Magic: The Gathering’s Most Coveted Cards

While magic: The Gatherings is one of the most popular tabletop card games out there, it isn’t simply a game. Many players start off getting used to the gameplay, but are quickly tempted into the realm of card collecting. Some cards, despite their gameplay value, are now prized investments. Some even fetch prices that can rival the cost of a luxury car or even a family home. With this in mind, let us look at some of Magic: The Gatherings’ most coveted cards.

What makes an MTG card valuable?

You may be surprised to see some of the prices on MTG’s most coveted cards, but some players see these as investment pieces, and they could well be worthwhile looking into if you have the cash to spare. There are several reasons that certain cards attract a higher price than the most. Simply, these include:

How rare a card is- In the early days of Magic: The Gathering, there were only limited production runs of sets such as Alpha and Beta. These are now extremely scarce.

How powerful it is – Some of the most coveted cards were deemed so powerful that they were restricted or banned, which makes them ever more attractive to collectors.

History- For old school players, and even those who have joined later and learned the history and legend of the game, some of the older cards represent MTG’s “golden age”. If you want to own a piece of history, you might have to dip your hand a little deeper in your pocket.

Investments- Collectors no longer view trading cards as valuable only to those who play the game. These days, savvy investors are spreading their wealth into lots of different pots, and this is one pot where they may choose to invest.

With this in mind, let’s delve deeper into the cards that fetch the highest prices.

The power nine era

Black Lotus-Alpha – This is the undisputed pinnacle of Magic: The Gathering cards. This rather simple card gives a wealth of mana at zero cost. Simply put, it’s the ultimate powerplay. However, it’s also extremely rare. It’s no wonder that one such card has been rated to have sold for $3 million.

Mox sapphire, Mox jet, Timetwister (Alpha) and Time Walk. – These are the cards that combine with the Black Lotus to form what is known as the power nine. Coming from the earliest days of gameplay, where game changing effects were as standard and power levels were high, their history and scarcity mean they are now worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lord of the pit (alpha)- This creature requires a sacrifice on each turn to remain in play, but what this demonic card has in spades is power and status. Some collectors have it valued at over $100,000.

Mind twist (Alpha)- Sorcery is more powerful than anything with the mind twist card.

It forces the opponent to discard their entire hand and often results in a victory for the player who sets it down. There are cheap versions available in some sets but its original alpha printing sold for over $200,000.

Copy artefacts (Beta)-giving your gameplay a little more versatility, this card allows you to duplicate artefacts. Beta cards have been known to attract six figure price tags.

The One Ring (Lord of the rings)

One unique card, that is the only one in existence, sold to Post Malone for $2 million. While this was briefly the most expensive card in the game, the black Lotus reclaimed it shortly afterwards.

Setting your budget

Whether you’ve got cash to spare or you’ve put aside a little fund to begin your collection, it’s vital to set a budget and a higher limit, especially if you are bartering with the owner of a high value card. While it might be tempting to offer just that little bit more to get the card you want, it’s not worth breaking the bank if this will cause you money troubles.

How much could prices reach?

The sky is the limit for the price of a Magic: The Gathering card, especially for those determined to have a selection of the finest, oldest and most powerful cards available. However, it is possible for you to obtain a rare and invaluable card more cheaply, via reprints or hidden gems that have yet to be discovered.

Whether you’ve just started collecting MTG cards, or you’ve been going a while and want to build your collection to epic levels, check out the various trading platforms, or in person events to try and grab the card you’re looking for.