
# From Bulk Bin to $8: How Eye of Nidhogg Became Commander Gold

A week ago, Eye of Nidhogg was a $0.30 bulk rare sitting forgotten in your Final Fantasy Commander precon. Today, it's selling for $5 to $8 — and the surge foil has hit $14.50. That's a **515% spike** on the regular version and over **1,500%** on the foil.

So what happened? One word: **Killian**.

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-FIC-115" size="lg" />

## The Catalyst: Killian, Decisive Mentor

When Wizards revealed the Silverquill Influence precon from **Secrets of Strixhaven** (dropping April 24), players immediately noticed that its commander was basically designed to abuse Eye of Nidhogg.

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-SOC-4" size="lg" />

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<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-4" title="Killian, Decisive Mentor" /> is a <BlogMana text="{1}{W}{B}" /> 2/3 Human Warlock with two abilities that play together beautifully:

1. **Whenever an enchantment you control enters**, tap up to one target creature and goad it.
2. **Whenever one or more creatures enchanted by an Aura you control attack**, draw a card.

Eye of Nidhogg checks every box. It's an Aura. It goads. It turns whatever it touches into a 4/2 flying deathtouch Dragon. And when the enchanted creature inevitably dies in combat? **It comes right back to your hand** to do it all over again.

Cast Eye of Nidhogg on an opponent's creature → Killian triggers to tap and goad _another_ creature → the enchanted creature attacks someone else as a 4/2 deathtouch flyer → you draw a card → the creature dies → Eye comes back → repeat next turn.

That's a one-card engine for three mana. No wonder people are buying them by the stack.

## Wait, What's Goad Again?

If you're newer to Commander or haven't played with **goad** much, here's the rundown.

When a creature is **goaded**, it _must_ attack on its next combat — and it _must_ attack a player other than you if able. The creature's controller still chooses who to attack (as long as it isn't you), and it still has to follow normal attacking rules, but it can't just sit back and block.

Goad is the great political equalizer of Commander. You're not removing threats — you're redirecting them. That blocker your opponent was saving? Now it's swinging at someone else. That value engine they were hiding behind? It's in the red zone whether they like it or not.

The key thing about goad in Killian decks is that **you get to double-dip**. Eye of Nidhogg goads the creature it enchants (baked into the card), and Killian goads _another_ creature when the Aura enters. That's two creatures forced into combat from a single three-mana play.

## The Self-Recurring Dream

What makes Eye of Nidhogg truly special isn't just the goad — it's the **return-to-hand clause**. When Eye of Nidhogg is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it bounces back to your hand. No extra mana, no conditions, no tap abilities. It just comes back.

This means every time the creature it's enchanting dies in combat (which happens a lot when you're forcing a 4/2 deathtouch into the red zone), you get to recast it next turn and trigger Killian all over again. It's a renewable resource in a format that usually forces you to spend cards.

Here are the other self-recurring Auras you'll want alongside it:

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SLD-1843,MTG-THS-14,MTG-WAR-94" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SLD-1843" title="Ghoulish Impetus" listItem="T" /> — Another goad Aura that returns to hand. The evil twin of Eye of Nidhogg (without the deathtouch upgrade, but with a life drain rider).

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-THS-14" title="Gift of Immortality" listItem="T" /> — Returns to the battlefield attached to the same creature when it dies. Infinite protection for your own stuff, or an infinite nuisance on an opponent's creature.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WAR-94" title="Kaya's Ghostform" listItem="T" /> — Only one mana, and when the enchanted creature dies, it returns to the battlefield. Incredible protection for Killian himself.

## The Impetus Cycle: Your Goad Package

The Impetus cycle is tailor-made for Killian. Each one goads the enchanted creature _and_ gives you a bonus when it attacks.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-C21-150,MTG-CLU-65,MTG-SOC-24" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-C21-150" title="Parasitic Impetus" listItem="T" /> — The enchanted creature's controller loses 2 life and you gain 2 life whenever it attacks. Slow drain that adds up fast in a four-player game.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-CLU-65" title="Martial Impetus" listItem="T" /> — Gives +1/+1 and goads. Simple and effective.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-24" title="Coercive Impetus" listItem="T" /> — A new addition from the Strixhaven Commander set itself. Perfect on-theme inclusion.

## Drawing Cards Off Other People's Creatures

Here's the part that makes Killian truly deranged: his second ability draws you a card whenever creatures **enchanted by an Aura you control** attack. Those creatures don't have to be yours.

Put an Impetus on an opponent's big creature. It attacks someone else. You draw a card. That's _their_ creature doing _your_ card draw. Every single turn.

To maximize this, you want cheap Auras that you can spread across the table:

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-PLST-10E-45,MTG-PLST-PLC-92,MTG-GN3-21,MTG-CM2-82" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PLST-10E-45" title="Spirit Link" listItem="T" /> — One mana to gain life every time the creature deals damage. And yes, you gain the life even though you don't control the creature.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PLST-PLC-92" title="Vampiric Link" listItem="T" /> — Same idea as Spirit Link but in black. Stack both on a creature for maximum life gain.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-GN3-21" title="Vow of Duty" listItem="T" /> — Gives vigilance and +2/+2, and the creature can't attack you. Political perfection — your opponent gets a bigger creature that can only swing at other people.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-CM2-82" title="Vow of Malice" listItem="T" /> — Same deal but with intimidate instead of vigilance. Another can't-attack-you clause.

## Removal That Triggers Killian

Why run boring removal spells when your removal can be Auras that trigger Killian's ETB goad _and_ his card draw?

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-C21-87,MTG-PLST-ONE-26,MTG-SOC-171" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-C21-87" title="Darksteel Mutation" listItem="T" /> — Turns any creature into a 0/1 indestructible Insect with no abilities. The creature can't even be sacrificed usefully. Absolute menace of a card.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PLST-ONE-26" title="Ossification" listItem="T" /> — Two-mana exile removal disguised as an Aura. Clean and efficient.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-171" title="Sheltered by Ghosts" listItem="T" /> — Another removal Aura from the Strixhaven Commander set. Exiles a creature when it enters and gives ward 2 to the enchanted creature.

## Card Draw Engines: Beyond Killian

Killian draws cards, but you want backup engines for when he's not on the field (or for those turns when you need even more gas).

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-AFC-72,MTG-BBD-93,MTG-DSC-68,MTG-THB-101" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-AFC-72" title="Sram, Senior Edificer" listItem="T" /> — Draw a card whenever you cast an Aura. Simple, devastating, and only two mana.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-BBD-93" title="Kor Spiritdancer" listItem="T" /> — Draw when you cast an Aura AND she gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to her. Can be a backup voltron threat.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DSC-68" title="Mesa Enchantress" listItem="T" /> — Draw whenever you cast an enchantment. The classic.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-THB-101" title="Hateful Eidolon" listItem="T" /> — When an enchanted creature dies, draw cards equal to the number of Auras you controlled that were attached to it. In a deck that's constantly putting Auras on creatures that are then forced to attack, this card is gas.

## Voltron Payoffs

Sometimes you don't want to enchant your opponents' creatures. Sometimes you want to suit up your own team and swing for lethal. These cards reward you for going tall:

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-CMM-622,MTG-PLST-Q06-2,MTG-WOC-66" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-CMM-622" title="All That Glitters" listItem="T" /> — Gets +1/+1 for each artifact and enchantment you control. In a deck loaded with Auras, this can easily be a +6/+6 or more.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PLST-Q06-2" title="Ethereal Armor" listItem="T" /> — First strike and +1/+1 for each enchantment you control. One mana. Absurd.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WOC-66" title="Eidolon of Countless Battles" listItem="T" /> — Gets +1/+1 for each Aura and creature you control. Can be cast as a creature or bestowed as an Aura for even more flexibility.

## The Backup Commander: Scriv, the Obligator

The Silverquill Influence precon comes with a second commander option that's equally wild.

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<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-9" title="Scriv, the Obligator" /> creates Contract tokens — Aura tokens that attach to opponents' creatures and punish them for attacking you while rewarding them for attacking your other opponents. It's the political goad-adjacent strategy taken to its extreme. If Killian is the enforcer, Scriv is the mob boss writing up the contracts.

## So Is Eye of Nidhogg Worth $8?

Let's be real — probably not long-term. This is a textbook precon-hype spike. Over 300 copies sold in a week, but once Secrets of Strixhaven actually drops and players crack their precons, the initial FOMO will cool off. The card was only printed in the Final Fantasy Commander precon and Collector Boosters, so supply is genuinely limited, but $8 for a card that's only legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage feels aggressive.

**Our call:** If you already own a copy, hold it and throw it in your Killian deck. If you're looking to buy, wait until the Strixhaven launch weekend when attention shifts to the new cards. You'll likely be able to grab copies in the $2–4 range once the dust settles.

But regardless of where the price lands, the card is legitimately excellent in Killian. A self-recurring, three-mana goad engine that turns any creature into a 4/2 flying deathtouch Dragon and draws you cards every turn? That's not hype — that's just a great card finding its perfect home.

## Get Building

Secrets of Strixhaven drops on April 24. If you're picking up the Silverquill Influence precon, Eye of Nidhogg should be one of your first upgrades. Pair it with <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EMN-41" title="Sigarda's Aid" /> to flash it in at instant speed, stack it with the Impetus cycle, and watch your opponents' creatures do your dirty work while you draw cards and drain life.

Tell us in the comments — are you building Killian or Scriv? And what's the spiciest Aura you're running?


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From Bulk Bin to $8: How Eye of Nidhogg Became Commander Gold