I did look it up and though “Okay so what is this card, like a couple hundred.. maybe a few thousand?”. And the lowest I found was a reprint.. for a HUNDRED DOLLARS. The actual prices I found on Ebay and TCGplayer (via google)? IN THE THOUSANDS, with the highest going for 50-20 THOUSAND DOLLARYDOOS. Just.. holy crap. I knew trading cards could be expensive, I play ccgs and tcgs, I know, but crap. And I wondered why this, along with it’s 8 cohorts that are so legendary they have a wikipedia article, was so coveted and expensive, especially since MTG changes formats every year and after a while sets get cycled out (Part of why i’m not big on it as it makes my decks worthless should I ever want to just go into a shop and play a tournament, and that’s not worth the investment).. turns out it’s BANNED in expanded and limited in vintage because for no play cost it gives you three mana. So yeah I get why… and why our heroes are a wee bit incredulous a 6th grader at a public school can get his hands on this, as the kind of buy in a middle school kid could afford would help break even on the packs needed for The Mana at best. The kid would either have to be rich, have saved up for this.. or as is most obvious is clearly a con. Like I said yesterday, many kids wouldn’t question this, even without the yugioh analogy I used, and kids can be stupid sometimes (I was myself at that age), so it’s not a stretch that it took till these three to figure out it was a massive scam.
For readers who are wondering: What the heck are they talking about????
“The Black Lotus is the single most valuable normally printed card in the game of Magic printed in a standard set. Due to its fast mana acceleration, it is also a member of the Power Nine, nine notoriously powerful cards from the original Magic print runs.
Black Lotus has long held a reputation as the most valuable Magic: The Gathering card ever made, but the rare MTG card managed to outdo its own legendary reputation in early 2021 after a copy of a Black Lotus from MTG’s Alpha set sold for over half a million dollars."
What a coincidence – Mystics the Grouping has a very rare card called Black Lotus, just like Magic: the Gathering. One reason for its popularity: it was part of an early combination of cards that would let a player win on their first turn, even before their opponent could play a card.
If these sixth graders are anything like the ones I used to hang out with way back when, the game is rigged with the winner already chosen. The winner gets handed a fake “Black Lotus” card, a good color scan-and-print sealed inside a rigid card protector to prevent the forgery being detected by touch (or maybe even printed on actual MTG cardstock with the original images bleached off). The sixth graders run the fake tournament, pocket the player fees to divvy up later, then re-run the scam on a fresh group of marks. Ahhhh — those were good times!
droosan Premium Member about 2 years ago
.. investigate whether the secret MTG tournament is run by ghosts.
Jacob Mattingly about 2 years ago
I did look it up and though “Okay so what is this card, like a couple hundred.. maybe a few thousand?”. And the lowest I found was a reprint.. for a HUNDRED DOLLARS. The actual prices I found on Ebay and TCGplayer (via google)? IN THE THOUSANDS, with the highest going for 50-20 THOUSAND DOLLARYDOOS. Just.. holy crap. I knew trading cards could be expensive, I play ccgs and tcgs, I know, but crap. And I wondered why this, along with it’s 8 cohorts that are so legendary they have a wikipedia article, was so coveted and expensive, especially since MTG changes formats every year and after a while sets get cycled out (Part of why i’m not big on it as it makes my decks worthless should I ever want to just go into a shop and play a tournament, and that’s not worth the investment).. turns out it’s BANNED in expanded and limited in vintage because for no play cost it gives you three mana. So yeah I get why… and why our heroes are a wee bit incredulous a 6th grader at a public school can get his hands on this, as the kind of buy in a middle school kid could afford would help break even on the packs needed for The Mana at best. The kid would either have to be rich, have saved up for this.. or as is most obvious is clearly a con. Like I said yesterday, many kids wouldn’t question this, even without the yugioh analogy I used, and kids can be stupid sometimes (I was myself at that age), so it’s not a stretch that it took till these three to figure out it was a massive scam.
Decepticomic about 2 years ago
Go Team Nerd.
chks about 2 years ago
All they need now is a van and a talking Great Dane to complete the team.
Mel-T-Pass Premium Member about 2 years ago
Even back in the first few years MTG was out, Black Lotus cards were almost impossible to get hold of (I know, I tried). This is definitely sus.
1JennyJenkins about 2 years ago
For readers who are wondering: What the heck are they talking about????
“The Black Lotus is the single most valuable normally printed card in the game of Magic printed in a standard set. Due to its fast mana acceleration, it is also a member of the Power Nine, nine notoriously powerful cards from the original Magic print runs.
Black Lotus has long held a reputation as the most valuable Magic: The Gathering card ever made, but the rare MTG card managed to outdo its own legendary reputation in early 2021 after a copy of a Black Lotus from MTG’s Alpha set sold for over half a million dollars."
David Rickard Premium Member about 2 years ago
Well, we’ve got Fred, Shaggy and Velma. I assume Heart will be Daphne. Where will they find a Scooby?
del_grande Premium Member about 2 years ago
What a coincidence – Mystics the Grouping has a very rare card called Black Lotus, just like Magic: the Gathering. One reason for its popularity: it was part of an early combination of cards that would let a player win on their first turn, even before their opponent could play a card.
JRobinson Premium Member about 2 years ago
If these sixth graders are anything like the ones I used to hang out with way back when, the game is rigged with the winner already chosen. The winner gets handed a fake “Black Lotus” card, a good color scan-and-print sealed inside a rigid card protector to prevent the forgery being detected by touch (or maybe even printed on actual MTG cardstock with the original images bleached off). The sixth graders run the fake tournament, pocket the player fees to divvy up later, then re-run the scam on a fresh group of marks. Ahhhh — those were good times!
good & evil about 1 year ago
How the fucc did they get their hands on a black lotus??? Thats one of the rarest cards in the game and they go for millions!!!