Launched in 1993, Magic: the Gathering took the gaming world by storm, but one MtG card is more expensive than any other. Richard Garfield, the game’s progenitor, aimed to make something that tabletop role playing enthusiasts could easily carry around and play between gaming sessions. 27 years later, Magic: the Gathering has become one of the largest gaming franchises in the world.
For those unfamiliar with Magic: the Gathering's brand of complex strategy, the premise is simple: two players play the roles of dueling wizards, doing battle with decks of cards which represent their arsenal of spells. Taking turns, players summon monsters, hurl lightning bolts, and cast powerful enchantments to control the battlefield and defeat their foe. Players build their decks themselves using cards which are acquired by opening randomly-filled packs of cards.
Every few months new cards are printed, giving players new strategies for players to use in their decks. To date, there are over 20,000 unique cards which have been printed in 11 different languages. Not all cards are equally available, and some Magic: the Gathering cards are valued higher than others due to their strength in the game or their status as collectibles. Among these 20,000 cards, one has risen above all the rest in terms of sheer value: the Alpha Black Lotus, which last year sold at auction for over $165,000.
While Magic: the Gathering's Black Lotus is as one of the most powerful cards ever printed, its value is as much due to its presence as a collectible status symbol as its functions in the game. In the early days of Magic: the Gathering, urban legends developed around incredible turn-1 victories relying on powerful sequences of cards defeating an opponent before they could even play their first card. Most of these fantastic stories involved playing a Black Lotus.
When Magic: the Gathering was first printed, the designers did not expect it to be so popular. What they thought would be a six month supply of their first printing sold out in a mere two weeks. This first run was Magic’s Alpha edition, in which 2.6 million individual cards were printed. Among these 2.6 million cards, only 1,100 of them were copies of Black Lotus.
Subsequent printings of Magic: the Gathering’s first set of cards, called “Beta” and “Unlimited,” saw 7.3 million and 40 million cards respectively, with the rarity of Black Lotus unchanged. During these first years, the urban legend status of Black Lotus drove it to the top of the price sheets. In Magic: the Gathering’s fourth printing, 500 million cards were printed, but Black Lotus, along with a few other Magic: the Gathering cards of similar strategic power, were not printed in that edition.
Unspeakably rare, incomparably powerful, and out of print, Black Lotus has the ultimate symbol of the collectible nature of Magic: the Gathering’s impact on tabletop gaming. For collectors of gaming memorabilia, the Alpha Black Lotus is a DC Action Comics #1 with a Babe Ruth rookie baseball card as a bookmark. Its value has only grown over the years, and unlike comic books and baseball cards, Magic: the Gathering players to this day will sit down at the gaming table with a Black Lotus to compete in a tournament.