The 30+ Rarest & Most Expensive MTG Cards Ever

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A guide to the most valuable MTG cards you may already have
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Magic: the Gathering (MTG) is a collectible card game with a vast array of cards spanning decades of different sets (and reprints of old ones). There are almost too many MTG cards to count, but a select few are particularly valuable. In this article, we’ll cover the rarest and most expensive MTG cards, what they do, and just how much they cost. You may just have a small fortune on your hands!

Top 5 Most Valuable Magic Cards

  1. The One Ring: $2+ million
  2. Black Lotus: $50,000 - $800,000
  3. Shichifukujin Dragon: Priceless
  4. 1996 World Champion: Priceless
  5. Blue Hurricane: $22,000 - $30,000+
1

The One Ring

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  1. There’s a one-of-a-kind version of this Lord of the Rings card.
    There are plenty of “One Ring” MTG cards in play, but one was printed in Elvish—the first of its kind. It’s a totally unique “one of one” copy (as printed on the card); when it was announced, collectors debated about its worth and how to assign value to it in the first place! Funnily enough, musician Post Malone set the price when he bought it for over $2 million.[1]
    • Estimated value: $2+ million
    • Although it’s not available for purchase, the One Ring is the most expensive Magic card right now!
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2

Black Lotus

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  1. Black Lotus could be the highest-value Magic card available. That’s excluding one-of-a-kind and promo cards, but nonetheless, the Black Lotus card is pretty remarkable, and its value keeps increasing. Playing Black Lotus adds 3 mana of any one color to your mana pool; it costs nothing to use, and it can also be used as an interrupt![2]
    • Estimated value: $50,000 - $800,000 (the Beta version is worth less, around $40,000)
3

Shichifukujin Dragon

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  1. This priceless card is one of a kind.
    It’s hard to place a monetary value on a card that’s totally unique, and that’s exactly what this one is. The Shichifukujin Dragon was made as a promo card to celebrate the grand opening of the Duelists’ Convocation International Tournament Center in Tokyo, Japan. Currently, the card is still in Japan—and, understandably, it’s not for sale.[3]
    • Estimated value: Priceless
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4

1996 World Champion

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  1. This card is from the 1996 Magic: the Gathering World Championship. Like the Shichifukujin Dragon, it’s one of a kind, designed to commemorate the event. So, it’s totally overpowered and not actually intended for gameplay; the card can summon a creature called the “World Champion,” whose power and toughness are equal to the opposing player’s life.[4]
    • Estimated value: Priceless
5

Blue Hurricane

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  1. Blue Hurricane’s value comes from a rare misprint.
    The 1994 Revised Edition set (which included Hurricane) was discovered to have major flaws. So, it was again revised and released later in the year as “Summer Magic.” However, that edition also had errors—the main one being the Hurricane card, printed with a blue border instead of a green one. Summer Magic was recalled, but some players have the incredibly rare “Blue Hurricane.”
    • Estimated value: $22,000 - $30,000+
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6

Mishra’s Workshop

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  1. This card was printed in Antiquities, the second Magic expansion. When played, the card adds 3 colorless mana to the player’s mana pool—although that mana can only be used to cast artifacts. It was originally released in 1994, but the card was temporarily removed from competitive play later that same year. Despite its past, Mishra’s Workshop is popular among collectors and longtime MTG players.[5]
    • Estimated value: $2,800 - $13,000 depending on condition
7

Mox Pearl

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  1. All Mox jewel cards are now very valuable.
    Buckle up: the next few cards on this list are all from the Mox jewel set, and they’re all expensive to own—some more than others. Using the Mox Pearl adds one white mana to your mana pool—and it can also be used as an interrupt if needed. Mox Pearl can be the key to winning a game for players with many white cards![6]
    • Estimated value: $4,000 - $6,000
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8

Mox Emerald

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  1. Mox Emerald can be used to gain green mana. When played (without expending mana), the Mox Emerald grants one green mana per tern; it can also be an interrupt. Playing it early in the game can help you get a leg up on your opponent, and gaining multiple mana sources during a turn can definitely contribute to winning a game.[7]
    • Estimated value: $4,500 - $8,400
9

Mox Ruby

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  1. Mox Ruby gives players red mana when used.
    Specifically, it supplies players with one red mana per turn (and, like other Mox gems, can be used as an interrupt). Red spells (like Fireball) are known for dealing the most damage to opponents overall, so the Mox Ruby card can be invaluable for red spell users! With the Mox Ruby and just a few red spells, you can win a game.[8]
    • Estimated value: $3,800 - $8,800
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10

Mox Jet

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  1. Mox Jet grants players black mana. Like the other Mox gems, Mox Jet grants one (black) mana per turn and can be used as an interrupt without requiring mana to be spent. However, it should be noted that most MTG tournaments don’t allow Mox gems because of their rarity and strength; it’s intended to help level the playing field for newer competitors who don’t have Mox gems and can’t afford them.[9]
    • Estimated value: $4,400 - $10,000
11

Mox Sapphire

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  1. Mox Sapphire gives players blue mana when used.
    When tapped, the Mox Sapphire card grants one blue mana per turn and can be used as an interrupt. It’s especially useful among Mox gems because counterspell cards tend to use blue mana—and using a counterspell card can save you from taking a lot of spell damage from your opponent.[10]
    • Estimated value: $9,000 - $17,000
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12

Time Walk

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  1. Time Walk is a powerful blue sorcery spell. When played, Time Walk simply allows the user to take an extra turn (directly after the turn in which the card gets played). It’s so good that players with this card use a blue deck solely because of it—it’s a game-winning card! Time Walk can help you set up extra mana sources, for example, or deal lots of damage to opponents before they can target you.[11]
    • Estimated value: 4,400 - $9,300
13

Timetwister

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  1. Timetwister is a mind-bending and valuable sorcery card.
    When played, the blue sorcery spell forces players to shuffle the cards in their hand, graveyard, and library. Then, those cards must be combined to make a new library, and players must draw new hands. That makes Timetwister super effective for losing players who need to do something drastic to turn the tables!
    • Estimated value: $4,800 (Beta) - $8,000
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14

Underground Sea

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  1. Underground Sea is likely the most valuable land card in Magic. Combining swamp and island terrain, this card provides players with one black or blue mana per turn. Players highly value most dual land cards, but Underground Sea is one of the most difficult to get your hands on because of its high price tag.
    • Estimated value: $4,500 - $8,900
15

Ancestral Recall

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  1. Ancestral Recall is highly sought-after by players.
    That’s because it enables a player to draw 3 cards or force their opponent to discard 3 cards to the graveyard when tapped. It also takes effect instantly and only costs one blue mana, which makes it an amazing way to shake up a game and one-up your opponent in a pinch. The card’s value can vary by condition.
    • Estimated value: $3,000 - $8,000 (one sold for $22,000)
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16

Chaos Orb

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  1. Chaos Orb is a relatively rare card from the first Alpha set. It’s also surprisingly powerful: when played, the card must be dropped from at least 1 foot up, and all cards it touches when it lands are discarded. Pretty wild, right? The card’s condition and version will affect its value; Alpha cards in mint condition are worth well over $4,000, while Beta cards are a couple thousand less.[12]
    • Estimated value: $2,000 - $5,500
    • “Alpha” set refers to the set first released in MTG’s August 1993 debut. Thus, many Magic cards from that 1993 Alpha set are now worth thousands of dollars!
    • Similarly, the Beta set (the second printing of Magic in September 1993) also has several valuable cards, including a few worth thousands.
17

Tropical Island

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  1. Tropical Island is another very valuable dual land card.
    This one combines forest and islands, granting the player a green or blue mana when used. Because dual land cards are so versatile and green-blue MTG decks are consistently popular among players, Tropical Island is usually in high demand. It’s been reprinted, but the Alpha version of the card is very valuable (especially in excellent condition).
    • Estimated value: $2,800 (Beta) - $4,250 (Alpha)
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18

The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

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  1. This pricey card was released as part of the Magic Legends booster. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale is a decent Magic card—and the most expensive in the Magic Legends booster series. It’s best when used in a deck with lots of sorcery and damage-dealing cards, as it forces players to pay an increased upkeep cost of one colorless mana per creature (in addition to existing upkeep costs).
    • Estimated value: $2,400 - $3,200
19

Tundra

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  1. This early dual lands card is known for being quite powerful.
    It combines island and plains terrain, thus applying to spells affected by either. When tapped, it grants the player one blue or white mana per turn. Interestingly, MTG’s early dual land cards are much more powerful when compared to later cards released (when usually the opposite happens).
    • Estimated value: $2,200 - $4,500 (depending on condition)
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20

Taiga

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  1. Taiga is one of the most in-demand dual land cards. It’s a combination of forest and mountain terrains, so it generates a green or red mana for the player each turn. Dual land cards are generally more versatile than standard ones—Taiga especially. Even reprints of this card are valuable, though its price has begun dropping since mid-2023.
    • Estimated value: $2,000 - $3,200
21

Wheel of Fortune

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  1. Wheel of Fortune is a rare sorcery card for Magic:
    the Gathering. When cast, both players must then discard everything in their hands and draw new cards—so it’s best used when you don’t have many cards left in your hand while your opponent has several. It’s very simple in terms of gameplay but also incredibly effective at clearing out the opponent’s cards.
    • Estimated value: $400 - $3,500 (depending on condition)
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22

Time Vault

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  1. Time Vault can grant an extra turn. It’s a lot like Time Walk—it’s just a bit less powerful because it stays in play until the player skips a turn. When used alongside a card that lets you reshuffle your graveyard back into your deck, Time Walk can still be quite the strong card, and that means it’s a highly sought-after one, too.[13]
    • Estimated value: $1,700 - $2,700 (mint condition)
23

Bazaar of Baghdad

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  1. This is a unique land from the Arabian Nights expansion.
    When activated, it lets you take two cards from your library and discard three into your graveyard. So, it can be a handy card for players looking to fill their graveyard for a resource or reshuffle their hand a bit! And, because it’s another early, rare MTG card, it’s valued in the thousands.
    • Estimated value: $1,500 - $2,250
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24

Juzam Djinn

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  1. Like the previous card, Juzam Djinn is from Arabian Nights. And, once again, its rarity and history make the card decently valuable as far as MTG cards go! It’s a creature card and used to be one of the best in the game; as things stand, it’s still a favorite among seasoned players. The Juzam Djinn, when played, can deal 1 damage to a player during upkeep.[14]
    • Estimated value: $1,500 - $2,100
25

Birds of Paradise

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  1. Early printings of this card are the most valuable.
    It’s been reprinted in many MTG core sets over the years, so the most recent printings sell for less than $10. In terms of gameplay, Birds of Paradise can produce one mana of any color, once per turn—which can help the person who plays it put together a more varied deck without worrying about land cards.
    • Estimated value: $1,500 - $2,000 (Alpha)
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26

Vesuvan Doppelganger

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  1. Although this card was reprinted, the originals are still valuable. Vesuvan Doppelganger is a quirky card that can imitate any creature in play (without any enchantments the creature might have). That makes the card a fantastic counter, especially against opponents whose decks are more powerful overall. Reprints of the card are inexpensive, but Alpha copies are costly.[15]
    • Estimated value: $1,500 - $1,900 (Alpha)
27

Shivan Dragon

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  1. This card was a coveted summoning spell in the early years of Magic.
    The Shivan Dragon is a red card with the power of flight and solid attack and defense values, making it a strong choice to attack opponents. The price of a Shivan Dragon card can fluctuate based on its condition and version, but even at the lower end, it’s valued at over a thousand dollars.
    • Estimated value: $1,249 - $4,800
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28

Mind Twist

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  1. Mind Twist was a major card in the game’s first Control deck. When played, it allows you to target an opponent and force them to discard cards from their hand at random. Essentially, the target must discard one card per black mana used, making it a super powerful option capable of winning games for players.
    • Estimated value: $1,250 - $2,000
29

Royal Assassin

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  1. The original Royal Assassin is from Magic’s Alpha set.
    It has the power to kill any tapped creature, which makes it invaluable when played against an opponent’s powerful creature. However, the estimated value below is only for the Royal Assassin from the Alpha set—many cheaper reprints of the card can be bought for as little as $1 to $5.
    • Estimated value: $1,000 - $2,750
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30

Copy Artifact

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  1. An Alpha or Beta print of this card can be fairly valuable. Copy Artifact is a card designed to duplicate an artifact currently in play (either the player’s or their opponent’s). The copied artifact stays in play, even if the original goes to the graveyard, which means a player can use it to get some pretty powerful artifacts on their side and gain the upper hand against more seasoned players with stronger decks.
    • Estimated value: $1,000 (Beta) - $2,000 (Alpha)
31

Library of Alexandria

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  1. The Library of Alexandria is part of the Arabian Nights set.
    Arabian Nights is one of the earlier MTG sets, so there are a number of different valuable cards in it—including the Library of Alexandria, which was only printed in that specific set. It’s also a very powerful card; when played, it adds 1 to your mana pool and allows you to draw a card (if you have 7 in hand).
    • Estimated value: $1,000 - $2,000
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32

Gaea’s Cradle

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  1. Gaea’s Cradle was given to judges of Magic tournaments. Judging gigs rarely paid money, so Wizards of the Coast gifted Gaea’s Cradle to judges as compensation. While the average Gaea’s Cradle card is worth hundreds, some of the earliest sell for thousands. In terms of power, Gaea’s Cradle grants players one green mana for every creature controlled when the card is tapped.
    • Estimated value: $600 - $850
33

Other Valuable Magic Cards

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  1. Take a look at these honorable mentions. The above MTG cards are estimated to be the most valuable overall, but there are plenty of others worth at least a couple hundred dollars—enough to be worth covering, one way or another. So, for honorable mentions, here are some moderately valuable Magic cards:
    • Zodiac Dragon ($400 - $525) - As the most powerful of the zodiac animals, this card embodies rebirth. When placed in your graveyard, you can return the Zodiac Dragon to your hand instead.
    • Bayou ($250 - $500) - A dual land card from the original Alpha set that counts as swamp and forest, granting a black or green mana per turn.
    • Diamond Valley ($500) - Playing this card lets you sacrifice a creature in exchange for life points equal to that creature’s toughness. It’s a great defensive card!
    • Gauntlet of Might ($500) - The Gauntlet of Might buffs all red creatures and grants extra red mana, making it an amazing addition to red decks.
    • Forcefield ($470) - This card is designed to keep you alive in MTG, allowing you to lose only 1 life to an unblocked creature.
    • Guardian Beast ($450) - This creature card guards your artifacts while untapped, preventing them from being enchanted, destroyed, or taken by an opponent.
    • Shahrazad ($450) - Using Shahrazad creates an entire subgame, forcing players to leave the first game and play a side one using the cards in their libraries or decks. Thus, it’s also banned in competitive play.
    • All Hallow’s Eve ($430) - In the spirit of Halloween, this card allows players to “resurrect” creatures in their graveyard and put them into play.
    • Lion’s Eye Diamond ($420) - Playing this card allows you to discard your hand and add three mana of any single color to your mana pool instead.
    • Badlands ($400) - This is a dual land card representing swamps and mountains (so it affects spells in both mana pools).
    • Eureka ($400) - This sorcery card lets both players put any permanents in their hand into play immediately.
    • Transmute Artifact ($400) - With this clever card, you can search your library for any artifact and put it into play immediately.
    • Scrubland ($350) - Another dual land card, this time representing plains and swamp (and both respective mana pools).
    • City in a Bottle ($350) - This card forces players to discard all cards from the Arabian Nights set (except for City in a Bottle itself).
    • Mirror Universe ($350) - When sacrificing this card, you can switch life points with your opponent.
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66399865
  2. ↑ https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering/most-expensive-magic-cards
  3. ↑ https://scryfall.com/card/pcel/2/shichifukujin-dragon
  4. ↑ https://scryfall.com/card/pcel/1/1996-world-champion
  5. ↑ https://tradingcardsets.com/blogs/news/the-most-expensive-magic-the-gathering-cards-is-it-worth-the-hype
  6. ↑ https://mtg.wiki/page/Mox
  7. ↑ https://mtg.wiki/page/Mox
  8. ↑ https://mtg.wiki/page/Mox
  9. ↑ https://mtg.wiki/page/Mox
  1. ↑ https://mtg.wiki/page/Mox
  2. ↑ https://mtg.cardsrealm.com/sv-fi/articles/top-10-of-the-most-expensive-magic-the-gathering-cards
  3. ↑ https://mtg.wiki/page/Chaos_Orb
  4. ↑ https://scryfall.com/card/vma/287/time-vault
  5. ↑ https://tradingcardsets.com/blogs/news/the-most-expensive-magic-the-gathering-cards-is-it-worth-the-hype
  6. ↑ https://mtg.cardsrealm.com/sv-fi/articles/top-10-of-the-most-expensive-magic-the-gathering-cards

About This Article

Jason Garvin
Co-authored by:
Jason Garvin
Trading Card Game Expert
This article was co-authored by Jason Garvin and by wikiHow staff writer, Glenn Carreau. Jason Garvin is a Games & Retail Expert based in Broomfield, Colorado. He is the Chief Operating Officer of Total Escape Games, a gaming business that carries a broad collection of role-playing games, board games, paints, and collectible card games including Magic the Gathering singles. Total Escape Games hosts events and interactive gaming opportunities, and their community is incredibly welcoming to new players and hobbyists. Jason has over 7 years of retail experience. In addition to his role at Total Escape Games, Jason serves as the President of JTJ Holdings, Inc., where he focuses on mentoring emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses within the tabletop gaming industry to foster growth and innovation. Beyond his formal roles, Jason is also an active participant in the tech community with personal projects such as developing and maintaining his own website, contributing to his blog, and completing UI/UX projects. He received a BS in Psychology from Colorado State University. This article has been viewed 1,033 times.
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