Magic: The Gathering's Most Expensive Card Is Finally Returning

Magic: The Gathering has had its fair share of truly expensive cards. In just the most recent set, The Hobbit, the Smaug the Magnificent (Gleaming Gold Headliner) card went for around $25,000. The prices skyrocket pretty quickly, and, while for the majority of cards it very quickly descends to a reasonable, albeit still very expensive, amount, there are a few MTG cards that simply stay at ridiculous prices no matter what.

The most expensive card in MTG history is one such card. It's elusive, practically impossible to own unless you're willing to devote a fortune to getting one, and, as a result, has earned itself a bit of a reputation. However, in a surprise turn of events, the card is finally returning after years of being almost unobtainable. Among all of the recent MTG controversy, this could be a rather joyous occasion for fans, especially those who've always dreamed of owning it.

While the most expensive cards in Magic: The Gathering tend to fetch a high price, none have gone for as much as the legendary Black Lotus. A pristine version of the card went for $3 million at a private auction, but even imperfect Black Lotus cards can fetch as much as $150,000. These ridiculous sums are warranted, however, as the card is absurdly powerful, allowing players to get three mana by simply sacrificing the card, which costs nothing to play in the first place.

Naturally, this led to the Black Lotus being put on the Magic: The Gathering Reserved List, a set of cards from the earlier sets that Wizards of the Coast promised to never reprint in order to maintain their value. Of course, this creates a bit of a problem, as, technically, WotC can never officially bring back the exact Black Lotus card that fetches millions of dollars at auctions. However, it has found a roundabout way to bring it back and give newcomers and long-term fans alike a chance to own the mythic card.

In the upcoming Reality Fracture set, Wizards of the Coast is introducing a brand-new token called Lotus. It, exactly like Black Lotus, has an ability that, when sacrificed, gives the player three mana of any one color. It is Black Lotus in every possible way (it is an artifact token) other than the fact that it has a slightly different name. The other main difference is that this token has to be created by another card. Currently, Wizards of the Coast has only announced one card with this unique ability.

Kwia Vigorbloom, a six-cost (2 white mana, 1 green mana, and three colorless) creature spell, has the ability, "Whenever you gain life, create a colorless artifact token named Lotus with 'Tap, Sacrifice this token: Add three mana of any one color.' This ability triggers only once each turn." This makes it a powerful card and likely one of the chase cards of the set. While it'll likely become quite expensive, it won't ever become as expensive as the original Black Lotus, which will give the majority of regular Magic: The Gathering fans the opportunity to finally own it, sort of.