While the One of One Ring may have surpassed it in value, no standard print Magic: The Gathering card holds a higher price than the original Black Lotus.
Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts engage with the game for various reasons—strategic deck-building, thrilling victories, or the joy of collecting. For some, the allure is in acquiring the rarest and most valuable cards, and none are more coveted than Black Lotus.
What Does Black Lotus Do?
Black Lotus, a zero-cost artifact card, allows players to generate three mana of any single color by sacrificing it. This powerful effect enables rapid deployment of spells, often bypassing the need for lands and creating an imbalanced game environment. The card’s dominance led to its restriction to one per deck and its ban in many formats.
Black Lotus and the Power Nine
Black Lotus is part of the “Power Nine,” a set of nine highly influential cards from Magic’s early days, including other iconic cards like Moxes and powerful Blue spells. These cards, never reprinted, remain some of the most potent and sought-after in the game’s history.
How Much is it Worth?
The value of Black Lotus has escalated significantly over the years. In February 2019, a Grade 9.5 Alpha Black Lotus sold for $166,100. By 2022, a signed artist copy was purchased by Post Malone for $800,000, and in 2023, he set a new record by acquiring the One of One Ring for $2.6 million. The most recent sale of a Grade Pristine 10 Alpha copy reached $3 million.
Black Lotus in Lore
In Magic’s lore, Black Lotus also holds significant value. The Carthalion family possessed a legendary Lotus, considered their most treasured artifact. It was later stolen by the Shadow Mage Jared Carthalion, who used it in a dramatic battle. Rumors also suggest that a similar mystical plant was cultivated in Tolaria, though evidence remains scarce.
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