10 Reasons Why Black Lotus Card is so Expensive?
Magic the Gathering is arguably the most popular Trading Card Game out there, according to discussions over at runrex.com, played by ten of millions of people from all over the world. With the popularity of the game, what we have seen in recent times is people beginning to see MTG cards as investment opportunities given that some of them have sold for huge amounts of money as outlined over at guttulus.com. Among the most valuable Magic the Gathering cards is the Black Lotus, which is probably the most iconic MTG card of them all. We have heard stories of the Black Lotus selling for huge amounts of money, and the question that now arises is why it is so expensive. Well, this article will look to have this question answered through the following 10 reasons.
- It improves almost any deck
According to the experts over at mtglion.com, putting a Black Lotus into any deck almost always improves it, which is one of the reasons why it has become so expensive. This is because every deck needs mana, and every deck’s performance will be improved by adding mana faster. With a Black Lotus, you will be essentially turning Turn 1 into Turn 4 in terms of how much mana you have access to, giving you 3 extra mana for any one color, giving players a massive boost.
- It is in the reserved list
The Black Lotus, like all the other members of the “Power Nine” as explained over at runrex.com, is on the reserved list. The reserved list was set up by Wizards of the Coast, the game’s creators, to include a set of cards that would never be reprinted again in a game-functional manner. This means that none of them, including the Black Lotus, will be ever be printed again which has driven up their price, hence why they are so expensive.
- It is rare
The Black Lotus, partly due to its place in the reserved list, is also an extremely rare card with very few in circulation in the market. Scarcity and demand, as explained over at guttulus.com, plays an important role in card collection, and given that there are very many people looking to get their hands on very few Black Lotus cards, it is no surprise that it has become so expensive.
- Turn Zero
The true power of the Black Lotus and the reason why it is highly sought after, hence very expensive has to do with an advantage called “turn zero”. From discussions over at mtglion.com, “turn zero” is the first turn of the game where neither player has any cards placed onto the battlefield, making it almost impossible to cast spells other than if you have zero mana cards like the Black Lotus. This means that if you go first and have a zero-mana card like the Black Lotus, you will already have a huge advantage over your opponent, which makes this card very valuable in-game, hence very expensive.
- Collector’s item
The Black Lotus, as is revealed in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, was one of the very first cards ever printed for MTG. It is also part of the Power Nine as already mentioned making it a key part of vintage play. When you think about the game, the first card that comes to mind is the Black Lotus, which makes it such an iconic card, hence why it has become so expensive as it is a collector’s item that everyone wants to get their hands on it.
- It is banned
A card being banned from most formats of play, including tournament play sounds like a bad thing but it isn’t. This is because banning a card allows it to achieve a level of infamy that only serves to make it more desirable to collectors, and this is what has happened to the Black Lotus according to guttulus.com. Being banned has made it even more desirable for collectors who are willing to pay huge amounts to own it, hence why it is so expensive.
- It was the first great Magic card
There are a lot of great Magic the Gathering cards, but the Black Lotus remains one of the very first great MTG cards. Like several other cards from the early MTG days, given that it was one of the very first cards ever printed as mentioned earlier on and explained over at mtglion.com, the Black Lotus became a bit overpowered hence it was taken out of rotation as mentioned above. However, it remains one of the first great Magic cards, as it could allow players to defeat rivals before they even get to play, and this is why it has become so expensive.
- Very rare in pristine condition
Once the Black Lotus got taken out of rotation since it was too overpowered, those who owned it stored it away and never played with it again. Over time, the condition of these cards may have suffered, which means that it is not easy to find one that is graded PSA 10. The few that are in this condition are, therefore, very expensive according to the gurus over at runrex.com.
- It belongs in any deck it is legal in
It is also worth pointing out that, as revealed over at guttulus.com, the Black Lotus not only makes almost every deck better, but it also belongs in every deck that it is legal in. It has high utility as it can fit in almost any deck you are trying to build, which makes it very desirable, leading to its price going up hence why it is so expensive.
- Vintage play
While the Black Lotus is banned from most game formats as mentioned earlier, it is still legal in vintage play. This means that, as explained over at mtglion.com, if you want to play real vintage tournaments, you will need one, or else you risk getting annihilated by your opponents. This is yet another reason why it has become so expensive.
The above discussion only just begins to scratch the surface as far as this topic is concerned, and for more on the same please check out the brilliant runrex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.