Price Trends: Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards Climbing in Price - 12/03/2024
By Peter Day •
We want you to have the best information available when you price cards on the TCGplayer Marketplace. So to help you get the most from your inventory, we’ve put together a downloadable CSV report of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards that have dramatically increased in Market Price in the past 30 days.
(Note: This report only considers Near Mint copies of cards with at least five sales between October 27 and November 25, 2024.)
Here are ten highlights from that report. First, we have the five cards that gained the most value in the past 30 days after starting with a Market Price of $10 or less.
Top 5 Price Increases—YGO Cards $10 or Less
#5 Solemn Strike (Quarter Century Secret Rare)
- Set: 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II
- Increase: +$8.55
- Current Market Price: $17.87
Collectors, speculators, and shiny-appreciative players have all reacted positively to Quarter Century Secret Rares, the special rarity that Konami unveiled to celebrate 25 years of the Yu-Gi-Oh OCG. Konami has indirectly promised not to reprint any cards at the QCSR rarity that already have a QCSR version, which has made collectors and other value-conscious fans more willing to invest in these versions of their favorite cards. With the 25th anniversary winding down, the window for getting these cards is closing, so many of them are spiking as the market tries to establish a floor on these uniquely collectible cards.
The QCSR version of Solemn Strike started creeping up in early October (around five months after the release of Anniversary Rarity Collection II) as the number of copies available started dwindling. But it really took off after one buyer purchased 24 copies at once on November 3, sending this high-rarity version of a perennial all-star far above the ~$7 it had spent all of August and September.
- Set: Maximum Gold: El Dorado
- Increase: +$8.87
- Current Market Price: $16.72
The Dragonmaid archetype is having a bit of a moment right now. Quarter Century Bonanza gave fans four reprints to collect, and Konami has announced that the upcoming Japanese set Quarter Century Trinity Box will contain new support for the theme. Chamber Dragonmaid is one of the key cards for the archetype, and since the Maximum Gold: El Dorado version is the least expensive one on the market, players have been buying it up in anticipation of the deck maybe becoming competitive in the future.
#3 Number C102: Archfiend Seraph (UTR)
- Set: Primal Origin
- Increase: +$9.40
- Current Market Price: $18.98
This card saw a huge number of sales on October 12—though not as much as its base version, which was targeted for buyouts after the initial sales rush and grew from a $0.50 card to a $2 card.
The upcoming set Crossover Breakers (releasing this Friday) will introduce a new archetype called Ryzeal, and Archfiend Seraph could see play in that deck as a way to search up Artifact Scythe with the upcoming card Seventh Tachyton and stop opponents from Special Summoning on their turn. This is all rather speculative—Artifact Scythe is currently Forbidden in the TCG—but there’s enough potential to this combo that some fans are grabbing this piece of it well in advance.
- Set: Crossed Souls
- Increase: +$10.39
- Current Market Price: $19.47
The Nekroz theme received new support in the Japanese set Terminal World 2, which just released on November 23. Players are picking up Nekroz of Sophia and other Nekroz cards in anticipation of the new cards like Avance, Swordsman of Nekroz and Emilia, Dance Priestess of the Nekroz making their way from the OCG to the TCG.
#1 Small World (Quarter Century Secret Rare)
- Set: 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection
- Increase: +$12.80
- Current Market Price: $20.53
Small World looks like it was another QCSR that speculators targeted for buyouts. Lower-rarity versions of Small World are available for under $1, and haven’t budged significantly in November. Meanwhile, this QCSR version began October at under $8 and shot up in mid-November after multiple days of buyers purchasing three copies at a time.
Next, these are the five cards that gained the most value in the past 30 days after starting with a Market Price over $10.
Top 5 Price Increases—YGO Cards Over $10
- Set: Crossed Souls
- Increase: +$19.39
- Current Market Price: $30.87
This version of Nekroz of Sophia is spiking for the same reason as the base version: Players hope that the new Nekroz support that released in Japan will soon be released internationally, and they want to be ready if and when it does. Sophia of Nekroz hasn’t been reprinted outside of Crossed Souls, so these two versions are the only ones players can pick up right now.
#4 Gold Sarcophagus (Quarter Century Secret Rare)
- Set: 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II
- Increase: +$19.56
- Current Market Price: $30.33
The remaining cards on this list are all QCSR cards that spiked as more affordable copies were bought up and none came in to replace them.
Gold Sarcophagus is a long-time staple card that also appeals to fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime, as evidenced by the fact that Konami released a whole premium product based around the icon.
#3 Dark Armed Dragon (Quarter Century Secret Rare)
- Set: Battles of Legend: Monstrous Revenge
- Increase: +$22.56
- Current Market Price: $81.06
Dark Armed Dragon doesn’t see as much play anymore, but yugiboomers remember when DAD was a key card for breaking opponents’ boards. It features in several of Yu-Gi-Oh’s retro “Time Wizard” formats, including the fan-favorite Edison Format.
#2 Mulcharmy Purulia (Quarter Century Secret Rare)
- Set: The Infinite Forbidden
- Increase: +$24.06
- Current Market Price: $167.25
Mulcharmy Purulia on the other hand sees tons of modern play. This “fixed” version of Maxx “C” first released this year in The Infinite Forbidden and has since become inescapable in competitive Yu-Gi-Oh. Since even the base version costs over $80, more players are willing to double that just to own the sparkliest Purulia there may ever be.
#1 Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Quarter Century Secret Rare)
- Set: 25th Anniversary Ultimate Kaiba Set
- Increase: +$26.71
- Current Market Price: $238.55
Finally, we have the granddaddy of all Yu-Gi-Oh monsters, the iconic Blue-Eyes White Dragon. There are in fact four different QCSR versions of BEWD, though they each have slightly different artwork or foiling. This is the rarest and most expensive of the flight, only available in the limited-time product modeled on Kaiba’s briefcase.
By selling these cards online, you can reach a broad audience of customers who are willing to pay what these cards are truly worth. Download the November 2024 Price Trends Report to review every Yu-Gi-Oh! card that went up in value this month. Then list those cards on TCGplayer so your inventory can do more for your business.
Download the Yu-Gi-Oh! Price Trends Report
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