, so sealed-box supply is finite and slowly trickling out to the market over time. The card’s USD price has hovered in the sub-$1 range, with Scryfall listing around USD 0.24 and EUR 0.17. Those numbers reflect both its rarity and its utility in evergreen white strategies, as well as its status as a reprintable classic rather than a Standard staple 🔎. When a new reprint or a broader re-evaluation of white control and tempo happens, you might see a mild price uptick if an archetype sprinkles Kytheon into a list that becomes widely popular for a season. More often, though, the card drifts with broader market sentiment and the random pulse of EDH demand 🎲.
Seasonality tends to reveal itself in a few predictable patterns for a card like this:
demand for casual staples can spike around late November and December as players pick up familiar, affordable value cards. For a card with a recognizable white toolbox identity, the effect is usually a mild lift rather than a dramatic spike 🧙♂️. any time a set with these cards returns to print, even in a themed product, supply increases and prices compress. Gn2 functions as a curated snapshot rather than a foundation for modern staples; thus, supply increases tend to cap price growth rather than trigger big surges 📦. Kytheon’s Irregulars sees occasional love in Commander lists that prize Renown or white tempo interactions. A spike in casual tables or a popular YouTube/MTE article about Renown strategies can nudge its price upward briefly, but it’s unlikely to become a mainstream staple outside a niche list 🧭.
For collectors, the card’s value isn’t solely in play; it’s in the presentation—art by Mark Winters, the flavor text, and the story of a street-team enacting justice in Akros. The mix of lore and a playable loop (Renown + tap ability) makes it a fine, affordable addition for a themed white-justice or Akros-inspired deck, even if you’re mainly playing for fun with friends 🧙♂️🔥.
Practical strategies: how to leverage Kytheon’s Irregulars in your decks
In a tempo-oriented white deck, this card can be a value engine. The 4/3 body with a built-in pump (Renown) ensures you’ll push through damage at least once, and the threat of future growth can deter trades that would otherwise stall your early pressure. The tap/return-to-hand style of control is a classic white tempo tool, letting you “two-for-one” by removing a problematic blocker and closing the gap with the Renown upgrade as the game unfolds 🧙♂️.
Deck ideas to consider:
- White-leaning tempo with early evasive threats and a slice of removal. Kytheon's Irregulars can anchor a plan that uses flicker or blink effects to trigger Renown more reliably, creating a midgame inevitability.
- Commander-focused builds that maximize Renown triggers across the table. In multiplayer formats, dealing combat damage to any player helps the board scale with counters, amplifying late-game pressure.
- Budget-friendly white midrange where the 4/3 body provides combat value while the activation of tap-target-creature adds a robust line of defense against early aggression.
Pricing as a pulse check for players and collectors
For most players, Kytheon's Irregulars is more of a card with charm and utility than a must-have cornerstone. The current price point around a quarter of a dollar makes it an accessible pick-up for casual decks and long-term binders. Seasonal dips, triggered by reprints or shifts in Commander metagames, may wax and wane, but the card’s overall trajectory remains a steady, low-visibility presence in MTG’s market noise 💎.
If you’re tracking the markets for a casual, price-conscious build, keep an eye on box reprint announcements, and watch Commander-focused content for any Renown-centric fringe lists. A notable bump could occur if a popular content creator showcases a white-leaning Akros-themed deck featuring Kytheon’s Irregulars as a flexible two-for-one piece—especially in formats that celebrate direct creature interaction and quick board development 🧙♂️🎲.
Shop the vibe and prep your desk for a marathon session
A reliable play surface matters when you’re poring over card prices, evaluating synergies, and tracking seasonal swings. To complement your MTG deep-dives, consider partnering your setup with a dependable mouse pad—like the neon non-slip option that keeps your desk glow steady during long price-session marathons. It’s a small upgrade, but it adds a little sparkle to the grind 🧙♂️🎨.
Curious about more data-driven pricing insights or looking to diversify your collection with value rares? Explore established sources and keep a steady pulse on supply shifts and regional pricing through trusted marketplaces and price-tracking sites. And if you’re ready to explore a desk upgrade, check out the product link below to level up your workspace while you strategize your next MTG move.