Magic: The Gathering’s $2 Million Card Was Used in a Real Match

Post Malone has finally put his legendary Magic: The Gathering card to use. Three years after buying the one-of-a-kind The One Ring for $2 million, the musician removed it from its protective case and played it in an actual game.

Malone brought the card to an episode of The Command Zone’s Game Knights, where he joined a Commander match. As he prepared to take it out of its oversized protective holder, the other players reacted with alarm. Malone joked that keeping it locked away would spoil game night.

Valuable trading cards are usually kept in protective cases to help preserve their condition. Malone, however, chose to play his prized card rather than leave it on display.

In gameplay, his card works like other versions of The One Ring. When it enters the battlefield, its controller gains protection from everything until their next turn. It can also be tapped to draw cards, though doing so adds burden counters that can eventually cost the player life. Malone’s copy is extraordinary because it bears the serial number 001/001: no other copy exists.

Why is Post Malone’s One Ring card worth $2 million?

The card was released in the 2023 set The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. Wizards of the Coast produced just one serialized 001/001 version, a nod to the uniquely powerful ring at the heart of J.R.R. Tolkien’s story. Its scarcity made it one of the set’s most sought-after cards.

Canadian collector Brook Trafton discovered the unique card. After it was authenticated by PSA and received a Mint 9 grade, Malone bought it directly from Trafton in August 2023 for $2 million.

Trafton later explained that Malone was the first person he thought of after finding the card. Although keeping it would have been a dream for a lifelong Magic player, he said the sale was life-changing and hoped the card would go to someone who valued it.

Since Malone’s purchase, Magic has returned to Middle-earth. A new The Hobbit set, released Aug. 14, follows Bilbo Baggins’ journey to the Lonely Mountain and features characters such as Gandalf, Thorin and Smaug.

The set includes another version of The One Ring, but Malone’s serialized card remains the sole 001/001 copy from Tales of Middle-earth. Now that he has taken it out of its case and played it, fans can only hope he resists the Ring’s legendary pull.

Source: Polygon