“Price spikes aren’t random. They’re receipts.” Two red cards that used to sit in binders are moving fast because new commanders actually use them. If you’ve built Gwen Stacy // Ghost-Spider or you’re eyeing Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter, you’ve seen it: Charred Foyer // Warped Space and Ensnared by the Mara now matter. Here’s what changed, why the spikes happened, and how to react.
Before we start, the basics: Warped Space lets you cast one spell from exile for {0} once each turn, and Charred Foyer impulse-draws a card each upkeep. That’s a clean engine for any “cast from exile” commander.
Why “cast from exile” is moving prices
The Spider-Man set brought a real “exile-matters” commander. Gwen Stacy exiles a card when she enters; when she flips to Ghost-Spider, she grows every time you play a land or cast a spell from exile. That turns free or discounted exile casts into real board pressure.
Add Warped Space to the mix and once per turn your exile spell costs zero. That’s a visible uptick in power and speed, which is exactly the kind of thing that pulls a card out of bulk and into carts.
Charred Foyer // Warped Space: from slow burn to staple
What the card does. Foyer gives steady impulse draw each upkeep; Warped Space makes one exile-cast free each turn. Both halves are rooms, so you can cast either side first and unlock the other later.
Why it’s showing up. On usage pages you’ll see Gwen Stacy with heavy inclusion for Charred Foyer // Warped Space. That tracks with table experience: when your commander wants exile-casts, a free one each turn is hard to pass up. Tannuk, Steadfast Second also appears among the top commanders for Foyer—Tannuk grants warp to red creatures and artifacts, which later lets you recast from exile (and Warped Space turns that recast into {0}).
What the price is doing. Market trackers show the regular Duskmourn printing in the $3–4 range, up from near-bulk levels a few weeks back. That’s a clean “doubled and then some.”
Bottom line for builders. If you’re on Gwen or any exile engine (Prosper, Rocco Street Chef, Pia Nalaar, etc.), Foyer is doing work and isn’t awkward to draw in multiples. It gives cards, sets up free casts, and scales with your commander’s plan.
Ensnared by the Mara: villainous choice, real spikes
What the card does. Each opponent chooses: either mill four and take damage equal to the total mana value, or exile cards until a nonland appears and you may cast that card for free. This is both pressure and card advantage, and more importantly, it’s casting from exile.
Why it’s moving now. Gwen decks want cheap exile triggers; Ensnared triggers Ghost-Spider and often gives you a free spell. Inclusion is climbing as players tune lists.
The Nathan Drake effect. Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter (from Secret Lair x PlayStation) exiles the top card of each player’s library on attack and lets you cast one of them. That’s another exile-cast engine that wants Ensnared for redundancy. The Superdrop timing and Drake’s rules text make the synergy obvious for Grixis theft builds.
What the price is doing. Recent listings put Ensnared by the Mara in the $4–6 window depending on version, up from about a buck a month ago. That’s the kind of change you notice in a buylist.
“But isn’t Spider-Man a flop?” The market is messier
Yes, Spider-Man’s Pick-Two Draft got a rough reception, and Collector Booster prices fell from early hype. That broader negativity doesn’t stop specific Commander cards from climbing when new leaders make them better. Use the set’s noise as cover to pick role-players you’ll actually cast.
cEDH interest: real or just theorycraft?
There are cEDH lists for Gwen Stacy in the wild. That doesn’t mean she’s a tier staple yet, but it does mean tuned shells exist and are getting reps. When cEDH brews experiment with exile-cast lines, free-once-a-turn payoffs like Warped Space get more eyeballs.
What to do now (not investment advice)
- Building Gwen now? You probably want Charred Foyer // Warped Space. It fuels cards and turns at least one spell per turn into a freebie.
- Planning Nathan Drake? Ensnared by the Mara does double duty: it pressures life totals and feeds your exile-cast game plan.
- On the fence? Watchlist both. Spikes tied to a new commander often cool once the hype settles or a reprint lands.
- Mind reprint risk. Secret Lair season is lively, and Universes Beyond has shown Wizards is willing to reprint synergy pieces quickly.
If you only buy one copy for play, you still win—you’re adding a card that actually improves the deck’s core loop.
