Magic boosters can offer some absurd value. Let’s look at the $100, $200, and even $1000 cards you can find in packs today!
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Wizards of the Coast monumentally pushed Magic: The Gathering into a collector space offering a new product in the Collector Booster that offers to chance to open exotic foils and unique frame treatments to enhance the playing and collecting experience. With the number of various printings available these days, it can be challenging to know whether the card opened is worth anything, given the immense popularity of Magic: The Gathering over the last five years.
Today, I’ll be looking at some of the most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards you can open from recent boosters — the products you often find on shelves at local game stores. And with that, there are a handful of rules when diving into the trove of value you can open in Magic: The Gathering booster packs right now.
First, I’ll focus on recent Standard expansions starting from early 2022, with attention towards supplemental releases such as Double Masters 2022 and Dominaria Remastered. However, there won’t be any focus on Commander Precons, Challenger Decks, Secret Lairs, or the Commander Collection — as these are minor ancillary releases that don’t appear in booster product form. After reading this article, you’ll have a better understanding of which Magic: The Gathering cards command significant value from recent expansions. And with this knowledge, you can figure out which Magic product you can prioritize to purchase going forward.
With that, let’s examine some of the most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards you can open in packs right now, starting with the latest release — Phyrexia: All Will Be One.
Phyrexia: All Will Be One
Market Price: $213.48
Market Price: $120.63
One of the flagship releases of 2023, Phyrexia: All Will Be One is a fantastic yet powerful expansion. As the second return to Phyrexia, the release offers new mechanics, such as Toxic, with a return to well-loved keywords such as Proliferate to help establish memorable gameplay experiences. Not only does the release delivers plenty of competitive-viable cards such as Skrelv, Defector Mite and Mercurial Spelldancer, but also there’s a myriad of exciting and gorgeous card treatments on offer — many of which are valuable if you open any boosters from the release.
Market Price: $154.92
Market Price: $50.73
Market Price: $46.43
Despite the dozen-or-so printings of Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, she is one of the most valuable cards you can open from the expansion. Especially if you open the Step-and-Compleat Foil variants, a similar foil process seen with the Unfinity Galaxy Foils, these come with a Phyrexian pattern across the card to highlight their compleation. Outside of the White-aligned Praetor, Mondrak, Glory Dominus is another fantastic card you can open that is already seeing a wealth of Commander play given the gameplay association with Anointed Procession, a card from Amonkhet that remains a staple in the singleton format.
Market Price: $39.24
Market Price: $22.10
Market Price: $74.74
Sneaking in Set and Collector Boosters are the Concept Art Praetors, which also appear in Step-and-Compleat Foils and commanding a high price at the time of writing. Going further, Sword of Forge and Frontier, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting are also money cards to open regardless of treatments. No matter the kind of booster you open from Phyrexia: All Will Be One, there is plenty of value given how recent and well-received the expansion is at the time of writing.
Phyrexia: All Will Be One Compleat Bundle Edition
Phyrexia: All Will Be One – Compleat Bundle
Phyrexia: All Will Be One
Market Price: $112.68
Released on March 3, the Phyrexia: All Will Be One Compleat Bundle will offer exciting and new treatments on cards from the recent Phyrexia expansion. Appearing as Slick Oil Raised Foils, many of the headline Mythic Rare and Rares from Phyrexia: All Will Be One will feature in this treatment. At present, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, and Mondrak, Glory Dominus are the most valuable cards from this stunning release.
Market Price: $79.17
Market Price: $67.94
Market Price: $43.33
While the price of this cards continue to dip in price as there’s now circulation, you can be sure the three mentioned cards and with a special nod to Sword of Forge and Frontier will remain the most expensive from this special product.
Dominaria Remastered
Market Price: $253.25
Market Price: $152.60
The first Magic release of 2023, Dominaria Remastered is a supplemental reprint release centering around the plane of Dominaria. Taking inspiration from Time Spiral Remastered released in 2021, Dominaria Remastered highlights powerful cards throughout Magic’s history, especially for those who enjoy playing Commander. Dominaria Remastered crashed the price of plenty of previously high-value cards such as Enlightened Tutor and Entomb, but with this, it’s given players a terrific opportunity to snag these desirable cards at a more reasonable price, making it a popular release to buy singles.
Market Price: $64.48
Market Price: $33.09
Market Price: $26.88
However, there is some solid value in Dominaria Remastered despite the dip in card single prices. Cards such as Sylvan Library, Vampiric Tutor, and Force of Will remain excellent cards to open in Draft and Collector Boosters regardless if you open traditional, Retro, or Borderless variants. Even over time, cards such as Enlightened Tutor, Worldly Tutor, or even Yawgmoth, Thran Physician will climb back in value due to demand thanks to Commander and Modern. Even though there is valid trepidation when it comes to buying Dominaria Remastered products, the value is there, and more importantly, you can open plenty of Commander cards you’ll want to play over time.
Jumpstart 2022
Jumpstart 2022 Booster Display
Jumpstart 2022
Market Price: $108.32
The final release of last year, Jumpstart 2022 is an exciting way to play Magic: The Gathering. Unlike most releases that offer a dedicated Draft, Set, and Collector Booster product range, Jumpstart 2022 only comes as Jumpstart Boosters — an almost-curated twenty-card pack. However, when you combine these with two Jumpstart Boosters, you have a playable deck to battle against other Jumpstart opponents. Unlike most traditional boosters, Jumpstart Boosters are themed, with a chance of opening high-value cards, which Wizards of the Coast provided decklists for the themes upon release.
Market Price: $40.07
Market Price: $36.21
Market Price: $20.75
Lita, Mechanical Engineer, Rhystic Study, and Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm are some of the highest-value cards you can open in Jumpstart 2022 boosters right now. Going further, Preston, the Vanisher and Pirated Copy are fantastic hits to open from boosters if you’re lucky. Something that Wizards of the Coast are tapping into with releases such as Jumpstart 2022 is delivering unique art styles of popular Magic cards, or in this case, the Japanese Manga style.
Market Price: $12.97
Market Price: $18.89
While Balan, Wandering Knight is the most expensive out of these, opening a Karn Liberated or Coldsteel Heart from Jumpstart 2022 will provide interest from those who want to collect these styles of cards. With Jumpstart, you often see brand-new cards with a smattering of desirable releases, which is why Rhystic Study remains such a great card to open given the evergreen applications in Commander. If you prefer to pay Magic: The Gathering by ignoring deckbuilding constraints and just want to jam games with friends, Jumpstart 2022 is the set for you — with a chance of opening some unique and valuable cards.
The Brothers’ War
Market Price: $110.99
Market Price: $220.75
Following Dominaria United is The Brothers’ War, a Standard release highlighting the most historical conflict in Magic: The Gathering’s history. With the battle between Mishra and Urza setting the stage, The Brothers’ War is an artifact-focused expansion that provides a modest amount of value if you intend to open any Draft, Set, or Collector Boosters from the release.
Market Price: $27.63
Market Price: $12.38
Market Price: $20.29
Cards such as Urza, Lord Protector, Awaken the Woods, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, and Portal to Phyrexia all offer solid value, with both Extended and traditional printings being great hits when cracking boosters. However, if you want a chance to open something collectible, there’s The Brothers’ War: Retro Artifacts, a special sheet of cards added to the release highlighting Magic’s most iconic artifacts. In total, there are 63 cards in The Brothers’ War: Retro Artifacts mini-set, with an additional 63 showing off the same artifact cards in a schematic art direction. You can open these cards in Draft, Set, and Collector Booster, with a chance of opening a Serialized Double-Rainbow Foil variants in Collector Boosters that are, quite frankly, absurd amounts of money!
Ramos, Dragon Engine (Schematic) (Serial Numbered)
The Brothers’ War: Retro Frame Artifacts
Market Price: $1064.65
Market Price: $875.00
Market Price: $474.99
Market Price: $373.07
Serialized cards are relatively new territory for Wizards of the Coast, and in The Brothers’ War: Retro Artifacts, there are 31,500 of these cards in circulation — 500 of each of the 63 artifact cards available. As each card comes with a number out of 500, there’s a chance you can open something collectible and fetch an incredible price if you find the right buyer. Even outside of these unique numbered cards, The Brothers’ War is a solid set to crack packs, especially if you are after Standard or Pioneer playable cards.
Unfinity
Market Price: $160.22
Market Price: $95.02
A supplemental release, Unfinity is one of the off-beat Magic sets that uses rules and mechanics that you don’t see in traditional sets or can’t feature in traditional gameplay. While I won’t spend too much time on Unfinity as it’s a release focused on drafting, there is a smattering of high-value cards that are worth knowing about if you decide to crack open Unfinity Draft and Collector Boosters. In Draft Boosters, you can open Borderless Shock Land cards, which are a decent hit as these feature a futuristic design, something you don’t see commonly on Magic: The Gathering cards. Shock Lands are some of the most popular mana options in Magic, where they see play in Commander, Pioneer, and Modern. These cards are evergreen to Magic and, as a result, will always remain in demand.
Market Price: $130.73
Market Price: $128.43
Market Price: $119.66
While these Borderless Shock Land cards appear in non-foil and traditional foil (and are decent value), it’s the Galaxy Foil printings that are the biggest hits from the quirky release. Galaxy Foils look similar to Pokémon foils, offering a dazzling effect to highlight the sci-fi theme. Despite the pull rate not being as common on these Borderless Shock Lands, they remain decent money regardless of printing with other Galaxy Foil cards such as Saw in Half, Pair o’ Dice Lost, and Comet, Stellar Pup seeing solid value.
Dominaria United
Market Price: $173.22
Market Price: $104.60
The second return to an iconic plane, Dominaria United begins the story of the looming Phyrexian invasion story that spans over four Magic: The Gathering Standard-focused sets. While Dominaria United doesn’t share high card value compared to previous releases, there are a handful of cards to bear in mind if you open any Draft, Set, or Collector Boosters. Most importantly, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is by far and away the most expensive card in Dominaria United, coming with a handful of different printings that all offer a consistent price point.
Market Price: $74.93
Market Price: $9.05
Market Price: $16.12
As one of the headline cards for Standard and Pioneer, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse will continue to see play until Standard rotation next year, and even then, there’s still a home for the Black-aligned Praetor in eternal formats. Outside of Sheoldred, the reprint of Liliana of the Veil brought immense attention upon release, where the iconic Planeswalker card sees play in Pioneer with some fringe play in Modern. Going further, Leyline Binding and Timeless Lotus are other decent hits you can open in Dominaria United products. However, in Dominaria United Collector Boosters, you have a chance to open a card from Legends, a Magic: The Gathering expansion released in 1994, where you could open a card featured on the Reserved List.
Market Price: $2800.00
Market Price: $578.99
Market Price: $413.36
If you aren’t aware, the Reserved List is a legally-binding promise Wizards of the Coast made to preserve certain cards from being reprinted to support the secondary market. Over the last five-or-so years, cards on the Reserved List are climbing up in value as collectors continue to snag these cards as they know they won’t be reprinted. However, there’s a couple of extremely high-value cards you can open from Dominaria United Collector Boosters from the Legends sheet such as All Hallow’s Eve, Angus MacKenzie, and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale.
Double Masters 2022
Market Price: $239.57
Market Price: $276.88
Advertised as an extremely premium Magic: The Gathering product, Double Masters 2022 built on the success of the first Double Masters released in 2020, where the draw was that you open (at least) two Rare cards per pack. However, Double Masters 2022 introduced a wealth of treatments, including the Etched Foil treatment seen in the first Commander Legends, with the debut of Textured Foils in the high-value release.
Market Price: $100.69
Market Price: $76.50
Market Price: $89.66
Only appearing in Double Masters 2022 Collector Boosters, these Texture Foils are some of the more valuable cards you can open with Wrenn and Six and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth being the most notable cards at the time of writing. Taking a similar approach to Pokémon foil treatments, Textured Foils feature a slight-embossed effect that helps bring the card art to life. However, it’s many of the highly-playable Etched Foil cards that command the highest price, including Dockside Extortionist, Imperial Seal, and Mana Vault as these are Commander staples with some seeing foil printings for the first time.
Market Price: $148.48
Market Price: $104.88
Market Price: $80.70
Even then, normal copies of cards such as Cavern of Souls, Smothering Tithe, Sensei’s Diving Top remain decent cards to open despite not looking as fancy. As Double Masters 2022 is a premium release for those with deep pockets, Double Masters 2022 is a treasure trove of value if you are willing to cough up on the above-average booster pack price.
Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate
Market Price: $79.78
Market Price: $151.31
The second entry in the Commander Legends series, Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate presents a collaboration with Dungeons & Dragons, another Hasbro-owned intellectual property. Offering a mix of new Commander cards and reprints, Battle for Baldur’s Gate was one of the bestselling Magic products through TCGplayer’s marketplace last year, as it provided affordability to Magic’s most popular format — Commander.
Market Price: $16.34
Market Price: $20.10
Another curious aspect of the release is how it blends Dungeons & Dragons, where consumers of the role-playing game also snagged Magic cards to aid their campaign or to create a Commander strategy based on their favorite character. What makes Commander Legends such an exciting product line is the ability to play a blend of Limited and Commander with Battle for Baldur’s Gate Draft Boosters, providing a fun deckbuilding experience with friends. However, there’s money within the expansion due to the intricate pull rates that made some cards more valuable compared to others.
Market Price: $68.75
Market Price: $31.04
Market Price: $22.88
The reason? Wizards of the Coast admitted that the non-Legendary Mythic Rare and Rare cards from Battle for Baldur’s Gate came in at a lower pull rate, making these harder to open and more valuable long-term. Chase Mythic Rares such as Ancient Copper Dragon, Battle Angels of Tyr, and Ancient Silver Dragon can retain their value compared to Legendary cards in the release as players saw less of these in packs. In terms of the most expensive cards from Battle for Baldur’s Gate — the Borderless printings of Ancient Silver Dragon and Ancient Copper Dragon remain the most valuable at the time of writing. Despite the discouragement when opening expensive cards, it’s best to treat this release to Jumpstart 2022, where you want to play Magic with friends without letting card value dictate the experience.
Streets of New Capenna
Market Price: $98.08
Market Price: $133.74
Somewhat overshadowed by the tremendous success of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Streets of New Capenna is Magic’s take on Art Deco and 20th-century Bioshock-esque organized crime. A multicolor expansion, Streets of New Capenna offers plenty of cards that aren’t necessarily high value but play critical roles in formats such as Standard, Pioneer, Modern, and even Commander. However, if you open any Collector Boosters, you have the chance to open a Gilded Foil card — the chosen foil process for the release. The treatment features an embossed-like effect around the glistening gold border, displaying the high esteem of Capenna’s most notorious characters. Depending on which Gilded Foil card you open, it could be worth a decent amount of money.
Market Price: $34.93
Market Price: $37.05
Market Price: $26.15
Raffine, Scheming Seer, Ziatora, the Incinerator, and Jetmir, Nexus of Revels are the most valuable Gilided Foils you can open right now due to their usage as Commanders in the ever-growing singleton format. Going further, Ledger Shredder and Unlicensed Hearse are some of constructed’s biggest roleplayers right now and retain decent value in Draft and Set Boosters through demand. However, flexible mana options often remain consistently valuable as they are a critical part of Magic: The Gathering gameplay and Streets of New Capenna provides this in abundance.
Market Price: $19.98
Market Price: $17.30
Market Price: $9.31
Dubbed the “Triomes” thanks to Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths introducing the first half of the cycle a few years ago, these Land cards remain desirable due to their triple Basic Land typing, making these phenomenal in formats such as Pioneer and Modern, the latter paired with Fetch Lands such as Misty Rainforest, Bloodstained Mire, and so forth. Even if you play a three, four, or five-color Commander, these Triomes can help you cast those mana-demanding spells. Fortunately, Streets of New Capenna supply Borderless and Showcase variants alongside traditional printings in boosters. Admittedly, the non-borderless printings are pretty affordable, but these will remain in demand with players for a long time, making these easy to shift if you intend to sell.
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Market Price: $126.75
Market Price: $222.89
As the first Standard release of 2022, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty became the third-bestselling Magic: The Gathering release in the game’s history. The second return to the Shinto-inspired plane offered plenty for Commander enthusiasts, competitive players, and ardent collectors. And even now, players continue to snag sealed products from Kamigawa: Neon Dynastyas there’s so much excellent value and strong cards on offer even a year after release.
Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos (Neon Red)
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Market Price: $1319.37
Market Price: $160.79
Market Price: $40.81
Starting with the Collector Booster, Wizards of the Coast added some highly-valuable cards in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty with an extremely low pull rate by offering different iterations of Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos, coming in three different Neon-Ink Frame variants along with a flurry of affordable and easier to open printings. The Red Neon-Ink Frame version of Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos is the most valuable card in recent product releases alongside the serialized cards from The Brothers’ War. There are Neon-Ink Green and Blue variants to open in Collector Boosters also, but these are coming at a lower value compared to the $1300 average market price at the time of writing on the Neon-Ink Red copies, but these remain valuable cards nonetheless.
Market Price: $173.31
Market Price: $43.08
Market Price: $33.17
Outside of the insanely rare Neon-Ink variants of Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos, plenty of other fantastically-strong cards come in stunning treatments that you can open in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Boosters that are also valuable. The Wandering Emperor, Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant, and Boseiju, Who Endures are seeing representation in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, and even Commander. Especially with the Etched Foil Showcase and Extended frames of these cards, with the Phyrexian Jin-Gitaxias commanding solid value if you open these in packs.
Market Price: $25.36
Market Price: $18.89
Market Price: $27.94
Then, Farewell, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and the Etched Foil Showcase Kaito Shizuki are also valuable cards to open in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Draft, Set, and Collector Boosters. Farewell, in particular, is the defacto Commander sweeper for the format, proving to be a popular card to purchase along with Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, which is currently a constructed all-star defining Standard, Pioneer, and Modern with tremendous impact. If you want to pick up some Standard-legal Magic: The Gathering packs, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty remains an excellent choice, as there’s so much value on offer at the time of writing.