I've played a lot of trading card games in my time, but I'm still often shocked by how much a small cardboard rectangle can cost. I guess it shouldn't be that surprising - paper money is much the same. But while every booster-based TCG has its expensive cards and its pack-filler chaff, actually playing these games competitively can set you back by vastly different amounts.
Some games have extremely rare cards that are essential for multiple decks, driving their prices sky-high. Others have cheap versions of every card, with only special art variants threatening to break the bank. And of course everything depends on how the product is priced at retail and how much is available.
Money isn't everything, but if you're planning to pick up a new trading card game, it's worth thinking about how much you may have to invest in order to build a powerful deck. So in order to help you out with that, I'm going to compare five top TCGs by price.
Prices shift based on platform, seller, and over time, so here's the plan. For this to be in any way useful, I'm going to do the same thing every time. I'm going to use TCGPlayer, add all the cards to my cart, use the cart optimizer to try and find the lowest prices, and go with verified sellers over TCGPlayer Direct. I'll be looking at 'Lightly Played' or better cards, as that's about the quality I usually use when buying cards for myself.
Hopefully using the same process for each will allow for somewhat valid comparisons. To look at the games themselves, I'll be taking decks from three top archetypes in the games' most bog-standard format, then comparing an average. It's by no means a perfect approach, but now you know my system, you can judge the data for yourself.
5. Magic: The Gathering
- Izzet Lessons - $409.02
- Dimir Excruciator - $466.23
- Mono-Green Landfall - $465.2
- Average - $446.84
4. Disney Lorcana
- Amber/Emerald aggro - $138.32
- Amethyst/Steel evasive - $421.60
- Amethyst/Sapphire evasive - $577.19
- Average - $379.03
3. Yugioh TCG
- Dracotail - $175.55
- Branded - $302.14
- K9 Vanquish Soul - $313.77
- Average - $263.82
2. One Piece Card Game
- Black Imu - $34.89*
- Green Mihawk - $135.94
- Red/Blue Ace - $152.32
- Average - $107.71
*Black Imu obviously sways the average here by a lot, but it's also the top deck, so it doesn't feel right to discount it.
1. Pokémon
- Dragapult Dusknoir - $43.45
- Gholdengo - $34.86
- Gardevoir Jellicent - $28.34
- Average - $35.55
That's right, despite Pokémon having the most expensive rares and promos we've ever seen - way more costly than the most expensive MTG cards - it's actually the best trading card game to get into if you've got a limited budget.
If you'd like us to add a game to this list, let us know over at the Wargamer Discord.