Summary
Elves are among the most iconic fantasy species.Magic: The Gatheringis certainly no stranger to those pointy-eared waifs, as the game’s first-ever set, Alpha, featured the Elf creature type way back in 1993.
While Elf cards are not normally known for being game-breaking bombs, their synergies can certainly fuel thunderously powerful deck archetypes, and because of their ubiquity in MTG, there are several Elf cards that are worth a pretty penny on the secondary market. Tread lightly and read on to explore the most valuable Elf cards of all time.
The card prices quoted all come fromTCGPlayer’s Market Price History over the past calendar year (unless otherwise noted) and may fluctuate over time. Also, no promo cards are included here (Secret Lair Drops don’t count as promos).
10Norwood Priestess – Portal Second Age
Market Price: $76.32
A four-mana 1/1 Elf kicks off the list with a market value over $75. That’s right, a combination of supreme scarcity and the novelty factor of this featuring the Portal series’ trademark ultra-bolded text and odd phrasing means this card is worth an impressive sum over 25 years after it was released.
Of course, this card’s ability of putting any green creature directly into play might also play a major role in its cost, as cheating out beefy fatties is exactly what green mages want to do at all times.
9Deranged Hermit – Urza’s Legacy
Market Price: $90.00
While this Urza’s Legacy card is certainly an Elf, it’s more of a kindred Squirrel card, which is potentially why its price point sits at $90. With Bloomburrow,Squirrel kindred decksgot a shot in the arm (or, more likely, a nut buried in the ground), and Deranged Hermit produces a bevy of them.
Beyond producing Squirrel tokens upon entering, the Hermit acts as a Squirrel “lord” as well by boosting the power and toughness of all Squirrels by one each. Talk about a symbiotic relationship.
8Retro Frame Savra, Queen of the Golgari (Serial Numbered) – Ravnica Remastered
Market Price: $91.70
First released in 2006’s Ravnica: City of Guilds set, Savra did not see a reprint until 2024’sRavnica Remasteredcompilation set with a multitude of new card frames to enjoy. Of course, the serialized version is by far the most valuable at just over $90.
That price point is actually somewhat low for a serialized card, likely because Ravnica Remastered was heavily overprinted and the price points were quite high – prohibitively so. As such, you can still nab Ravnica Remastered collector booster boxes (the only place where these serialized cards were found) for market price, sometimes lower.
7Retro Frame Tolsimir Wolfblood (Serial Numbered) – Ravnica Remastered
Market Price: $102.49
From one Ravnica Remastered serialized card to another, Tolsimir Wolfblood was also originally printed in Ravnica: City of Guilds way back in 2006 and was not reprinted until Ravnica Remastered, but this card is worth roughly $15 more than Savra.
Why is Tolsimir more expensive? Perhaps it’s the flavor of creating a 2/2 Legendary Wolf creature token that is immediately boosted by Tolsimir’s static abilities, or perhaps it’s the card’s dope artwork by Donato Giancola, which remains unchanged from its first-ever printing. Either way, expect to shell out over $100 for this card if you want the serialized, retro frame version.
6Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Serial Numbered) – March of the Machine: Multiverse Legends
Market Price: $112.30
The only Simic (green/blue) Elf on this list is Ezuri, Claw of Progress, which debuted in theCommander 2015set. This version, of course, is serialized and also features absolutely breathtaking, calligraphy-style artwork from JungShan as part of March of The Machine’s Multiverse Legends bonus sheet.
Commander 2015 saw the debut of cards, such as Ezuri, that give players “experience counters,” an ability that Wizards has featured sparingly over the years – most recently onAzlask, the Swelling Scourgefrom Modern Horizons 3 Commander.
5Llanowar Elves – Alpha
Market Price: $121.25 (viaPriceCharting)
Sometimes, games get it right when they debut a creature. In the case of Alpha, MTG’s first-ever set, there were only two Elf cards printed. This is the one that has stood the test of time. Llanowar Elves remains one of the most iconic – and powerful – Elves ever printed.
There’s something incredibly debilitating about going up against a foe that plays this simple yet brutally effective mana accelerator on turn one. Sometimes, when playing in higher-powered formats on MTG Arena, players will simply scoop if you drop this mana dork on your first turn.
4Generous Patron (Extended Art) – Secret Lair Drop (Elusive Elves Bonus Sheet)
Market Price: $131.81
This card was originally printed in the unusual bonus set Battlebond in 2018, but this version of the card is the far rarer and, frankly, more attractive version. This Generous Patron was part of the “Elusive Elves” bonus sheet for random inclusion in some Secret Lair Drops that were released in 2023 and 2024.
While many fans decried the inclusion of random cards in Secret Lair Drops, there can be no denying that some became immediate chase cards – with Generous Patron leading the charge with its over $130 valuation. Even a simple bulk uncommon such as Paradise Druid is worth close to $55 in its Elusive Elves Secret Lair form.
3Retro Frame Deathrite Shaman (Serial Numbered) – Ravnica Remastered
Market Price: $356.59
Deathrite Shaman, a powerhouse card in its heyday, remains a versatile threat whenever it hits the board – no matter what format you’re playing. This card is so strong, in fact, that it remains banned in both Modern and Legacy because it’s just a flat-out beast and never a dead draw, no matter when you draw it.
As such, the serialized retro frame version of this card from Ravnica Remastered is a highly sought-after chase card, and its over $350 price point is befitting such a phenomenally powerful one-drop Elf creature.
2Elvish Archer – Alpha
Market Price: $374.40 (viaPriceCharting)
While Llanowar Elves is the card that remains, perhaps, the most iconic MTG elf ever printed, it’s its rare brother Elvish Archer that racks up the higher price point on the secondary market.
Sure, a 1/2 Elf creature with First Strike is laughable by today’s standards, but, in 1993, a creature with those kinds of stats was strong enough to be deemed a rare-level card – on par with Time Walk, Black Lotus and Ancestral Recall! Even if that sounds like satire, due to this card being a rare in Magic’s first-ever set, an ungraded copy of Elvish Archer will set you back close to $400 in today’s market.
1Arwen, Mortal Queen (Borderless Poster) (Serial Numbered) – Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings
Market Price: $1,500.00
The most valuable Elf card by far is from 2023’sUniverses Beyond: The Lord of the Rings set. Specifically, this full-art Borderless “Poster” card can be found in the Special Edition of Collector Boosters, which can be bought for $77 a pop on TCGPlayer.com.
Of course, this being a serialized card with only 100 cards printed makes it all the more valuable, though it also features truly spectacular art by Marlene Yui of one of the most beloved LotR characters of all time. Combine all of those features and you have an Elf card that demands a $1,500 premium on the secondary market. At least it’s cheaper than the one of one The One Ring.
Magic: The Gathering
Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.
