Here’s Exactly Why Magic’s Black Lotus Is So Expensive

Last updated on February 20, 2024

Black Lotus | Illustration by Christopher Rush

The mythical Black Lotus has been the crown jewel of Magic: The Gathering collections since the game’s inception 30 years ago. The lotus is a powerful card that’s become synonymous with spells that generate free mana, and it often ends games before the other player even has a response.

What’s the history behind the arguably most powerful card in Magic? And how can you get your hands on one?

Here’s everything you need to know about Black Lotus.

What Is Black Lotus in Magic?

Lotus Petal | Illustration by April Lee

Black Lotus is an artifact from the Alpha set, and one of the members of the original Power Nine. It costs 0 mana to play and has the ability to tap and sacrifice itself to add 3 mana of any single color to your mana pool. It’s currently banned in every format except for Vintage, where it’s restricted to one copy per deck.

Why Is Black Lotus So Expensive?

Simply put, Black Lotus is game-breakingly powerful. Three free mana before you even drop a land effectively starts you with a 4-turn head start on your opponent. The combination of cards you play after the Lotus doesn’t even have to be particularly exciting. You can win games on turn 1 by playing a Mountain, casting Black Lotus, casting Channel, then casting Fireball for 20. Game over.

Why Is It Still Expensive If It’s Banned?

Black Lotus’s iconic status and relative rarity makes it the most expensive non-promotional cards on the market. As part of the original Reserved List, no more tournament-legal copies of Black Lotus were printed after Unlimited. This means that there are a total of 1100 Alpha copies, 3300 Beta printings, and an indeterminate amount of Unlimited Edition printings. Unlimited had a print run of 40 million cards, so there are probably a significant number of the white-bordered Lotuses floating around still.

How Much Did the Most Expensive Black Lotus Sell For?

The most expensive Black Lotus sale to date was an Alpha Black Lotus signed by the artist (Christopher Rush) and sold at auction at $540,000 in March 2023. This beat the previous record, set in January 2021, of $511,000.

Why Is Black Lotus Good?

Black Lotus is arguably the best card in all of Magic: The Gathering. The advantage it generates is just too much for most players to deal with. Dropping a Black Lotus on the first turn of the game can clinch a victory for you immediately. In a game that revolves around using resources effectively, having quadruple the normal amount you’d have access to on the first turn is usually enough to win you the game.

What Sets Was Black Lotus Printed In?

Black Lotus has three tournament legal printings: one from Alpha, one from Beta, and one white-bordered reprint from Unlimited. Two oversized versions were printed as the prize cards for the Vintage Championship tournaments in 2003 and 2017, and one oversized version was printed as promotional material for Scry magazine in 1997. The Collector’s Edition and Intl. Collector’s Edition sets also included non-tournament legal Lotuses printed with a gold border and sharp edges. Finally, the 30th Anniversary Edition set included two non-tournament legal Black Lotus cards; one with the retro frame and one with the modern frame.

Is The Collector’s Edition Legal?

The Collector’s Edition, Intl. Collector’s Edition, and  30th Anniversary Edition Black Lotuses are not tournament legal. The Collector’s Editions Lotuses have gold bordered card backs and sharp edges, making them stick out in a deck of standard cards. The 30th Anniversary Edition cards are printed on a different card stock and included Reserve List cards, so they weren’t made to be tournament legal.

Where To Buy a Black Lotus

Purchasing a Black Lotus is no small thing. With a price tag ranging from a new car to a down payment on a house, you can’t afford to take this lightly. Buying directly from a reputable retailer is your best bet; sites like Card Kingdom routinely come into a Lotus or two now and then and usually sell it at market price. Currently, CK has one NM Unlimited Black Lotus in stock priced at $22,000.

Of course, it’s important to consider the grade of the Lotus you’re purchasing. In fact, it’s best to only purchase a Lotus that’s been PSA graded by professionals and properly sealed in a hard case. The aforementioned $511,000 Black Lotus that sold in January 2021 was rated at 10/10 on the PSA scale, a gem mint card. As of writing, you could find a lotus with a 2.5 grading going for $1000 on eBay.

Besides these, I recommend asking around at your local game store. Buying a Black Lotus directly from a seller is the most common way to acquire one in today’s market and is one of the only ways you can be sure you’re getting what you pay for.

Alternative: Just Proxy It

If you are not a serious collector with a ton of $$ or trying to use it for tournament play, maybe you could just buy a nice proxy instead? As long as your friends are OK with using proxies, it sure beats spending six figures doesn't it?

I recommend MTG Proxy… buying a lotus there will only cost you a couple bucks.

Does A PSA 10 Black Lotus Exist?

Only six PSA 10 Black Lotus exist. One sold in 2021 for $511,000, and another in March 2023 for $540,000.

Wrap Up

Black Lotus | Illustration by Steven Belledin

Magic’s always been a game about collecting and generating value. Whether that value is extra mana in-game or extra money in-life, the risk/reward factor of investing in Magic cards is impossible to sever from the hobby, despite WotC’s best efforts.

Is Black Lotus worth all the hype? Should WotC just abolish the Reserved List and give everyone a Lotus? I’m reminded of a certain villain from The Incredibles; “When everyone’s got a Black Lotus, no one has.”

Thanks for reading! Let me know your experiences with buying or selling a Black Lotus in the comments below or over on Draftsim’s Discord.

And if you find the other four PSA 10 Black Lotuses, let me know! Also pass along your credit card info.

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