How much are you willing to spend on a MTG card?

[Red_Wyrm]

Hello.

I am curious, and I have another take home exam due at midnight, so procrastination at it's finest. What is the most expensive card you own and are you willing to buy a more expensive card if you needed it? What is your limit?

For me, my most expensive card that I bought (dont care about what you've opened. We can do another thread for that) was Emrakul, the Aeons Torn for my Eldrazi deck back when I was like 15. I had gotten a giftcard for $100 from my grandparents so I built an eldrazi deck. This was a 60 card deck, not a commander deck, and we played with 4-6 people. I think it was $25 at the time, which was a lot. Then when I got a job and could afford my own cards more regularly, I kind of set a $20 limit for any one card for myself. Then I would occasionally break that rule, buying things like Sensei's Divining Top, and Scroll Rack. So I changed that limit to $40 and then I made my The Locust God deck with that rule. It was powerful but not powerful enough, so I bought Scalding Tarn, Wheel of Fortune and Time Spiral. Recently, like before Christmas, I caved and bought a Mana Crypt and that is the most I've spent on a card. I think I could convince myself to buy any card using the logic "I can always resell it if I need the money" and as long as I have the upfront capital to buy it, and want it.

Thank you, Nils, for making this amazing procrastination tool.

[WWolfe]

I paid $200 to a friend for a Gaea's Cradle that he was selling right as the prices started jumping up on it. He needed money for a car repair and at the time I had just gotten a quarterly bonus at work so the timing worked out perfectly. I had a couple but I couldn't pass up the chance to get another. I've since traded it for well more in value than the money I paid for it.

ETA- Now I wouldn't pay more than $30 for one. With the size and value of my trade binders, if it's more than that and I can't trade for it then I don't need it.

[WizardSpartan]

The most I've ever spent on a Magic card is ~$20 for Yawgmoth, Thran Physician for Alesha, Who Smiles at Death. This was definitely an unusual purchase, as I like to max out on $10 a card. I am lucky to have a family that will buy me cards for presents on holidays, birthdays, etc. and am also lucky to come into a large collection of older cards. Unfortunately, it is 99.99% bulk, with standout cards including a 3ED Plateau, VIS Vampiric Tutor, and DRK Blood Moon. Not really any Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, etc. cards. If y'all are interested, I can give a bigger list, but Plateau and Vamp Tutor are the biggest hits.

I'm also incredibly lucky to get a lot of favorable trades (I traded a small stack of Standard cards for an EMA Sylvan Library for example) which allows my Ezuri list to be as powerful as it is.

[Aetherium Slinky]

Most I've spent on a card was when I bought Animar, 25€. It hasn't kept its value, at all, and nowadays I'm not willing to spend more than a tenner for a card. I might stretch that a little when it comes to lands because those are really expensive.

[Xaarvaxus]

I think the most I've spent on a single card is somewhere in the $45-50 range and only a couple of times.  For the most part if I'm looking to buy something that is more than $20, I'll comb through my collection and find trade fodder to get enough store credit to bring the price down to $20.

[terminalgeek]

I tend to stick to $20-30 on a single card once a month or getting a bunch of random old jank. That being said, if I think a card is only going to go up and I could use it for multiple different decks I might pick it up. More often than not, I'm digging through the bargain bin for interesting stuff.

I used to do a lot of trades with friends in S. Korea because besides online that was the best source of singles and you got better value for your money. Now that I'm back in the states, I try to give the LGS my business.

The most expensive cards I have I either pulled from a pack (i.e. Masterpiece Sword of Light and Shadow) or they went up significantly since picking them up (i.e. Earthcraft).

[Judaspriester]

The most expensive cards I've bought was Oracle of Mul Daya (bought it in italian for ~20€, english would have been like 30€) and Doubling Season for like 20€ right at the battlebond reprint.
But usually, if a card cracks the 2 digit mark, it needs to be REALLY good.

[WizardSpartan]

But usually, if a card cracks the 2 digit mark, it needs to be REALLY good.

Nice, simple way of putting it. Basically the same baseline I use.

[Morganator 2.0]

Up until today I though I was a reasonable spender. Thanks guys. Here are the most expensive cards I have, and how much their price was when I got them. Prices are in USD.

• Gaea's Cradle ($350)
• Mana Crypt ($141)
• Mox Opal ($95)
• Force of Will ($70)
• Wheel of Fortune ($70)

Note that I never spent the full amount on any of these cards. I would get them through trade-ins or by being really good at commander.

Typically, if a card is under $3 I don't hesitate to buy it for a deck. Even if I swap that card out later, it's only a small loss. Any more expensive than that I have to think about it a bit. If a card is $30 or more, it has to be something that I can guarantee I will use in multiple decks in the future. It's why I haven't bothered to get a Field of Dreams.

[ApothecaryGeist]

I own one of every card (at least one).  I've also been playing since Revised.  Most high end cards I either cracked in packs or have obtained through direct trading.


Usually I don't pay more than $20 for a single card.  Occasionally, for a land or planeswalker that is a Standard powerhouse, I will spend as much as $30.  But usually I am buying singles that are $1 to $8 to finish up a set.


I have also obtained some high end cards by selling off some of my duplicates.  So while I spent $150 on an Imperial Seal, I did so by selling off other singles.  I think of that as multi-step trading.


I have paid $60 for some of the Holiday Promo cards.  I consider those the jewels of my collection.

[TropicalBoi]

I have only ever spent more than $10 USD on shocks and fetch lands. That's it. My playgroup is extremely low budgeted, so I don't feel as though I have to spend more than that. And, the cards that I do spend more than $10 on have to be really good.

[Elan Morin Tedronai]

The most expensive is certainly Sarkhan Vol and Avacyn, Angel of Hope. I paid for the Vol $12,50 and $10 for Avacyn. Now with lack of work, COVID-19 pandemic and no professional bachelor degrees in Bulgaria and Romania and Eastern Europe as whole, I wouldn't crack out more than €5. The currency difference is due to the fact that I bought them from Channel Fireball, but as of 4-5 years I'm mostly on Card Market.EU. I'd give €5 on Aura Shards, but not more.
Regards, Oracle of Mul Daya is also wish listed,
Chavdar

[Slyvester12]

I've bought some expensive cards, but they were all heavily discounted. Some I've picked up in duplicate to flip back in the States.

1. Gaea's Cradle x 2 - $350 each (paid $180)
2. Mox Diamond - $270 (paid $120)
3. Mana Crypt - $220 ｢judge promo｣(paid $100)
4. Mana Drain - $120 (paid $60)
5. Force of Will - $100 (paid $40)

Honorable Mentions
Survival of the Fittest - $100 (paid $12)
Yawgmoth's Will - $80 (paid $8)
Vampiric Tutor x 2 - $80 each (paid $10 for one, $14 for the other)
Sylvan Library x 4 - $45 each (paid $8)

[Red_Wyrm]

I own one of every card (at least one).  I've also been playing since Revised.  Most high end cards I either cracked in packs or have obtained through direct trading.


Usually I don't pay more than $20 for a single card.  Occasionally, for a land or planeswalker that is a Standard powerhouse, I will spend as much as $30.  But usually I am buying singles that are $1 to $8 to finish up a set.


I have also obtained some high end cards by selling off some of my duplicates.  So while I spent $150 on an Imperial Seal, I did so by selling off other singles.  I think of that as multi-step trading.


I have paid $60 for some of the Holiday Promo cards.  I consider those the jewels of my collection.

Every. Single. Card? Like, one copy of each card ever? Are we talking like a copy of each printing of each card too?

I've bought some expensive cards, but they were all heavily discounted. Some I've picked up in duplicate to flip back in the States.

1. Gaea's Cradle x 2 - $350 each (paid $180)
2. Mox Diamond - $270 (paid $120)
3. Mana Crypt - $220 ｢judge promo｣(paid $100)
4. Mana Drain - $120 (paid $60)
5. Force of Will - $100 (paid $40)

Honorable Mentions
Survival of the Fittest - $100 (paid $12)
Yawgmoth's Will - $80 (paid $8)
Vampiric Tutor x 2 - $80 each (paid $10 for one, $14 for the other)
Sylvan Library x 4 - $45 each (paid $8)

Teach me your ways.

[WizardSpartan]

Sly is in Japan. I'm guessing he sells the cards in the western market for a significant mark up. It's not uncommon. For whatever reason, many cards are a lot cheaper in Japan than in the U.S.