The Twitch streamer Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe is a passionate fan of the card game Magic: The Gathering. At MagicCon 2024, he treated himself to a very special souvenir: the legendary Black Lotus.
Which card is it about? The Twitch streamer Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe secured one of the most famous collectible cards from Magic: The Gathering at MagicCon 2024 in Amsterdam: the legendary Black Lotus.
What makes the card so special? The Black Lotus is one of the oldest Magic cards and comes from a time when “balancing” was still a foreign concept. The card’s ability allows players to perform powerful moves much earlier than usual. Therefore, the card is banned in all competitive formats except for “Vintage.”
However, the Black Lotus is not only overpowered but also incredibly rare: it was printed only in the first 3 sets of Magic: The Gathering and is on the so-called “Reserved List”: With these cards, WotC commits to never printing them again in their original form to preserve their collectible value.
This combination makes the Black Lotus an extremely valuable rarity, for which collectors might pay half a million. The emphasis here is on “collectors”: actually, one proudly displays the card and does not play with it – unless you are HandOfBlood.
HandOfBlood did not take the decision lightly
How did Hänno get to the expensive card? As HandOfBlood reported in his stream after MagicCon, the Black Lotus was sold on site by several dealers. A card from the Beta set of 1993 with the artist’s signature was offered for about 49,000 dollars.
However, the Twitch streamer did not want to spend that much: HandOfBlood explains that he has never spent much money on the hobby, even though he has been a Magic fan for 25 years. In the past, he lacked pocket money, and as an adult, he intentionally buys used cards.
He says he was even really ashamed to consider buying such an expensive card.
In the end, however, the idea of using the Black Lotus in a game and seeing the shocked faces of his opponents prevailed. The streamer explains why one usually does not do that: Every time you touch it, it loses value.
The big moment
How much did he end up spending? In the end, HandOfBlood paid 2,500 euros for an “International Collector’s Edition” version of the Black Lotus. This is a version of the card not allowed in official games, which is less interesting for “true” collectors.
HandOfBlood tells the whole story here:
And did he really play it? Yes, as HandOfBlood reports, he secretly put the Black Lotus into his Commander deck for a round against his friends to not spoil the big moment.
When the streamer actually had his treasure in his starting hand and could play it in his first round, the moment was perfect. HandOfBlood says his friends’ reactions were exactly as he had imagined: everyone was shocked for 20 seconds, including himself, nobody said anything – then everyone laughed.
For this memory alone, the purchase seems to have been worth it. Additionally, HandOfBlood now has a very special memento from MagicCon 2024 – and the card is also a good investment.
By the way, it can get even more expensive: A special card was printed only once for a crossover with “The Lord of the Rings” and made the lucky finder rich overnight. Magic: The Gathering: Fan finds the one ring, sells it for $2.6 million – now reveals what he will do with the money
