Well, guess I'm just a sheep in the crowd... Read on Reddit (of course, it's where the 'latest' Magic news comes out of, heh)...
Yup, there's a foiled out Black Lotus, all in Japanese, that's selling like hotcakes on eBay. So I decide to search it up, curious to know if it's a limited release. Instead I see a post on Reddit from 2 years ago mentioning this.
So either 2 things have happened:
1) We're all late to the party. This has been out for 2 years now & no one in Southern California is talking about it...
(unlikely... but #2 is just as banal)
(ooorrrrrrrr)
2) This was leaked 2 years ago, but because of the pandemic (or something else entirely) this special Duel Master's set was delayed, held back, on the back burner, or some other reason to have a 2 year release window.
(or #3, less banal, but more mysterious):
3) Something else weird is going on & I cannot figure it out.
Is this some parallels universe crashing into ours? Won't owners of A/B/U or CE Black Lotus's be up in arms over this? How come the secondary market doesn't have their metaphorical panties in a twist that WotC just found a way to circumvent (in a way) their Orobos, the Reserved List?
Please, someone, clue this man in... What in the ^%!@% is going on?!?!?!
The Game Duel Masters has had some MTG crossover cards in it in the past (I believe it has had Emrakul, for example) as they are both owned by wizards. I recall hearing a while back that the Duel Masters show/manga was originally devised to show off MTG rather than a new card game so the two games hold a bit of a connection. As they don't use the same rules, however, I can guarantee that the Duel Masters Black Lotus does not have the same game text as the one in MTG and would not be legal as a game piece for MTG (which explains why the Reserved List is a non-factor here). From what I've heard, that Black Lotus duel master card actually functions as something closer to a lotus bloom when you translate it.
so... yeah. It's a half-decent proxy if that's your thing but it's not a magic card so there's no problem.
The Game Duel Masters has had some MTG crossover cards in it in the past (I believe it has had Emrakul, for example) as they are both owned by wizards. I recall hearing a while back that the Duel Masters show/manga was originally devised to show off MTG rather than a new card game so the two games hold a bit of a connection. As they don't use the same rules, however, I can guarantee that the Duel Masters Black Lotus does not have the same game text as the one in MTG and would not be legal as a game piece for MTG (which explains why the Reserved List is a non-factor here). From what I've heard, that Black Lotus duel master card actually functions as something closer to a lotus bloom when you translate it.
so... yeah. It's a half-decent proxy if that's your thing but it's not a magic card so there's no problem.
So, in a vacuum (looking at this w/o emotion or Legacy connectivity), is it an acceptable investment (no, I don't see this ever breaking ten thousand, let alone a thousand.... but just about anything w/ the old border and Lotus-look can fetch a premium, ie the oversized comic book insert Black Lotus is currently over $100)? Being one of the only legit sources that can find a way around the Reserved List while still officially printing it (again, I know, a proxy, doesn't really affect the RL) should count for something. It's not like some cheaply done Etsy/Alibaba proxy. And no other company can legally, w/o permission (like anyone in WotC would allow homage or a copy of the most iconic Magic card ever) print a Black Lotus.
I'm on the fence w/ if it is/was a smart choice to buy it off of eBay for $45. It's seeing lower prices currently, but it feels like a piranha feeding frenzy on eBay right now. There will be finite printing. And once the cap is reached, those who have will keep pushing the price up until the fair market feels it tapering off, leveling out. But I can guarantee it won't stay below $50.
If anything, it'll compliment those playing w/ Garth, One-Eye. For others, it'll just be a blinged out proxy. But really, who plays Vintage tournaments where it'll be a make or break situation? Most people are not that hardcore to go jerk-mode and deny this version. It doesn't look like it was scribbled on a 4th Edition Island by a 5 year old w/ a black crayon. Or written on a once-blank DFC token from the past 3 years.
And even w/ all of this mumbo-jumbo I'm speaking that sounds like defense of spending $45, I'm still on the fence. Well, what is done, is done. It's not going to break the bank for me.
It's Japanese, has a different card back, and is transparently not a magic card. There is no hypothetical reality in which duel master cards become legal in MTG to actually "bypass the reserved list". If anyone you play with mistakes a card with the mana symbol in the wrong corner and a random 1 on the bottom of the card for a real black lotus, they deserve what's coming to them.
If having a proxy that is "Official" is worth about $50, go nuts. I would rather get an unofficial proxy for under $10 that looks a bit more like the real thing but that's just me. I'm not a proxy guy.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Rare pieces actually and everyone is in a rush to find so everyone will conceal info on where to get it. I got the Unlimited Version, heavily played. I’m considering putting it on the market, for cash, in return to double my position in Btc. Not in a rush to sell at the right price
Yup, there's a foiled out Black Lotus, all in Japanese, that's selling like hotcakes on eBay. So I decide to search it up, curious to know if it's a limited release. Instead I see a post on Reddit from 2 years ago mentioning this.
So either 2 things have happened:
1) We're all late to the party. This has been out for 2 years now & no one in Southern California is talking about it...
(unlikely... but #2 is just as banal)
(ooorrrrrrrr)
2) This was leaked 2 years ago, but because of the pandemic (or something else entirely) this special Duel Master's set was delayed, held back, on the back burner, or some other reason to have a 2 year release window.
(or #3, less banal, but more mysterious):
3) Something else weird is going on & I cannot figure it out.
Is this some parallels universe crashing into ours? Won't owners of A/B/U or CE Black Lotus's be up in arms over this? How come the secondary market doesn't have their metaphorical panties in a twist that WotC just found a way to circumvent (in a way) their Orobos, the Reserved List?
Please, someone, clue this man in... What in the ^%!@% is going on?!?!?!
Here's it mentioned 2 years ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/etu1b5/its_a_jellyfishmushroomflyingsaucer_thing_jk_its/
https://archidekt.com/user/71716
so... yeah. It's a half-decent proxy if that's your thing but it's not a magic card so there's no problem.
So, in a vacuum (looking at this w/o emotion or Legacy connectivity), is it an acceptable investment (no, I don't see this ever breaking ten thousand, let alone a thousand.... but just about anything w/ the old border and Lotus-look can fetch a premium, ie the oversized comic book insert Black Lotus is currently over $100)? Being one of the only legit sources that can find a way around the Reserved List while still officially printing it (again, I know, a proxy, doesn't really affect the RL) should count for something. It's not like some cheaply done Etsy/Alibaba proxy. And no other company can legally, w/o permission (like anyone in WotC would allow homage or a copy of the most iconic Magic card ever) print a Black Lotus.
I'm on the fence w/ if it is/was a smart choice to buy it off of eBay for $45. It's seeing lower prices currently, but it feels like a piranha feeding frenzy on eBay right now. There will be finite printing. And once the cap is reached, those who have will keep pushing the price up until the fair market feels it tapering off, leveling out. But I can guarantee it won't stay below $50.
If anything, it'll compliment those playing w/ Garth, One-Eye. For others, it'll just be a blinged out proxy. But really, who plays Vintage tournaments where it'll be a make or break situation? Most people are not that hardcore to go jerk-mode and deny this version. It doesn't look like it was scribbled on a 4th Edition Island by a 5 year old w/ a black crayon. Or written on a once-blank DFC token from the past 3 years.
And even w/ all of this mumbo-jumbo I'm speaking that sounds like defense of spending $45, I'm still on the fence. Well, what is done, is done. It's not going to break the bank for me.
It's Japanese, has a different card back, and is transparently not a magic card. There is no hypothetical reality in which duel master cards become legal in MTG to actually "bypass the reserved list". If anyone you play with mistakes a card with the mana symbol in the wrong corner and a random 1 on the bottom of the card for a real black lotus, they deserve what's coming to them.
If having a proxy that is "Official" is worth about $50, go nuts. I would rather get an unofficial proxy for under $10 that looks a bit more like the real thing but that's just me. I'm not a proxy guy.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/825796-black-lotus-reprint-in-duel-masters-ocg
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta