Magic: The Gathering Thread

[m7600]

This is a thread for Magic: The Gathering. I'll start by sharing a video about the computational capabilities of MTG. Yes, you read that right. A few years ago, a group of researchers proved that MTG is Turing complete. You can actually use the rules printed on some of the game's cards to build a computer. It's worth noting that other board games, like Chess or Go, don't have this capability. As far as we know, MTG is the only board game that can be used to make a Turing machine. The research paper in question is cited and discussed in the following video.

 

[mlnevese]

It's been years since I last played Magic. I still have my cards including my Black Lotus

And anything can be used for computing. I once saw how to make a computer using a few million crabs.

 

[m7600]

I envy you. What set is your Black Lotus from, and did you have it graded?
Last year, a grade 10 (gem mint) Black Lotus from the Alpha set, signed by Christopher Rush, sold for 540.000 dollars.

Rare MTG Black Lotus card sells for record-breaking $540k at auction - Dexerto

One of Magic: The Gathering’s most coveted cards, Black Lotus, has sold at auction for a record-breaking number.

www.dexerto.com

 

[mlnevese]

I envy you. What set is your Black Lotus from, and did you have it graded?
Last year, a grade 10 (gem mint) Black Lotus from the Alpha set, signed by Christopher Rush, sold for 540.000 dollars.

Rare MTG Black Lotus card sells for record-breaking $540k at auction - Dexerto

One of Magic: The Gathering’s most coveted cards, Black Lotus, has sold at auction for a record-breaking number.

www.dexerto.com

Nope. never graded it and I have no intention of selling. I have other rare cards, kept mint

 

[m7600]

But what set is it from? I would be more than happy to have a heavily played, completely damaged Black Lotus from Unlimited. But if you have a mint Black Lotus from Alpha, you could be sitting on half a million dollars.

 

[mlnevese]

But what set is it from? I would be more than happy to have a heavily played, completely damaged Black Lotus from Unlimited. But if you have a mint Black Lotus from Alpha, you could be sitting on half a million dollars.

I'd really have to check it. I don't remember when I bought it and have been out of Magic for so long, I'd probably have to research to identify it

 

[m7600]

It's easy to tell, and you don't need to remember when you bought it. Black Lotus appeared in three sets: Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited. All Alpha cards have slightly rounder corners than cards from other sets. It's the only set in MTG that has that feature. So, if your card has rounder corners, it's an Alpha Black Lotus, the most valuable type. Here's an example:

A Black Lotus from Beta, on the other hand, has normal corners. Compare:

Finally, a Black Lotus from Unlimited has a white border instead of the normal black border:

These last ones are the "cheapest" ones. They still sell for dozens of thousands of dollars, which is insane for something that is essentially a piece of cardboard. So, whatever it is that you have, it's extremely valuable.