The Rarest Magic: The Gathering Cards of All Time, and How Much They're Worth

A paper from the game’s Alpha Edition, Time Walk has sold for astir $25,000 and offered an other crook for a measly 2 mana, meaning it was banned beauteous swiftly.

It’s not ineligible successful immoderate format, but for collectors it’s a portion of Magic past regardless, forming portion of the ‘Power 9’ (more connected those shortly).

9 - Euroakus

Good luck uncovering this Treefolk Wizard

A paper truthful uncommon that TCGPlayer doesn’t person it, Euroakus was a Heroes of the Realm paper awarded to Wizards’ European Team successful 2020.

Heroes of the Realm cards are fixed to Wizards employees, with their sanction printed. As Wargamer explains, 1 of these Euroakus cards was sold for $25,200 successful 2022, but the sanction was blurred out.

8 - Phoenix Heart

Phoenix Heart mightiness not beryllium ineligible (it doesn’t really person an effect), but it’s precise sweet. Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering, has the paper printed to observe his wedding to Koni Kim and nonstop it retired among the wedding invites.

It’s antecedently sold for $27,500, which is adjacent amended than an unfastened barroom astatine a wedding if you inquire us.

7 - Splendid Genesis

Richard Garfield commemorated the commencement of his archetypal kid with this neat card. Splendid Genesis reads, “Shuffle each cards successful the crippled unneurotic and woody them into 3 decks. The crippled continues with a caller player.”

Naturally, it serves nary gameplay purpose, but it’s a wholesome paper that inactive fetched astir $72,000 astatine auction successful 2022. Only 110 were printed.

6 - Timetwister

Remember erstwhile we mentioned the ‘Power 9’ earlier? Here’s another, and yes, it’s banned.

Timetwister puts your hand, library, and graveyard unneurotic and lets you gully different manus of 7 cards. Essentially resetting your platform (and your opponents) portion leaving the committee authorities arsenic it is - a neat trick, and 1 that idiosyncratic paid $84,000 for.

5 - Lord of the Pit

Demon decks are each the rage these days, but Lord of the Pit was 1 of the first. It’s a 7/7 with Flying and Trample that does harm to its proprietor unless they sacrifice a creature.

While it’s sold for arsenic precocious arsenic $105,000 successful the past, determination are reprints. In fact, you tin drawback 1 for nether 50 cents connected TCGPlayer.

4 - Mox Opal

There are 5 ‘Moxes’ included successful the ‘Power 9’ (scroll down for the afloat list), and portion the effect of adding a azygous mana whitethorn look a small tame, it’s a almighty ramp successful the aboriginal turns.

It’s been sold for $108,000 successful the past, but we can’t find it connected TCGPlayer. Instead, a newer mentation (which taps for immoderate colour but requires aggregate artifacts beryllium successful play) is disposable instead. It’ll outgo you $160, mind.

3 - Autographed Black Lotus

The iconic Black Lotus pops up connected this database twice, with an autographed mentation signed by its illustrator, Christopher Rush, going for astir $511k.

And yet, Post Malone claims to person bought a likewise signed 1 for $800k, and that brings america nicely to…

2 - One of One Ring

Imagine uncovering this successful your booster pack

While immoderate purists felt the pursuit of a azygous ‘one of one’ mentation of The One Ring made the crippled of Magic much of a sideshow to a Willy Wonka-esque spectacle, it’s go legendary.

The paper was recovered and sold to Post Malone for astir $2 million, though determination person been suggestions it was higher than $2.5 million. You tin bargain 1 of the much commonly disposable ones for your postulation for astir $70 if you’re keen.

1 - Black Lotus

The lone paper that’s sold for much than the ‘One of One Ring’ is simply a Black Lotus paper successful pristine condition, sans autograph.

A backstage purchaser snapped up a Pristine 10 graded mentation of the iconic paper for $3 cardinal successful 2024, making this the astir costly Magic: The Gathering card. You tin bargain a ‘moderately played’ mentation close present for $79k.

A speedy glimpse connected eBay shows a just fewer for merchantability still, but successful varying graded conditions.

Can You Still Pack The Rarest Magic: The Gathering Cards?

Sure, you could, but your chances are astronomically low. Many of the cards connected this database haven't been printed for years, and portion determination are inactive invaluable cards to find successful packs (we've got a rundown of the astir invaluable ones successful Edge of Eternities), you'd person to find a ace dusty aged battalion to get immoderate of the cards connected this page.

That makes the secondary marketplace the lone enactment for collectors.

Magic: The Gathering's Power 9 Explained

We’ve referred to the ‘Power 9’ successful this database a fewer times, truthful here’s each entry, and their effects.

Black Lotus

Adds 3 mana of immoderate azygous colour of your prime to your mana pool, past is discarded. Tapping this artifact tin beryllium played arsenic an interrupt.

The Mox: Emerald, Jet, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire

Add 1 [color] mana to your mana pool. Tapping this artifact tin beryllium played arsenic an interrupt.

Ancestral Recall

Draw 3 cards oregon unit hostile to gully 3 cards.

Timetwister

Set Timetwister speech successful a caller graveyard pile. Shuffle your hand, library, and graveyard unneurotic into a caller room and gully a caller manus of 7 cards, leaving each cards successful play wherever they are; hostile indispensable bash the same.

Time Walk

Take an other crook aft this one.

The Power 9 were recovered successful the Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited sets of Magic: The Gathering.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer successful tech, gaming and fittingness seen astatine Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and galore more. He's a large instrumentality of Magic: The Gathering and different collectible paper games, overmuch to his wife's dismay.

Originally posted:

Aug 16, 2025 12:00 pm