MTG Top 10: The Most EXPENSIVE White Cards (And Why They Are So Expensive)

#mtg #magicthegathering #mtgtop10
• MTG Top 10s
• "Most Expensive" Top 10s
This video is sponsored by Card Kingdom! Check out their awesome store here: www.cardkingdom.com/nizzahon
Direct Card Kingdom Links for Each Card in This Video (SPOILERS)
Note: Prices May Have Changed
Avacyn, Angel of Hope - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/comma...
Solitude - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/moder...
Humility - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/tempe...
Anointed Procession - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/myste...
Replenish - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/urzas...
Academy Rector - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/urzas...
Argivian Archaeologist - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/antiq...
Ravages of War - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/porta...
Zhang Fei, Fierce Warriors - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/porta...
Zhao Zilong - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/porta...
Shahrazad - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/arabi...
King Suleiman - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/arabi...
Moat - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/legen...
Thunder Spirit - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/legen...
Divine Intervention - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/legen...
Savannah Lions - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/alpha...
Balance - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/alpha...
Armageddon - www.cardkingdom.com/mtg/alpha...
Nizzamerch: merchland.net/collections/niz...
Channel membership:
/ @nizzahonmagic
Want to support the channel? You can on Patreon!: / nizzahon_magic
Check out my History KZbin Channel: / @nizzahonhistory
Want to see me draft live? You can on Twitch! / nizzahon
Follow me on Twitter for channel updates and other Magic musings: / nizzahonmagic
Motion Graphics and logo by Michael Findley
mographmike.com/ @mographmike on twitter
I Can Feel it Coming Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com )
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@kethernet]

I'd be more interested in most expensive using the least expensive printing, rather than first. That would give a more pure power vs dollar metric, reducing the impact of collectibilty and speculation, which I'm less interested in.

[@alexbarner7207]

I mean, why should I study for my final?

[@michaelcollins4534]

Its a bit important innit

[@j-lohome-slice7425]

Your studying for the pro tours

[@marsgreekgod]

So you can get a job to afford these cards

[@hitthegoat]

You shouldn’t. You don’t wanna be a nerd, do ya?

[@drain1718]

Studying is for dorks. Magic is for people on the highest rung of the social ladder

[@cis22]

It's actually kinda cool how they explained the absence of legendary creatures in Arabian Nights. They retconned the story to take place in a plane called Rabiah and not technically be an adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights. And the lore of Rabiah is that it somehow got splintered into 1001 identical pieces. So there's technically 1001 identical versions of King Suleiman out there, making him not legendary.

[@cis22]

Also, WotC doesn't really like the idea of retroactively granting legendary status to cards that are already printed. They considered turning the nephilim cycle of Ravnica into legendaries back when 4-color commanders weren't a thing yet but decided against it.

[@BIacklce]

by the power of Allah's will the spark of the planeswalking was gifted to the multiverse

[@RedScarGaming]

"If you want to get kicked out of your play group; this is how you do it" Love that statement

[@MrTrellheim]

Yes, Sherezade is frustrating. Yes, Sherezade will end all your friendships if you dare to use it. But damn, I'm a sucker for that amazing Foglio art!

[@ArmaGaming]

White-Weenie back then. Turn 1, Savannah Lions, Zuran Orb Turn 2, White Knight or Longbow Archer Turn 3, Crusade or another 2 drop, and 1 free mana to use Swords to Plowshares and remove a blocker or a Land Tax. Turn 4, Armageddon. GG Oh I remembered something better... Turn 1, Sol Ring, Marble diamond. Turn 2, Serra Angel. Turn 3, Armageddon.

[@jennietsai1260]

Just an fyi white weenie is usually spelt weenie

[@ArmaGaming]

@@jennietsai1260Had this deck more than 2 decades ago and got used to it as this was the spelling given to me by my mentor back then.

[@jennietsai1260]

@@ArmaGaming Damn that deck is older than me lol

[@danielvida778]

I subscribed to this channel for MTG history and other facts which this video delivers... perfectly seasoned by a little anticipation about what the next entry on the list will be ❤

[@cax1175]

Divine Intervention is fun because nobody loses!

[@olafthemoose9413]

I remwmber when I was a teenager and I saved up to build my first big commander deck. I went for Kaalia because I liked big angels and naturally I wanted to put avacyn in there. This was right around the time the Judge Reward Promo Avacyn was released and it was like 10 more bucks than the regular version. I decided to get the basic one and then maybe upgrade later when I got some extra cash. Yeah it's like 400% - 500% of the base versions price now (used to be like 40 bucks now it's 115, base price was 30 bucks and is now around 20 where I live)

[@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor]

Ahhh white. Probably one of my more favoured colours because I just love nukes. I really wish I had the money to buy some of these cards, but if I did, I might instead bribe Nizzahon to finally make "Top 10 Vintage Cards (Minus Power 9)"!

[@davidlayton4310]

im struggling to get anointed procession been trying to order it but every time i do it gets lost or doesnt get sent out. its a real bummer as its the last card i need to complete my commander deck. its hard to get ahold of even if you have the money for it

[@Shadowbane0]

I really feel these list of most expensive lists would be more useful if they where of the cheapest printing of a card rather than by set printing. It seems kind of pointless that number one is always the three most expensive from alpha. I understand there is the benefit of understanding historical context the way you do it now, but I would personally prefer to see it done the other way.

[@Clemsonalumnus]

I am proudly part of the reason Shahrazad is banned. If you weren’t there, it wasn’t banned before Wizards bought EDH. When it was legal, I was running a deck that only won by making all of your opponents scoop (I wasn’t the only one). It was called Group Hug and ran Phelddagrif. The whole point was to drag the game out as long as possible. Some decks ran an actual win condition, but the true spirit of the deck was to just drag the game out until everyone else quit. Twincasting a Shahrazad was usually the wincon as people would just scoop because they didn’t want to play for 4 hours just to see who lost life and get back to the main game. The good ole’ days.

[@scottp1001]

I bought a Thunder Spirit back in 1996 or so for $3 because it had the most beautiful artwork. Used it in my white weenie deck. Still have it, so it was a good investment.

[@Crunchatize_Me_Senpai]

I love these longer videos. Longer runtime usually means more information, which means a more interesting watch. I don’t play anything other than commander, so it’s always interesting to hear about other formats. Although this particular list is very commander heavy anyways, but it still has substance.

[@apfundhe13]

Regarding anointed procession, what do you mean by only reprinted “in the list?”

[@shadewrecker9683]

"The List" is a set of bonus reprints that occasionally appear in Set Boosters

[@wayfadedmagic]

Alpha Crusade is the most expensive white card. It also saw more play than the alpha cards you mentioned, with the exception of maybe Lions.

[@MadMewMew-mu3eq]

If Charizard wasn't so expensive I would make a troll deck to torture all my friends for eternity

[@jennietsai1260]

As someone who played magic for about a year before I heard of commander, every time I heard about how expensive commander staples were I would lose my mind because I didn’t know why they were that much lol

[@ceulgai2817]

Because commander players are afraid of using printers

[@mightyone3737]

If you're new to Commander, I strongly recommend you try out proxies if some cards 'feel expensive', no reason pay $40 to trial Rhystic Study, only to find out that your playgroup will always stomp you if you play it because they hate the card. That said, I have decks that will probably never use any proxies, it's not like a Casual deck needs busted stuff, and those decks I usually nitpick on specific printings, using proxies in a deck that's mostly about creative expression seems like a flavor fail.

[@ceulgai2817]

@@mightyone3737 Wanting specifics printings is a GREAT reason to use proxies.

[@jennietsai1260]

@@mightyone3737 Oh I just don’t like commander that much compared to 1 on 1 magic. That’s why stuff like anointed procession being so expensive blew my mind, because it sucks in 1 on 1 magic

[@tupatshakurtis5195]

Knowing I had sooooo many of these older cards from the 90s get sold as bulk by my brother makes me literally sick to my stomach

[@hgman3920]

Wow! My Shahrazad/Divine Intervention deck is going to cost a lot

[@NizzahonMagic]

The most valuable things you'll lose are all of your friendships.

[@joeschnoebelen2863]

i was expecting alpha Serra Angel to be on the list. surprised it got beat out by savanna lions

[@SomeGuy712x]

I think the most expensive mono-white cards I own are Enlightened Tutor from Mirage, and Moonshaker Cavalry from the recent Wilds of Eldraine set. In fact, I had pulled two Moonshaker Cavalries from booster packs, interestingly enough. I ended up trading one of them for some other Wilds of Eldraine cards, including a Blood Moon and a Primal Vigor.

[@collinbeal]

Sounds like a fun trade. Now I'm trying to imagine a deck where you'd want to play both the cards you traded for. I think the best deck would be Phylath.

[@sephyrias883]

17:33 I don't think Armageddon should have been included, the A25 printing is $9. If you go by printings, then serialized Elesh Norn and PWCS Wandering Emperor should have been on here as well.

[@levendefjorder3239]

The introduction is clear about the method. It doesn't matter that later printings are cheaper. I like this method because it gives us sort of a history lesson.

[@jesterbomb123]

Do top 10 most expensive judge promos

[@vsully360]

Expected Wrath of God to be #1. Shocked that Savannah Lions is so expensive.

[@dyne313]

I'm a Divine Intervention stan, till the day I die.

[@JasonOshinko]

Or till the game is over and considered a draw?

[@dyne313]

@@JasonOshinko Exactly

[@athosthan874]

Well all these series summarize to: the most expensive cards are from ALPHA. Why not listing by formats (modern/pioneer)?

[@ceulgai2817]

Because cards exist in multiple formats

[@Level100Snivy]

I have to imagine that Argivian Archaeologist is only so desirable for collectors because the art is just a guy in a blue t-shirt and khakis and that's hilarious.

[@Milkybetrayal]

Nice

[@alvaroc6326]

I suppose divine intervention was created as a way to save you when losing an ante bet.

[@hitmangfx7162]

I was thinking of trying Annointed Procession/Greasefang, but then I saw what Procession was going for. Money better spent on a playset of Solitudes. -_-

[@marcoottina654]

what about a printer and some ink?

[@hitmangfx7162]

@@marcoottina654 First time playing Magic?

[@marcoottina654]

@@hitmangfx7162 nope: since 2005

[@crawdaddy2004]

1:18 Calling number one: Moat.

[@savannahlion3081]

Numero UNO ! 🤘🦁🤘

[@Enfetamina]

Like top 20

[@RibusPQR]

Moat?

[@Dragracingduleist]

When you do these lists you should leave reserved list and P3K cards off these lists to make them more relateable

[@blacklancejeo6625]

An vanilla creature is almost $3K? Not even Swords to Plowshares?

[@Shimatzu95]

I still think you should skip the alpha cards if they have cheap alternatives

[@Hmongboi228]

I saw #9 and was like, "OMG. A "Force of Will" Swords To Plowshares!! I have to go buy 4x of these.." Then I realized, "Wait a minute.. They will just reprint these util they're worth nothing.." 🤨🤔💡🤝😮‍💨😓

[@Sleazy-Spider]

Oh boy 1 am!!!

[@ApexZer0]

I think these might be better if you dont include reserve list cards

[@beelor5777]

This just goes to show how stupid the reserve list is. I can buy a Savannah Lion for 2 cents or the original is 2800.

[@Xoulrath_]

Anyone with a brain has been saying this exact thing for years, myself included. The Professor, aka Brian, over at Tolarian Community College has used this specific type of example, usually pointing out Birds of Paradise being a several thousand dollar or sub ten dollar card, all depending on what set it's printed in.

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

@@Xoulrath_ there are just a couple issues with Prof's otherwise sound argument: - that principle applies only for the oldest sets with extremely low supply, the demand of which is entirely driven by rarity and collectibility of a version. For "silver age" cards that still hold some value for their effects on the game (e.g. Urza Block), being reprinted would tank their financial value. - back when Prof released that video, WotC still had a somewhat balanced reprint policy, unlike today when they have annihilated any confidence from the secondary market due to the frequency and volume of reprints. - despite what some players, especially Commander guys, want to believe, MtG being a CCG means that it is not only a game, but must also be collectible. From a business perspective, a WotC is first and foremost a business, the collectors side of the customers may be smaller but tends to be the one with more money to spend, so for the long term health of the game is important not to alienated it completely. Anyway, RL cards will continue to be power-crept into gameplay irrelevancy, so the effect of that reprint policy on current games is more limited than most younger players like to whine about.

[@Xoulrath_]

@@ROMANTIKILLER2 buddy, first of all, I HATE Commander. Secondly, I'm 46 and I've been playing Magic since 1997. The RL is BULLSHIT. It ALWAYS has been, and it ALWAYS will be. Since you took it upon yourself to try to debunk Prof's argument, let me take it upon myself to remind you of the following: 1) Richard Garfield, aka the creator of Magic, has said that he doesn't believe that the game should cost what it does. He's said before that $20 is quite high for a piece of cardboard. 2) The absurdity of the RL is that it required HORRIBLE mismanagement of the brand to begin with. So Wizard's overprinted a bunch of shit cards that most people didn't want to begin with, the very small player base loses their minds, raises their pitchforks, and threatens to quit the game. Then WotC, in their infinite wisdom, decides to run their business through knee-jerk reactions, and promise to never print "expensive" cards again and create a reserve list. Congratulations, all they succeeded in doing was nothing. The handful of people with enough money to collect the Power 9 and handful of other overpriced, largely unplayable cards bitch about power creep. Players who just want to play a game bitch about not being able to get the game pieces needed to be competitive. The problem there is that players need CARDS, and collectors need TIME. "Collectors" want to treat MtG as part of their stock portfolio. They expect every new set to double in value overnight. They bitch about reprints and rarity changes, when the entire system is a false scarcity to begin with. Collectors can act as though they keep the game alive, but they don't. Wizards has said as much. The random person buying packs at Wal-Mart, and now Amazon, are putting up numbers for Wizards. So let's look at that "power creep" issue. Tarmogoyf was over $200 a card at one point in time. It was simply one of the best cards to play, and had very little removal that could deal with it. So players who happened to get into the game at the right time had the card, while newer players to Modern couldn't compete because they couldn't afford (or simply didn't want to waste EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS ON CARDBOARD). So Wizard's either reprints Goyf, or creates an answer for Goyf, or bans Goyf. Any one of those options drops the price of Goyf. Why? Because first and foremost, this is a GAME. I'm not arguing that Magic isn't collectible. It most certainly can be. But the Power 9 is collectible because of NATURAL rarity, as opposed to the forced, false rarity imparted on cards today. The RL cards aren't all that sought after, outside of USEABLE, PLAYABLE GAME PIECES. You know, like the Duals, for example. No one gives a shit about some crap card that they can't even play for shits and giggles in casual Commander. So what have we learned? That the GAME is collectible BECAUSE of USEABLE GAME PIECES.

[@beelor5777]

@@ROMANTIKILLER2 Magic is actually a TCG. The problem with that logic is look at yugioh. For their 25th anniversary they just reprinted their first sets same as they were when they first came out. And the old cards still hold value while the reprinted ones are cheap. Just because something is reprinted doesn't mean it won't hold value. People will still collect the 30 year old card while people can play with the new cheap versions. RL list cards are not power crept. If there is what is the power crept version of Time Walk, Recall, or Black Lotus, heck lets do a newer one, where is the power crept version of Gaea's Cradle?

[@davidsauer3155]

This list needs an update. New cards have came out since this video was released.

[@haslittle8078]

This list stressed me out. I own lots of the cards in the middle, but they're just in my boxes because I had no idea they were valuable.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Get that Argivian Archaeologist in a top loader!

[@haslittle8078]

@NizzahonMagic I don't have top loaders, but I put them in sleeves and then into binders. Older cards break my sense of value because I look at them when sorting through my collection for EDH decks, and my brain glosses over them because they aren't "good" cards.

[@TheLuminousCleric]

The reserved list is a joke. It restricts access to cards because of speculation, investors, collectors. I want to play the game, not spend a fortune on the better cards.

[@ceulgai2817]

Seriously. I'm all for everyone getting their jollies, but if your jollies are only gotten by denying someone else the ability to do the same, sod all the way off.

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

Very limited take on the subject. Despite what some players, especially Commander guys, want to believe, MtG being a CCG means that it is not only a game, but must also be collectible. From a business perspective, a WotC is first and foremost a business, the collectors side of the customers may be smaller but tends to be the one with more money to spend, so for the long term health of the game is important not to alienated it completely. Additionally, RL cards will continue to be power-crept into gameplay irrelevancy, so the effect of that reprint policy on current games is more limited than many players like to complaint about. Leaving Vintage aside, the most powerful legal cards today in Commander have been printed in the last couple of years. Last but not least, MtG cards being expensive is a first world problem. At the end of the day, it's just a game, it is not a critical of essential service like food, heating, housing, healthcare, or education - which unfortunately are also becoming more and more expesive. While if MtG costs too much to play, ultimately nobody will die or have the quality of life seriously impacted by not playing it - especially if it's only specific cards, it's more of just a nuisance. It would be like complaining because Rolex watches are expensive: that is true, but there are plenty of cheaper options available and one can live well without them anyway.

[@TheLuminousCleric]

@@ROMANTIKILLER2 true. But then I will just proxy everything.

[@ceulgai2817]

@@ROMANTIKILLER2 If your hobby is all about making sure others can't get into it, then you can get all the way fucked. A good TCG would still make money without a reserved list. People like playing good games and people will still want cards to use to play those games.

[@grimtrix]

Freaking Savannah Lions!? This is why I dont play white...

[@Dragracingduleist]

Plz no more alpha cards at #1 it makes these list so much worse because every list ends the same way