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Black Lotus

From M:TG Archive, a library of Magic: The Gathering information

The Black Lotus is a well-known card from Magic: The Gathering. It was only included in the Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited sets of the game, meaning it was only printed for a short period from late 1993 to early 1994. With the exception of special, near-unique cards such as Splendid Genesis and Fraternal Exaltation, the Black Lotus is the most expensive and valuable (in monetary terms) Magic card. The card, especially the Alpha and Beta variants, is often valued in the thousands of U.S. dollars.

The fame of the card has been alluded to and lampooned in subsequent printings of Magic. For example, a card from the Tempest expansion set called "Lotus Petal" imitates the Black Lotus' effect although it only provides one mana. Even this card has been deemed powerful and restricted. However, due to the common rarity level of Lotus Petal, it's not particularly valuable. The "Blacker Lotus" was a satirical card in the light-hearted Unglued set which produced four mana although it required the user to tear up the card before use.

1 Play value
2 Collectible value
3 Artwork
4 Proxies and fakes
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Play value

Some of its notoriety comes from its part in one of the most famous and devastating combinations in the game, an actual "first-turn kill" called "channelball". This combination relied on "Channel", which turned life into mana, and "Fireball", which turned mana into damage to an opponent. The Black Lotus was used to provide the extra mana needed to win.

"Channelball" led to an abusive and often invincible playing style that was the impetus for a host of new rules and restrictions for the game. In official tournament play, the number of certain cards was "restricted" to one. Different types of tournaments were created allowing only cards easily found by all players. The first of these new tournament types, called "Type II" quickly became much more popular than "Type I" tournaments which continued to allow a single Black Lotus.

Ownership of a Black Lotus and several other cards is often considered essential to win Type I tournaments.

[edit] Collectible value

Prices for a single Beta Black Lotus have steadily climbed from about $200 in 1995 to nearly $2000 in 2004. Alpha variants are less sought after because the more rounded corners of that set are not allowed in Magic tournaments without opaque sleeves. White-bordered Unlimited variants are worth about half as much as their black-bordered Beta counterparts because the Unlimited printing was larger and is therefore less scarce.

Black Lotus' high price results in part from its rarity, but it's also one of the most powerful cards in the game; it can be played for free and produces three mana of any color. This gives a player using it a strong advantage early in a game.

[edit] Artwork

The illustration on Black Lotus was painted by Christopher Rush. At the time, Rush was a Wizards of the Coast employee. He created many of the original card designs. The Black Lotus illustration is an unremarkable depiction of a black lotus flower over a foliage backdrop.

[edit] Proxies and fakes

The Black Lotus, along with several other rare cards, is often copied due to its rarity. Most of these copies are benign, and meant for use by players who can not afford to buy a real one. These are called "proxies". However, some copies are attempts at actual counterfeits. Collectors and players are advised to carefully inspect such cards when purchasing them.