Rare Magic: The Gathering cards have often been coveted. The demand for rare cards has been surging with the game’s popularity leading to some serious askance prices for some of the hobby’s more appreciated cards. Although many of those are banned in a competitive format, and won’t really sway the tide of battle, there are collectors out there who have driven the price up. Today, we take a look at the most expensive MTG cards of all time and the story that surrounds them.
15. Underground Sea
A highly sought-after Dual Land, Underground Sea provides mana ramp for black and blue. It has been deemed one of the most expensive MTG cards of all times By now you should know the potential implications this land has in decks of those colors. Serving the two most control-focused mana colors makes Underground Sea’s value nigh limitless, so much so that it currently holds an average price of $16,999.69 as of writing this list. Like other Dual Lands, it has exceptional synergy with Fetch Lands, and the card’s versatility is undeniable.
14. Volcanic Island
One of the most sought-after infamous Dual Land cards in Magic: The Gathering, Volcanic Island counts as both an Island and a Mountain, providing either blue or red mana without any negative repercussions for the player. Being a Dual Land, it naturally synergizes with the powerful Fetch Land cards, making them extremely easy to get to the board. Naturally, serving as a ramp for two different colors give it a clear advantage over regular lands, so much so that it lands Volcanic Island at a $14,999.99 price as of writing this list, making it one of the most expensive MTG cards.
13. Mox Pearl
Mox Pearl can reach the $3,000 – $4,000 price range, making it one of the most expensive MTG cards on the market. Like all Mox cards, Mox Pearl is an extremely powerful artifact that supplies its user with one white mana. On first read it doesn’t sound like much, but a closer inspection reveals that it does that for free – it costs 0 mana. Effects like these are often overlooked by more inexperienced players, only to realize all too quickly the potential power spike a turn 1 land and a Mox artifact can be. It unlocks a ton of potential plays that can skyrocket the game to the moon. Its only “downside”, if you can even call it that, is that it belongs in a white deck, which tends to use its effects less effectively than the others.
12. Mox Emerald
Green is the ramp mana color in Magic: The Gathering. Logically, you would expect that Mox Emerald, with its 0-cost green mana ramp, would be the best of the best in terms of theme and fit. And normally, you would be correct, but it’s still the least utilized of all of the Mox cards, simply due to the myriad of other mana ramp options green decks have access to. Furthermore, like all Mox cards, it is banned for being too powerful (and for good reason), so its usefulness is somewhat limited. However, it still maintains an impressive price of up to $6,000, making it very much worthy of being on the most expensive MTG cardslist. At the end of the day, one more mana ramp in a green deck never hurts.
11. Mox Ruby
The red Mox artifact, like its counterparts, provides red mana decks with a way to ramp for 0 mana. Those who are even remotely familiar with how most red decks operate know how dangerous that can be. Red mana decks are different from other colored decks in the way that they do not require a complicated combination of cards to devastate their opponents – they rely on a steady combination of aggression and card draw to achieve their destructive means. Potentially starting with two mana on turn one can lead to the game ending on turn three. This very reason is why Mox Ruby maintains its place among the most expensive MTG cardswith its price range of up to $6,000.
10. Mox Jet
Black decks can be devastating and extremely frustrating to play against, although admittedly not as much against blue decks. Still, Mox Jet, like all of its counterparts, provides black with a free mana ramp, which can lead to devastating combos that can cripple opposing players. You need only do a simple Google search to find out just how disgusting black decks can be. It is unofficially considered the second most powerful Mox card on the list, which lands it a price within the $10,000 – a price that is maintained quite consistently throughout the years, easily putting it on the upper side of the most expensive MTG cards.
9. Mox Sapphire
The three blue “Power 9” cards on this list, and their extra turn effects, should be a testament to how powerful blue cards can potentially be. Imagine having a way to achieve their insanely powerful effects at an even faster rate, more consistently. That’s what Mox Sapphire offers – an extra blue mana for 0 mana. Among all other Mox cards, this one is the most powerful and offers the most value due to the nature of the mana it provides. Because of this, its price can easily reach $13,000 at the right time, potentially surpassing some of the most expensive MTG cards.
8. Time Vault
Players reading Time Vault’s effect might be perplexed as to why and how can this card be worth its current price range of nearly $3000. The reason is the potential extra turn effect it provides. While it is written in the card that you have to skip a turn in order to untap it and take advantage of its effect, you need to remember – Magic: The Gathering provides multiple ways to untap cards. There are many alternative “untap” effects in the game, making Time Vault exceptionally dangerous, even though it’s not as easy to activate as Time Walk, for example. The potential infinite combo is definitely there, which is precisely why its price range is that high, and worthy of being among the most expensive MTG cards.
7. Timetwister
Yet another blue Power 9 member, Timetwister has the potent effects of hand disruption, potential card draw, and game reset all in one! The card has the effect of shuffling both players’ hands and graveyards into their respective decks. Afterward, both players draw seven cards. If you happen to have fewer than 7 cards – that is an absolute win for you. Your opponent, on the other hand, might have his winning combo disrupted and can end up having a new hand that puts him at a disadvantage. Coming and the low price of three mana, this underrated card can be quite the game-changer. Its price can reach $6000, making it the prestigious most expensive MTG cardslist. Despite its steep price range, some players find it worth buying.
6. Time Walk
Where do I start with this one… The most “broken” card on the list, Time Walk is notorious for causing problems in the game. Any Magic: The Gathering player will attest to how just one extra turn can end a game. Now imagine having multiple extra turns.
Yes, you read that correctly – certain card combinations can effectively allow you to have multiple extra turns, allowing you to go infinite. Being a two-mana blue card, Time Walk has multiple ways to be found, either with a simple deck search card or by the powerful card draw cards blue decks have at their disposal.
This easily makes it one of the most sought-after blue cards ever printed, despite it being banned for obvious reasons. A copy of Time Walk can reach the $5000 price range, and while that isn’t nearly as much as other cards on this list, it is certainly worthy of the mostexpensive MTG cardslist.
5. Ancestral Recall
This blue Power 9 card allows you to draw three cards or force your opponent to draw three cards. While that might not sound much at first glance, remember that blue decks specialize in making your opponent mill a ton of cards and making them “deck out” in just a few turns. You can imagine the impact such a card can have. Furthermore, the effect doesn’t have a downside for the player, only advantages – you either draw cards, give you options, or further mill your opponent’s deck. Unlike most card games, Magic: The Gathering doesn’t dictate are hand size, so imagine playing multiple Ancestral Recalls, giving you instant access to the majority of your deck. All that at the cost of one blue mana. Nowadays, depending on the edition and condition of the card, Ancestral Recall can reach prices of well over $10,000 – prices worthy of the mostexpensive MTG cardslist.
4. Dwarven Ring of Power 001/700 Double Rainbow Foil
Another entry in the now infamous Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, this stylized Sol Ring reprint caused quite the buzz online with its high starting bid of $5,000, which then amounted to $13,000 before being declared “sold”, making the Dwarven ring a noteworthy addition to the most expensive MTG cards list. What’s even more impressive is that the card sold entirely on looks alone, rather than any form of powerplay or having the prestige of a long legacy. This further goes to show that good aesthetics are very important when designing cards, and additionally serves as a testament to the quality of the artworks in Tales of Middle-earth.
3. Chaos Orb
This stuff of Magic: The Gathering Legends, Chaos Orb’s infamy is so great, the community almost forced the card into The Power 9 list, and would have renamed it The Power 10. The copy ended up being sold for over $10,000 on the PWCC card market, putting it among the most expensiveMTG cardsever.
Fitting its name perfectly, it’s the only card in existence that has the effect of having to physically flip the card into the air from at least one foot high. This very effect sparked the MTG legend of the “chaos confetti”, where one player allegedly ripped the card into shreds and threw its pieces all over the opponent’s cards, annihilating them all.
As crazy as this effect sounds, there exists a PSA 10 Gem Mint condition copy of Chaos Orb, which essentially means that it’s undamaged – quite the achievement, given its effect.
2. The Black Lotus
The most notorious on the infamous Power 9, The Black Lotus is also one of the most expensive MTG cards, with some copies being sold for over $500,000, and most recently $800,000 by none other than Post Malone! Mind you, this is despite the fact the card is banned in all playable formats, except for Vintage, where it has been restricted to only one copy due to its extremely powerful effect. The player who drew the card gained an insurmountable advantage, which can (and has) led to some wild combo plays and OTKs with the east. The card instantly swings the game in its owner’s favor. Despite the bans, its sheer power and infamy still hold true to this day.
1. The One Ring
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Without question topping the list of the most expensive MTG cards, the highly-coveted 001/001 copy of The One Ring, saw its price skyrocket ever since it was announced and even before actual copies were drawn! There were several card hunts initiated for the Precious, with prices ranging from $500,000 all the way to $2,000,000 and above.
But even those prices couldn’t stop Post Malone from becoming the Ringbearer of Magic: The Gathering. Although the official sale is subject to some doubt, we can safely speculate that it could be close to the infamous Spanish game store Gremio de Dragones’ $2,000,000 offer, if not more. Regardless, we can rest assured that the One Ring is in the possession of a valued collector and MTG player, as Post Malone’s passion for the card game is very well documented.