The MTG Reserved List Explained: Why These Cards Hold Value
What is the Magic: The Gathering Reserved List, which cards are on it, why it keeps prices high, and what to check if you own dual lands or 90s cards.
By Ayoub Farid · · 2 min read
The Reserved List is a list of older Magic: The Gathering cards that Wizards of the Coast has promised never to reprint in a functional, tournament-legal form. It's one of the main reasons some 1990s Magic cards are so valuable.
Where it came from
In the mid-1990s, heavy reprints of popular cards upset collectors who saw their cards lose value. In response, Wizards created the Reserved List (first published in 1996) to protect certain older cards from reprinting. The list covers cards from sets up to the late 1990s (through Urza's Destiny), and no new cards have been added since the early 2000s.
Well-known cards on the list
- The Power Nine (Black Lotus, the Moxen, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Timetwister)
- Original dual lands: Underground Sea, Volcanic Island, Tropical Island, Badlands and the others
- Popular cards such as Gaea's Cradle, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Lion's Eye Diamond and Library of Alexandria
- Many lesser-known rares from early sets, not all of them valuable
Why it matters for value
- Fixed supply: every year some copies are damaged or lost, while demand grows.
- Commander and Legacy demand: several Reserved List cards are played in popular formats.
- Collector demand for the history of the game.
Being on the list doesn't make every card valuable: plenty of Reserved List cards are weak or unpopular and sell for little.
Which printings count
Original printings (like Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Revised for dual lands) differ widely in value. Collectors' Edition and International Edition (square-cornered, gold-bordered backs) are not tournament legal and have their own markets. Gold-bordered World Championship decks are also not legal. See old MTG card values.
Check for counterfeits
Expensive Reserved List cards are counterfeited. Check the card stock (light test), the print pattern under a loupe (genuine cards show a specific rosette pattern), and buy from reputable sellers or graded.
Try it on your own cards
If you have Magic cards from the 1990s, scan them with Rarefolio to identify the set and see an estimated market value. Pay special attention to lands with two basic land types and to cards from Legends, Arabian Nights and Antiquities. For other valuable categories, see MTG cards worth money.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Reserved List in Magic: The Gathering?
A list of older cards that Wizards of the Coast has promised not to reprint, which limits their supply.
Are all Reserved List cards valuable?
No. Many are weak or unpopular cards and sell cheaply. The valuable ones are powerful or iconic cards played in Commander, Legacy or Vintage.
Will the Reserved List ever be removed?
Wizards has repeatedly said it intends to keep the Reserved List in place.
Are Collectors' Edition cards on the Reserved List?
Collectors' Edition cards are reprints with square corners and gold-bordered backs; they're not tournament legal and are valued separately.