MTG: Hey Big Spendah! – The 13 Most Expensive Cards of 2023
If you get your hands on one of these, congratulations! You might have enough to put a down payment on a house.
Greetings, fellow Planeswalkers and Praetors! Magic the Gathering is a powerhouse game, and while Lorcana is approaching fast, it still remains the top CCG of all time. While time has certainly contributed to that success, the overall worth of the cards makes collecting super lucrative.
While most cards you’ll find these days cost around $80 at the high end, there are a few older pieces that bring in a pretty penny. Most of these are legendary for their obscene cost. A few are even worth as much as a sports car! Finding one of these 12 pieces is highly unlikely, but if you do, you’ll be set.
13: Birds of Paradise
Green is known for its ramp, and Birds of Paradise (or BOP, as it is more commonly called) is one of the best. For just one Green mana, you get a flying 0/1 that can produce mana of any color. While I don’t think that justifies the price tag of $4600, it was a real power card back in the day. This is probably the most attainable card on the list; it’s been reprinted a ton of times. However, the OG still maintains its high price tag, so if you have it, don’t get bamboozled.
12: Copy Artifact
This card is pretty simple; pay two blue mana, get another copy of an artifact on the field. It also still counts as an enchantment, letting you get all the benefits of both. At right around $5900, it isn’t a bank breaker by any means, but it’s still a pretty good investment piece. Just don’t expect it to sell for that; it isn’t a card in super high demand.
11: Wheel of Fortune
A card known and hated by players everywhere, Wheel of Fortune can either turn a terrible hand into a perfect one or the reverse. Most players who run this card have some manner of draw/discard punishment, so it’s always worse than it initially seems. At just above $7200, this is where cards start to get pricey, so buckle up. We’re about to enter the gold-plated cardboard zone.
10: Time Vault
Next up, we have Time Vault, a card that was actually considered bad back at release. Paying two colorless mana for a tapped artifact that made you skip a turn to take a double doesn’t seem all that great. However, with modern cards that let you untap your artifacts for free or steal their abilities, Time Vault gets a lot nastier. Sitting just south of $8000, it’s certainly come into its own since its Alpha release.
9: Dual Lands
While not really sitting here overall, the OG dual lands vacillate between extremely expensive and comparatively cheap, so a solid 9 seems like the correct position. Running a range from $3500-17000, the price depends on how much the colors are played. At the top end, Volcanic Island proves that Izzet is king, at least as far as collectors go.
8: Moxes
Similar to the dual lands above, the Moxes have a wide range of worth. On the tabletop, they’re amazing; free mana is always a good thing. I mean, just look how toxic people get around Sol Ring. With an upper price of around $12000, they sit at the same level as the next card on our list, but the low-end variants drag them down a spot. Playability-wise, however, they’re probably a lot better.
7: Shivan Dragon
The original firebreather before that was even a thing, Shivan Dragon is a simple card with few frills. It’s a 5/5 flyer for six that can buff its attack for one Red mana. It’s a $12,000 card like the most expensive Mox below it, but it doesn’t really hold up on the field. There’s much better Dragons around these days, so the price is probably just original artist love.
6: Mahamoti Djinn
Another odd addition, Mahamoti Djinn is nothing special. Sure it’s a chunky flyer, but that’s really all. It doesn’t have any game-breaking effects, and it doesn’t really DO anything. That said, the art is pretty great; maybe not $14500 great, but I’m glad the original artist is appreciated.
5: Timetwister
Now THIS is a card worth it’s cost. Timetwister basically resets the game, except it leaves all permanents alone. This is the anti-tutor card for sure, so of course, it’s in Blue. It probably avoided a reprint by just being complicated, but that $16000 price tag means there probably aren’t many people sleeving it up for game night.
4: Ancestral Recall
Another card advantage powerhouse, Ancestral Recall might not end the game, but it certainly helps. Its low cost makes it easy to cast and, as such, replicate and copy. Draw enough cards, and you’ll probably find an answer to whatever your opponent has. At $19000, this is the last (comparatively) sensibly priced card. From here, it’s house payments.
3: Black Lotus
This entry probably comes as no surprise, though I will admit I’m surprised it only came in third. I remember being a baby Magic player and thinking the Black Lotus was an unattainable high-value card. Now don’t be fooled, it does still have the obscene price tag of $39500, but it used to be MUCH higher. It was even in the museum for a while for being an expensive piece of history.
2: Ice Storm
This card is hilarious. It’s terrible, but it still comes in at the ridiculous price of $137258.69. Is the price because of zero reprints, or is it the artist? The world may never know. Either way, if you were lucky enough to pull one of these and didn’t immediately trade it away for a more useful card, you should definitely play the market.
1: The One of One Ring
Surprising no one, the top list card of 2023 is the Serialized One Ring. At the time of its sale, it was worth $2,000,000 and was bought by music superstar and Magic superfan Post Malone. If I’m honest, I’m glad someone like Posty ended up with the card. He’s such a fan of the game, and I can’t think of anyone better to guard the One of One. Except maybe the Professor…
