2023 was a busy year for Magic: The Gathering with a number of new sets coming out from Dominaria Remastered in January to The Lost Caverns of Ixalan releasing mid last month.
And while many, many new cards have come out over the past twelve months, our friends at TCGPlayer.com have trimmed things down to the ten top cards for the year.
10. Moonshaker Cavalry (Mythic, Wilds of Eldraine) Says TCGPlayer's Riley Knight: "Moonshaker Cavalry was my personal favorite card from 2023, and I'm sure I'm not alone in loving the fact that we have a brand-new Craterhoof Behemoth. Having to figure out trample damage was always a little annoying, but now with flying instead, we don't have to! Having a bit of extra redundancy when it comes to colossal finishers is very welcome, but the thing I like most about this card is its creature type." |
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9. Sword of Once and Future (Mythic, March of the Machine) Says TCGPlayer: "he Sword of X and Y series began back in 2004, in a set called Darksteel from the original Mirrodin block, and it has finally been completed with the ninth and tenth swords being printed this year. Sword of Forge and Frontier joined us in All Will Be One, while the very last of the swords, Sword of Once and Future, came along in March of the Machine." |
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8. Geological Appraiser (Uncommon, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan) Says TCGPlayer: "The brave new attempt at a cascade-like mechanic ended with a result no-one could have seen coming: an extremely swift ban. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan was released on the 17th of November, and less than three weeks later, Geological Appraiser was banned in Pioneer. Discover, like most mechanics that let you cast spells for free, proved to be a little too good for competitive play in certain instances." |
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7. Agatha's Soul Cauldron (Mythic, Wilds of Eldraine) Says TCGPlayer: "Printed in this year's Wilds of Eldraine, the Cauldron still sees regular play across multiple archetypes in multiple formats - from Hardened Scales and Yawgmoth in Modern to Bomberman in Legacy. Its constructed popularity has also helped to make it one of the most expensive cards released in 2023: it currently sits at over $40." |
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6. Beseech the Mirror (Mythic, Wilds of Eldraine) Says TCGPlayer: "Tutors are incredibly powerful, and casting spells for free is incredibly powerful, and Beseech the Mirror does both of these things. Beseech has changed the game for Storm decks in older formats, it sees play in Modern Cabal Coffers decks, and of course is immensely popular in Commander as well." |
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5. Lórien Revealed (Common, Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings, Tales of Middle-Earth) Says TCGPlayer: "Lórien Revealed, which is enabling blue mages in Modern, Legacy and even Vintage to cut their land counts...and play a five-mana sorcery-speed Ancestral Recall instead. Lórien Revealed is probably the most impactful common to be printed all year." |
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4. Up the Beanstalk (Uncommon, Wilds of Eldraine) Says TCGPlayer: "Up the Beanstalk is one of the most efficient card advantage engines we've seen in a long time, principally because of how many free or cost-reduced spells there are in formats like Modern these days. While you can still get on the beans in Standard and Pioneer, the fact that Modern has expensive evoke Elementals as well as cards like Leyline Binding to trigger the Beanstalk meant that it was deemed too strong for the format, lasting only a couple of months before getting the chop." |
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3. Atraxa, Grand Unifier (Mythic, Phyrexia: All Will Be One) Says TCGPlayer: "2023 produced an expensive threat the likes of which we don't see all too often these days. Able to be cheated out through all sorts of different methods - including reanimation - Atraxa, Grand Unifier provides a hefty incentive to find ways to get her into play." |
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2. Orcish Bowmasters (Rare, Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings, Tales of Middle-Earth) Says TCGPlayer: " Orcish Bowmasters singlehandedly changed the way Modern is played, finally providing a way to contain Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, while you have to think very carefully about the timing of your Brainstorms in Legacy now that the Bowmasters are around to punish you." |
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1. The One Ring (Mythic, Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings, Tales of Middle-Earth) Says TCGPlayer: "The card that defined 2023 in Magic, however, was The One Ring. When it came to competitive Magic, everyone was convinced The One Ring was too powerful - especially after its dominance at the Modern Pro Tour in Barcelona. It hasn't been banned yet..." |
And, as for the best selling card of the year, that would be the card ranked fifth on this list: Lórien Revealed from Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings, Tales of Middle-Earth.
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