The 30 Most Expensive and Must-Have Cards in March of the Machine

Last updated on March 14, 2024

Elesh Norn | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast

There are always multiple angles to examine in a new Magic set. There’s the gameplay aspect, there’s all the new lore that is introduced to Magic’s story, and of course, there’s the financial side. Players often wonder what type of value they can open in the packs of a given set, and it makes total sense. You want to make sure that buying packs is the best use of your money or if you should stick to just buying the set’s singles.

March of the Machine is an interesting set in terms of value for a few reasons. Each booster, whether that’s a set, collector, or draft booster, contains a Multiverse Legends card. These are reprints of some popular legendary creatures from across Magic’s history. Collector boosters for this set also have some extra special treatments and the highly sought after serialized versions of cards. Most serialized cards are also Multiverse Legends cards, though there are a few serialized versions of new cards from March of the Machine.

For the purposes of this list, I’m just looking at the price of the most generic version of each card. Even if you’re drafting, you can be on the lookout for a valuable card that might otherwise go unnoticed. I’ve also left off cards that were already a part of The List to avoid redundant information, but I did include new additions to the list which I’ve specified in the title for each entry.

Let's get into it!

Quick note: The prices listed are based on TCGPlayer Market Price at the time of writing and will likely fluctuate over time.

#30. Ghalta, Primal Hunger (The List)

Price: $3.53

Ghalta, Primal Hunger is a great inclusion for any deck looking to either play a lot of creatures or play very strong creatures. This card sees play in a variety of green and Gruul aggro decks across formats, including Explorer, Pioneer, and Historic. Ghalta is also especially popular in Commander, more so in the 99 than in the command zone. Ghalta gets reprinted somewhat regularly, so it’s never that expensive of a card, but still worth a few bucks thanks to its popularity.

#29. Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

Price: $3.66

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur is one of the original praetor cards which has seen a lot of reprints lately. That said, this Multiverse Legends version of the card features new extended art which can help with the collectible nature of it. This version of Jin-Gitaxias sees a good amount of play in Commander decks, as well as some Historic and Modern decks. Usually, Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur is found in decks that reanimate creatures because it’s difficult to cast this card for its full cost and might not even be worth it.

#28. Invasion of Shandalar / Leyline Surge

Price: $3.88

It’s a bit early to tell how Invasion of Shandalar or other battles might affect competitive formats, though players have been experimenting with some of them in Standard to great effect. It might be worth grabbing some battles on speculation because Wizards might print more support and lean more heavily into this new card type. The card itself is a great bit of recursion on the front side, and its flip side Leyline Surge can give you a huge advantage. This card probably works better in slower formats because you’ll need time to get to five mana and its enchantment side takes time to impact the game.

#27. The World Tree (The List)

Price: $3.94

The World Tree was just added to The List in this set, and it’ll probably drop in value the longer it stays on. For now, it’s worth a couple of dollars likely because of its popularity in Explorer and Pioneer decks. This card is popular in Transmogrify decks utilizing Atraxa, Grand Unifier or in Scapeshift decks in these formats. It also sees some Legacy play and is likely to stay popular in Commander as a source of mana fixing for five-color decks.

#26. Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger

Price: $4.41

Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger is a staple in Rakdos aggro and sacrifice decks across multiple formats, especially in Explorer and Pioneer. Kroxa is both a cheap and very punishing card which synergizes well with a sacrifice-focused strategies. Like all Multiverse Legends cards, this Kroxa has a unique style, and it matches the constellation style of other Theros gods. This printing of Kroxa is collectible both as an individual card and as part of the set of constellation gods.

#25. Archangel Elspeth

Price: $4.96

Although March of the Machine hasn’t been out long, Archangel Elspeth has already been slotted into a few mono-white Standard decks. I could also see this card working very well in Angel decks that make use of Divine Visitation thanks to the ease at which it makes tokens. If any of these experiments pay off and Elspeth becomes part of a competitive deck, you can probably expect the price of this card to go up a bit.

#24. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger

Price: $5.13

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger may not have seen a lot of competitive play since it was in Standard, but it’s still a popular choice for Commander decks. Its unique art from Multiverse Legends is the same black ink style as the other original Praetors in this set. In the future, this cycle of the original Praetors may be worth something all together, but it’s hard to say since there have been a decent number of new printings for these five cards.

#23. Sea of Clouds (The List)

Price: $5.29

Sea of Clouds is one of the original bond lands and is a new addition to The List in this set. Bond lands are popular choices for Commander land bases, and as long as the format stays popular these lands should be too. While List cards are typically a bit cheaper than their original counterparts, you can probably expect Sea of Clouds to retain its value.

#22. Etali, Primal Conqueror / Etali, Primal Sickness

Price: $5.45

Etali, Primal Conqueror has a very powerful ETB ability that makes it a possible choice for Legacy Sneak Attack decks. This ability also only gets more powerful with the more players in the game, so Commander decks can make good use of this card. Etali is a brand new card, and if it doesn’t get a reprint for a while it could go up in value. There are probably a good number of players that want to try out essentially having Blightsteel Colossus in the command zone with Etali, Primal Sickness.

#21. Sheoldred, Whispering One

Price: $5.85

Sheoldred, Whispering One sees some Historic play and has been used in Vintage in the past, but as of now it’s largely used in Commander. This Sheoldred is one of those generally good cards, but it can work especially well in decks that fill your own deck with cards, giving you lots of creatures to choose from for reanimation. Anything I’ve said about the other original Praetor cards as a set can apply here too.

#20. Invasion of Segovia / Caetus, Sea Tyrant of Segovia

Price: $5.86

As far as battles go, Invasion of Segovia gives you a good value for the mana you’ll pay for it. It’s also relatively easy to flip, with the backside being especially helpful in convoke decks. While it hasn’t seen any meaningful competitive play yet, this would be a great inclusion for any Commander deck that uses convoke. It could even work for control decks that can use the flip side, Caetus, Sea Tyrant of Segovia to help keep mana open for counterspells.

#19. Tribute to the World Tree

Price: $5.97

Creature- and power-based draw engines like Tribute to the World Tree are popular in green decks. This card specifically works well because it gives all your creatures benefits, even tokens. The card is already seeing some play in Pioneer and Standard, and I’d be surprised if it doesn’t start popping up in lots of token-based Commander decks as a way to beef up your army.

#18. Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

Price: $7.36

Thalia and The Gitrog Monster was one of the best legendary team-ups from this set. It’s a great option for a commander to build around, and it can also fit into Legacy Loam decks. I could also see this card seeing play in decks that use Omnath, Locus of Creation. Many players also just have a soft spot for both the original versions of these two legendary creatures, adding an element of novelty to how sought after this card is.

#17. Jin-Gitaxias / The Great Synthesis

Price: $7.97

Jin-Gitaxias is part of the newest and possibly last cycle of the five Phyrexian Praetors. Though this card hasn’t made its way into any competitive decks just yet, it’s a great draw engine for blue Commander decks. The flip side The Great Synthesis can also be pretty splashy, though it’ll be hard to resolve. As a cycle of popular creatures, Jin-Gitaxias and the other new Praetor sagas may have some additional collectible value as a set even if the cards don’t end up seeing competitive play.

#16. Faerie Mastermind

Price: $8.49

Faerie Mastermind is a great way to make sure you aren’t falling behind on cards, and activating its ability on another player’s turn pretty much guarantees that you’re getting two cards for just four mana. This card has already found its way into several types of Legacy decks and is also seeing play in Pioneer and Modern. With a low mana value, this card definitely fits the mana curve of quicker and more competitive formats. I could see it getting more valuable the further we get from March of the Machine’s print run.

#15. Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon

Price: $9.32

Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon is an incredibly powerful infect creature, and it’s a popular choice for competitive Commander players. Other printings of this card are still around $35, and I could see this version of Skithiryx creeping its way up in price the farther we get from a reprint. I’ill say that this one may stay a bit cheaper than other printings just because the ink art style can look a little messy on mono-black cards.

#14. Invasion of New Phyrexia / Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir

Price: $9.70

Invasion of New Phyrexia can be a nice tool for either a control deck or a knight deck. It’s started seeing some play in Standard and Pioneer control decks, though time will tell if it makes its way into other formats. Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir is a decent planeswalker and one of four from March of the Machine, but even without flipping this battle, you’ll still get good value out of it.

#13. Vorinclex / The Grand Evolution

Price: $10.05

Vorinclex is a strong creature for its mana value, and its ETB effect can be helpful for both ramp and mana fixing in multicolor decks using dual lands with the Forest type. The flip side, The Grand Evolution, can be very strong though there might be better uses for 8 mana. Vorinclex hasn’t seen any competitive play as of yet, but I could definitely see it being popular in Commander.

#12. Sword of Once and Future

Price: $11.72

The last of the Mirran swords, Sword of Once and Future completes the cycle by giving you a sword that grants protection from Dimir colors. Unfortunately, this sword doesn’t pack the same punch as something like Sword of Feast and Famine, but it’s sure to find its way into some Voltron or equipment decks. This card may have some added value just because collectors often like to complete a cycle even if all the cards in it aren’t equally powerful.

#11. Invasion of Ikoria / Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria

Price: $13.71

Invasion of Ikoria is essentially the battle version of Green Sun's Zenith. This also means that formats like Pioneer that couldn’t otherwise use Green Sun's Zenith now have a similar enough card to replace it, and this card has already popped up in some green devotion decks in the format. Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria is also a potential game winner. I could easily see this card staying at around this value for a while given the time-tested nature of cards with similar effects.

#10. Invasion of Tarkir / Defiant Thundermaw

Price: $13.90

Invasion of Tarkir is already finding its way into a couple different builds. There’s a few shades of aggro decks in Explorer and Pioneer running the card, and Standard Jeskai Control can as well. The front side is an okay burn spell, slightly better if you’re running dragons, and Defiant Thundermaw can be a very effective attacker.

#9. Wrenn and Realmbreaker

Price: $14.31

Wrenn and Realmbreaker has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. It provides mana fixing, card draw, and the ability to create land creatures if you need them. This version of Wrenn has been slotted into some green devotion decks in Pioneer as well as Modern creativity decks. I can also see this card going into a lot of 5-color Commander decks in need of good fixing, especially superfriends decks. As a mythic, Wrenn and Realmbreaker will only continue to go up in value if it sees more competitive play since its availability is more limited.

#8. Urabrask / The Great Work

Price: $15.86

Urabrask seems like it’ll be a good tool in red burn decks, similar to something like Birgi, God of Storytelling or Runaway Steam-Kin. It shouldn’t be difficult to flip to The Great Work which can help you clear the field a bit and give you some valuable resources. This card hasn’t seen a lot of competitive play yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone figure out a way to make it work. It’ll likely also be popular in Commander because there are already almost 800 decks built around it on EDHREC.

#7. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

Price: $15.36

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a Commander staple and pops up in the occasional Modern or Legacy deck that seek to cheat it out. Elesh Norn’s cards seem to consistently outprice her fellow Praetors, and I’d assume this stays the most expensive of the Multiverse Legends reprintings for a bit.

#6. Sheoldred / The True Scriptures

Price: $15.90

Sheoldred is already seeing a good amount of play in a couple formats for such a new card. It can be effectively played in mono-black control or Rakdos decks in Pioneer or in the popular Grixis control decks in Standard. The True Scriptures both takes a lot of resources away from your opponent and gives you a big boost to your board state if it reaches the third lore counter.

#5. Ketria Triome (The List)

Price: $15.94

Ketria Triome is useful in a variety of decks across different formats. Formats like Modern that run a lot of fetch lands can make even better use of this card as you can find it more easily. Triomes with the Forest type like Ketria Triome are also slightly better since they can be found with cards like Nature's Lore or Skyshroud Claim. This card’s value might go down slightly during its time on the List, but I think Triomes always retain a decent amount of value due to how helpful and unique they are.

#4. Phyrexian Crusader (The List)

Price: $16.44

Phyrexian Crusader sees a decent amount of play in both Modern and Legacy. With protection from red and white, this card can be difficult for certain decks to remove or block. Decks running Yawgmoth, Thran Physician can also help proliferate poison and -1/-1 counters. Before the List, this card hadn’t been printed in booster packs since its original printing in Mirrodin Besieged, which likely contributes to this card’s higher value.

#3. Atraxa, Praetors' Voice

Price: $17.56

Atraxa, Praetors' Voice is a very popular commander, likely because there are lots of ways to build around it. You can go infect, superfriends, or +1/+1 counters, and Atraxa is one of your best choices for any of these themes. This is also the first time you can potentially get this card from a regularly priced booster pack, meaning that until now it hasn’t been that readily available.

#2. Elesh Norn / The Argent Etchings

Price: $19.44

Elesh Norn has already found its way into a couple interactions of the Standard Esper Raffine decks and some Azorius soldiers builds. It does a good job punishing your opponent for attacking on the front side, and The Argent Etchings can clear the field potentially leaving you with the only creatures. I could see this card making its way into other control decks in the future, and it could keep around the same amount of value until it rotates out.

#1. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Price: $49.37

There’s no real surprise that Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is the most expensive card from this set, even after going down in price with this printing. It’s a huge part of multiple Modern builds and is so powerful that it was banned in Legacy and Historic. This is only the second time this card has been printed in boosters, and unless it sees another printing soon or the Modern meta shifts dramatically it’ll likely stay very expensive.

Promos, Alternate Art, and More

There are quite a few different treatments in this set, but none are quite as impactful on a card's value as the serialized numbers. Serialized versions of certain Multiverse Legends cards, as well as the Praetor sagas, can be found exclusively in collector boosters. There are only 500 copies of each card, making a serialized card a pretty rare collectible version of whatever card you find. Even the cheapest serialized card, Kwende, Pride of Femeref is worth over $80, with more powerful cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer listed around $1,500.

While the price tags on these serialized cards might look impressive, it’s important to note that only a single of the $1,500 Ragavans have sold on TCGPlayer. Other high-priced serialized cards from the set have sold similarly small amounts on TCGPlayer, and it’s very possible these will start dropping in value as sales dry up. This is why I left these cards off the main list, because they aren’t mechanically unique from the cards in the rest of the set and rely on the serialized gimmick to inflate their value. Only time will tell whether these cards will actually stay valuable or if players will sour on the idea.

Like most recent sets, there are also showcase and extended art versions of the cards in the set. These versions usually increase the value by a few dollars, though nothing too drastic. Some cards are actually more valuable when not in their showcase form.

Wizards also continues to make special and obscurely named types of foil treatments, and for this set it’s the Halo Foil cards. This treatment increases the value of a card as well, sometimes drastically with cards like Atraxa, Praetors' Voice seeing a nearly $80 spike with the treatment, but others not so much. As always, there are also traditional foil versions of cards, and you can safely assume that the foil version of any given card is worth a bit more than the non-foil version. If you want to track prices for this set as time passes, TCGPlayer offers handy price guides for both March of the Machine and Multiverse Legends.

Wrap Up

Sea of Clouds | Illustration by Florian de Gesincourt

As a Standard set, most of the cards in March of the Machine aren’t worth too much. It’s also important to wait until a bit after the release of a set to fully get a feel for the cards’ true value. For instance, had I pre-ordered a Wrenn and Realmbreaker, it would have cost me about $40, not the $16 I paid when it came out. That said, there’s some value injected into these boosters with the Multiverse Legends cards, an idea that I hope Wizards repeats because it gave us some great reprints.

What do you think of March of the Machine’s value? Do you think serialized cards will retain their big price tags? Let me know in the comments below, or find us over on Draftsim’s Twitter.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one!