Do Magic cards lose value over time? (2024)

FAQs

Do Magic cards lose value over time? ›

When demand goes up, value goes up. Cards that might have been worthless just a few weeks ago can end up being worth quite a bit once they start seeing play in competitive decks. It's also worth noting that competitive Magic is very much pay-to-play.

Magic: The Gathering faces a major decrease in value due to massive overproduction by parent company Hasbro. As reported by CNBC, Hasbro's recent stock market decrease of 5.2% directly results from the company overprinting cards for the massively popular game.

The 2022 Standard set lineup, among other announced products, is sure to increase prices for existing MTG cards. It is also inevitable that card prices will move upward in 2022 due to a lack of reprinting, particularly Commander staples.

Expensive cards are the ones in demand, but as supply becomes more limited, the cost goes up to reflect that. That's why decks get so much more expensive as you go into older formats. Well, that and the reserved list, but that's an article for another time.

More recent Magic: The Gathering sets are declining in value, and Hasbro's continued reprinting of sets is driving the price down even further. A famous example is the powerful Black Lotus card. This rare card sold for over $500,000 at an auction in 2021.

Black Lotus has long held a reputation as the most valuable Magic: The Gathering card ever made, dating from MTG's very first set, Limited Edition Alpha, released in 1993. Only around 1,000 copies of Alpha Black Lotus were ever printed, with a fraction of that number surviving in a decent condition 30 years later.

Older Magic: The Gathering cards can be worth a lot of money, especially if they are rare or in high demand. Some older cards from the early sets can sell for thousands of dollars. But the value depends on its specific characteristics and the current market conditions.

That said, Magic: The Gathering is one of the safer investments in the world of collectibles. The first Magic cards were actually released within days of the first Beanie Babies, and it's telling that WotC just had its best fiscal year of all time while Beanie Babies have been a punchline for the past 20 years.

To tell if a card is rare or mythic rare we look at the expansion set symbol. Almost all cards will have an expansion set symbol on it to help you identify it. The colour of this symbol will tell you what rarity the card is; common = black, uncommon = silver, rare = gold, mythic = orange-red / bronze.

Grading cards is not something all card collectors do but it is extremely popular among some Magic: the Gathering Card collectors- especially for higher-end cards. There are many benefits to having your cards graded which include permanent protection and having the card(s) authenticated.

How long do MTG cards last? ›

New cards printed in a core set or expansion set stay in Standard for between one to two years after their printing. Currently, the normal set release schedule is: One block (like Theros) on a yearly cycle: one sets each for fall, winter, and spring. One core set (like M14) each summer.

First off, Alpha and Beta copies of Black Lotus are worth quite a bit more than Unlimited copies. It isn't just the look, either—it's scarcity. We have pretty good intel stating that there were only ever 1,008 copies of every Alpha rare even printed, and only 3,025 copies of each Beta rare.

To make things easier, start by sorting your collection by rarity to find the expensive uncommon, rare, and mythic rare cards. If you want to make the most money, sell your chase cards individually. Chase cards are valuable cards that are highly desired by other players because they're good cards or they're old.

Selling MTG cards is worth it if you're done playing the game and have a decent number of cards for sale. This is especially true if you have old cards or rare cards that can fetch a high price. If you only have a small collection and no rare cards, you probably can't get too much for your collection.

The primary concern is that Hasbro has been overproducing Magic cards which has propped up Hasbro's recent [earnings] results but is destroying the long-term value of the brand," Haas wrote in a November note.

A Bank of America analyst says Hasbro is “destroying the long-term value” of Magic: The Gathering by overprinting cards. The dire warning was accompanied by a double downgrade of Hasbro stock — from “buy” to “underperform” — as its valuation fell more than 5% before trading began on Monday.

The Alpha version of Black Lotus is the rarest and most sought-after, with an estimated 1100 ever printed, followed by the Beta version, with 3300 ever printed.

1 Black Lotus

Not only is the Black Lotus the most valuable Magic card, but its value seems to go up more and more every year. The Black Lotus gives the player three mana of a single color when tapped, costs nothing to put into play, and can be used as an interrupt.

In 2019, a Black Lotus sold for $166,000 on eBay, followed by another purchase just two years later in 2021 for $511,100 — more than triple the price. Now, with the recent auction held by PWCC Marketplace, the Black Lotus cements its position as the most expensive Magic: The Gathering card ever sold.

Most vendors like your local game store or a Grand Prix will typically buy your cards for between 40% to 60% of the card's “retail” value.

Are Magic cards from the late 90s worth anything? ›

The Money Cards

Very old cards, the most powerful cards printed in the 1990s like Black Lotus and Ancestral Recall, can command prices in the thousands of dollars and vary depending on condition. Iconic cards printed and reprinted more recently, like Snapcaster Mage or Misty Rainforest, can climb higher than $50.

The industry standard cardstock for card games is Blue Core 280 GSM. This is our most popular cardstock – it makes up about 80% of our orders – and it's used in successful games such as Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon.

Which Cards Are More Expensive — MTG or Pokémon? In fact, prices for MTG cards are significantly lower than for Pokémon cards; this is because Pokémon cards are bought more often due to their visual appeal. However, as a rule, many fans of Pokémon cards do not play the game itself - they only collect cards.

A red-orange symbol indicates the card is mythic rare. A gold symbol indicates the card is rare. A silver symbol indicates the card is uncommon. A black or white symbol indicates the card is common or is a basic land.

Each Magic card has a rarity and, as a general rule, rarer cards are usually better. They're either stronger or more flexible, opening the way to more complicated combos. Of course, size rarity itself isn't everything.

M – mythic rare. L – land (This refers only to basic lands; all other lands fit into one of the above four rarities.) T – token.

Keep in mind your cards are ungraded or raw, so they will usually sell at prices that are typically less than if they were graded in the same condition. That does not mean you should or must get your cards graded. In fact, you may lose money if you do.

PSA Grading Cost Per Card

To grade cards with PSA: Value Bulk: $19/card. Value: $25/card. Value Plus: $40/card.

Should I grade all my cards? ›

You should ONLY get your cards graded IF it will increase the value or make the sale of the card(s) easier. You should NOT get your card graded just because you THINK it will improve the value. Grading cards costs money.

4 copies – You want to draw the card as often and as early as possible. The card is essential for the deck to work as it's supposed to, and you don't mind drawing multiples, even in your opening hand.

Is there an official rule for how many is too much in a standard magic deck? Most formats don't have a maximum card limit, but for most formats the minimum card limit is 60 and most people choose to have 60 card decks unless there is a very good reason not to.

This means that the probability to open at least one Black Lotus in a single pack, 1 - P[No Lotus], is 1.05%, and the probability to open at least one Black Lotus in four packs, 1 - P[No Lotus]^4, is 4.15%.

it was a Black Lotus (an artist print, at that) and, yes, it was signed by artist Christopher Rush. But, as he admitted to Howard Stern on his radio show, he also spent $800,000 on it. This was a big deal, but not specifically because a millionaire bought something expensive.

Only six PSA 10 Black Lotus cards exist. There's been a small increase in value, then — but nothing like the threefold increase in the value of the Black Lotus that happened between 2019 and 2021, as the popularity of trading card games boomed during the pandemic.

Can You Just Flip Cards in MTG? No, you can't just flip cards in Magic. You need to fulfil the requirements on the card to flip it. There's no other way to flip these cards.

402.2. Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A player may have any number of cards in their hand, but as part of their cleanup step, the player must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.

Why are MTG cards losing value? ›

"The primary concern is that Hasbro has been overproducing Magic cards, which has propped up Hasbro's recent results but is destroying the long-term value of the brand," Haas explained, referring to Magic's recent 30th-anniversary set, which contains special reprints of valuable, now out-of-print cards, "this set has ...

Yes, there's no rule that restricts any deck to 60 cards, tho that being said it's generally optimal to run a 60 card deck. You are however (in a normal deck for casual play) only restricted to 4 of the same card, except for basic lands, and cards that specify that you can have more than 4.

Seafarer's Quay and thousands of other underpowered cards are among the hardest cards to play because they're simply not competitively powered and worth inclusion in one's deck.

1 Yawgmoth

Creating an entire race through his cruel experiments, Yawgmoth rose to become a God, waging a long-running war with Dominaria that would eventually end in his defeat. As the original major Magic villain, Yawgmoth set the standard for all who followed him.

Expensive cards are the ones in demand, but as supply becomes more limited, the cost goes up to reflect that. That's why decks get so much more expensive as you go into older formats.

Hasbro, parent company of Wizards of the Coast (WotC), has released their Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Financial Report. Despite the overall decline, Magic: The Gathering and Hasbro's Digital Gaming branch continue to be one of few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing portfolio.

As part of the controversy over religion, black included demons in the early part of the game. This was perhaps the strongest piece of controversy in the game, since the player is supposed to be controlling these creatures. For this reason, Wizards of the Coast stopped making demon creature cards for many years.

There are about 412,428 people play MTG Arena daily and 25,149 people play concurrently or the players playing at the same time from all platform it is available to play.

Magic: The Gathering fans are upset with how much product Hasbro has been releasing. Hasbro's strategy has put a strain on fans' wallets, who feel they have to buy the cards to keep up. Some game shop owners have had to sell cards at a lower cost — meaning they lose money and Magic loses value.

If you have a lot of older cards, you can start by looking for the more valuable sets—Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Antiquities, Legends, and Arabian Nights. Antiquities, Legends, and Arabian Nights have set symbols, so they'll be easier to identify. Just make sure the border is black!

What new Magic cards are worth money? ›

Your best tool to see a realistic price for a card is Magic Card Market a large european trading site. I would caution buying and selling on this site unless you know what you are doing, but it is great for getting a very up to date price on any card.

Some cards are “bad” because they're designed for a less advanced player. Some cards are “bad” because the right deck for them doesn't exist yet. “Bad” cards reward the more skilled player. Some players enjoy discovering good “bad” cards.

Morbid is an ability word introduced in Innistrad. It signals that a spell or ability has different effects, additional effects, or may only be used if a creature has died earlier in the same turn.

The Money Cards

Very old cards, the most powerful cards printed in the 1990s like Black Lotus and Ancestral Recall, can command prices in the thousands of dollars and vary depending on condition. Iconic cards printed and reprinted more recently, like Snapcaster Mage or Misty Rainforest, can climb higher than $50.

In 2019, a Black Lotus sold for $166,000 on eBay, followed by another purchase just two years later in 2021 for $511,100 — more than triple the price. Now, with the recent auction held by PWCC Marketplace, the Black Lotus cements its position as the most expensive Magic: The Gathering card ever sold.

These sought-after cards can sell for a considerable premium over other cards of similar rarity. Circle of Druid Dreams, Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider, and Goldspan Dragon are just a few examples of chase rares and mythic rares.

Go to a card shop on game night and see if anyone wants to trade or buy your cards. Find a Facebook group for selling Magic cards or visit a community online and post an ad listing the cards you're selling. This is the best way to get rid of a set of bulk that isn't worth selling individually.

The Basics of Selling MTG Cards

Very generally speaking, mythic rares will command the most value, working down the chain to commons and uncommons, which are generally sold at bulk rates of $3-4 per 1,000 cards. But that's a general guideline – there are cards of every rarity that are worth selling.