It’s no surprise an uber-popular franchise like Yu-Gi-Oh! has a diehard fan base around it, and it is also not a surprise these fans are willing to shell out what would be a normal person’s life savings for the franchise’s merchandise.
Yu-Gi-Oh! is known to have some very rare and valuable cards that a lot of collectors would like to own, and sellers are taking full advantage of this by driving the prices through the roof to the point where it gets absolutely ridiculous. But hey, there’s a demand for it.
Below are 10 of the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards that are on the open market right now.
The top 10 most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in 2023
Note that most of these prices were taken from eBay, and are accurate at the time of writing this article.
10) Exodia, The Forbidden One LOB 1st Edition ($16,500)
If you have ever watched the anime, you will know Exodia is an incredibly powerful monster. But there’s a catch. It’s split up into five distinct cards: Exodia the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, and Right Arm of the Forbidden One.
To summon Exodia, the Forbidden One, you must have all five pieces of Exodia in your hand at the same time. Once you have done so, you will automatically win the duel. This is one major reason why this card fetches high prices, like the current selling price on eBay, which sits at $16,500.
9) Red-Eyes Black Dragon 1st Edition ($20,000)
Red-Eyes Black Dragon is the ace card, the main card, of Joey Wheeler in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. Joey Wheeler is the best friend of the main character Yugi Muto, and while he’s not exactly the best duelist in the world, his main card has become one of the most famous cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!
In 2003, Joey got his own starter deck released titled “Starter Deck Joey,” fittingly. This was where most people first got their hands on a copy of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but the first release of Red Eyes Black Dragon was in Legend of Blue-Eyes, the first set ever released in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Red-Eyes Black Dragon was released as one of 10 Ultra Rare cards in that set, which is a big reason why this card currently has a selling price of $20,000 on eBay.
8) Cyber-Stein SJC-EN001 Limited Edition 2004 Shonen Jump Championship Series ($22,000)
Phew, that one was a mouthful. The name is not the only thing about this card that’s a lot, though—its price is equally as grand. The 2004 Cyber-Stein is currently going for a selling price of $22,000 on eBay.
This Cyber-Stein card was originally awarded as a prize at the Shonen Jump Championships between 2004 and 2005. Only 18 copies were produced for the tournaments, with an additional two printed for the 2008 tournaments and 126 copies made for a promotional event in 2009. This card is still quite rare, even though it has been reprinted quite a few times.
7) Dark Magician Girl 1st Edition ($25,408.41)
The Dark Magician Girl is a beloved card of Yugi’s and fans alike. Given its popularity, it’s not surprising that it’s highly valuable, currently going on eBay for a selling price of $25,408.41.
The Dark Magician Girl was first released in October 2003 as part of the North American-only Magician’s Force (MFC) set, which focused on Spellcasters. It was later released in booster packs in October 2005 as part of the Master Collection Volume 2 compilation set.
6) Dark Magician 1st Edition LOB ($36,384)
The Dark Magician is another mainstay of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and trading card game, and is best known as the protagonist Yugi Muto’s favorite card. Due to how popular the card has become because of this very reason, a PSA 10 gem mint condition copy of the card printed in the Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon set is currently selling on eBay for $36,432.
A Level Seven spellcaster, he’s one of the most powerful cards in the trading card game. Combine the Dark Magician’s strength with the fact that he is super rare, and it’s not surprising to know that he’s also one of the most valuable cards available today.
5) Blue-Eyes White Dragon Dark Duel Stories 2004 ($49,999.99)
While there are quite a few copies of this card going around, there are very few that are as well-kept as the BGS 10 Pristine version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Dark Duel Stories 2004. Because of its relative rarity and practically perfect condition, it’s currently going for a price of $49,999.99 on eBay.
This card was one of six Prismatic Rare Cards that were released to promote the Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories video game. Two sets were created, one containing Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Exodia the Forbidden One, and Dark Magician, and the other containing Acid Trap Hole, Seiyaryu, and Salamandra, with the latter being packaged inside the Game Boy game.
4) Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn 2015 Championship Series ($52,000)
A one-of-a-kind version of Minerva, The Exalted Lightsworn, was awarded to the winner of the 2015 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Series national events. The only difference between this version and the cards given to second and third-place winners is the golden lettering.
The 2015 Championship Series of Minerva, Exalted Lightsworn has previously sold for prices that went up to $34,800 and has since only increased in price. This card is currently selling for $52,000 on eBay.
3) Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon 1st Edition LOB-001 ($99,999.99)
Blue-Eyes White Dragon is arguably the most popular and well-known Yu-Gi-Oh! card of all time. It’s a powerful card in both the trading card game and the original anime series, and is still highly sought after today, especially if it is an ultra-rare mint-conditioned copy.
The Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon (LOB) is a first-edition PSA 10 Gem Mint condition Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, released in the first expansion set of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, which was sold at auction in October 2020 for a whopping $85,000. While that is a lot of money, the card is currently going for a selling price of $99,999.99 on eBay.
Other copies of the card are also not cheap. In June 2021, a Chinese court stopped an auction after bidding reached a whopping $13.4 million as people scrambled to get their hands on an ultra-rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon with a 20th-anniversary card frame.
The kicker is that you’ll need three of them to summon the even more powerful Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but for your average diehard collector, the functional aspect of a card won’t matter all that much.
2) Crush Card Virus Shonen Jump Championship 2007 ($250,000)
The Crush Card Virus was given out as a prize in the 2007 Shonen Jump Championship, where 40 copies were released between January and July 2007. Two additional copies were distributed at the 2008 Costa Mesa Shonen Jump Championships, while another three—potentially more—were released on accident at a sneak preview event, which brings the total number of cards confirmed to exist in public to 46.
The rarity of this card is what makes it so valuable to collectors, rather than its functionality or popularity. A mint copy of the Crush Card Virus is currently being sold on eBay for a grand price of $250,000.
Given how powerful it is, it was included in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ban list for many years, which means players weren’t allowed to use the card in official duels—probably another reason for its skyrocketing price. Previously, you were only allowed one of these cards in your deck, but now that its effects have been modified, you can have up to three.
1) Tyler the Great Warrior ($311,211)
Tyler The Great Warrior is incredibly unique. It’s not rare because it’s old or a special rarity. It’s expensive and elusive because it’s the only one of its kind in existence. It’s a special card in that there is only a single copy of this card that exists, which has been with the intended owner for the longest time.
In 2002, a 14-year-old Yu-Gi-Oh! fan was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was made aware of his diagnosis and granted him his wish to create his own Yu-Gi-Oh! card. Thanks to contacts at 4Kids Entertainment, Make-A-Wish made his dream a reality.
Tyler then invented his own card called Tyler, The Great Warrior, with the card design based on Future Trunks from Dragon Ball. His card also received a unique effect that inflicts effect damage to your opponent based on the attack points of the monsters it destroys, similar to Elemental Hero Flame Wingman.
Tyler survived his fight with cancer, keeping hold of the card for years. He only recently decided to sell his card so he can fund his future, and has done so through eBay, where the final auction bid racked up a whopping $311,211 for the young man who finally let go of his unique customized Yu-Gi-Oh! Card, with the auction having closed on April 29, 2023.
