As we’ve covered in various lists already, March of the Machine has some seriously expensive cards. Between the main set, Commander reprints, and Multiverse Legends, there are valuable cards for everyone to fawn over. While each of these categories has some truly expensive MTG cards, one March of the Machine promotion reigns supreme: Serialized cards.
Found exclusively within Collector Boosters, these cards have been expected to be tremendously valuable, with prices around the $1000 mark! Now that March of the Machine has been released, unsurprisingly, we can confirm this prediction was accurate. For the most part, at least, as prices for many of the set’s serialized cards are all over the place. Should you find one of these cards, however, you certainly won’t be disappointed.
Perplexing Prices
Within March of the Machine, there are a total of 70 different serialized Multiverse Legends cards for players to hunt for. As you might expect, these cards aren’t created equal, as many have higher rarities and are more desirable, than others. Obviously, this means there is a wide range of prices that serialized MTG cards may sell for.
On one hand, you have cards such as Rona, Sheoldred’s Faithful. Having only recently been released in Dominaria United, this card is hardly a Commander or Constructed darling. Nevertheless, they made the cut for the Multiverse Legends bonus sheet thanks to fitting the rather restrictive criteria. Subsequently, it has a Serialized variant, albeit one that only sells for $149.99 at the time of writing.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are Multiverse Legends cards such as Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice. While obviously more expensive, thanks to its mythic rarity, this card is also the most popular commander of all time. Subsequently, it might not come as a surprise that Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice commands a serious price tag of $1200 on TCGplayer.
Since not every card can be the most popular commander, unsurprisingly, other mythic cards don’t quite match Atraxa in value. Niv-Mizzet Reborn, for instance, has sold for only $600 on eBay. While this price isn’t to be scoffed at, it nevertheless shows that a mythic serialized card doesn’t guarantee value. Not anymore, at least.
Previously, when serialized cards were first launched for The Brothers’ War, mythic cards were a surefire hit. Wurmcoil Engine, for instance, was initially selling for $1000, as was Ramos, Dragon Engine. More valuable than both of these cards, however, was the rare Guilded Lotus, which sold for around $2000.
Chaotic Costs
Since the release of The Brothers’ War, MTG players have seemingly learned what to expect from serialized MTG cards. As, unlike the frantic sales around The Brothers’ War’s launch, prices are already more reflective of each card’s demand. Saying that, however, there’s still a monumental amount of fluctuation in the prices of these prized collectible cards.
The worst offenders of this chaotic pricing that have been seen so far are March of the Machine’s serialized Praetors. Featuring incredible abilities and gorgeous art, it’s easy to understand why these cards are some of the most desirable in the set. So desirable, in fact, that several MTG players are willing to pay absolutely obscene prices to obtain them.
For example, ahead of the set’s release, a copy of Elesh Norn sold on eBay for $2750. While this is a slightly early copy of, admittedly, the set’s best Praetor, this price nevertheless seems almost insane. After all, it is a hefty premium over the cost of other serialized Praetors cards that are equally as rare. In comparison, serialized copies of Vorinclex have been selling for as low as $500.
For better or worse, it’s not only similar rarities of cards that have some major price differences. As, across eBay, even copies of the same card have been selling for dramatically different prices. Vorinclex, for instance, doesn’t only sell for $500, as copies have been sold for upwards of $750 at least!
With Niv-Mizzet Reborn similarly seeing $200 price fluctuations, it’s safe to say serialized cards prices are far from stable. Considering the rarity of each serialized card, however, this may not be too much of a surprise. After all, it’s very much a seller’s market since there’s not much competition over these purely collectible cards.
The Numbers Game
While the prices of many serialized MTG cards may be chaotically different, there are some emergent trends. Firstly, as should be expected, cards that see play within Commander, Modern, and Legacy, all command higher prices than their counterparts at the same rarity. Alongside this, serialized cards with more interesting numbers are also significantly more expensive than regular copies.
The 001 copy of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, is one such example of this. Having been discovered ahead of schedule by Star City Games’ General Manager, Ben Bleiweiss, this card sold over the weekend for, at least, $6500! In comparison, ongoing auction sales for serialized Ragavans sit at between $1900 and $517 at the time of writing.
Ultimately, you may have to hunt for the right deal if you’re in the market for a serialized MTG card but don’t care about the number. As unlike traditional MTG card sales, prices are evidently all over the place. Unfortunately, thanks to most serialized cards being sold by auction, it’s unlikely that prices will stabilize anytime soon. That being said, however, as more cards are found, and excitement dies down, prices may fall in tandem.
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