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I Hate The Reserved List

Magic finance author Chas Andres goes over each set from Urza’s block and earlier and examines which significant cards are on the reserved list and which aren’t to see if there are any interesting speculation targets

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The reserved list is one of the biggest flashpoints in the Magic community.

Fans of the reserved list—a fairly small group of old school collectors—claim that such a policy is necessary for the long term financial health of the game. As an example of this, they point to an incident early in the game’s history when Chronicles completely crashed the secondary market for singles. Prior to that set’s release, Legends stalwarts like Carrion Ants and Dakkon Blackblade were briskly selling between $25 and $35. Not only did Chronicles flood the market with thousands of new copies, the rarity level on many Legends rares was lowered to uncommon.

The reserved list was Wizards’ apology to everyone who lost hundreds of dollars in perceived value thanks to Chronicles. This was the early days of CCGs, remember, as well as the great comic book and baseball card value crash of the 90s. Something had to be done to assure players that their investments were sound.

It’s important to note that this outrage wasn’t limited to collectors at the time. Regular players were very upset that their collections were being devalued in a serious way. The reserved list might seem like an overreaction now, but it felt very necessary at the time.

Those who dislike the reserved list claim that Wizards’ inability to reprint cards will ultimately spell the end for Legacy and Vintage as viable sanctioned formats. With the amount of available Moxen and Loti dwindling, non-proxy Vintage is already close to a dead format. Legacy is still fairly healthy, but the last dual land was printed almost twenty years ago. At a certain point, barring a policy change, this format will meet the same fate.

Personally, I believe that the reserved list in its current form is no longer a necessity. Back in the early days of Magic, the owner of a Black Lotus had no reason to trust Wizards of the Coast not to reprint the card once their business took a downturn. Fifteen years later, Wizards has consistently shown that they value both collectors and players alike. While some reprints do hurt the value of cards without actually adding much to Standard (Meddling Mage, Nantuko Shade, Haunting Echoes, etc.), the majority of reprints help bring new life to old cards. While I wouldn’t mind a tiny reserved list with a couple of $100+ cards on it, the influx of new blood to Legacy would likely make the abolition of the current reserved list more lucrative to big-time collectors than keeping it does.

Of course, that discussion is moot. Two years ago, thanks to a massive amount of pressure from the community, Wizards staff had a meeting with a select group of players, collectors, and storeowners to discuss what to do with the reserved list. Ultimately, even though nearly everyone in R&D wanted to abolish the list, Wizards decided that they could not break the promise that they made all those years ago. The prevailing theory is that the Hasbro legal department was worried about lawsuits from collectors over falling secondary market prices, but that’s just conjecture.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether or not the reserved list should exist—it does. And because of that, you should know exactly which cards are and are not on it. After all, any card not on the list can be reprinted at any time, either in a limited edition box set or a brand new Magic expansion. All cards on the list, however, are trapped in time and constantly primed for a big jump in price. The sky is the limit on reserved list rares, so let’s see if we can find some interesting speculation targets.

Anatomy of a List

Before analyzing each set in turn, I want to take a look at how the reserved list was formed.

Initially, the reserved list contained every card from Unlimited through The Dark that hadn’t been reprinted in Fourth Edition. The list was set to be updated every time a base (core) set was released with every card since the last base set that wasn’t reprinted in the current base set. Confused? Me too. Let me try to explain.

Three expansions came out in the time between the release of Fifth Edition and the release of Sixth Edition: Mirage, Visions, and Weatherlight. This meant that as of Sixth Edition’s printing, any card that wasn’t immediately reprinted in the base set from those three expansions would be placed on the reserved list. This is why Vampiric Tutor (Sixth Edition reprint) isn’t on the Reserved List but bulk bin superstar Triangle of War can never be printed again.

Between Tempest and Urza’s Destiny, the policy changed. Not only were commons and uncommons left off, only selected rares would be placed on the list. This is why Multani, Maro-Sorcerer is stuck on the list while Goblin Welder is fair game to come back at any point.

No cards from Mercadian Masques onward are on the reserved list.

In 2002, thanks to an outpouring of community support, Wizards removed the Alpha/Beta/Unlimited commons and uncommons from the list, freeing them up for reprinting. At some point between 2002 and 2010, a whole bunch of other commons and uncommons from those early expansions were removed as well. The list has been static as of March 2010, and I don’t expect it to ever change again.

Wizards of the Coast has tried to ‘cheat’ the reserved list a couple of times over the years. Originally, there were separate policies for foreign cards and English ones, but that has since been fixed. A bigger loophole allowed Wizards to reprint reserved list cards as foils, which is why you will recognize some of the below cards from judge promos or box sets. As of March 2010, that loophole has been closed as well.

If future generations of Wizards employees want to circumvent the reserved list while still obeying the letter of the law, their best bet is to print new cards that serve similar roles to the old ones without being functionally identical. For example, new lands that have the advantage/drawback of being Snow lands but are otherwise just as good as the original Revised duals. Of course, this would simply lead to some players being able to play with basically eight copies of a card in Legacy unless they banned the original duals at the same time, which opens up an entirely different can of worms.  

Regardless, the company appears unwilling to break the reserved list or circumvent it in any way.

I’d like to use the rest of the article to go over each set from Urza’s block and earlier and examine which significant cards are on the list and which aren’t. This allows us to see which cards might highlight the next From the Vaults set and which are slowly being lost to time. All cards on the list that are tournament staples are worth an extended look, so make sure they’re always on your radar.

I’m going to highlight each card that costs $2 or more on StarCityGames.com that hasn’t been reprinted either recently or multiple times in the past.

Let’s get to it, starting with one of the most degenerate sets of all time:

Urza’s Saga

Significant cards on the list:

Of these, only three can fairly be called tournament staples: Gilded Drake, Serra’s Sanctum, and Time Spiral. Because of that, they all still have room to grow. Gilded Drake has gone up an amazing $20 over the past year, and we might not have even hit its ceiling. Tolarian Academy and Yawgmoth’s Will are banned in most formats but have a ton of value due to casual play and nostalgia for some of the most powerful cards in the history of the game. 

Significant cards not on the list:

Sneak Attack has been reprinted as a judge foil recently, and Goblin Lackey was in a From the Vaults set. I’d imagine that we’ll see both Exploration and Show and Tell as high profile reprints within the next few years, with Show and Tell possibly headlining a box set in 2013.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion – Zephid

Good thing Wizards broke the mold on this shrouded flyer. Clearly, creatures should never be this powerful.

Urza’s Legacy

Significant cards on the list:

Grim Monolith sees play as a four-of in Legacy from time to time. If it ever becomes as relevant to the metagame as Show and Tell—it’s certainly just as powerful—the sky is the limit. All serious Legacy players should get a playset of these and stash them.

Memory Jar is one of the most broken cards of all time, so $3 is a great price to pick them up. If it ever gets unbanned in anything or casual players start taking to it more, there is significant upside.

Palinchron is an amazing combo piece that has gone up already due to Commander play. While it probably won’t do much in Constructed, there is some potential growth here as well.

Significant cards not on the list:

The judge foil Goblin Welder has already hurt the value of the original set foil; if that hadn’t come out, I’d be telling you to sell those immediately. Otherwise, I don’t see much downside on this list. Karmic Guide just got a reprint too, but I hope it gets one that will go to a wider audience. Even if it does, the price of this one isn’t going to drop below $10.

I can’t see Mother of Runes or Tinker ever getting the ‘Rancor’ treatment in a core set—neither card is very interactive, and Mom especially leads to some complex board stalls. If you have copies of those, you’ll likely only run afoul of a Commander reprinting or two which won’t do much to the price.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Second Chance

Taking an extra turn is powerful. Jumping through this many hoops for one is not.

Urza’s Destiny

Significant cards on the list:

If you are going to speculate on any card in this article, my money is on Academy Rector.

Rector has long been powerful, but it’s just now started showing up in Legacy Omniscience decks. Because of that, the price on SCG has jumped $4-$5 and you simply cannot find this card anywhere online right now. As of this writing, eBay had zero playsets available, and most of the other online stores were down to a single copy.  

Is this card a future Legacy staple? Perhaps not, but the deck is a blast to play and reserved list cards rarely drop in value once they go up. This is a very safe investment at $15, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it doubles in price over the next month or two.  

The other two cards on this list I love are Metalworker and Treachery. Metalworker sees Legacy play from time to time, while Treachery is a Commander staple of the highest order. Both cards should hit $20 sooner or later.

Significant cards not on the list:

Most of this set’s best cards are stuck on the list. I wouldn’t be shocked if a tribal Commander pre-con has Urza’s Incubator in it at some point, but the character-specific card name means that it is unlikely to see a wide reprinting.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Carnival of Souls

This rare was the punchline of the set when it came out, at least among my group of friends. It’s one of the most frustrating Johnny cards ever printed because it’s so close to being the perfect combo piece, but…no.

Tempest

Significant cards on the list:

If you don’t take my advice about Academy Rector, take a look at Humility instead. The card is an interesting answer to all of the nonsense going on in Legacy right now and is starting to see more and more play coming out of sideboards. Serious Legacy folks should pick up a couple of these immediately. Their ceiling isn’t as high as Rector—it’s a sideboard card and it isn’t a four-of—but it should hit $20 at some point unless the format drastically changes.

Aluren is always somewhat close to being broken, as is Meditate. Eladamri is a great casual/Commander card and Earthcraft will triple in price overnight if it ever gets unbanned in Legacy. Keep an eye on all of these.

Significant cards not on the list:

Obviously, the high profile reprint here would be Wasteland, though I’d personally love to see the rare Medallion cycle back in M14. Wasteland will likely return as a FTV headliner at some point, though that probably won’t hurt the value at all. These are safe to pick up for the moment.

Grindstone would be another good one to bring back, and I expect we’ll see it within the next few years. It’s okay to sell your set now if you’re not using it, as the reprint will likely drop the price of the original.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Escaped Shapeshifter

C’mon! This little guy is adorable! Why wouldn’t you want to bring him back in every single core set between now and the heat death of the universe?

Stronghold

Significant cards on the list:

All four of these cards are awesome. Dream Halls has always been one step away from being broken in half, and Mox Diamond is a tournament staple. Sliver Queen is the ultimate casual critter, and Volrath’s Stronghold is one of the best lands in Commander.

The card I actually like best on this list is Volrath’s Stronghold—with better creatures coming out each year, this utility land should never go down in price. It recently jumped from $20 to $25, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it keeps rising in value.

Significant cards not on the list:

Again, the bulk of the best cards made the reserved list. Burgeoning would be fun as a Commander reprint, though, and I’d love to see Ensnaring Bridge come back in Standard. I don’t think it will happen, as it encourages a style of play that Wizards doesn’t like, but I’d personally start brewing with it immediately. It’s more likely that we’ll see Horn of Greed again sometime soon.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Silver Wyvern

This Drake is an award-winning card. The award is ‘most likely to be skipped over when sorting bulk because you think it’s an uncommon.’

Exodus

Significant cards on the list:

Survival of the Fittest was worth three times as much before it got the boot in Legacy. It was readily available in the $12-$15 range a few months after that, but before it started creeping up again thanks to Commander and Cube. Both that and Recurring Nightmare have a little bit more growth potential thanks to the continued rise of casual play.

City of Traitors and Mind over Matter are both interesting as well. I’ve long kept an eye out on both, and either could make a significant move if the right deck came along.

Significant cards not on the list:

There’s nothing all that great on this list save Price of Progress, unfortunately. No high profile reprint candidates here.

 Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Oath of Ghouls

None of the other Oaths—including Oath of Druids—are on the reserved list, yet this one made it somehow. I don’t understand either.

Mirage

Significant cards on the list:

Lion’s Eye Diamond is a broken card, essential as a four-of in the decks that run it, that will never be reprinted. It’s perfectly safe to buy in. Dreadnought is always kind of interesting too, but with creatures getting better and better I doubt it has too many days of dominance left.

Shallow Grave is an interesting one. It works well with the current ‘unstoppable creatures’ thing dominating Legacy, and it might be an intriguing sleeper pickup.

Significant cards not on the list:

This set marks the first change in reserved list policy. From this point back, very few rares escaped the list due to the ‘you had to be reprinted in the latest base set’ edict.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Taniwha

Of course, the policy change means I get to start picking my favorite silly rare out of each set. Hooray!

Visions

Significant cards on the list:

Undiscovered Paradise is the best card here, as it works well as a landfall enabler. Bloodghast is what brought it up from near-bulk prices, and when Wizards inevitably revisits landfall in a few years there’s a chance that they’ll print something that will work even better with it. You can pick these up fairly easily because almost no one values them at full retail. At some point, it might be worth stocking away a set.

Significant cards not on the list:

The three best cards in Visions escape the tyranny of the reserved list by virtue of being reprinted—Desertion and Vampiric Tutor in Classic (Sixth Edition) and Natural Order in Portal. They’ve done judge foils of Natural Order and Vampiric Tutor already, and I expect we’ll see a foil Desertion at some point too.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Kookus

Of course, Keeper of Kookus is free to be reprinted in a set near you!

Weatherlight

Significant cards on the list:

Firestorm is the best of these, followed closely by Null Rod and Peacekeeper. All three are Legacy playable, meaning they always have room to grow.

Abeyance has actually come down in price over the years, but I kind of like it as a possible sleeper.

Significant cards not on the list:

I’m certain we’ll see a foil Doomsday at some point, probably with awesome new alternate art. Gemstone Mine has come back as recently as Time Spiral, but it’s a confusing enough card that I doubt we’ll see it again soon.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Gallowbraid

I don’t have anything to say about Gallowbraid at all, which is why it makes a baffling inclusion on this list.

Ice Age

Significant cards on the list:

Good lord, Ice Age sure was terrible. And based on what percentage of cards I find in random collections are from this set, there are more Ice Age cards out there than every other expansion combined.

Significant cards not on the list:

If you’re going to speculate on Necropotence from a casual perspective, go with either of the foil versions and give this one a pass.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Musician

This card is an amazing combo with Braid of Fire and hating yourself.

Alliances

Significant cards on the list:

Helm of Obedience is probably the best one here until someone comes up with a deck that breaks Lake of the Dead right open. Cubist should also pick up their judge foil Thawing Glaciers soon—the price is unlikely to ever come down. (Cue people who cut Thawing Glaciers from their cube entirely yelling at me in the comments.)

Significant cards not on the list:

Every year for the past two years, I’ve gone on the record saying that we will see a foil Force of Will within the next 6-12 months. I am making that prediction once again. It’s got to happen eventually, right?

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Chaos Harlequin

This card’s uses are entirely limited to Batman theme decks and fear of clown decks.

Homelands

Significant cards on the list:

The Baron is really only on here thanks to nostalgia, so he’s unlikely to rise any further. I liked Leeches going into Scars block, but I don’t see any further upside here.

Significant cards not on the list:

  • N/A

There are no other cards worth $2 or more in Homelands.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Marjhan

This guy is perfect for your Taniwha deck!

Fallen Empires

Significant cards on the list:

Calling these cards ‘significant’ is rather dubious. You’ll never find anyone who will trade for them. StarCityGames.com buys these at a quarter each, though, so I guess that’s something.

Significant cards not on the list:

We’ll surely see a foil Hymn at some point. Otherwise, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Ebon Praetor

This guy appears to be marrying a Bunny, a Demon, and a Merfolk. Because of that, he has the ability to…I don’t even know. It’s like his abilities were pulled out of a hat. And the hat had diphtheria.

The Dark

Significant cards on the list:

None of these spells are great for Constructed and all of them have been outclassed by cards that have been printed since. There’s some room for minor growth thanks to casual play, but let’s face it, Goblin Wizard isn’t going to be tearing up your FNM anytime soon.

Significant cards not on the list:

As you are probably aware, Maze of Ith was just reprinted in From the Vault: Realms. I doubt we’ll see it again soon, so pick up your Mazes now where the price is (relatively) low.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Psychic Allergy

Achoo! I’m allergic to terrible cards.

Legends / Antiquities / Arabian Nights

Because of the age and scarcity of cards from these sets, every single rare is worth at least $2 in near mint condition. Instead of generating a gigantic price list of every rare in all three sets that you won’t actually read anyway, I’m going to skip right to the list of cards that aren’t on the reserved list.

I also kept off the cards that were reprinted at a significantly lower value. A black-bordered Nicol Bolas from Legends might be worth $20, but that’s only due to the rarity of the set. The price of both the Chronicles and Time Spiral versions prove that the inherent value of the card’s content is very low.

Also, we’re back to the initial sets put on the list, meaning a ton of commons and uncommons are still on there. All of you hoping for foil Library of Alexandria or Bazaar of Baghdad are out of luck.  

Significant cards not on the list:

Mana Drain somehow managed to escape the reserved list because all of the commons and U2s from Legends were removed at some point while the rares (U1s at the time) were kept. This is the most valuable card that Wizards can reprint, and at some point I expect that we’ll actually see it happen. At least, I certainly hope so!

Unfortunately, most of the good commons and uncommons from Antiquities and Arabian Nights were kept while the mediocre ones were purged. Ah well—can’t win them all.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Invoke Prejudice

Not so much that this card was on the list, but that this card was printed at all. Seriously? The KKK gets their own Magic card?

… And it’s blue?

Alpha / Beta / Unlimited / Revised

At this point, card value is so dependent on edition and condition that I am leaving it out entirely. If you are curious about the price of a given card you own, the SCG card search feature is on the top left of the main page.

Significant cards on the list:

Most of these cards are already quite pricy thanks to power level, nostalgia, or both. The only possible sleeper hit I see is Copy Artifact, an underrated card in Commander that I didn’t even suspect was on this list until just now. Otherwise, The Power 9 is just as safe an investment as ever.

Significant cards not on the list:

We’ve already seen the best of these come back as judge foils, but I wouldn’t mind a new foil printing of Armageddon with new art or a first ever foiling of Winter Orb. I expect we’ll see another foil Demonic Tutor at some point too, considering the massive popularity of the judge foil and the Angels vs. Demons version.

Weirdest Reserved List Inclusion — Farmstead

There aren’t actually that many cards from the early base sets on the list, so my choice of bad rares was pretty limited. I’m giving it to Farmstead because I think it’s the only card on the list that I’ve never actually seen in play at any point in my life.

Until next time—

—Chas Andres