Magic: The Gathering fans were horrified by a picture of a serialized Godless Shrine, torn in two, that went viral on Magic social media over the past few days. The card was apparently destroyed in a controversial game called Flip it or Rip it, where MTG cards get ripped up, blind. The tragedy is that a serialized shock land is one of most sought after Ravnica Remastered cards, and could’ve easily sold for hundreds of dollars.
Murders at Karlov Manor isn’t the only set with Orzhov-based killings, now they’re sneaking into Ravnica Remastered as well. The ill-fated MTG land card was serialized Godless Shrine number 76 out of 500. It was posted to Instagram by Lillian_of_the_veil on January 14, 2024, who lost the card in a game of Flip it or Rip it,
Flip it or Rip it is a controversial game played in Magic: The Gathering and other TCGs, where players gamble with an unopened pack of cards. The idea is to place all the cards from a pack face down, then pick one to flip up and keep. The person you’re playing with then picks one at random to destroy. At the end of the game, you reveal the ripped cards and either sigh in relief or wince at your losses.
It must’ve been a pretty big wince this time, as Lillian discovered her friend had ripped up one of the most expensive MTG cards from the set. Though serialized cards with repeating numbers, round numbers, or single digit numbers tend to go for more, there’s little doubt that this card would’ve fetched a great price.
Already we’re seeing serialized shock lands selling on the secondary market, so we can have a pretty good idea how much the card was worth. For instance, a Steam Vents #234 sold for $1000 on eBay on January 12. More recently, a different Godless Shrine #168 fetched $530.
The image of the torn shock land quickly spread across Magic Twitter, with fans gawping at the loss or engaging in some cheerful schadenfreude. It actually drummed up a bit of controversy, too, from players who were opposed to the concept of Flip it or Rip it. Personally, we don’t see the appeal, but fans’ cards are theirs to do whatever they like with.
Since this card is one of a kind, it’s likely it would still fetch a higher price than a regular shock land, even in this condition. According to Lillian’s Instagram comments, however, the card is not for sale. She plans to play with it, and even has a ripped cards Commander deck that it will slot into nicely. A happy ending through and through!