Highlights

• Magic: The Gathering cards from the Alpha Set have become extremely valuable, with even common cards worth several thousands of dollars.
• Some of the rarest and most valuable cards, such as the Shichifukujin Dragon and the 1996 World Champion, are considered priceless and not for sale.
• Dual lands like Taiga and Tundra are highly sought-after and can sell for thousands of dollars, providing versatility and power to decks that use multiple card colors.

Magic: The Gathering debuted on Aug. 5, 1993, with what is known as the Alpha set. The cards in this set have become extremely sought-after over the years, with many of them worth thousands of dollars in today’s market. If only we knew then what we know now about these early sets; even some of the common cards in the Alpha Set are now worth several thousands of dollars.

The second printing of the Alpha set in Sept. of 1993, called the Beta set, even has cards worth thousands of dollars. Below is a list of the rarest and most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards and what they are worth today. The card prices here are for mint/near-mint card conditions.

Updated on April 17th, 2024, by Jeff Drake: Magic: The Gathering cards are still valuable, at least the cards from the early sets of the 1990s. This isn't likely to ever change either; though, values for many cards have dropped slightly since this article's last update. The price of the most sought-after cards continues to go up and up over time, without any ceiling in sight to stop their rise in value. There may be occasional dips, but these have proven to be temporary. Cards in the Unlimited Set are even starting to get into the price range of several thousands of dollars (if graded). This list has been updated to feature more of Magic: The Gahtering's rarest cards, and their current values.

28 The Tabernacle At Pendrell Vale

Great Against Creature-Heavy Decks

The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale forces players to pay an upkeep cost of one colorless mana per creature. This is in addition to any existing upkeep cost. This is a good card, but one that requires being used in a specially-prepared deck - preferably a deck loaded with sorcery and instant cards for dealing damage, as opposed to lots of creatures.

This card first appeared in the Magic Legends booster pack, and is easily the most expensive card in the series. No other card in Magic Legends is valued at over $1,000, but The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale's value is well over $2,000.

Price Range:

Viewing completed sales on eBay shows the value of Magic Legends set the value of The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale at about $2,580.

27 Bayou

One Of The Dual Lands From The Alpha Set

The dual land cards will always be sought after; this is especially true when talking about the dual lands from the original Alpha Set. Bayou gives the player a black or green mana when tapped, just like all the dual lands cards, which give one of two colored mana when tapped.

It is rare for a deck to use only one color; it can be done, but it's more difficult to construct a viable mono-color deck than multi-colored decks. This is because there are great cards of every color The Alpha dual lands will always remain among the most valuable Magic cards.

Price Range:

Viewing completed sales on eBay shows this card selling for about $2,250.

26 Wheel Of Fortune

For When The Opponent's Hand Is Better

Wheel of Fortune has to be played at the right time to be more beneficial than punitive for the user. When this sorcery card is cast, both players must discard their hands and draw seven new cards. Obviously, this necessitates playing this card with as few cards in hand as possible, while hoping your opponent is holding at least five cards in theirs.

Another great time to use this is against a friend using one of their standard decks. In situations like this, there is a much better chance of being able to correctly guess which cards the opponent is holding.

Price Range:

Viewing completed sales on eBay shows this card going for about $3,000.

25 Shichifukujin Dragon

There's Only One Shichifukujin Dragon

This card is beyond rare, it's unique. The Shichifukujin Dragon was a promo card made for the grand opening of the Duelists' Convocation International Tournament Center in Tokyo, Japan. There is only one Shichifukujin Dragon card. As the saying goes, if there are still two left they are valuable, if there's only one it is priceless.

The card itself still resides in Japan and is not for sale. It is unlikely to ever be put on the auction block. Magic: The Gathering players will just have to live with the fact there will always be one card they can never own.

Price Range:

Since there's only one, and it's not for sale, a price is almost impossible to assign this card. It is priceless.

24 1996 World Champion

A Unique Commemorative Card

This is another unique Magic card that was created to commemorate an important event in the card game's history, the 1996 World Championship. The power of this card is completely overblown; it is clear from the power this card is not meant for play. The 1996 World Champion card summons a creature with a power and toughness equal to the opponent's remaining life.

The power of this card also allows the owner to search their library for it and place it on top. Once this card enters play a duel would probably be over in a turn or two.

Price Range:

As with the Shichifukujin Dragon, this is a unique card, so it is hard to label it anything other than priceless. This card isn't even listed in price charting lists.

23 Royal Assassin

Kill An Opponent's Creature Before It Can Deal Damage

This insidious card can kill any tapped creature. This is beyond useful when the opponent sends a powerful creature forward. The Royal Assassin's power even prevents the target creature from dealing damage since it is discarded before the Combat Damage Step is resolved.

This isn't the most valuable Magic card, but it has retained its value for five years - leading up to 2023. However, there's no need to spend thousands for this card with so many cheaper reprints available.

Price Range:

A Royal Assassin from the Alpha Set typically sells for about $1,000, but the price charting shows it at $1,500 in value.

22 Mind Twist

Disrupt The Opponent's Strategy

This is an interesting card that forces the opponent to discard cards from their hand. This is done at random; which prevents the player from hanging onto a card they were hoping to play soon. The opponent must discard one card per black mana used.

Cards like Mind Twist can win games. They can also end friendships if used a little too much, or if glee is exhibited while playing the card from the hand.

Price Range:

The Price Charting lists the value of an Alpha set Mind Twist at $2,000. Viewing completed sales on eBay shows this card going for slightly over $1,250 on average.

21 Birds Of Paradise

Free Colorless Mana When Tapped

Birds of Paradise is as useful during a duel as it is valuable. Perhaps this is why this card was available (reprinted) and included in nearly every Core Set. Naturally, the earlier printings are the most valuable. Once a turn, this card can produce one mana of any color for the player.

Being able to produce one mana of any color allows for a more varied deck, without having to put in a bunch of lands to power a couple of cards.

Price Range:

An Alpha copy of Birds of Paradise averages around $1,850 in value on eBay. A copy from the Unlimited set sells for several hundred dollars. Recent reprints sell for under $10.

20 Taiga

One Of The Vaunted Dual Lands

Taiga is one of the much sought-after dual lands. In this case, the land is a combination of forest and mountain; allowing the player to get either a green or red mana from it every turn. This makes dual lands a lot more versatile than standard lands. This has been reprinted several times, but even the later reprints are worth a hefty sum.

The price of this card has steadily dropped since August 2023. Collectors looking to add an Alpha Taiga to their collection might want to act now.

Price Range:

An Alpha copy of Taiga can run as high as $2,650 but is more commonly sold for around $2,000. A Taiga from the Unlimited set sells for approximately $450. Except for Tundra, all the dual lands are worth about as much as Taiga.

19 Vesuvan Doppelganger

Copy An Opponent's Creature

It's sad that this card is so valuable, as that sort of defeats part of the purpose of the card. Vesuvan Doppelganger can imitate any creature in play, minus any enchantments. This would allow a new player to counter that super powerful, and probably expensive, card their friend has in every deck they create.

Fortunately for new players, this card was reprinted; the reprint sells for a more modest $15 or less. Now they can

Price Range:

This incredibly useful card was part of the Alpha set, and a card in great-to-excellent condition can fetch as much as $1,500. Graded cards sell for several thousand more, depending on the grade.

18 Tropical Island

Another Valuable Dual Land Card

This is one of the most sought-after lands in Magic: The Gathering and its price reflects this demand. The Tropical Island is a dual land that can either supply the owner with a green or blue mana when tapped. Green-blue decks have always been popular, and this land helps fuel the cards of both colors. Dual lands are one of the best ways to add flexibility to decks that use multiple card colors.

This is another card that has been reprinted more than once. The Alpha version is the highest in price, but even the Unlimited Set version can sell for almost $1,000.

Price Range:

An ungraded Alpha Tropical Island sells for around $4,000 in excellent condition. A Beta version is worth about $2,500.

17 Copy Artifact

Copy Any Artifact In Play

This handy card allows the owner to duplicate any artifact in play - even an opponent's artifact. This copy remains in play even if the original is sent to the graveyard. So, if an opponent has powerful artifacts, like Black Lotus, the player can have one too. This card acts as an equalizer for beginning players and allows a powerful artifact to be used against its owner.

This card has been reprinted many times, and even a copy from the Unlimited Set will fetch several hundred dollars, but the price of an Alpha Copy Artifact is well out of the casual collector's price range.

Price Range:

An Alpha Copy Artifact typically sells for around $1,700 in excellent condition. A Beta reprint in excellent condition is still going to cost over $1,000.

16 Gaea's Cradle

A Card Given To Judges In Magic Tournaments

Gaea's Cradle was one of the Judge's Cards. These were special cards given to those who took the thankless and often non-paying job of being a judge at Magic tournaments. Wizards of the Coast created these cards as a way of compensating these judges, and now many of the early Judge's Cards are worth thousands.

This powerful card gives the player one green mana for every creature they control when it's tapped. This power can be absolutely game-changing in the right scenario.

Price Range:

Many Judge's Cards haven't gone up in price too much, but Gaea's Cradle isn't one of those. This card's ungraded price is in the neighborhood of $2,000 in good condition.

15 Tundra

A Dual Land That Gives Blue Or White Mana

The dual-land cards in the early sets are a great example of reverse power creep. Normally in card games, the first sets are considered underpowered after a few years of booster sets. The newer cards are almost always better, to entice players to buy the new booster sets.

Dual-land cards were so powerful that it would be a while until they were re-introduced. Tundra provides its owner with either blue or white mana each turn.

Price Range:

The Alpha set Tundra goes for around $2,500 - $3,250, depending on its condition.

14 Chaos Orb

Randomly Discard Some Of The Opponent's Cards

Players seek after this card because it is still viable, and it's one of the rarer cards from the original Alpha set. The power of Chaos Orb probably caused a lot of double-takes back in the day as the targeted player exclaimed, "I'm sorry, that card does what?"

For two colorless mana, this card lets players drop it from at least one foot in height and discard all cards it touched when it lands.

Price Range:

This card has an average price of $4,500 depending on the condition. The Beta version will save fans some money. It's worth about $2,000, but one in excellent or mint condition will cost around $3,000.

13 Timetwister

Forces Players To Reshuffle Their Cards

This blue sorcery spell forces all players to shuffle the cards in their hand, graveyard, and library together to form a new library. This is a great card to have for players frequently finding themselves playing against a “deck buster," a deck designed to make the opponent’s library empty quickly.

Timetwister can also help players win with a come-from-behind victory.

Price Range:

The Alpha Timetwister commonly sells for about $6,000, but the Beta Timetwister can be bought for a measly $4,500.

12 Mox Pearl

White Mana For Free

The Mox Pearl is an artifact that players can use as a source of white mana, with the added benefit of being used as an interrupt if needed. This artifact can also be played without expending mana, which is fairly uncommon in Magic.

If a player uses a lot of white cards, this artifact can mean the difference between victory and defeat. It only provides one white mana per turn, but nearly every player has had the frustration of being one mana short of summoning a much-needed champion.

Price Range:

The Mox Pearl, which was part of the Alpha set, can be bought for around $4,000 if fans are lucky. However, it can go for as high as $6,000.

11 Shivan Dragon

A Powerful Flying Creature

The Shivan Dragon is a red creature with a decent attack and defense. It can fly too, which makes it a great attacker. Four unblocked attacks from the Shivan Dragon will usually kill an opponent.

For the first few years of Magic: The Gathering's existence, this was probably the most sought-after summoning spell. Even players who didn't use red cards wanted this one and would retool their deck if they were lucky enough to get one.

Price Range:

The Shivan Dragon from the Alpha set sells for about $4,000 on the low end.

10 Underground Sea

A Dual Land For Black And Blue Mana

The Alpha set had a lot of useful cards, but the dual lands were perhaps the most useful. These dual lands can be used as a source of two different colors of mana, but only one type per turn.

Nowadays, dual lands are some of the most sought-after Magic cards. They are easily recognizable by the spiral pattern inside the text box. Considered a swamp and island, the Underground Sea provides black and blue mana.

Price Range:

This is the highest-value land card in Magic: The Gathering. It typically sells for about $4,500 but has sold for as high as $6,000.

9 Mox Emerald

Free Green Mana

The Mox Emerald is an artifact that can be tapped for one green mana per turn. Like the other Mox gems, the Mox Emerald can be played from the hand without expending mana and can be played as an interrupt.

The Mox Emerald, along with the rest of the Mox gems, is great for getting an advantage early in the game. Any time a player can play multiple mana sources during a turn, especially toward the beginning of the game, the odds of victory are significantly increased.

Price Range:

The Mox Emerald is worth approximately $4,500, but on the high end, it can sell for about $6,000.