After months of eager anticipation, the launch of March of the Machine is almost here. With Prerelease events scheduled for this weekend, it’s only a matter of days before players can start cracking packs. While this is the case for the majority of players, a lucky few have already been able to get started. Wizards of the Coast staff, for instance, have already shown off the pack opening experience to get players hyped. Similarly, several WPN stores have also had early access, allowing them to crack packs and get prepared. Within this process, some stores have already made shocking discoveries of some incredibly valuable cards. This even includes one retailer finding, what is likely to be, the most expensive March of the Machine card ever found.
The Rarest Ragavan
Over the last weekend, several LGS seemingly got their hands on March of the Machine and started to crack packs. This led to a variety of exceedingly rare cards being pulled remarkably early, long before the set has been released. Despite only being found within “less than 1% of Collector Boosters”, multiple serialized March of the Machine cards were found. While LGS’ were cracking packs, it’s unclear exactly how many serialized cards were discovered, as only three cards garnered any major attention on Reddit. These surprisingly controversial, cards were serialized copies of Elesh Norn, Sheoldred, and Vorinclex.
Following these discoveries that delighted and dismayed many players, several stores have evidently continued to open packs en masse. Yesterday, a new incredible discovery was posted online for MTG players to gawk at. Posted by Star City Games general manager Ben Bleiweiss, the first serialized Ragavan Nimble Pilferer has been found. As one of the most prized Multiverse Legends cards, this discovery is obviously quite exciting for many MTG players. For Bleiweiss’ discovery, however, the excitement doesn’t end there, as they didn’t just find any old serialized number. Instead, Bleiweiss found what is arguably the most alluring and expensive version of any serialized card, the 001/500 Ragavan Nimble Pilferer.
After seeing Bleiweiss’ discovery on Twitter, many MTG players undeniably had a lot of questions. MTG personality Pleasant Kenobi was one such curious player who wondered how many serialized cards Star City Games had found. Additionally, Pleasant Kenobi asked how many Collector Boosters SCG opened to find this incredible haul. Unfortunately for curious players, Bleiweiss couldn’t give away all the information that Pleasant Kenobi had requested. What Bleiweiss could reveal, however, was that this serialized Ragavan is the only one they found.
“I can’t share how many we opened, but this is the only serialized Ragavan we opened. We ended up with about 30ish total Serialized cards, so not even one of each.”
Ben Bleiweiss
How Much Is It Worth?
Alongside announcing their discovery on Twitter, Ben Bleiweiss also listed the card for sale in the same breath. Unfortunately for curious players, when doing this, Bleiweiss didn’t post an asking price to guide expectations. Stating only that they’d be “taking serious offers only” via DM, it’s clear this prized card is seriously expensive. Just how expensive, however, is a very good question that’s rather hard to answer.
Given the past precedent set by the serialized cards from The Brothers’ War, it’s safe to say this Ragavan Nimble Pilferer is worth at least $1000. After all, that is the price that many serialized mythic cards, such as Ramos, Dragon Engine, sold for. While $1000 is obviously no small amount of money, that estimate is likely incredibly conservative compared to the actual price. After all, before the price crashed to around $6, Ramos Dragon Engine was only worth about $15. In comparison, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer costs around $62 at the moment.
While this comparison of typical prices might lead you to believe any serialized Ragavan would be worth $4000 easily, sadly, it’s not that simple. After all, serialized copies of Mox Amber also sold for around the $1000 mark. Subsequently, $1000 may just be the average price tag for any serialized mythic rare Retro Artifact or Multiverse Legends card. Thankfully, for Bleiweiss, at least, their serialized Ragavan isn’t any old random number as instead, it’s number 001. As we’ve long predicted, this card will likely command a significantly higher price tag, despite, technically, not being any rarer. How much more it will cost, however, remains to be seen, as the bidding war is currently happening in private.
The Most Expensive March of the Machine Card?
As the first serialized copy of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer to be found, Bleiweiss’ find is undoubtedly the most expensive March of the Machine card to date. Technically, however, it’s possible that another card will usurp this Ragavan’s value in the future. This possibility, however, seems incredibly unlikely, to say the least. By our count, there’s only one card in March of the Machine that might be able to achieve that feat. That card is Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice. Coming in at $65 on average for a regular copy, this is the most-played Commander in all of MTG. Subsequently, a serialized version of this card be found with the number 001, 069, or 420, this card could fetch a similar price.
Since these cards do exist somewhere in the world at the moment, it is, of course, possible this may happen. In reality, however, serialized cards are so rare that many specific numbers have never been found to date. For instance, to the best of our knowledge, this Ragavan is the first ever 001 serialized card to be found. Subsequently, we wouldn’t hold out much hope that the 001 Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice will be found anytime soon. This should mean that, for the foreseeable future, the 001 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer will retain its crown as the most expensive March of the Machine Card.
What Are The Odds
While many MTG players were obviously excited to see this incredibly valuable card, there were nevertheless some complaints and controversy. This centered around the fact that Star City Games, “the world’s premier TCG retailer,” were the ones to find this prized card. Due to SCG’s prominence, several users on both Twitter and Reddit labeled this discovery as “suspicious.” Rebuking this suggestion, Ben Bleiweiss replied to many tweets with a comical picture of them in a literal tinfoil hat.
Thankfully, this card discovery wasn’t entirely consumed by wild and baseless conspiracy theories and speculation. As, instead, several MTG players noted that it makes a lot of sense that Star City Games would open a card like this. After all, as u/AvatarofBro points out, “[Star City Games] opens a truly obscene amount of product. So not exactly a coincidence? The guy who buys 100,000 scratch-off tickets every month is going to win more often than the guy who plays once a week.”
Read More: MTG Fetch Land Drops Below $10 For the First Time Ever!?
