The 36 Most Expensive, High Mana Value Cards in Magic Ranked

Shadow of Mortality | Illustration by Anato Finnstark

Cards with high mana values are usually weak because the risk of having one rotting in your hand is very real. However, MTG has many ways to make expensive cards competitively playable.

Many of these have cost reduction mechanics, being true build-around cards, while others are so powerful they justify running cards like Sneak Attack or Show and Tell to cheat them into play. Today, we’re taking a look at the most expensive cards to cast in Magic, and if your deck needs some serious top end, look no further.

What Are High Mana Value Cards in MTG?

Enter the Infinite | Illustration by Jake Murray

I'll be ranking every card with a mana value of 11 or greater. I’m not considering split cards or room cards. Magic’s rules add both sides of the card for the total depending on what zone the card's in. So, a card like Funeral Room // Awakening Hall is technically an 11 MV card, but I’m not considering these.

Honorable Mentions: Un-Set Cards

Gleemas

• Infernius Spawnington III, Esq.
• Mox Lotus
• B.F.M. (Big Furry Monster)
• Gleemax

These cards were meant to be a joke from the first Un-sets. Mox Lotus costs a whopping 15, but it adds infinite mana and can filter for any color, so yeah, it’s infinite mana with Omniscience, for starters. Another cool target for Omniscience is Gleemax, though you probably care more that this has a cost of literally one million mana.

#36. Polar Kraken

Polar Kraken exemplifies how many hoops you had to jump through to get a big 11/11 trample creature in the days of yore. Yes, it can theoretically end the game in two attacks, bu it enters tapped, has cumulative upkeep, and no relevant protection.

#35. Hypnox

Hypnox is a huge Deep-Cavern Bat, so to speak. It’s from a time where WotC wanted you to pay a lot of mana for a powerful effect. But unlike many cards from this list, you can’t reduce the mana cost on this one, and players will hardly ever want to spend that much mana on a flier that doesn’t get rid of cards for good.

#34. Blood for the Blood God!

Blood for the Blood God!’s effect is quite good, as you can recycle your hand, draw eight cards, and deal 8 damage to each opponent. It’s quite a finisher in group slug decks and decks that can double the damage. You’ll need reliable ways to cast this card for a reduced cost, ideally chump-attacking with tokens or having a free sacrifice outlet.

#33. Darksteel Colossus

Darksteel Colossus used to be a staple in ramp decks, or decks with Tooth and Nail. It's still a huge trample and indestructible creature, so what gives? There’s a better version of this card coming up. This card still sees play in lower-power decks, or in singleton decks that really need one more expensive artifact.

#32. Mycosynth Golem

Eleven mana gives you a 4/5 creature? Ok, Mycosynth Golem has affinity, and the ability it gives your other artifact creatures is also relevant, but expensive cards must be payoffs to your strategy and not enablers. You can win with this card on the battlefield and the right combo pieces, but still.

#31. Pathrazer of Ulamog

Pathrazer of Ulamog is a Draft uncommon, and a big beater that’s worth using your resources to ramp into. It’s very hard to block, and each time it attacks, annihilator consumes three permanents. It can also be reanimated, but you can do better with less mana.

#30. Primeval Protector

Unlike most other entries so far, Primeval Protector is a good card, and you should try it in +1/+1 counter decks. In many games you’ll cast this for 3 or 4 mana, at which point it’s double the size of Ridgescale Tusker.

#29. Rumbleweed

Rumbleweed is one of many Overrun creatures. For this to be good, you need 4-5 lands in your graveyard, which is easy. Reach, vigilance, and trample on an 8/8 is nice, especially when its so cheap.

#28. Temporal Trespass

Temporal Trespass is a delve extra turn spell that starts at 11 mana but often costs far less. Three mana for a Time Warp effect is quite good, but for that you’ll need a packed graveyard. Decks like Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow appreciate this card because they want to play extra turns and also reveal expensive cards, especially on a budget. Just think about it: You’re taking 11 damage and being attacked again? But this card doesn’t join the hall of broken delve cards because 3 mana is still a high cost, even if you delve the maximum amount.

#27. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

One of the original titans, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre still packs a punch as a big, indestructible creature that nukes something on cast. Plus, annihilator 4 is more than strong enough to make up for the lack of evasion.

#26. Worldspine Wurm

Worldspine Wurm saw some play as a Flash target that died into three 5/5s or as fodder for Nourishing Shoal. If you have ways to cheat it into play, like Sneak Attack, it’s a big 15/15 trampler, and an instant win with Xenagos, God of Revels.

#25. Metalwork Colossus

Metalwork Colossus can be realistically cast for 0 mana. What’s more, cards like Basalt Monolith effectively add 6 mana, and you can get something similar with cards like Gilded Lotus or Hedron Archive. It’s just a 10/10 vanilla, but you can get it back from your graveyard later, so it’s also a resilient threat.

#24. Icebreaker Kraken

Affinity for snow lands is a good way to make a spell cheap, and with only snow lands in your deck, this is functionally a 6-mana card. Icebreaker Kraken is a good payoff for snow cards, and if you can pull this off in Limited, it’s quite a bomb. Plus, there are incentives to play krakens in sea monster decks, and this is a good one.

#23. Iname as One

Iname as One is so expensive because it’s actually a fusion of Iname, Death Aspect and Iname, Life Aspect, two 6-mana cards. The whole idea is that you cast it (from your hand because there wasn’t a command zone back then), put a spirit into play from your library, and if it dies, you reanimate another spirit. But wasn’t playable in 2004, let alone now. It’s a meme card that some players try to make work.

#22. Lumbering Megasloth

Ideally we shouldn’t jump through hoops to get an 8/8 trample that enters play tapped, so what gives here? Lumbering Megasloth was designed to work with rad counters, and some cards give rad counters to all players. That or you’re playing a +1/+1 counter deck filled with hydras. The good part is that sometimes you’ll pay just 2-4 mana for a big trample guy.

#21. The Cauldron of Eternity

The Cauldron of Eternity has a great cost reduction engine, and once it’s on the battlefield, you can start reanimating creatures that died so that the cauldron could live. Poetic, right? It’s a good Whip of Erebos type card, and it’s an expensive card to enable casting Metalwork Colossus for free.

#20. Volcanic Salvo

The best thing you can do with Volcanic Salvo is to deal 6 damage to two targets, and it doesn’t go face? I’m not sold. Yes, sometimes you’ll kill a commander and a planeswalker, and it will be an incredible two-for-one, but other times you'll be completely unable to cast it. At least it can deal 12 damage to a player with Vial Smasher the Fierce.

#19. It That Betrays

It That Betrays sees play in ramp decks like Animar, Soul of Elements, or in Eldrazi decks like Zhulodok, Void Gorger. Whenever you make your opponents sacrifice stuff, you actually steal the sacrificed permanents, so it’s like an annihilator lord (think Tergrid, God of Fright’s trigger). As such, it’s nice to cast this card as the top end of decks that have access to black mana and a way to ramp, like Rakdos, Lord of Riots.

#18. The Pride of the Hull Clade

The Pride of Hull Clade is a huge 2/15 creature that can make creatures deal damage with their toughness. It’s a nice defender commander, although there are many other options in the market, so this card ends up outclassed most of the time. Just having a 0/7 in play already reduces this card’s cost by a lot though, and cheap, high-toughness defenders aren’t hard to come by at all.

#17. Hierophant Bio-Titan

Hierophant Bio-Titan is a big reach creature with protection, and you can cheat it into play by removing +1/+1 counters from your creatures. Each counter reduces , so you’d want to expend at least three counters for a reasonable discount. It’s easy to power out with creatures that enter the battlefield with a lot of +1/+1 counters, like Faithful Watchdog or Ivy Elemental.

#16. Rise of the Eldrazi

Rise of the Eldrazi is difficult to cast, and you’ll need a lot of colorless ramp. But the power is there, and it’s one of the strongest extra turn variants every deck can cast. Vindicate + Time Walk + draw four cards puts you far ahead. It's played in decks with a lot of ramp, or with commanders that outright cheat this into play like Molecule Man, Lorehold, the Historian, or Narset, Enlightened Master.

#15. Emrakul, the World Anew

Emrakul, the World Anew is a huge 12/12 flier that lets you steal all creatures your opponent controls until this card leaves the battlefield. It’s ridiculous, but it’s also a 12-mana card without cost reduction, not counting a madness cost of 6 colorless mana (which is hard to assemble outside a dedicated colorless deck).

#14. Excalibur, Sword of Eden

Excalibur, Sword of Eden can be a very cheap equipment to cast based on your historic permanents, and the +10/+10 bonus it gives is no joke. Plus, it’s cheap to equip to legendary creatures. If you can cheat an expensive legendary creature into play, or you’re playing another card from this list, Excalibur will enter the battlefield almost for free.

#13. Nyxborn Behemoth

Nyxborn Behemoth is a nice top end for an enchantment “do-nothing” deck. Not only do you get a 10/10 trampler, but it also gains indestructible by sacrificing some enchantments, preferably those that already drew you a card when they entered.

#12. Scion of Draco

Scion of Draco saw lots of Modern play as a potentially 2-mana creature if you have a full domain. The more colors your creatures have, the more abilities Scion of Draco gives them, and you can cheese the whole affair with something like Leyline of the Guildpact.

#11. Enter the Infinite

Enter the Infinite poses two puzzles: how to cast a 12-mana card without cost reduction, and what to do with your whole library. Ideally, you’ll draw into an infinite combo, and Omniscience answers both questions: It casts your 12-MV spell and the cards you’ll draw. You can also think about draw-card matters and just winning with an empty library by casting Thassa's Oracle or a similar card.

#10. Thrasta, Tempest’s Roar

Thrasta, Tempest's Roar is a 7/7 trample and haste creature that’s an interesting storm payoff. Each spell you cast reduces the cost of this card by . You’ll want to play at least two spells so your big dino costs 6 mana, and ideally one of these spells generates mana or at least breaks even on mana (like Manamorphose). It’s best played in a Gruul () or Simic () EDH deck.

#9. Ghalta, Primal Hunger

Ghalta, Primal Hunger often costs 4-5 mana depending on your board, and it’s a small price to pay for a 12/12 trample dinosaur. It’s not crazy to have a 3/3 and a 4/4 in play, effectively reducing this card’s mana cost by 7. On top of being a big trampler, Ghalta is also a nice Fling target since it doesn’t cost much and has 12 power.

#8. Blightsteel Colossus

Blightsteel Colossus only needs one hit to kill a player, and being an artifact, it’s easy to cheat into play via Tinker. It’s also indestructible, so once it’s on the battlefield, there’s little an opponent can do besides a timely Swords to Plowshares. Jund colors can really struggle dealing with it.

#7. Emrakul, the Promised End

Emrakul, the Promised End often costs 6-8 because of its “delirium” ability. Once you cast it, you get a big creature and a free Mindslaver. This card has great synergy with Traverse the Ulvenwald, a card that fetches Emrakul, but also a solid first-turn play as well.

#6. Blinkmoth Infusion

Fourteen mana for what? Yep, you get to untap all your artifacts, and Blinkmoth Infusion has affinity, so you’re at least untapping the artifact lands and mana rocks used to cast this card. The biggest selling point of this card is its high mana value, so you should play it in decks that care about that.

#5. Autochthon Wurm

Autochthon Wurm was incredible when it came out. A huge 9/14 trampler that almost nothing could spar with in combat. And it has convoke, so you’ll pay like 7-8 mana for this. The reality is that it’s just a big dude, and if you want big creatures, play Gigantosaurus for 5. I mean, Ghalta, Primal Hunger is often a 4-mana 12/12 trampler without tapping other creatures.

#4. Shadow of Mortality

I guess WotC wanted to print another Death's Shadow on the safer side? I remember Shadow of Mortality sometimes popping up in a Draft and thinking: “Well, they played a huge 7/7 trample for 5 mana, good creature.” If you care about high costs, 15 is approaching the top of the chain, so you should play this.

#3. Earthquake Dragon

Earthquake Dragon is quite castable in a dragon deck, and it’s a flying and trample green dragon that you can recur by sacrificing lands. Just one or two dragons in play already makes this castable, and with more than that you’re getting quite a discount.

#2. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the go-to creature to cheat into play. Be it Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, or even Fist of Suns, good old 15-mana Emrakul will be there. It can’t be countered, has relevant protection, and although it can’t kill players reliably with one attack, annihilator 6 on turn 3 or 4 usually takes a player out of the game because they lose all their lands.

#1. Draco

Finally we arrive at Draco, the most expensive card in MTG at 16 mana. The card was created to show players that playing 5 types of land in your deck can be a great idea. Unfortunately for this card, it doesn’t pass the test of time, and there are much better and cheaper dragons out there.

What’s the Most Expensive Card in Magic: The Gathering?

The highest mana value card in MTG is currently Draco, a 16-mana card from Planeshift, released in 2001. Since then, WotC has stopped at 15 mana for its most expensive designs.

Considering Un-sets, we have Gleemax at one million mana (yep, 1,000,000!), a card that you’ll either cheat into play or cast with an infinite mana combo.

Best High Mana Value Payoffs

Besides putting impactful cards in play, there are some good payoffs for having expensive cards based on their mana value.

One of them is the popular ninja commander Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow. Dealing combat damage to players with ninjas lets you flip the top card of your library and deal damage to your opponents equal to its mana value. Revealing Enter the Infinite deals 12 damage to your opponents, for example.

Captain America, First Avenger benefits from very expensive equipment like Excalibur, Sword of Eden, especially when they have cost reduction mechanics.

Cards like Sorin, Grim Nemesis and Twilight Prophet drain opponents based on the mana value of cards on the top of your library as well.

The cycle of Shoal cards (Blazing Shoal, Nourishing Shoal, etc.) are better if you have expensive cards in your deck and in your hand. They actually made very expensive cards like Worldspine Wurm playable in formats like Modern.

Cards like Neoform and Birthing Pod benefit immensely from a high mana value card if you can cast it for a lower mana investment and sacrifice it right after.

Wrap Up

Autochthon Wurm | Illustration by Michael Phillippi

There’s something inherently satisfying about casting giant bomb cards, like you’ve accomplished a goal in the game. Having a giant creature is cool, and these cards are associated with cool stories (“Remember that time when I had 24 mana and cast two bombs in the same turn?”). Besides, Commander is a great format for casting these, and many legendary creatures support expensive cards in some way, be it Jhoira of the Ghitu or Narset, Enlightened Master.

What’s your favorite expensive card in MTG, guys? Which commander best supports these strategies? Let me know in the comments section below, or let’s discuss it over in the Draftsim Discord. Check out The Daily Upkeep newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest MTG news.

Thanks for reading, and until the next time!