Dark Magician is the main card used by the protagonist of the first Yu-Gi-Oh series, Yugi Muto.
Due to this, it’s one of the most frequently printed cards in Yu-Gi-Oh history and can go for pretty big prices at auctions and sales.
We’ve collected together more expensive printings of the iconic monster and explained why they’re so pricey these days, so strap in and prepare yourself to witness a monster, a spell caster that is the ultimate wizard in terms of both attack and defence, a fearsome foe that will blow you away.
So let’s take a look at the most valuable Dark Magician cards!
1. Dark Magician (Dark Duel Stories Prismatic Secret Rare Promo)
Dark Duel Stories was a was one of the best Yu-Gi-Oh Gameboy games that was released days after the first Yu-Gi-Oh pack of all time, Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
It launched with three Prismatic Secret Rare promo cards: Exodia the Forbidden One, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Dark Magician, and created one of the most sought-after Dark Magician printings of all time.
Later versions of Dark Duel Stories would replace these three cards with three other cards that are worth so little they’re not even really worth mentioning, and as such finding this card at a price that won’t make your eyes turn into dollar signs is near impossible.
Since finding this card in mint condition is pretty difficult, and since it’s not like they’re still printing promo cards for a Yu-Gi-Oh game that was released over twenty years ago, you’re looking at spending a minimum of $750 on this one printing, but for that, you get one of the best-looking printings of the card.
2. Dark Magician (Ghosts From The Past Ghost Rare)
Do you like high-rarity cards? Are you willing to spend a small fortune on a piece of cardboard? Then this is the card for you!
Ghosts From The Past might have been maligned as a set, with many people seeing it simply as a waste of a slot that could have been given to any other product and a nostalgia grab in a game that is constantly relying on older cards and products to sell to players that might be feeling jaded and cynical by the game, but the Ghost Rare Dark Magician from this set is one of the more expensive Dark Magician prints.
If you’re in the market for a Ghost Rare Dark Magician, then you’re looking at spending upwards of $600 on the card. Technically speaking, it’s the highest rarity that you can get in Yu-Gi-Oh overall and a beautiful print for such an iconic card.
3. Dark Magician (Retro Pack 1 Ultra Rare)
Retro Pack 1 was an incredibly under-printed set, which means that it’s extremely difficult to get your hands on a copy of this specific printing of Dark Magician, which uses the Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon art.
Almost every single card from Retro Pack 1 is difficult to track down, but this Dark Magician specifically might take you a while to find due to how sought after it actually is, and how much people want to get their hands on it.
If you want this card, then you’re looking at almost $200 for the privilege, and you’ll have to actually find a listing for the card, which is pretty difficult due to the aforementioned scarcity of the pack itself.
4. Dark Magician (Battle of Chaos Ultra Rare)
Battle of Chaos was released back in 2021 and featured a whole host of cards that people wanted to get their hands on. One of these cards was Dark Magician, and it became one of the most valuable in the set.
The card features a unique ‘25TH’ set code and an Ultra Rare finish. Artwork-wise it uses a twist on the classic Kazuki Takahashi artwork from before even Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon had been printed, instead taking inspiration from the artwork featured in the Yu-Gi-Oh manga.
If you want to get your hands on this edition of Dark Magician, then you’ll be paying around $180 on average, since it was a chase card in the set and a unique piece of artwork.
5. Dark Magician (2002 Collector’s Tin Secret Rare)
The 2002 collector’s tins were the very first collector’s tins ever printed, and as such feature a lot of cards that are worth a ton of money.
This variant of Dark Magician specifically is a secret rare variant of the original Starter Deck Yugi Dark Magician and contains the most iconic art of Dark Magician himself, which is the classic art featured most prominently in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime.
While there are a whole lot of copies out there, with the incredible popularity of Yu-Gi-Oh itself causing the tins to sell out everywhere, a copy of this card will set you back roughly $155.
6. Dark Magician (Kazuki Takahashi Shonen Jump Ultra Rare)
Kazuki Takahashi is the godfather of Yu-Gi-Oh and the reason we’re even talking about this game at all.
He created all of the most iconic monsters in the series, and one of those iconic monsters is the Dark Magician, hence this special printing of the card.
This is a reissue of the promo card originally printed in Shonen Jump Volume 9 and features artwork of the Dark Magician himself on a stark white background.
To this day, that artwork has never been used for anything outside of these promo cards, so if you want to get your hands on an incredibly striking image then you’re looking at spending roughly $80 to get it.
